The Unknown Candidate: Chill. It's Just Politics.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Chill. It's Just Politics.

The ballot has been cast. Steny Hoyer has defeated Jack Murtha 149 to 86 for majority leader in the House of Representatives.

David Corn of The Nation writes, "There's no way to spin this: this was a big loss for incoming House Speaker Pelosi" and for antiwar Democrats.

Meanwhile, while CNN & MSNBC go joyfully on and on about Murtha's response to ethics reform as "crap" and spin spin spin the lack of support for Pelosi's choice (Murtha) as both a testament to her poor leadership skills and a repudiation of any plan to begin redeplying our troops(!) -- they make woeful little of the fact that the Republicans have gone "Back to the Future" by resurrecting Trent Lot, disgraced whipping boy, to the new minority whip. What fun.

Here's my feeling. For all the big noises about Murtha's questionable ethics and the Democrats squabbling over leadership positions, it's nothing to fret about. GIven the media's short memory concerning the recent ousting of Trent Lot over past comments seen as highly offensive to Blacks, and given he is now, once again golden -- everyone should just calm down.

It's just politics. Nancy Pelosi will survive this. So will Jack Murtha.

The people's business awaits. Enough from the political spin machines!

Photo credit: Democratic nominee for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca), and Democratic House Majority Leader nominee Steny Hoyer (D-Md), (C) as Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa) applauds following the House Democratic Caucus Leadership elections on Capitol Hill, November 16, 2006. (Larry Downing/Reuters)

Also See The Olbermann Perspective:

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Pelosi Backs Murtha for No. 2: Iraq over Ethics?

Pelosi's Day

Robert Scheer: Murtha's No Lefty, But He's Right
Robert Sheer writes: "Because of his credentials as a highly decorated Marine veteran and stalwart Pentagon supporter, US congressman John Murtha (D-Pa.) was more effective than any other member of Congress in crystallizing the changing American position on Iraq when he dramatically wrote last year, 'It is time to bring them home.' Not intimidated by the president's 'cut-and-run' smears, he said what most Americans have come to believe: The war is not 'winnable' and it is time - now, not in 10 years - to let Iraqis make their own history and to get American troops out of the line of fire."
GOP resuscitates racist Lott:
In 2002 Trent Lott was one of the earliest casualties of blogger vigilance, when his praise of the racist, segregationist presidential candidacy of Strom Thurmond was picked up and amplified by the blogs. The corporate media simply couldn't ignore it.

It's not as if it were an isolated gaffe.
Rep. John Murtha: Let's Get to Work
Democrats won the election because we spoke up, and the real test of our leadership lies ahead. Thank you for your support, and now let's get to work.