More Knife Fighting Details
As I noted yesterday, the internecine knife fighting is going on over the House leadership positions. Today's Washington Post expands of the brief announcement yesterday that Nancy Pelosi had chosen to back John Murtha for Majority Leader. But was this a shaft or a face-saving move?
Pelosi's decision could be a significant blow to Hoyer, who has worked for years to move up in the Democratic leadership. Political handicappers had regarded Hoyer to be the strong favorite when House Democrats meet Thursday to choose a majority leader for the 110th Congress. Although Murtha's stance on Iraq has made him a hero among many grass-roots party activists, his positions against abortion and gun control have pushed many House liberals into Hoyer's camp, including the leader of the Out of Iraq Caucus, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
Hoyer's camp counts 21 of the roughly 40 incoming freshman Democrats as committed supporters. Many freshmen believe the Democrats should stick with the team that brought them to the majority, said John Sarbanes, who was elected last week to represent central Maryland in the House.
Hoyer also has the strong support of many of the party's conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats, who worry about Murtha's involvement in the Abscam bribery sting in 1980 and what they see as his freewheeling style on the House Appropriations Committee, where he has openly advocated for the interests of his district and his political supporters.
Some of Hoyer's supporters put the best face on Pelosi's intervention, saying Murtha would not have asked for a public letter of support if his campaign were not in trouble.
"I don't think it's significant," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), a leading Blue Dog and Hoyer supporter. "Everyone already knew she was supporting Murtha. I don't think this will have much of an impact. Steny's going to win this fight."
The possibility is there that the letter of support will be the only real support Pelosi gives. If she also does backstage maneuvering for Murtha, that might swing the vote. But if all she offers is lip service on a piece of paper, Hoyer might yet win the seat.
By PoliticalCritic, November 13, 2006 @ 10:15 am
Murtha should win. The Democrats need people in positions of power that actually have the stones to speak up when the Bush thugs act up. Most Democrats sit back and take it.
By Quilly Mammoth, November 13, 2006 @ 12:17 pm
How does Murtha’s status as an unidicted co-conspirator line up with the Democrats charge that there was a culture of corruption under Republican leadership?
What’s that song, Gaius?…meet the new boss
By Gaius, November 13, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
He was also named as one of the most corrupt Congressmen by a liberal group. Great credentials. Yeah, Won’t Get Fooled Again was prophetic.
By Arlo, November 13, 2006 @ 1:58 pm
If they had anything to indict him for, they’d indict him. You wanna go back to the 70’s? How about going back to the 80’s and a real investigation of GW Bush’s Harkin stock sale? Or lets just go back 6 years and fry my own Congressman, Mike Ferguson, because that is an outrage that he wasn’t investigated and censured by the House over his parents contributing over $500,000 to his Congressional campaign. He should have been expelled from the House. Theres no point having laws if politicians flagrantly disregard them like that.