Pennsylvania’s John Murtha dead at 77
Another special election test for the Obama administration looms. This was posted a few minutes ago at Congressional Quarterly:
John Murtha, congressman and Vietnam veteran. AP file.
Rep. John P. Murtha, who just set a record as Pennsylvania’s longest-serving House member, has died, his office announced Monday. He was 77.
A Democrat, he had represented southwestern Pennsylvania in Congress since 1974, and was chairman of the powerful House Appropriations subcommittee that writes the bill that decides how military programs are funded.
Murtha had been moved last week from National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. to Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., because of complications from gall bladder surgery.
On Saturday, Feb. 6, he surpassed his state’s record for length of service in the House –13,150 days.
The Washington Post provided this assessment:
Elected to Congress in 1974 from a southwestern Pennsylvania district that has been economically devastated by the decline of America’s coal-mining and steel industries, the gruff and jowly Murtha was beloved by his constituents for tapping billions of dollars in federal funds to seed new industries there.
He was revered among Democrats — and even some Republicans — for his skill over 19 terms in using the power of the federal purse to make kings and deals. A right-hand man of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he was considered one of the most influential lawmakers on Capitol Hill and credited with her ascension.
Murtha laid claim to being the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress. His congressional Web site says Murtha’s military decorations included a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.
The Post’s Chris Cillizza has already scouted out the election terrain in a very competitive district:
According to state law, the governor has ten days once the vacancy is officially declared to decide on the date for the special election, which can come no sooner than 60 days following that proclamation.
That likely means the special election will be held on May 18, which is the date already set for federal primaries around the state. (Special elections costs the state huge sums of money and it’s likely that Gov. Ed Rendell will choose to go with an already established election day to save some cash.)
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74 comments Add your comment
More of the same
February 8th, 2010
4:13 pm
Yes, he was revered among both parties for his ability to get tax dollars funneled to his pet projects.
No greater case exists for term limits and a balanced budget amendment.
UPDATED – Rep. John Murtha – RIP | Political Byline
February 8th, 2010
4:13 pm
[...] on ALL sides remembering Murtha: Gateway Pundit, Michelle Malkin, The Eye, Political Insider, Hot Air, Mediaite, skippy the bush kangaroo, Mudville Gazette, Indecision Forever, The Moderate [...]
Its time
February 8th, 2010
4:24 pm
God has not left us. Hes clearing the path for a correction from the doom and gloom. People dont blow this.
jimbo
February 8th, 2010
4:30 pm
@ More of the same
Perfect, saved me the typing.
@ Its Time
Ditto
Concerned
February 8th, 2010
4:36 pm
My condolences to his family,….Other than that… about time, another reason for term limits..He never did anything for the southern man,
Trusslady
February 8th, 2010
4:37 pm
May he rest in peace.
As for the rest of you – I don’t hear any nasty comments when Sexby Chaplips and Johnny Ick are porking their way through the senate.
tired of the right
February 8th, 2010
4:44 pm
@Trusslady
tired of the right
February 8th, 2010
4:47 pm
@Trusslady…… and you won’t here anything. Right wing nuts are the most evil, hateful, spiteful people, and nothing they do or say surprises me! They are truly a mean disgusting group of “people”(not sure they deserve that title)
Ricardus
February 8th, 2010
4:47 pm
Term Limits for all politicians…either at the ballot box or let God step in for His people.
tired of the right
February 8th, 2010
4:47 pm
the title of people, that is
Devildog
February 8th, 2010
4:54 pm
Well, you’re not supposed to say anything bad about the dead, so I’ll go to my favorite Moms Mabley story for this one.
Mom said she was told she had to say good things about the dead, so here’s what Moms said when her rotten husband died: He’s dead. Good!!!!!
Same for Murtha.
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
4:55 pm
I, too wish to extend condolences to his family. Other than that, the man was as rotten an apple as there ever was. So far, the Lord is doing a good job of weeding out those life long politicians whose sole purpose in life is to bilk the taxpayers…Ted Kennedy, John Murtha, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi(alright, those last 2 are on my wish list)
DW
February 8th, 2010
4:57 pm
My condolences to the Murtha family.
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
4:58 pm
Hey Tired of the Right, when Johnny and Saxby add the kind of pork Murtha did to his bills then they will hear from us; until then keep your comments to yourself. Murtha was the king of all pork and as corrupt as they come. He’s just been removed from the Top 20 Corrupt Politicians list.
Elliot Garcia
February 8th, 2010
4:59 pm
Tired, maybe you should stop with the name calling and wake up to what is really going on in Congress. Murtha wasted millions of tax payer dollars on useless pet projects. Maybe you like throwing money away, but most people don’t.
John
February 8th, 2010
5:02 pm
Happy trails for another dem. Hope he is replaced by an elephant.
Bo Chambliss LOBBYIST
February 8th, 2010
5:03 pm
John Murtha is the MAN Saxby wants to grow up to be..Murtha got top dollar from the LOBBYIST.
Your taxes at work!
February 8th, 2010
5:05 pm
This a$$hat was the “king of pork” including a REMOTE airport named after him paid for by our federal tax dollars that has only about 20 passengers a day. The story (along with his history of other pork spending) will make you sick:
http://www.gadling.com/2009/04/26/john-murtha-airport-the-150-million-facility-for-20-passenger/
butch
February 8th, 2010
5:06 pm
when is HARRY&NANCY GONNA GET THEIR GALL BLADDER REMOVED??????????????
RallyG
February 8th, 2010
5:07 pm
Trusslady:
Neither Chambliss nor Isaacson ever, ever, mouthed off and falsely accused U.S. servicemen of murder.
One less corrupt democrat in congress.
Yankee in Gooberville
February 8th, 2010
5:09 pm
Vietnam Vet, and these insane right wingers are frothing at their primary breathing orifices.
Pork is very much bipartisan you goobers.
Jesus weeps at your hard heartedness. May you all burn in your respective versions of hell. lol
Sal
February 8th, 2010
5:26 pm
RIP Murtha. I’m sure he will be missed by family, but I was born and raised in SW PA and I can tell you that PLENTY of decent, hardworking folks won’t be sad to see someone else in his seat.
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
5:28 pm
How much do you want to bet that the “special election” they hold will produce another Democrat after claims of voter fraud run rampant? Pork, the other white meat Yankee in Gooberville is largely digested by porkers like Murtha, Reid, and Pelosi($2 million “stimulus” grant to save some tadpole in San Francisco). The main porkers on the GOP side are those 2 frauds from the south, Alabama’s Richard Shelby and the redneck from Mississippi, Thad Cochran. Of course, these 2guys combined didn’t account for a fraction of the $1+ billion Murtha ate while feeding at the trough known as Congress since 1974. Let’s face it, the guy was a lifetime politician. Now he won’t have to worry about reelection anymore.
Bill68
February 8th, 2010
5:30 pm
Unfortunately this is one of the ways to get the establishment out of Washington—legally.Condolences to his family tho.
Bill68
February 8th, 2010
5:32 pm
Cochran and Shelby should go to- alive if possible.
Piso Mojado
February 8th, 2010
5:37 pm
Republicans controlled both houses of Congress for the first 6 years of the GWB administration. During this time, GWB was well on his way to securing the worst job creation record of any full-term president in the past 60 years. He created 3 million in 8 years. Jimmy Carter created 10 million in half the time, for crying out loud. I’d be remiss if I didn’t show some love to the the poster-boy of job creation on our lifetime – Bill Clinton. 23 million jobs. And let’s not forget GWB started a war based on false intelligence that has cost our country 3 billion a week for almost 8 years. And you conservative yahoos are complaining about pork?
Where were you complainers during those years? Conservatives actually want to go back to those days? Talk about clueless. Talk about blind ideology. I have a suggestion. Please crawl back into whatever cave you were in during the years when GWB was president and Republicans controlled congress, and keep your collective mouths shut like you did back then.
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
5:44 pm
Piso Mojado , this is a discussion on pork, not fantasy jobs created by your savior Bill Clinton. Besides, many of those 23 million jobs were created by way of the internet; Did Clinton invent the internet? My bad Al Gore did. You are a clueless idiot; is that what Piso Mojado translates to? Come back when we are talking about jobs creation moron! And how many millions of jobs has BO created? According to recovery.org I believe its 200 million
jim
February 8th, 2010
5:49 pm
Piso Majado – you absolutely nailed it. And notice the response – JD calls you a “clueless idiot”. Gee, now thats intelligent. That is typical of the right wingers though. Name calling and anger. Gee, I guess Republican Linsey Graham had it right when he said he was afraid the repubs were becoming the “angry white guy party”. As a former moderate repub and Vietnam vet, I say again, “you nailed it Piso”.
jim
February 8th, 2010
5:49 pm
make that Lindsey
Avery Bundren
February 8th, 2010
5:52 pm
Now if we could just get rid of Shooter Cheney, Newt Gingrich, and some of those other ill-intentioned people things would be much better. I’m not necessarily advocating funerals for these misanthropes, but that wouldn’t be all bad. Or in the case of Mitch McConnell, maybe a good bowel movement would help.
Scott
February 8th, 2010
5:55 pm
Good riddance! That sack of sh)! said some really demeaning things about our troops serving honorably overseas. Of course he and the rest of the leftist hacks see nothing wrong with attacking the soldier on the ground. No finer example of a gutless coward than that!
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
5:56 pm
I’m sure “Jim” and Piso Mojado are typing from the same computer. Way to give yourself a pat on the back Jim Mojado. Aren’t we all Vietnam Vets?
Dick Cheney
February 8th, 2010
5:58 pm
Hee hee hee hee
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
5:59 pm
“Jim Movado”, if you are truly a Vietnam Vet then why didn’t Murtha’s comments about our troops get under your skin? I thought there was a brotherhood in the military? If that’s the case, Murtha broke that bond.
jim
February 8th, 2010
6:02 pm
Hey JD – lst of the 27th infantry , 25th infantry division. Cu Chi and fought in the TET offensive for my country. Save the vitriol and try a rationale exchange of ideas. It might be a change but you really should try it.
jim
February 8th, 2010
6:05 pm
Murtha served in Vietnam and was decorated. The fact that you did not like all of his comments does not detract from his service. I contrast that with the right wing types – Cheney, ,et.al – none of them could bother to serve when they were around for a shooting war. Newt, McConnell, Saxby – none of them served. That also includes guys like Rush Limbaugh and his ilk.
jim
February 8th, 2010
6:06 pm
make that rational
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
6:07 pm
Jim, you should read this. This is why we’re done with useless politicians milking taxpayers across the country to pay for special pet projects in their district. This directly from todays news …”Murtha defended the practice of earmarking. The money, he said, benefited his constituents.
Murtha became chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee in 1989. The same year Paul Magliocchetti, a former subcommittee staffer, left Capitol Hill to found the now-defunct PMA Group. The lobbying firm, which specialized in obtaining earmarks for defense contractors, was one Murtha’s biggest sources of campaign cash.
In 2007 and 2008, Murtha and two fellow Democrats on the subcommittee directed $137 million to defense contractors who were paying PMA to get them government business. Between 1989 and 2009, Murtha collected more than $2.3 million in campaign contributions from PMA’s lobbyists and corporate clients, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money.
Shortly after the 2008 election, the FBI raided PMA’s offices as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. In a separate development in January 2009, FBI agents raided the offices of a defense contractor from Murtha’s district—Windber-based Kuchera Defense Systems Inc.—that had received millions of dollars in earmarks sponsored by Murtha while contributing tens of thousands to his campaigns. ”
Now follow me here Jim/Piso Mojado, Murtha got pork projects approved in the hundreds of millions of dollars for contractors he had backroom deals with. We pay for this. In the end, a portion of what he got appropriated went back to his campaign in the form of “campaign contributions” and very likely in his pocket. And somehow you don’t have a problem with that?
Elliot Garcia
February 8th, 2010
6:09 pm
Hey Piso, let’s talk about Obama….how many jobs has he created? or is he just worried about saving labor union jobs to he can get votes? Unemployment is at it’s highest level in 30 years….talk about today….
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
6:10 pm
Thank you for your service. I mean that sincerely. But I disagree with your thought process. Yes, Cheney and Saxby were draft dodgers but McCain wasn’t;yet you conveniently left him out of the conversation. So I see that you and Piso aren’t sharing the same computer network after all.
sam
February 8th, 2010
6:11 pm
How about one of you fascist right wing lunatics explain how this man was a traitor. Was it because he was a war hero with 4 medals? We know how the pukes hate those type of real Americans. In flying their true colors today, they are also floating their true smell, BS.
CDiddy
February 8th, 2010
6:11 pm
John Murtha … the personification of all that is wrong, evil and corrupt in American politics. Good riddance.
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
6:31 pm
Sam, shouldn’t you be studying for your algebra test? Nite nite nut case.
joey
February 8th, 2010
6:31 pm
Just another tax and spend dem, isn’t he one of the gang that called our soldiers baby killers? I hope the people put a republican in office so we can block this garbage executive branch of government.
MT
February 8th, 2010
6:47 pm
Go into the hospital for gallbladder issue and come out dead. It sounds like he got zapped by a hospital germ. MRSA??
Keith
February 8th, 2010
6:53 pm
If I were a liberal Democrat I’d be looking over my shoulder. God’s not happy with you. First Ted Kennedy now Murtha. Who’s next?
jim
February 8th, 2010
6:56 pm
Hey J.D. I get it – Murtha was a pork guy. Surprise, surprise. Pork has been a problem with repubs too. We get what we get when people keep getting re-elected. Term limits would help but that is another battle. I still applaud his service as a marine.
jim
February 8th, 2010
6:59 pm
P.S. Now that you mention McCain – please recognize that alot of right wingers did not approve or vote for him. I admire his service and his military story but he sold out too. Remember when he attacked the religious right and Bob Jones University in particular? The right wingers had him back peddeling faster than ever thought possible.
d
February 8th, 2010
8:31 pm
Say what you will but he served in Vietnam while the rest of you where wrapped in blankets. No one should wish somebody was dead that served in our military. You may not believe in what he did and said as a politician, but please honor him for being a soldier. He wanted to go to Vietnam.
JD in Marietta
February 8th, 2010
8:46 pm
Even after he accused the Haditha Marines of killing innocent civilians in the middle of the night and they were eventually found not guilty, he REFUSED to apologize. For that, there is no excuse. He may have served which is honorable, but he did a DISSERVICE to all those who serve, have served and risk their lives for this country. Next years defense budget will now be $200 million lighter with his passing.