Detailing Harassment, Massa Claims Democratic Conspiracy to Pass Health Care Forced Exit

[t0dd]

Source: City Hall

In his final weekly radio show on Sunday morning, Rep. Eric Massa for the first time detailed the events he believes led to the sexual harassment complaint against him that prompted his resignation from Congress, announced on Friday, but effective Monday afternoon. Massa, a Democrat, also accused House Democratic leadership of conspiring to remove him from office ahead of the reconciliation votes on health care, given his vote against the legislation when it went before the House last November.

“I was set up for this from the very, very beginning,” he said, on what Massa insisted would be the last broadcast of the Sunday morning show on WKPQ 105.3 FM in Hornell. “You think that somehow they didn’t come after me to get rid of me because my vote is the deciding vote in the health care bill? Then, ladies and gentlemen, you live today in a world that is so innocent as to not understand what’s going on in Washington, D.C.”

According to Massa, the sexual harassment complaint stemmed from an incident during a wedding on New Year’s Eve last year. Sometime soon after midnight, Massa said, a drunken male staffer made a lurid comment to Massa about dancing with one of the bridesmaids at the reception.

“A staff member made an intonation to me that maybe I should be chasing after the bridesmaid. His points were clear and his words were far more colorful than that,” Massa said. “And I grabbed the staff member sitting next to me and said, “Pal, what I really ought to be doing is fracking you.’ And then I tussled the guy’s hair, and left.”

Massa said that another staff member—disturbed by Massa’s statement—reported it to the House Ethics Committee. Massa said the staffer to whom he directed the comment never was involved with the complaint.

“That staff member never said to me he felt uncomfortable,” Massa said. “He never came to me, he never said a word to me. In fact, he never went to anybody.”

...

With Massa’s resignation, Democrats now need only 216 votes in the House to pass the bill.

Massa also described a profanity-filled conversation he had with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel after he voted against the president’s health care legislation last year. Massa called on Emanuel to resign for his own use of profane language during the phone call.

“Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil’s spawn,” Massa added. “He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive.”

Read more: http://www.cityhallnews.com/newyork/article-1178-detailing-harassment-massa-claims-democratic-conspiracy-forced-exit.html

---

Our Democratic leadership are ousting single payer advocates now. Massa may have voted against the House bill, but he did it because he truly believed a solution does not exist within the current system (and he's right). But don't tell that to our Democratic leadership. They'll do anything to pass their government-enforced private taxation on behalf of large, for-profit corporations. Anything to inch us closer to corporate serfdom.

[RandomThoughts]

1. If his account of the events is correct.

The use of an event that occurred months ago, outside of a work environment, that is not near as bad as some behavior that occurs, seems wrong.

If what he said is true, he shouldn't have resigned. And just like all the other smears people believe on TV, people should not believe it.

I have had issues with the use of smear or ethics charged as targeted justice for years. The use of targeted justice, weather in a community or in politics, is wrong. It leads to no justice, since instead of everyone that does something wrong getting in trouble using real justice, it sets up a situation where anyone can get in trouble, and only those picked to be charged without justice get in trouble.


The issue he is discussing is targeted use of laws, if what he said was true, that would be wrong.


An example is any law that is only enforced by officers discretion. Drunk Driving is an example, I would say 50% of people driving home from a bar are above .08% but only the ones picked to be pulled over get in trouble. Either everyone should be pulled over, or the law should be changed to not be about .08% but about some capability to drive. As the law is, police could target people they do not like or want to harass.

Immigration is another targeted justice system, if a migrant worker is an illegal, does not get in trouble, does not file complaints about some situation, and does not bother people in authority, they are allowed to work for small amount of pay. But at any time they can be picked up and deported if targeted for some other reason. If illegals are illegal, they should be deported, or the laws should be changed, lack of enforcement is not a means to justice.

Laws, and social standards should be enforced equally, or they should not be laws. Moving power from justice to targeted justice means no justice. Any law or social standard that is not attempted to be equally enforced, I consider those laws to not exist.

[Blue State Bandit]

13. Is this why he he was "targeted"?

Rep. Eric Massa Discusses Public Option, Anti-trust, and the Republicans
October 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scN6lHt3CJ4


We may have a problem here.

[karynnj]

22. There is no suggestion that he was "targeted"

This reeks of the Edwards people who spoke of him being targeted "because he stood against the corporations" Here, he quit on his own rather than waiting for a possible, but not certain, ethics hearing. The root of that rumour was one of his staffers who was offended supposedly reporting it - and likely his staff speaking of this to others, possibly thinking it funny.

The fact is the leadership certainly does not want another Democratic scandal to add to the list that the NYT had on its front page earlier this week - especially not in NY where there is an open Governor's race and two Senate races - all very very likely Democratic wins as Cuomo, Schumer and Gillebrand are all favored.

[RaleighNCDUer]

46. That assumes, of course, that Rahm gives a crap about the Democratic party.

The DLCers would rather forward their agenda at the expense of the party than preserve the party at the expense of their agenda.

[kenfrequed]

115. I sometimes wonder

If the DLC'ers don't prefer a stronger Republican party.

A: It provides ample cover for their votes and they can always wring their hands and whine about how the evil republicans stopped them.

B: Without a strong republican party they don't have anyone to triangulate with and have to actually talk to their own party.

C: They have gotten addicted to being the power-holders since they can sit down and toss their weight to whatever angle of an issue that Democrats and Republicans are arguing about in a way that benefits only them and their corporate donors.

[saracat]

179. At this point, should he? After what they tried to do to him?

[msanthrope]

254. Who forced Massa to grope staffers???

It wasn't just language--the WaPo has a triple-sourced report on how Massa is being accused of groping male staffers....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/09/AR2010030902157.html

[Tom Rinaldo]

61. The House leadership contributed to blowing this up into a so called "scandal"

Here is what House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer offered as a comment when the news broke:

“I don’t think it helps anybody in the institution, any one of us on either side of the aisle. It certainly didn’t help Mr. Foley,” Hoyer said, referring to former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who resigned from Congress in 2006 amid allegations that he sent sexually explicit instant messages to an underage male page.
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/hoyer-pelosi-knew-of-massa-allegations

By going out of his way to inject the name of Mark Foley into news coverage, Hoyer turned up the heat on Eric Massa. It is not the type of thing that a leader of the same Party typically does to link one of your own members name with that of a confessed pedophile, before any investigation is actually even conducted.

[karynnj]

82. It was wrong of Hoyer to make that leap

but it still does not seem that this was something spun out of the air by the leadership. This was an allegation made by a Massa staffer - that Massa's own story gives support for.

[Tom Rinaldo]

87. I agree with you on both points

Massa's inappropriate language (by his own admission) at a private social event set in motion the chain of events that led to the ethics charge. Had he not responded in an in kind joking way to an inappropriate remark made to him, there would be no ethics charge today.

But the staffer to whom Massa made the comment did not file charges himself, it was a different more senior staffer who observed it that made the charge. I am not sure why he did. Perhaps all that meets the eye is all that there is to see. At the very least it seems plausible to me that once it was clear that Massa would not run for reelection, that some elements of the Democratic leadership may have seen fit to want to hasten his exit from Congress. Until that point Massa was a maverick of sorts that they needed to put up with since it is unlikely that any other Democrat can hold that seat for the Democratic Party next November. Once he became a lame duck anyway it is conceivable to me that some would rather he left sooner than later and worked to get that message to Eric loud and clear.

[No Elephants]

97. Inappropriate language is not an ethics violation, especially when a response to equally inap--

propriate language. And he says he did not know about the nature of the charge until after he resigned.

As a separate matter, Hoyer's comments smell to high heaven.

I could not get the link in the OP to work, but try this version.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/43920-1.html?ET=rollcall:e6888:80056086a:&st=email

[No Elephants]

99. Yes, it was wrong of Hoyer. And very odd, in light of the fact that no teen was involved AND

Massa is a member of Hoyer's own party.


And, no, Massa's own story does not support an allegation of sexual harassment. . Massa's own story supports that his staffer told him to fuck a bridesmaid and Massa jokingly retorted "I should fuck you," then playfully tousled his employee's hair. That does NOT support a claim of sexual harassment. Not even a little

[karynnj]

109. It is not clear that it was the same staff member from Massa's comment

"“A staff member made an intonation to me that maybe I should be chasing after the bridesmaid. His points were clear and his words were far more colorful than that,” Massa said. “And I grabbed the staff member sitting next to me and said, “Pal, what I really ought to be doing is fracking you.’ And then I tussled the guy’s hair, and left.”

If they were the same person, it would be more normal to say "his" or "that staff member", not "the staff member sitting next to me".

to me, it read like two different people.

[No Elephants]

131. I have no idea what your point is.

[msanthrope]

255. It wasn't wrong of Hoyer--Massa's accused of groping male staffers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/09/AR2010030902157.html

[No Elephants]

80. "There is no suggestion that he was targeted." He is suggesting it.

If he was in fact targeted, I would not expect the folks who targeted him to admit targeting him. So, who else is going to speak up.

I know of very few cases in which an employer supposedly sexually harasses Employee A, but Employee B is the one who reports it, especially when the employer is someone as powerful as a member of the Congress of the United States. I am not saying that alone proves Massa's story, but I am saying that fact alone is highly suspicious.

The setting is after hours, where people are drinking. An adult male employee suggests that his gay employer, also an adult male, should fuck one of the bridesmids. The Congressman replies, "I should fuck you." And a third person is so shocked and fearful about workplace safety that s/he reports this as--wait for it--sexual harassment of a person who did not complain? It's highly suspect, to say the least. In fact, it sounds to me like bs. A good number of Senate Democrats voted Clarence Thomas onto the Supreme Court despite a lot more than this.

"The fact is the leadershiop certainly doesn't want....." Who in the Democratic leadership told you that fact?

[karynnj]

85. No one in the Democratic leadership tells me anything - I don't know any of them

But, it is common sense that they do not want to add another scandal to the list. I assume you remember 2006 and how the many ethically challenged Republicans hurt the Republicans as a whole. In fact, I remember Kerry joking that the Halloween costume that would frighten the Republicans was that of a prosecutor with a subpoena.

I worked in a large company for two decades, there were cases where a third party did report sexual harassment.

[No Elephants]

89. There is a difference between your idea of common sense and a fact that is certain.

So, from a large company, there were all of two cases in twenty years. That is not very much. And I bet the facts had a lot more to them than the facts of this incident (at least as we know them). And a large company is not Congress. I just don't buy it.

[karynnj]

112. I did not say there were two case

Nor would I have known of all the cases as I was not in the HR department. You said that it NEVER happened - and I was simply saying that I knew of instances where it did.

[No Elephants]

138. Please stop mischaracterizing my posts. This is the second time on this thread

that you have done that. I did not say that it "NEVER happened." I said I knew of very few cases in which it happened and I would be suspicious of that.

However, now that you have made a point of it, I'll revise my prior post to say that I know of zero instances in which that happened. Most often, even the victim of sexual harassment doesn't report it. I never did. Neither did Anita Hill. She told her friends, one of whom suggested that the person questioning her (the friend) about Clarence Thomas should talk to Anita Hill about him. And, as you know, there are very good reasons why the victim stays silent. So, for someone who is not even the target or afraid of being a target, of harassment to take that risk is suspecct.


And, N.B. that is still not saying it never happens, only that I don't know of any cases in which that happens. However, again, my prior post did not even go that far.

[Mithreal]

193. Outrageous.

I read through your posts here in this story and they reek of what seems like WH spin. Maybe it is just unintentional and representative of what you really think but under questioning, just doesn't hold up.

There's never a bad time to get rid of "f&#%ing retards," is there?

President Obama is using donor cash and coercion to keep Progressives in line and support his agenda even when it is not what the people want and need, not just in DC but in state elections. He's head of the party. If you are not a New Dem, you are nobody.

His resigning may or may not be another warning to Progressives, idk. Just remember there is always a way to spin bad news and we have a winner of Marketer of the Year in the WH.

Well worth the read, what we are up against, advice from a marketing professional:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/16/815429/-No-One-Is-Going-To-Save-You-Fools

[karynnj]

260. It seems my comments - that were actually my own reaction to

Massa's ramblings were not off target -- your knee jerk willingness to believe the worst of Emannuel and Obama this time allowed you to ignore signs that this was Massa, resigning due to the impending investigation trying in the worst possible way to create a different story.

I wrote all those posts before hearing what you term the "WH spin".

[karynnj]

20. I think the event, as he described it, is at least borderline

If this were a right wing Republican, who in a public setting, were to have turned to a male or female aide and said this, there would be threads here calling his behavior inappropriate. Although out of the workplace, this was a comment and an action between him and his aides.

It was inappropriate. Whether it rose to the level of requiring him to resign is another story - and that is NOT what happened. Had he wanted to, he could have stayed and there might have been an ethics hearing - and he most likely would not have been kicked out.
The possibility of an ethics hearing was generated, not by Rahm Emmanuel or someone out to get him for his votes, but by one of his aides offended by the comment. The fact is that with Patterson, Edwards, Rangel and Spitzer, to really think the Democrats wanted another ethics scandal? I think that is like asking if you want another root canal.

Massa is clearly a mess at this point. He has had a cancer set back and these rumors have damaged his reputation. That however does not give him the right to start conspiracy theories. The reason these rumors are there is not that the leadership is harassing him, but because his behavior was WRONG. Calling it salty language might minimize it in his mind, but it does not mean that there was nothing wrong. He needs to take responsibility for his behavior and not blame others.

[No Elephants]

77. This was not sexual harassment, period.

Calling it "inappropriate" does not cut it and is a matter of opinion to begin with.

No one said employers cannot be inappropriate at a wedding reception, even if their employees are present. Besides, IMO, it was the staffer who suggested Massa should fuck the bridesmaid who was inappropriate.

[karynnj]

88. I said I would have defended Massa if he fired the staffer on the spot

or at least warned him about inappropriate comments. The fact is the staff of a Congressman or Senator represent them to thier constituents. That means a certain level of propriety is needed.

His response obviously offended at least one staffer. I am not saying that he should have been expelled over it, but I do think that charges needed to be investigated.

[No Elephants]

91. No, his response did not "obviously" offend at least one staffer.

We have no idea why the staffer complained of sexual harassment of a third party.

You seem to be confusing your assumptions about what "must have" happened with what actually happened.

Massa may be lying through his teeth or telling the truth, or telling what he mistakenly perceives as the truth. Right now, we have no idea which of those 3 is going on.

[karynnj]

96. I'm going by what was in the OP

Now, of course I don't know the motivation of the staffer, but that was the one offered.

You are making assumptions as well. The fact is that no one, other than Massa, could have gotten Massa out of the House before the vote. (If this were blackmail, wouldn't the norm have been to quiet the allegations given he resigned?)

[No Elephants]

104. No, you aren't going by what is in the OP.

The story told by Massa, as it appears in the OP does not support a claim of sexual harassment.

"The fact is that no one, other than Massa, could have gotten Massa out of the House before the vote." Who said otherwise?

Now, of course I don't know the motivation of the staffer, but that was the one offered.

"(If this were blackmail, wouldn't the norm have been to quiet the allegations given he resigned?)" The norm on whose part? And Massa never claimed blackmail. He said he was targeted because of his past vote.


What assumptions am I making again?

[karynnj]

106. That there was targetting

It is entirely possible that this is completely independent of the vote.

I said the OP story supported the claim that his staffer was offended - not that it rose to the level of sexual harassment.

[No Elephants]

118. I never assumed Massa's allegation of targeting reflected the truth. To the contrary, I prefaced my

discussion of the alleged targeting with these words "If he was in fact targeted,...."

That assumes nothing, either way.

I could not get the link to work, but the part of the OP story that was posted does NOT support the claim that his staffer was offended. This is what Massa says, as quoted in the part of the OP story says about the staffer who made the complaint:"

"Massa said that another staff member—disturbed by Massa’s statement—reported it to the House Ethics Committee. Massa said the staffer to whom he directed the comment never was involved with the complaint.

“That staff member never said to me he felt uncomfortable,” Massa said. “He never came to me, he never said a word to me. In fact, he never went to anybody.”

Besides, even if Massa said the complainer was offended, Massa would saying something he (Massa) really had no way of knowing--the state of mind of another human being. Only the complainer knows if the complainer was truly offended or not. So, nothing Massa says could possibly prove whether the complainer was offended or not. I find it very hard to believe that anyone who has worked for a member of Congress is that prissy or fragile, anyway, but, obviously, that is my opinion.


However, whether or not his staffer was offended is not the point to begin with.

Being offended by a curse word used after midnight at a wedding reception is not a reason to commence an Congressional ethics investigation. So, whether the employee was offended or not is irrelevant to this story. The only reason to commence the investigation in this instance would be sexual harassment of an employee that was not invited by the employee or welcome to the employee.

[karynnj]

121. I was referring to the staffer who reported it

not the staffer it was directed to. I don't think it was the curse word that was offensive.

[No Elephants]

133. ? The quote in my post is about the staffer who reported it.

[stopbush]

86. Sounds like BS to me. If Massa's story is true, then there's absolutely no reason

for him to resign...which leads me to believe that his story is omitting a few things...like the real reasons he is resigning.

[No Elephants]

95. Massa never said he resigned over this. Just the opposite.

"Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) told a New York radio station Sunday that an ethics investigation into his behavior focused on sexually-charged comments he made to an aide at a New Year’s Eve celebration, but claimed he was unaware of an ethics committee investigation into the incident until after he had announced his retirement last week.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/43920-1.html?ET=rollcall:e6888:80056086a:&st=email

When he resigned, he cited recurrencce of cancer.

[anigbrowl]

116. retired =/= resigned

He had already announced he was leaving Congress for health reasons, but at the end of his term, not immediately.

[No Elephants]

123. OK, but that does not mean his reasons changed.

If I am not running for re-election because I am very sick and need all my resources to fight the relapse, why wouldn't this flap give me reason to bow out sooner, also for my health?

[stopbush]

122. If he's resigning because of cancer, why say it's because the Ds are being mean to him?

Again, methinks he doth protest too much.

And, I think the idea that he's being pushed out because he favors the PO is horse crap.

[No Elephants]

128. Where is the quote from Massa saying he is resigned bc Democrats not targeted him, not because of

his health?

He says he did not learn of these allegations until after he announced his retirement for health reasons. Please see Reply 95. If I have concluded that my health precludes the stress of a campaign, why woul I not conclude that my health also precludes the stress of an investigation of this nature on me and my family?

BTW, he does not say he was pushed out because he favors a public option. He says he was targeted because he voted against the House health care reform bill. Those two things may be very different.

[Tom Rinaldo]

141. He chose not to stand for reelection because of cancer

He did not know of the ethics allegation against him when he announced he would not run again. He is resigning early so as to avoid the sudden added stress of a Congressional ethics probe and the continuing media circus that is now certain would go along with it. His doctor told he needed to avoid stress in order to live.

[Triana]

2. Well he certainly pegged Rahmbo. n/t

[mod mom]

32. + 1

[laughingliberal]

35. +1000 nt

[salin]

3. Josh Marshall has more at TPM:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/03/weirder_still.php#more?ref=fpblg

The story seems 'off.'

First he resigns because of health issues... then later (after blogopundits speculate that this might help in the hcr efforts) it is due to harrassment for which he was framed and pushed out of Congress by the leadership and the only recourse is to get his story on to fox news... and by the way let's give some odd rambling explanations that counter the allegations... going back to that time in the 80s when he walked in on my roommate (in the military) masturbating and due to some misunderstanding he requested a room mate change... oh and his office even have protocols for when he and a staffer have to share a hotel room (due to no other vacancies) one sleeps over the blankets and one under... wtheck?

Point being - it just seems off to me that he goes into such rambling (and seemingly unnecessary, unless not) details to fend off the allegations while at the same time framing this as being pushed out of the House by the leadership.

No idea what is "real" and not here - but the episode is strange enough that I wouldn't jump on to the bandwagon of his explanation or the allegations against him (eg either "side of the story") until more is known.

[Cosmocat]

14. He has mental health issues or something ...

seems kind of bipolar ...

As others have noted, from David Vitter tramping on his wife, to Jefferson having 10s of thousands in his fridge freezer, there are dozens of congressmen with issues FAR greater than what he reported who have hung of for years, or still are in congress ...

NO reason for him to step down if that is all it was ...

NONE ...

And, the changing reasons ...

They wanted him out because of his health care vote - yeah, OK ...

This guy has issues, flat out ...

[southern_belle]

15. I agree with you here. He sounds paranoid to me

I don't trust his story and wouldn't take it at face value.

[No Elephants]

130. As the joke goes, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."

[Tom Rinaldo]

67. Wrong.

Eric Massa has real and serious health concerns, he has a serious cancer that had been in remission but his most recent tests were inconclusive as to whether it was returning. I heard from a friend of his who spoke to Eric's son that his Doctor had sternly advised him that the stress of a reelection campaign could help trigger a full blown reemergence of his form of cancer. Eric announced he would not seek reelection because of that medical advice.

The only way Eric can avoid a 7 day a week 24 hour a day media cirucs for the next several months now was to resign immediately. Once his own Party Majority Leader pointedly linked his case with Mark Foley's in public remarks it was certain that the ethics investigation, highly stressful under the best of circumstances, would be a continuing spotlight shining on his personal life. Resigning now is the only thing Eric can now do to avoid life threatening major stress.

These things are more typically done quietly. There are many ongoing Congressional ethics investigations that the public hears little or nothing about.

[smoogatz]

103. But he's still on the public stage.

Still doing the talk-show circuit, calling Rahm Emmanuel the "devil's spawn," etc.--he's not taking it easy on a beach in Costa Rica. So I'm not sure that argument holds up, entirely. If your reason for resigning is that your doctor says you need to avoid stress, fine--go avoid stress. If you're going to make a spirited public defense and try to refute the ethics charges you're facing, then stay in office and defend yourself. Bring the press into the hearing room and make your case. He's trying to have it both ways, which looks fishy.

[No Elephants]

146. The OP says he made comments while doing his last weekly radio show.

Perhaps while you are dying--or think you may be, it is more stressful to allow these rumors and allegations to percolate around you and your family than it is to make a statement of your own while you are doing your last weekly radio show? Seems to me it would have been bizarre to sign off without addressing anything.

I have no idea what happened and I am not talking sides, but I don't presume to know what would cause less or more stress under these circumstances. I just know how stressed I am when my doc sends me for re-testing because something looks like it MIGHT be cancer--and though I have been re-test for three different kinds of cancer over the years, I, thank heaven, have never been actually diagnosed with it, or treated for it.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to find a recurrence and, at the same time, find out that I have this sludge swirling around my family and me.

[smoogatz]

165. He's doing the full hour of Glenn Beck tomorrow.

So, yeah, I guess it's all about the stress.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/8/844114/-Eric-Massa-Goes-There

[No Elephants]

168. Doing Beck is not inconsistent with what Reply 146 says.

Given his health and comparisons to Foley, he is not going to be able to avoid stress, no matter what.

In his position, what you find more stressful?

A.. Having paparazzi on the lawn where you and your family live, following you and your family around and having you and your family reading headlines and hearing broadcasts about this for the next eight months, then retiring--if you don't die first?

B. Having only one side of this story out, while you stew silently for the rest of your life, while you are in Congress or not?

C. Resigning 8 months earlier than you planned and getting your version out before you leave the Washington scene?


Actually, never mind. It's not about you anyway. It's a matter of what he would find more stressful, and you have no way of assessing that. He's made his decision about how he wants to deal with his situation. That does not, however, equate to having changed his story.

[Tom Rinaldo]

149. I wrote a long post about Eric down thread a few slots

I discussed this at length there and I would ask you to read it. Eric by nature is a fighter but he is also a family man, I am sure the decision not to seek reelection was a hard one to make. But it is against his nature to have a high hard one thrown right at his head and not respond. If he feels that some in the Party are willing to be party to spreading malicious innuendos against him or worse in order to get him to vacate his seat immediately, it would be unlike Eric to meekly stay mute. He gave a long interview on a local media station to the voters in his own district and he did not duck any questions during it. It is like him to believe that the voters who elected him deserved him doing nothing less in way of explanation for why he no longer would represent them. The naztional media is picking up on that.

[smoogatz]

166. Glenn Beck, for example.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/8/844114/-Eric-Massa-Goes-There

Very odd behavior for a guy who's trying to reduce his stress level, I have to say.

[No Elephants]

221. Leting allegations about yourself go unanswered d is not stressful for you?

His only two options: speak or shut up and be smeared (truthfully smeared or falsely smeared, but smeared nonetheless).

Maybe slinking away silently while people smear you would be less stressful for you. Maybe telling his side of it would be less stressful for him, though.

Especially since Tom Rinaldo knows Massa to be, by nature, a fighter for what he believes.

[smoogatz]

257. He's being accused of serial groping, apparently.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/9/844507/-Sources-to-WaPo:-Massa-under-investigation-for-groping

And evidently the "resigned for his health" story is no longer in play. Now he's mad because the Democrats are trying to ram healthcare down people's throats. Which is kind of exactly the teabagger meme. Interesting, right?

[Cosmocat]

132. Sorry, not wrong ...

1) He had cancer before he ran in the first place. If the stress was that great of a concern, he would not have ran in the first place.
2) Countless congressman have health issues - he is FAR from the only one dealing with cancer (but HIS is DIFFERENT, right, there are pols who have heart disease, diabetes ...
3) It still does not explain why this guy is ALL over the place right now ... The bizarre story that does not in any way connect to "sexual harrassmant," the bizarre, my party is just trying to bring me down because of my stand on health care ...

Sorry, again, he keeps changing what is driving him out, and in that context the "my health" thing pretty much sounds like "I want to spend more time with my family" ...

[Tom Rinaldo]

145. Surely you have heard of remission before?

Eric's cancer had been in remission since the early 90's.

In this entire discussion it is important to make a distinction between the circumstances that led Eric to decide not to seek reelection from the circumstances that led him to now resign. There is a common thread of needing to avoid added stress, but beyond that there are important differences.

[No Elephants]

151. There is a huge difference between having recovered from cancer and a relapse.

Most of those in Congress are older, so of course most of them have health issues, just like the general population over 50. Heart disease and diabetes are not necessarily terminal. They can usually be treated and managed with diet, medicine, maybe a pacemaker. Surely you know all that.

Is he under stress? You betcha. Does that mean he is lying or mistaken or nuts? Maybe, maybe not.

Unless you have seen some quote from him that I have not seen, he has never changed what is "driving him out." Please see Reply ##s 123, 128 and 146. The fact that some reporter's version of events says he is resigning bc of the allegations, or "amid allegations" does not mean HE ever changed his reasons.

[No Elephants]

119. He may have issues, but he said he resigned for health reasons and has never changed that claim.

Please see Reply 95 for the quote and link.

[karynnj]

23. The hotel room provision is comletely odd

It is extremely unlikely that there is only one hotel room available in a town. Even then, most rooms have two beds and all of us with kids know how easy it is in nearly any hotel to get a cot. (I have three kids and in the adjoining "kids" room, we asked for a cot for years for the youngest.)

[No Elephants]

152. Are you suggesting he must be gay? And, if he is gay, so what?

BTW, I live in Boston and I have had the experience of having every hotel be full. Reason I know: I simply could not believe someone who said no room was available in Boston and I called around myself. I did not check neighboring towns or flop houses. Every hotel I knew of told me they had no rooms.

And a kid sleeping on a cot is not the same as a full grown adult sleeping on one. If there is no reason not to share a bed, why would anyone choose a cot?

[NoodleyAppendage]

Just because he's odd doesn't negate the truthfulness of his statements about Rahm.

We all know that Rahm is a DLC-whore and has a bad reputation for being a foul-mouthed arm twister. I see nothing in Massa's statement that is factually incorrect in his characterization of Rahm.

J

[marshall]

144. That Rahm is one tough cookie

I imagine Massa was peeing onto the shower floor during that naked encounter in the gym.

[NoodleyAppendage]

49. Just because he's odd doesn't negate the truthfulness of his statements about Rahm.

We all know that Rahm is a DLC-whore and has a bad reputation for being a foul-mouthed arm twister. I see nothing in Massa's statement that is factually incorrect in his characterization of Rahm.

J

[Puglover]

52. True.

I guess what I find odd about this thread is some folks willingness to throw Massa under the bus so quickly. Unbelievable.

[No Elephants]

153. +1 Not only willingness, but eagerness, bordering on desperation.

I don't know what is going on with Massa, Hoyer, et al., and I doubt anyone else does. I do know that Health care reform is one of the most important issues facing us and has been handled unbelievably. Still is. And these are very serious allegations by Massa.

The sexual harassment charge is completely bogus. If I were on the ethics committee, I would have told the complainer that, if I were to assume everytthing s/he said were true, there would be no reason to start an investigation. And, if I were a Democratic leader of the House, I would never have equated Foley with Massa.

So, I would like to know the truth about Massa's allegation, one way or the other, while the driving force for others seems to be to exonerate the Democrats and discredit Massa from the jump.

Maybe the stress of his illness is making him nuts, but that does not explain why the Ethics Committee is investiagting him or why Hoyer equated a member of his Party with Foley. There is no teen intern involved here, ffs.

[No Elephants]

108. He never said leadership pushed him out. Please see Reply # 95.

[maddezmom]

124. maybe not in those exact words, but that is what he is asserting if you listen to the interview

http://www.hornellradio.com/

[No Elephants]

154. Is he?

[maddezmom]

164. I've listened to it twice today...it's about and hour and 1/2.

and yes I think so.

[No Elephants]

169. IOW, it's your opinion that he is implying that.

[maddezmom]

173. that is correct, it's my opinion. Have you listened to it yet? What is your opinion?

[No Elephants]

182. Saying it is your opinion is different from saying he asserted something.

At most, he implied and/or you inferred.

No, I haven't listened. I've been posting. But I am not sure I will listen anyway. I might spend 3 hours to see if Democrats acctually targeted him or not, but that is not what listening will tell me. It will only tell me whether or my opinion is that he felt pushed out by his opinion that he was targeted. If it were a transcript that I could read in a few minutes, maybe. Spending 1.5 hours and still not knowing for certain if he was targeted for his vote/opposition or not--I doubt it.

[maddezmom]

224. I guess that is then deference between us

Before I commented or formed an opinion, I listened to the the interview. :hi:

[fasttense]

4. Very strange.

Why resign even before all the facts are out there?

It reminds me a lot of Sarah Palin's sudden resignation.

[Tom Rinaldo]

70. Read my post #67

His Doctor warned him that a full blown reoccurance of his cancer could be triggered by stress and advised he avoid a reelection campaign. Eric's health does not allow him the luxury of standing in there and fighting for his honor in a public spotlight while undergoing the grueling scrutany that a formal ethics investigation involves. He loved being a Congressman, if he had to give up running for a second term for health reasons he sure as hell wasn't going to allow the media to run his personal life through a wringer for the next six months during an investigation.

[karynnj]

92. It sounds like you know the Congressman or at least people close to him

Giving you more insight and knowledge than people like me have. However, isn't this pushing the idea that he was kicked out over health care going to do exactly the same thing that an ethics committee hearing would do? This seems an act out of anger, where he is willing to destroy the Democratic party.

Thank you for the article you linked - it has more content than most of the articles I had read before. Including the fact that he is married with kids that was not in other articles.

[Tom Rinaldo]

126. I do know him. I can't say that I am close to him but...

...Janet and I were invited to his swearing in (and unfortunately couldn't make it). I've known Eric since 2005. I've been with him in both casual and formal settings, more often causal, but actually with Eric there isn't that much difference. I've been at a number of house meetings with him when he ran for Congress in 2008 and there was no hint of a wall of seperation between him and his future constituents, Eric does not rest on false formalities.

From all I can see Eric is very happily married. I've met his wife and kids, they were all incredibly supportive of his running for Congress even though that meant taking out another mortgage on their house to do so the first time he ran. At one fund raiser I attended his high school daughter was there and Eric was proudly handing out campaign buttons with a slogan she thought of; "Not Kuhl". Eric was running against a Republican whose name, Kuhl, was pronounced like "Cool".

Eric Massa is a man with a strong sense of duty to his country, which was reflected in his long years of military service. He was Wes Clark's top aid at N.A.T.O. Eric is less a Democrat than he is a patriot who believes the Republican Party has jumped the tracks completely and that Democrats, and more often progressive Democrats, have better solutions for our nation than does the opposition. He is very much results oriented but he has a tendency to fiercely stand on basic core principles. He very strongly identifies with every day working and middle class Americans, and it is a matter of pride to him that he always tells the truth about what he thinks is right for his district and America, let the political chips fall where they will.

Many could and some did say that Massa did not have the right type of personality to fit into Congress, because he does not go along to get along. I saw that about him, but I also strongly felt that Congress could use a few more strong voices rooted in personal convictions that would not be silenced for reasons of political convenience. Eric Massa is light years away from being a Corporate Dem and when he ran for Congress he refused to accept any corporate contributions.

I am sure that it was a very painful personal decision for him to decide not to stand for reelection, because he loved representing his district in Congress. Eric by nature is a fighter. He is better at staking out a stand and defending that position in clear strong terms than he is perhaps in nuanced diplomacy. He is one of those people who has a strong sense of fair play, he hates to be passive in the face of what he feels are wrongs.

Knowing Eric I strongly suspect that he finds himself at odds with himself right now, and that is reflected in some of the seeming contradictions you mention. He resigned himself to the fact that, for health reasons, he had to abandon his career as a Congressman and no longer be able to fight for his constituents, choosing not to run for another term. But Eric hates to back away from a fight. Resigning now is consistent with his health concerns but inconsistent with his personal character.

The interview he gave was on a local radio station, something he would do regularly as a Congressman. I am sure that he was asked a lot of direct questions and Eric is not one to ever duck a direct question. I am sure that he believed that he owed it to the people who elected him to explain as fully and clearly as he could why he was resigning from his seat now, and like I said, he is a truth teller (consistent of course with his own sense of what is true) so it should be understood that one should be careful what you ask him if you are not prepared to receive a direct honest answer.

I have no reason to doubt that Rahn was furious with Eric for not supporting the HCR bill, or that he let Eric have it with both barrels because of it. Eric sincerely believes that the approach passed is seriously flawed, and that it does not do enough to restrain costs which he thinks is at the root of the health care crisis for many Americans. I beleive a strong Public Option (stronger than the House version that passed) would have won his vote. I heard a radio clip of one part of his radio interview where Massa said that since he entered Congress Hoyer has not exchanged a single word with him, not one. Eric was a strong backer of John Murtha who also ran for the post Hoyuer won - maybe that is in the mix.

Kind of in summary Eric Massa falls into "the truth shall make you free" camp of politics. While that won't make him go out of his way to call out someone in his own Party for questionable political tactics, he won't shy away from speaking his mind when controversy personally seeks him out. It is my personal opinion that Hoyer linking Massa to Foley was no slip of the tongue or careless indiscretion. I believe it was a calculated move meant to give a green light to anyone in the media who wants to engage in lurid speculation about Massa's personal life, knowing that it would put Eric Massa in an untenable position in regard to his health: leave Congress now and the investigation will go away (automatically dropped) and we won't have to keep publically and pointedly distance ourselves from you while feeding juicy red meat to the rumour mills. Stay in Congress and fight and maybe sign your own death warrant

Eric is between a rock and a hard place. He told the local radio station that he would not do further interviews with them, but his district now has gotten a full accounting from him of all that happened from his perspective. That is what I would have expected from him. He feels a greater loyalty to the people of his district than he does to any political party. Eric is a true Maverick in that way. I think Eric felt he had an obligation to the people who elected him, who he now feels he is abandoning, to give them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about why he is resigning effective today, rather than finishing his term. I understand that many, who do not know Eric personally, might reach a different conclusion about his actions.

I think Eric Massa has come to an uneasy balencing point between taking care of his family and fighting to defend himself and what he believes in. He tried to set the record straight with his own voters which he felt obligated to do. If the national media, and the national Democratic Party will be content to leave it at that, he will now return to a mostly private life. If he gets continually hounded and is subject to continuing attacks, I expect Massa will stand up and fight back regardless of the consequences for his own health.

[No Elephants]

185. You've painted a picture of a very decent person, not a nut job or a quitter or a

slanderer of his own political Party for no apparent reason.

The arguments against him on this thread have, IMO, been pretty bogus, and seem to have been motivated by the desire to defend the Party, no matter what.

Having said all that, nothing on this thread, including your beautiful posts, prove anyting, one way or another. Massa could be a wonderful man who is under a lot of stress and genuinely believes everything he says, but is mistaken. (And, btw, many gay men and their wives appear to be happily married, even to their wives. The wife of the NJ Gov. who stepped down considered her marriage happy, including their sex life. NOT that I am saying Massa is gay.)

Thing is, I don't know yet what is going on. I wish I did. I hope I do know someday. I fear I never will.

[Mithreal]

198. Excellently well said.

[No Elephants]

167. No, it is not. If you possibly can for a moment assume what he is saying is true,

he is responding to an attack on him, while he saying the Ethics Committee is part of his being targeted for a vote he cast. The two are not remotely alike.

If I take every allegation the staffer supposedly made about the wedding reception as true, it still would not amount to harassment; and that is exactly what the Ethics Committee should have told the staffer. Instead, Hoyer, a member of Massa's own party, ffs, compared Massa to Foley, implying both teen involvement and guilt?

I don't know how anyone can that to Massa responding to that kind of thing with his version of events.

Now, if you think Massa is lying about everything, fine. If he isn't, no one can rightfully equate defending himself against smears with targeting him for a vote he made.

[saracat]

174. So you think he should protect the people that are wronging him?He should just "suck it up"

I think he is trying to clear his name the best he can. And it is obvious these allegations were filed before he publicly announced his retiremnet.Obviously those targeting him were unaware of his condition.And you call this an "odd act of anger" ?What is he supposed to do, go quietly? As for destroying the Democratic Party, seriously? And perhaps, because maybe he won't be there to vote on HCR, which he doesn't approve of because he knows it is a bad bill, he wants to make clear the lengths these people will go to pass garbage.He wants his voice on this issue heard. That doesn't make him crazy and his anger is not misplaced.

[No Elephants]

161. No resemblance.

Allegation after allegation against Sarah Palin were about her misusing her office for revenge or money. She quit because she had more lucrative fish to fry and did not want to spend the money she was about to raise on legal fees.

If you believe Massa, he resigned because he had relapsed into cancer and, after that, learned of the nature of the allegations against him.

The allegations suggest he may be gay. Even if you take them as 100% true, though, they do not suggest sexual harassment, let alone a Foley scenario, only that he may be gay.

If you were fighting not just cancer, but a recurrence that might kill you, would you spend the next 8 months dealing with this and making your wife and kids deal with it?


Unless I desperately needed the additional salary, I wouldn't. And even then, I'd have to ask myself how many thousands of dollars it was worth to me to have paparazzi camped on the lawn of my home and following my family around, plus headlines every week.

[eridani]

5. It pisses the hell out of me that Dems are so ready to resign after crap like that

Did Sanford resign? HELL NO!
Did Vitter the Shitter resign? HELL NO!
Did Ensign resign? HELL NO!

Massa did something far less egregious than any of the above idiots.

[sendero]

7. So says he..

.... I'm not buying it.

[dave29]

57. he originally said he was resigning for "health issues" -- so, there is that also.

Cancer is a good reason to quit congress if you want to spend time with your family

[Tom Rinaldo]

72. He announced he wouldn't seek reelection for health reasons

His Doctor advised him that the stress of a reelection campaingn could seriously imperil his health. He now has decided against putting himself through the stress of a Congressional ethics complaint investigation and all the media hoopla unfairly comparing him to Mark Foley, and that makes sense to me. Hw loved serving his district in Congress. If he knew he had to walk away from that due to the stress involved, why would he hang around a few more months at the possible risk of his life in order to be formally investigated?

[anigbrowl]

117. No he didn't. He said he was *retiring* for health reasons...

...at the end of his term. http://www.rollcall.com/news/43777-1.html and multiple other sources.

[No Elephants]

162. Sanford, Vitter and Ensign were not fighting a cancer relapse.

[MaineDem]

6. This sounds like just the latest excuse for his resignation

I take this with a grain of salt.

[adamuu]

8. I donated to his campaign. I want my money back. n/t

[adamuu]

9. Awwww Rahm swore at me. n/t

[Shining Jack]

10. K&R

Strange story.

[Champion Jack]

11. Uh oh! Better Call the Waaahmbulance

[saracat]

188. Yeah, Massa should just STFU about being slandered and certainly shouldn't be "allowed" to voice his

opinion of the crappy HCR.:sarcasm:

[druidity33]

12. has anyone talked

to the staffers involved?

I'd like to hear their side...

:shrug:

[karynnj]

16. He is only digging himself in deeper

I was one who was horrified at the media given to unsubstantiated ethics claims. Nancy Pelosi was one of those who called the rumors that. Now, with his story, it does suggest behavior, that is at least borderline inappropriate. There are many ways that he could have dealt with the rude aide who precipitated this. All start with telling him his comment is inappropriate. To see why, change the sex of the aide to female. Imagine that a Congressman said exactly the same thing to a female aide and tussled her hair. There is no question in my mind that that is sexual harassment.

As to his idiotic claim that it was because he favored single payer and they wanted him out before the vote, that is idiotic. The fact is that had he not resigned, it would take months to bring this before the ethics committee, which might not rule to expel him. The fact is it was very likely that too many people knew of the offensive comment. From the story there were quite likely a minimum of three - the drunk, the one he said it to, and the one who reported it (who could have been the drunk, but given his own comment that is unlikely). Both the public nature of where it was said and the content would lead me to think it would be "water cooler" conversation in Massa's office and perhaps elsewhere.

His comment here is clearly an attempt to make himself a martyr for single payer. He should have stuck with speaking as he did before of cancer returning. It would make him more sympathetic and perhaps that seedy story would not have come out.

[laughingliberal]

37. Well, first imagine it was a female staffer who made that comment to him about the bridesmaid.

Guess, we'll see what happens if anyone else is opposing the bill due to no PO.

[karynnj]

50. Even doing that does not make it right that he then says

the equivalent thing he did to another female staffer. As a boss, he should have simply ignored the comment or preferably indicated it was inappropriate.

Not to mention, that there are NO DOTS connecting this to "people out to get him because of his position". This was supposedly reported by his own staff. This is like all the people who insisted that the reasons the media reported the Edwards stuff (and then, other than the NE, ONLY after he was unambiguously caught) were because he was anti-corporation and against poverty. Now, the level of their transgression is very very different, but the root of the problem was their behavior.

In Massa's case, it is likely that he quit because given the likely shift to the right and his cancer, he would lose in November - after what could be an awful experience of having to answer the ethics charge in an as yet unscheduled hearing. None of those things would happen before the health care vote - so if voting against it was important to him, he should not have resigned.

[laughingliberal]

54. I think he resigned cause he is under attack for what seems to be a pretty small incident in light

of some that have gone largely unpunished in the Congress and he has cancer. There is a point at which life's too short for the gotcha game.

[karynnj]

63. That is what I think as well - which is why I don't believe his new CT

It is also not clear that there would have even been an ethics hearing. Pelosi spoke of the charges as rumors. From his own comments, it was one of his own staffers who reported it. It is entirely possible, that like the other things that went unpunished, this would too.

I suspect that there might actually be a stronger application of ethics rules than there was in the past. This might be catching people, both Democrats and Republicans, who skated in the past. Just as Dodd's and Conrad's sweetheart mortgages would likely have been ignored, they were questioned by an ethics panel, but found to not be grounds to censor them - though it was a major factor in a previously popular, pretty liberal Senator not having the support to run for re-election.

Here, it was the threat of a potential charge - brought about because of a staffer complaint that might well have resulted in nothing happening.

[saracat]

143. He was under attack for not supporting a crappy HCR. I am sure other

progressives were subject to similar attacks. Look at what is being said about him already in this thread for 'daring" to explain what happened.Massa's doesn't have that much time left and this threatened to shorten it. What a vile thing this is and all for money and power.

[laughingliberal]

65. I believe if a female staffer had said the same thing to him and he had responded in kind to her

we would see many of our more uh...moderate members here screaming aspersions on her character and asking what she expected after making a sexually explicit comment to a man while drunk. Just my opinion.

There is absolutely no reason to bring Edwards into it. Two different people. Two different situations.

[No Elephants]

176. It was midnight at a wedding reception and he was leaving. The fact that he did not handle it

as perfectly as you think he should have does not make it illegal, or even worth an investigation.

There may well be more to the story than Massa has said. There usually is. But, if we are going by the facts that he put out there, as you keep saying you are-- your reaction is way over the top, more inappropriate as a reaction to the story he tells than his reaction was to the comment made to him. This is not 1620, but 2010. Making a joke to diffuse a loaded situation, then leaving may not be perfect, but it is not illegal.



"In Massa's case, it is likely that he quit because given the likely shift to the right and his cancer, he would lose in November"

No, not likely. Just your opinion.

First, the man said he would not run because of a cancer relapse. There is no reason to assume he lied about that. Next, he says the reason for the Ethics Committee investigation comes to his attention, and he says, in effect, "Well, then, Im quitting ASAP." That is totally understandable. If he preferred not to run again, why on earth would he prefer to be a lame duck for the next eight months, while putting himself and his family through the crap that would have been in the papers, Tv and on the radio every time some rumor or leak hit the media, not to mention the papparrazi on his lawn, following him and his family members around?

I don't discount the possiblity that there is more to the story than Massa says. I just don't think we know enough, one way or the other yet. Given the serousness of his allegations, I'd sure like to know the whole story, though. Until I know more, I am neither going to condemn him or exonerate him. Nor am I going to condemn or exonerate Rahm and other Democrats until the facts are in.

[saracat]

139. MY God, the man has terminal cancer and Rahm was hounding him and likely

threatening to do unimaginable things.And he is a martyr for single payer. The two things aren't separate. He is a progressive thrown under the bus and this shows the tactic the WH is willing to resort to. You say it might take months and their was no reason to resign. I suppose it never occurred to you he might not have months? Did it ever occur that the pressure applied to him might have been intolerable. That is how politics is played in this new DC and unfortunately none of it is to benefit the people. he clearly stated "Rahm is the spawn of the devil." It is very clear what he means by that.

The lack of respect and empathy some so called Democrats have for anyone other than a chosen few disgusts me.To label a great progressive "idiotic" and to question his motives after he has been placed in such a position by those he was supposed to be able to trust in his own party is beyond belief.

We were privileged to have Eric Massa in congress and we need more of his kind not less but I doubt we will see any more of his like. Massa proved the lie about all this bipartisanship ,just as has Grayson. Even Republicans can respect a man of principle. He won as a true liberal in a GOP District. We don't have to compromise away our values in the name of bipartisanship.

[No Elephants]

172. Your mind does not know enough to determine whether the comment was sexual harassment or not.

1/ Was it clearly a joke? If so, no harassment. The hair tussle and public nature of the surroundings suggest it was. See, that's the problem with actual harassment. Unless the perp is an idiot, they don't speak or act in front of witnesses.

2/ Was any adverse consequence to the employment stated or reasonably understood? Demotion, lack of promotion, lack of raise, pay cut, firing, etc.? Again, doubtful, given everything surrounding the comment-after midnight, co-worker's wedding--where drinks were being served. The comment made to Massa first, etc.

3/ Was the comment unwelcome to the stafferto whom it was actually made?


As for borderline inappropriate, that is highly subjective-- and totally besides the point. IMO, only someone way too Puritannical would have found it offensive, in light of all the circumstances--and the fact that it was said as Massa was leaving.

If your sensiblity is such that you find the comment, under all the circumstances, "borderline inappropriate, though, so what? Nothing in the story Massa told amounted to sexual harassment or a reason to commence an ethics investigation. (The employee may have told a story that did warrant an ethics investigation, but you said you were going on Massa's story alone, so that is what I am doing.)

Joking is not illegal. Neither is flirting with an employee. Neither is having an affair with an employee, even if one or both parties are married.

[MorningGlow]

17. This doesn't make sense

So they wanted him out because he was against the health care bill, but his replacement could very well be a repug (it's a very red area of the state) who will also (automatically, as a repug) be against the health care bill. :crazy:

[t0dd]

62. They'll vote on the bill before he is replaced. nt

[laughingliberal]

66. Exactly! nt

[MorningGlow]

111. I wouldn't count on it.

:(

[Bluenorthwest]

18. The sexual harrassment happened to Massa

When the staffer, knowing he is gay, goaded him to go fuck the bridesmaid. His reaction to that aggression was fitting.
Of course, Rahm and the rest of the administration is homophobic and vulgar, these are things that we know. The personality of this White House is 'swear at the homo' and that is very far from doubt. They sicked some of the most venomous hate preachers upon the gay community during their campaign, so that much has been well known for a long time.
More bigotry from the religious Obama administration, the DNC, which is headed by Tim Kaine who is opposed to all forms of family rights for gay people, and which is infested with layers of evangelical bigots who work against minority communities their cult teaches them to spend energy hindering and hating. Leah Daughtry. Donna Brazille, good on some days, but sorry to say a woman who has taken some horrible stands against equality, against common decency one to the other.
So when I hear that Democrats and also Rahm, are homophobes, willing to do and say anything, to push slanders and lies, well, it is proven in advance that they are not just capable, but willing, ready, and in some cases convinced that it is their mission from God to do those things.
So we have an administration that is on the books as being opposed to gay people's equality, a foul mouthed pile driver who has been out to wrap up a gift for Big Insurance from day one, and a President who thinks God has cursed Mr Massa, and myself, and Rachel Maddow, and Wanda Sykes, the rest of us, all cursed by God.
When you add up what we know about the people involved, Massa looks to be telling the exact truth. I've never even heard of him until Rahm went after him. I might hate his guts, don't know a thing about him, except that he is yet another gay person to be treated like dirt by the DNC and Co.

[karynnj]

27. The staffers action was inappropriate and rude and Massa would have

been justified in firing him or at least demanding he leave if he couldn't behave. His reaction was not fitting - it was inappropriate and could have been awkward for the other staffers. Now, Massa resigned - there was not even a scheduled ethics hearing yet and there might not have even been one. If in the speculative future, there would have been a hearing, he could very likely have simply been admonished - if that.

This is NOT homophobic. Simply consider a heterosexual Congressman saying that to a female staffer. That is sexual harassment - though obviously not the worst level of sexual harassment. Take any Democrat or Republican and imagine he said this to a female aide, this would damage their reputation and possibly hurt their re-election chances. Now in Massa's case, the simplest conjecture is that he did not want to face a potential hearing and he needs his strength to fight cancer. Even without the cancer, this would have hurt his re-election chances in the red district he represents.

Now, it seems he is requesting his decision to quit, likely because the media reported it as possibly stemming from potential charges. IMO, this is a misguided attempt to restore honor - that, in fact, is making it worse.

[Bluenorthwest]

34. When a straight man comes up to a gay man and starts in on

'you should go jump that bridesmaid' it is harassment. He got harassed in return. At a party, where they were all, of course, drinking.
I have no idea of the details, and neither do you. But the fact is, Rahm is known for crude speech in professional settings, another form of harassment, and the entire administration is filled with anti gay activists. They are homophobic to the core. Opposed to basic human rights for gay people, explicitly stated, due to their so called faith. Which is not displayed in their other policies or actions at all, by the way. Certainly not displayed in the way Rahm is allowed to speak to others in the People's house.
So when a bunch of anti gay bigots gets accused of being just that, well, the shoe certainly fits. I know nothing about Massa, not even where he is from. But I know a dozen administration members who are aggressively opposed to any form of rights for the minority communities they do not like. It is said in the 'faith of Obama' that one identifies a tree by the fruit it bears. The fruit Massa describes is just like the rest of the anti gay harvest over there.
So we will just wait and see. But this is exactly why we wind up with mediocre and bought off people in Congress. Right here. This is why anyone who has real talent avoids politics like the nest of amorality and betrayal that it is. This crap, this is why you have hacks in power, and all the skilled people refusing to go near that cesspool called DC.
If you like it the way it is, keep up your good fight for the status quo. Who needs excellence, who needs honor?

[Puglover]

43. Here we go again with

a straight person telling us gays what we should consider homophobic and what we should'nt. :puke:

[karynnj]

44. The comment would be inappropriate to a heterosexual Congressman

I would be defending Massa, if he fired him then and there. His response was out of line, and from his comments, was not directed at the rude jerk. But, as I said, there was NOT a scheduled hearing yet and there might never have been one.

The administration is not "filled with anti-gay activists".

There are many gay rights issues that need to be fought - getting rid of DOMA and DADT are two of the most obvious. Having the administration follow the lead of Kerry and other Senators in lifting the lifetime ban on male homosexuals giving blood is another one.

Here, Massa's behavior would have been wrong had he been straight and had he singled out a woman staffer. (Do you think that most heterosexuals would be offended by the same comment? - it is disgusting.) The fact though is that no one had the power to force him out. He resigned. If you think the threat was that there would be a hearing - the fact is that many people are not kicked out because of hearings. This comment - especially to a staffer is wrong.

[saracat]

231. Rahmm has said much worse, and while sober.He regularly uses the C word and yet you don't demand his

resignation. Isn't that an "ethics complaint" as well? Perhaps that needs investigation.

[frazzled]

129. Representative Massa is married and has three children

This is one of those situations that has deeper shades of moral dimension. This has happened to two heterosexual couples I've known (the male partner leaving after years of marriage and a lot of gay infidelity) ... and not even any of our gay friends were happy about men who cheat on their wives like that. Or hide behind them to mask their identities.

So I'd put the homophobic talk aside.

[saracat]

229. The fact Massa isn't Gay but some want to make it appear he is as a "slur"or "insult"

says it all. The homophobic Dems feel that if they imply Massa is Gay, they will "ruin" him.They are still using homophobia as a whip.And all as "punishment" for not voting lockstep and daring to think the HCR is crap and single payer was the answer. hey, and how about that moratorium the Prez want on overturning DADT? After all, we can't have human rights dealt with during an election year.

[laughingliberal]

39. To make the case of changing the sex of the staffer, you have to start with her making the statement

about the bridesmaid.

[kenfrequed]

98. Indeed.

This situation has to be looked at in the context it occurred in.

[kenfrequed]

31. It's an interesting perspective.

I find myself agreeing with a good deal of it too. Rahm is completely out of control and needs to resign. The Chief of Staff is not an elected official and if he is using his position to curse out elected officials of his own party he needs to be gone.

[Bluenorthwest]

40. Some are happy to have a politics which is so vicious

that any person of actual skill and ethics will not go near it. They celebrate the idea of making politics as crude and as bigoted as possible.
I have no idea what the details of this situation really are, but I do recognize the elements of what Massa is saying as being accurate, such as the aggressive vulgarity, the basic homophobia, the deeply delusional anti gay stand of the President and the utterly evangelical hate held by many of his hand chosen underlings.
The shoe as described fits. Politicians are good at describing what they wish. Massa could be corrupt, I don't know. But I do know the administration would not hesitate to do what he says they are doing, for they do not see gay people as actual human beings.

[laughingliberal]

38. +1 nt

[Garbo 2004]

120. One staffer harasses him so he in turn harrasses another staffer?

Massa didn't say he grabbed the guy who actually made the comment, just that he grabbed the guy sitting next to him.

[inna]

148. Wait, are you saying that Massa is gay?

[SlingBlade]

19. Ousting single payer advocates, No Doubts

Massa's Claims ?

[maddezmom]

21. here is a link to the talk show

http://drop.io/massa3710

[maddezmom]

114. another link to Massa's Washington Week in Review interview

http://www.hornellradio.com/

[TwilightGardener]

24. Weird. Third reason in three days.

[laughingliberal]

41. I don't see it that way. I see it as all part of a decision to resign.

He has found his cancer has returned + An accusation of harassment is made against him + He's been on the wrong side of Rahm = Life is too short to put up with this shit, I'm outta here.

[No Elephants]

200. Much too empathetic and sensible, laughingliberal.

Only a human being would come up with a response like yours.

[Tom Rinaldo]

76. His Doctor warned him that serous stress risked his life

He was given medical advice to avoid the stress of a reelection campaign. That is why Massa announced he would not seek reelection. When he made that announcement he knew nothing about the ethics charge against him. That suddently became public knowledge only after Massa became a lame duck Congressman. Now he got thrust into a bright public spot light with all kinds of people, including the Democratic Majority Leader in the House, linking his name with Mark Foley's. The only way to shut down the House Ethics investigation and turn the media spot light off him was to resign immediately.

Eric loved representing the people of his district. If he had to give up running for reelection because of life threatening stress, why on earth should he stick around a few more months to get pounded daily?

[Unvanguard]

25. Wow, I'm SURE Massa is a reliable source about the circumstances of his own ousting.

:eyes:

[loudsue]

26. This has Rahm Emmanuel's fingerprints all over it.

And if this guy is innocent as he says, he should never have resigned.

[mod mom]

36. my guess is they have more dirt on him and how he railing against rove jr, they

threatened to use it against him if he doesn't resign. Ether that or he batshit crazy.

[madmom]

28. If it was so innocent, and that's all there was to it, why resign so quickly?

[notesdev]

30. We don't yet know the full story, apparently

who knows what else he could be being blackmailed with?

Today's politics is an extreme bloodsport.

[laughingliberal]

45. I'm guessing he's ill and it's not worth it to fight the assholes.

Perhaps if he was not facing a new battle with cancer, he would not have. But when a person has a diagnosis of a catastrophic illness , it does tend to change their perspective on what battles deserve their energy.

[Tom Rinaldo]

78. Because his Doctor warned him against seeking reelection

The stress of a campaign like that could hasten his death. Once he had already given up his dream to serve his district, why should he hang around as a lame duck for a few months under a stressful investigation with the media hounding him about it daily? That could kill him also and would make no sense.

[BolivarianHero]

29. Progressives don't harass women...

Neoliberals do.

[TankLV]

136. Ahh - Masa was REBUKING ANOTHER STAFFER who was doing the harassing - NOT MASSA!!!

At least if the story above is to be believed...

and of course none of us has ever said "fuck you" to another person in person...which is what this really was - if the story is to believed...

[No Elephants]

206. Wrong. Women have been harassed by people of every political stripe, from

Strom Thurmond to (won't say his liberal name) to people of all persuasions in the private sector.

I've been harassed by two private employers in the same company, both very liberal. (I had steered way clear of the guy I thought was a male chauvinist.)

I was married, had a child, and dressed very conservatively (for which they had both mocked me loudly, in the presence of others) and they had both made fun of me for being "all business." They had even suggested to other (female) employees that I was a lesbian, comments that I simply ignored. So, don't even think they harassed me because I encouraged them in any way.

[CreekDog]

33. You said they were ousting single payer advocates now

which is why they ousted Weiner, Kucinich, Woolsey, Grijalva, etc.

or maybe you're saying they will --I guess that's your proof or something.

:wtf:

[laughingliberal]

69. They only needed to get rid of one to make the vote count right

However a Republican rep, since Massa resigned, has postponed his effective date of resignation in order to defeat the health insurance reform bill. Massa's resignation left them with the need for one less vote to pass it. Now, they're back to needing the same votes. We'll see what happens.

[maddezmom]

42. more from the talk show appearance : Massa Hints He Could Rescind Resignation

Massa Hints He Could Rescind Resignation
March 8, 2010, 7:14 A.M.
By Jennifer Yachnin
Roll Call Staff
Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) suggested on a New York radio station Sunday that he could rescind his resignation — scheduled to take effect at 5 p.m. Monday — after asserting that an ethics investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed one of his aides may have been orchestrated by Democratic leaders to get him out of office before the health care vote.

Responding to a caller to his weekly radio show on WKPQ Power 105 FM, a recording of which was made available via the Web site of local station 13 WHAM-TV, Massa said: “I’m not going to be a Congressman as of 5 o’clock afternoon. The only way to stop that is for me to rescind my resignation. That’s the only way to stop it. And the only way that’s going to happen is if this becomes a national story.”

During the hour-and-a-half show, Massa said that Democratic leaders are using the House ethics committee to get him out of office before the vote on health care because he voted against the House health care bill last fall.

“Mine is now the deciding vote on the health care bill, and this administration and this House leadership have said, 'they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill, and now they’ve gotten rid of me and it will pass.’ You connect the dots,” Massa said Several times during the broadcast Massa raised the prospect of rescinding his resignation if national news media picked up on his story of being railroaded out of office by Democratic leaders.

more:http://www.rollcall.com/media/43921-1.html

[Jennicut]

51. So now maybe he won't resign? WTF?

I am beginning to think this guys is a few sandwiches short a picnic. But that is just me.
Paranoid a bit.

[karynnj]

53. His story absolutely makes no sense

The fact is the ethics committee would be unlikely to kick him out if that were the whole story. In addition, it would be pretty unlikely they could do it before the healthcare vote. Not to mention, as the stories were apparently out there, it couldn't be keeping them quiet that was his motive for resigning rather than possibly facing an ethics hearing.

Not to mention, his suggesting that making this a national story has a relationship to whether he rescinds his resignation is really bizarre. He alone has the power to rescind it.

At this point, he is willing to be a tool for the RW.

[Cha]

236. Especially if you'd heard him on local

New York stations taking responsibility for using salty language to his aide and how it could be misconstrued.."misconstrued"? And, that he was going to resign anyway bc of health issues..and now he's accusing?

I want to hear from this aide who made the accusation now.

[dave29]

60. so after originally saying he is resigning because of his health, he stays for spite?

ok

[maddezmom]

110. UPDATE: Massa Will Resign Monday as Planned

Massa Will Resign Monday as Planned
By Tory Newmyer, CQ-Roll Call
Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) will follow through with his resignation, scheduled to take effect at 5 p.m. Monday, his chief of staff confirmed.

Massa suggested to a New York radio station on Sunday that he could rescind his resignation after asserting that an ethics investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed an aide may have been orchestrated by Democratic leaders to get him out of office before the health care vote.

“The comments on the radio came from constituents calling in, saying, ‘You should rescind.’ And that’s how that fire got fed. He addressed them by thanking them for the comments, but the resignation is still effective,” Massa Chief of Staff Joseph Racalto said in an interview outside the New York Democrat’s office in the Longworth House Office Building.

Massa, a freshman, is not expected to return to Washington, Racalto said, and staff were busy Monday boxing up his books and other belongings. Racalto said he is “desperately” trying to find new jobs for about 20 staff members, but for the time being, they will remain in the office handling district casework.

more: http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003306629

[Cha]

237. Yeah, he has issues.

[WhiteTara]

47. why did he resign? If this is a power play

why didn't he push back BEFORE resigning? I also understand he has cancer and that was the first reason floated that he was resigning.

In all, it's a sad situation.

[Javaman]

48. If he believes he's innocent, then why resign? we are only getting his side of the story...

Why wouldn't he defend himself? any moron would do that.

I'm sure that there is so much more to this story than we are hearing.

[elleng]

59. He's got terminal cancer.

[Tom Rinaldo]

84. According to his son

As relayed to me from a friend who spoke with Massa's son:

His last medical exams in December were very worrisome, and his doctor advised him that major stress in his life could have serious adverse consequences to his health. For that reason he was advised to not put himself through a grueling reelection campaign.

Before Massa heard about the ethics investigation his intention had been to simply serve out his term in office. For him to remain in Congress now would keep him in the media spotlight and would require him to be the subject of full scale wide ranging investigation. Resigning now ends the investigation and the media will now find someone else to shine a spot light on. Eric already meade the difficult decision to leave Congress after this term. There is no good reason to submitt himself to this added stress now just to serve a few more months at the possible risk of his health and life.

[elleng]

178. I agree, Tom.

Makes perfect sense to me. and sounds like he's not exactly enjoyed his time in DC.

How are YOU???

E

[Javaman]

102. So then why did he make these allegations, instead of leaving gracefully?

:shrug:

[elleng]

180. Sounds like you've got the facts mixed up.

'HE' did not make 'these' allegations; someones in Congress did. He was planning to leave gracefully.

[Javaman]

249. What?

"Massa, a Democrat, also accused House Democratic leadership of conspiring to remove him from office ahead of the reconciliation votes on health care"

Sounds like it was him.

[laughingliberal]

55. If getting him out in order to pass HCIR was a factor it has, likely, backfired now

A Republican rep has now rescinded his resignation in order to be there to vote against it leaving the Democrats with the need for another yes vote, now.

[smoogatz]

56. Tip of the iceberg, I'm guessing.

He's trying to refute a single public allegation in order to cast doubt on the real story that's still under wraps. Someone way up in the thread said that the rhythms of this thing reminded them of the Edwards revelations, and that sounds about right to me. Edwards went from claiming complete innocence and victimhood to admitting he'd fathered a child with the woman he was screwing around with. The speed with which Massa resigned indicates that the real story is MUCH worse than the few details that we've heard so far; in resigning, he's trying to suppress the release of those details.

[laughingliberal]

64. "The speed with which Massa resigned indicates that the real story is MUCH worse"

Not one bit of evidence for that. Pelosi stated she had never heard a hint of anything before now. If something MUCH worse was there, I think she'd have heard a hint before this.

Sometimes a person knows the long knives are out and it's just not worth the headache. This is especially true if said person is facing a battle for their life. Catastrophic illness tends to refocus people's priorities.

[smoogatz]

68. I'm just going on precedent.

The allegation is that Massa harassed a male staffer, if I'm understanding it right. Then all this weird business of shared hotel beds, etc., as though he's anticipating charges that haven't been made public yet. When there's that kind of message confusion at the beginning of a breaking scandal, you can pretty much bet it's going to get worse. Not that I couldn't be wrong--but I'd bet my lunch money I'm not. Pelosi's just keeping her mouth shut, as she should. What's she going to say?

[laughingliberal]

71. Yeah, that would just be paranoid for a public figure who is gay to anticipate

a big smear coming his way. I believe his statements about the hotel beds, etc...were an effort to show he has gone to great lengths to avoid the appearance of any chance of anything untoward going on.

I think you'd lose your lunch money.

What she said was this is the first she'd heard of anything and she seemed surprised by it as there is generally a lot of gossip that gets out there about these things.

[smoogatz]

79. Maybe.

But if that was the case--if he was innocent--then why wouldn't he stick around and defend himself? Politicians who resign under clouds of scandal always say they're being smeared. But a true smear, by definition, involves fabricated charges: being exposed for unethical behavior isn't a smear, it's being exposed for unethical behavior. Now, that exposure may be politically motivated--you expose Massa's inappropriate behavior toward staffers because he voted against you--but that doesn't mean that the allegations aren't true. If they were false, I doubt he'd resign. If it was me, in fact, I'd be suing people for defamation, not resigning from office.

[laughingliberal]

83. Perhaps a person with cancer starts to see a difference in which battles are worth fighting

If I had cancer and there was a charge out there which is fairly innocuous but I knew my detractors were ready to blow it into a big deal, I wouldn't, likely, use what might be my last days on earth bothering with them.

I worked as a hospice nurse for 10 years. When people are facing their mortality, all the little games that seem so important at times in our lives just look like a stupid waste of time.

I don't think I'd be spending my time bothering with lawsuits and such. I'd probably want to have some time with friends and family that I did not have during the years I was chasing careers and success and all that crap that looks so important when you're not thinking about your death.

[smoogatz]

100. A reasonable point.

Still, if it was me, I'd probably fight being smeared if the charges were false--there's the business of defending one's honor, especially if this is how Massa's likely to be remembered. If they were true, or partly true, I'd do exactly what he's doing. Resign, then go on talk shows to try to muddy the waters a bit, then disappear.

[laughingliberal]

155. See that's the thing when the reality of mortality becomes real

A lot of people realize that a whole lot of concepts like honor or what other people believe about us just aren't that big a deal and begin to look at who are the people who are truly important to them are. Would I spend a lot of what might be some of my last time on earth trying to rescue my reputation just for the benefit of some people in the public who I don't know and who don't affect my life at all? Not likely. Then again, I have actually come face to face with the realities of death a few times.

One part of the story I find interesting is the staffer who reported him seems to have had a problem with Massa's statement to the other staffer but apparently not with the lewd statement the other staffer made to Massa.

[karynnj]

94. Tony Rinaldo's article says he is married with 2 kids

Now this does not mean he is not bisexual, but you are jumping to conclusions there.

[laughingliberal]

157. I know nothing about his orientation. I read here on DU that he is gay

If he's not then, I don't understand why his reply to the lewdness of the staffer would have been considered anything other than a clever comeback.

I find it interesting the staffer who made the complaint seems not to have minded the lewd statement made by his fellow staffer.

[smoogatz]

256. Multiple gropings.

And he's no longer talking about his health as an issue. Interesting, no?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/9/844507/-Sources-to-WaPo:-Massa-under-investigation-for-groping

[w4rma]

58. They blackmailed him out, but he really resigned way too fast. (nt)

[Xenotime]

73. This is just another attack on Obama.

So sad he has come to this.

[old mark]

74. Absolute bullshit, Massa. You should be ashamed, but I doubt you have the capacity. nt

[inna]

228. -1,000.

What a mean-spirited and uninformed (to put it mildly) thing to say.

[The Backlash Cometh]

75. The sad thing is, I've witnessed so many betrayals, that I believe him.

[Ticonderoga]

81. Rep. Eric Massa (R-NY)

That about covers his act.

[Tom Rinaldo]

90. He's no more Republican than Denis Kucinich

Check out his record unless you are too lazy.

[icee]

101. He was totally against the Iraq war. He was for fair trade, not

unstricted free trade...other stuff too. I believe him. I believe Rahmbo pushed him out because he was against Obamacare. I think it's abhorrent the way he is being attacked here in DU, which I am beginning to wonder if is maybe a moderate board rather than a progressive one.

[laughingliberal]

158. The old FUX news swithcheroo now being employed by DUers. Lol. nt

[inna]

150. That comment is just idiotic.

[Ticonderoga]

239. Well I understand completely but I just cannot defend this guy,

[No Elephants]

93. Link no work no more.

[AlbertCat]

105. This is the stupidest thing since Craig's "I'm not gay" tour!

Look at all the people falling for the "Evil Dems! A CONSPIRACY to PASS Health Care" Republican meme!

:tinfoilhat: :eyes:

[GreenTea]

107. I've been saying the same for years - “Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil’s spawn,”

Maybe not in such a far too generous term as "son of the devil’s spawn"....

However, I have despised the conservative DLC corporate asshole Rahm Emmanuel for many years, warning anyone who'd listen about this lying, corporate ass-kissing, money & power hungry cocksucker Emanuel!!

[sakabatou]

113. Smells like BS to me

[Garbo 2004]

125. Massa says reconciliation will tear the country apart? Only way to stop it is to go on Fox News?

"By the end of the show, Massa is saying that passing Health Care Reform via reconciliation will tear the country apart and that the only way to stop it from passing is to get his story (presumably the alleged plan to force him out of Congress) on to Fox News to let the public know what the Democrats will do to get the bill passed."

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/03/weirder_still.php#more?ref=fpblg

[patrice]

127. We, a country whose Supreme Court PICKED "our" pResident in 2000, are supposed to be shocked by this

?

I know two wrongs don't make a right, but . . .

:nopity: The Devil made me do it? :nopity:

Pathetic.

[humbled_opinion]

134. This does nothing but give ammuniton to Repukes..

a Rogue congressman throwing out wild accusations during a very tumultuous time in America this will rule the headlines for weeks and potentially derail the Presidents healthcare plans....

all I can say is WHAT NEXT?

It seems like it is all slipping away all the hard work getting Democrats elected all for naught.

[burning rain]

135. I'm gravely disappointed with the administration regarding health care & I find their ethics dodgy.

But, that doesn't lead me to buy Massa's accusation here. He knows that the administration was down on him over health care, and that the ethics complaint was lodged against him, but he doesn't have adequate evidence linking the two. It appears to be mere lashing out in anger, and he certainly has ample motive to redirect blame for the ethics complaint and divert attention from his seeking some manlove, if he did so--the motive being the natural desire to avoid embarrassment and preserve his family.

I suggest that those of us who are administration critics not become so crazed that we swallow every flimsy and self-serving allegation. That would be a disservice to good, rational politics.

[inna]

137. Sadly, we lost one of the few true progressives in Congress.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was blacklisted.

[flamingdem]

140. Kick that DINO in the rear was a good idea, I'm sure he was a total A-HOLE to work with nt

[flamingdem]

142. sorry, I thought he was against HRC in a blue dog way, will research further ;} nt

[No Elephants]

191. Hell, no. Blue Dogs like Baucus got praised to the skies. Blue Dogs like Stupak

got to step on women. Blue Dogs like Nelson got to have their state relieved, IN PEERPETUITY, of the payment obligations of other states. Target a Purple Snake? Never! Target "fucking retards" who insist upon making the perfect the enemy of the giveaway, though? Possibly.

[radhika]

147. SO - How will the replacement Rep be chosen?

And when? Interim appointment, special election, vacant until November? And I suppose most of his staffers are unemployed now too - regardless of their sexual orientation or issues with such.

I'm so sick of these totally unnecessary BS crises while the country is going down the sh*thole and people are dying due to imperial wars and lack of healthcare.

[laughingliberal]

159. Yeah, I don't know but it will, likely, be after the House votes on the HCR bill. nt

[radhika]

170. Link: Gov Paterson to decide if special election is needed

Looks like things are a bit fluid.

http://www.13wham.com/mostpopular/story/Massa-Resigning-from-Congress-Monday/Ae-ElQwqvkqn-TxeGIvFeg.cspx

[No Elephants]

197. I think the Constitutions allows variations only for filling vacancies in the Senate.

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution says the Executive Authority of the State fills a vacancy in the House. I assume that is the Governor. I don't think that has been amended, but I certainly could be wrong.

[Freddie Stubbs]

248. Special election

[Spazito]

156. Well, it looks like now he going to go on Glen Beck's show...

to 'tell all' about the 'conspiracy' against him by the Democratic Party. Wow, this is getting more bizarre by the hour, imo. As to the suggestion by some posters that his resignation was to reduce stress, well, how does going on the Glen Beck show talking about a conspiracy against him reduce stress? Bizarre, very bizarre.

Link to info on him being on the Beck show (jefferson_dem OP)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x211309

[Tom Rinaldo]

160. I wrote about knowing Massa in post #126

It's a long post but it might contain some insights for you. Massaa by nature is a fighter. I suspect the scales are finely balenced for him as to what ultimately is more stressful for him, fighting back or holding back.

[Spazito]

163. I read your posts and if, as you have posted, his doctor recommended he..

resign immediately to reduce stress it makes NO sense for him to take the tact he is taking, claiming a Democratic party conspiracy against him as surely he must realize the backlash he will get on this as well as ongoing investigation into the ethics controversy, etc. I quite liked Massa from when he was fighting for Wes Clark during the 2004 Presidential primary so my point is not to smear him but even you must admit his actions over the last few days with his changing stories certainly can lead to more questions and the likelihood that his stress level will increase as opposed to decrease whether he is a 'fighter' or not?

[Tom Rinaldo]

171. I don't agree that his story has been changing

How he choses to react to changing events has been subject to possible change, but not his story. For some people there is nothing worse than getting eaten up inside by trying to hold back when you are furious over something. There are no easy or simple choices for Eric right now far as I can tell.

By the way, our use of the word conspiracy is always interesting. For those who study the emotional connotations of language, "conspiracy" carries a negative charge to most. Unless I'm mistaken (and I easily could be because I haven't seen or heard all the source material) Massa isn't using that term. He is describing something that he believes is happening in a cause and effect tyoe way based on his own personal experience and observations. If he is right there doesn't have to be anything vast about it, just a decision by one or more Democratic leaders to influence the timing of his leaving Congress by making it increasingly uncomfortable for him to stay. That would be hard ball politics but not anything non plausible or wild eyed to believe is possible. If Massa is going to leave Congress anyway, and if winning passage of HCR in the current form is viewed to be extremely important and uncertain, and a no vote can be eliminated by having Massa resign now rather than a few months later, some could argue that it is LBJ type effectiveness to nudge him out of the way now.

[Spazito]

175. I am having a great deal of trouble buying this...

When someone is claiming the following:

“I was set up for this from the very, very beginning,” he said, on what Massa insisted would be the last broadcast of the Sunday morning show on WKPQ 105.3 FM in Hornell. “You think that somehow they didn’t come after me to get rid of me because my vote is the deciding vote in the health care bill? Then, ladies and gentlemen, you live today in a world that is so innocent as to not understand what’s going on in Washington, D.C.”

one would be hard pressed not to see the inference from Mr. Massa that there is a 'conspiracy' against him whether real or imagined, imo.

It is his decision to go on Beck's show given all that has happened ie the potential of an ethics investigation, etc, that makes me question his behavior and his reasons for going on a show that relishes trashing the Democratic party/Administration and loves anything that smacks of conspiracies no matter how delusional they can be.

I must admit I am wondering if he is on meds for his cancer and they are affecting his judgment.

[flamingdem]

196. exactly - it sounds like he is very unstable nt

[saracat]

203. Oh of course. Anyone who thinks Rahm and Co would do anything so

calculatedly politically vicious MUST be "unstable":sarcasm: It is almost as though Massa was claiming he knew what was going on in DC! As if, of course, any progressive who could possibly think the HCR is a piece of crap!:sarcasm: But you knew he was "unstable" by winning running as a liberal in a conservative district without compromising himself.That was "crazy" and of course, he showed he was completely"unstable" by supporting a single payer.:sarcasm:

[flamingdem]

209. Anyone who appears on Beck to trash the dems is more than unstable, they are idiotic nt

[saracat]

212. Yeah, they said that about Wes Clark when he worked for FOX

And if Massa trashes Rahm, he deserves it.I can't stand Beck , but obviously he invited him. What show would be best for Massa to trash Rahm and the Dems on? Do you have a preference, or do you seriously think he should just STFU and crawl off and die quietly?

[Garbo 2004]

220. Any Dem who thinks he's going to save the country by going on Fox

to bitch about the Dems after also publicly expounding on various "misunderstandings" about his sexual "bawdiness" toward other men is of course completely sensible.

:sarcasm:

They'll welcome him with open arms of course. Probably Beck will give him a sympathetic ear and tear up in sympathy. Then Massa will be lambasted on another show.

This is a gift from the baby Jesus for the RW noise machine.

[saracat]

226. So All Dems, Including every member of the Admin who go on FOX

are idiots? Notice the Obama boycott didn't last. LOL! I despise FOX but Dems regularly go on it. They know they reach a large audience and not all are insensible morons. (But if they listen long enough, it does lower their IQ!)

[Garbo 2004]

247. Dems regularly go on Faux to attack other Dems? They go on Glen Beck's

show for that?

Massa said reconciliation would tear the country apart and the only way to stop it is by going on Fox News.

And then his inflammatory statements about other Dems... Think Faux wants him on to discuss sound health care policy? Single payer?

All Faux wants is to use him & to fuel their anti Dem, RW gravy train. The RW is already salivating at Massa's statements. It's on Drudge, Rushbo, etc.

Massa's just red meat to them. They'll use him and turn.

Think they are going to forget Massa's public descriptions of his unfortunate sexual "misunderstandings" with other males going back to his Navy days? Malkin's already on that...how long before Faux, et. al. start on that?

[saracat]

250. And exactly who has massa to thank for that? Hmmm? The Democrats who made an ethics issue where

there was none in order to exert pressure on a Progressive. Clearly, he wants a little of his own back. And I can't blame him a bit. He knows they will jump on the Rahm story.

[Garbo 2004]

252. We don't know that the ethics issue was falsely manufactured by anyone.

We know what Massa says. That doesn't mean he's giving the correct or whole story. He has a vested interest in claiming there was nothing to it, he was set up. We don't know that what he's saying is true. In fact, he tossed more logs on the fire by going into his past Navy history of a "misunderstanding." Apparently that was in response to a report by a RW radio host who raised the issue.

And who says Massa, representing a conservative district, was a critical vote among all the others in the House that would require such leverage?

The Dems benefit less from rumors of inappropriate conduct and an investigation than the Repubs. (Reportedly rumors about Massa preceded the investigation by months.)

Naturally, with Massa attacking Rahm, White House, Dem leadership, at first the biggies of RW media sought to embrace him and his story. Drudge, Beck & Limbaugh, for example.

Now Rushbo is waving others off, telling the right not to embrace him or his claims. Massa is a "kook," etc. Why is that? What has he heard?

The other shoes are dropping, it seems.

[saracat]

177. Telling the truth and not coddling those who lie is very freeing.

No matter where he tells it. probably Beck asked him on. And probably Massa, who is an ardent progressive, is willing to use Beck's pulpit.Why shouldn't he, if he gives it to him?

[Arkana]

181. Because it's Glenn fucking Beck.

Massa gives Beck credibility and attention by doing this--neither of which he deserves.

[saracat]

184. But Massa also gets to reach an audience he otherwise wouldn't.

And face it, massa gets more "attention" doing this then if he went on any other show. People are "talking" about it and that is what he wants. Glenn Beck is disgusting but if Massa can "use" him to get his message across, more power to him.

[Arkana]

189. WHAT audience? Freepers? Teabaggers?

Massa will feed them manna from heaven--he'll spend 60 minutes trashing the administration to a bunch of people who love to hear how awful Obama is.

I guess he needs to salve his ego somehow.

[saracat]

190. So you think he should "protect" those who trashed him? This man is attempting to

clear his name and has every right to do so in any arena he chooses.Eric Massa is worth more than almost anyone in DC today. I wouldn't care if he went on Limbaugh. The truth doesn't matter where it is told.I suppose you think he should have just "sucked it up" ? Massa is a real progressive who won in a consevative GOP district. He knows how to speak to these folks.And unlike the WH, he does it without compromising his values.His very existence points to the lie that says true liberals can't get elected and bipartian compromise is necessary to get elected.
It isn't his ego that needs to be salved.

[Arkana]

194. No, I think he should get his story straight,

decide what he wants to do, then do it quietly without screaming to the winds about some phantom "conspiracy" to destroy him.

[saracat]

201. His story is straight, and very convincing . It also fits well with

other allegations that have been made regarding other democratic members of congress who were treated similarly by Rahm and other PTB. This isn't unusual and I am glad he is blowing the whistle, though some want him quiet.

[No Elephants]

208. His story is straight. You may not believe it, but it is straight. And, if he truly believes

he was targeted because of the way he voted, he most definitely should tell his story.

[No Elephants]

202. I, too, wish it were someone else.

[Spazito]

183. Progressives support Beck? They think Beck is interested in 'truth'? Wow!

Are you saying "ardent" progressives support Beck's attacks on the Democratic party/Administration and his love of all things 'conspiratorial'? Huh, none of the progressives I know feel like that, they despise Beck and all he stands for. Massa's story is ever changing, first it was his health and he would simply not run for re-election at the end of his term, then it was his health issue AND a potential ethics investigation over an incident he admits did happen and now it is 'the spawn of satan', Emmanuel and the Democratic party who are the cause of Mr. Massa's troubles. Truth, which truth do you think we will hear when he is appearing on Beck's show I wonder?

[saracat]

187. Beck may not be interested in it but he will hear it from Massa.

Shame on you for disparging a fine man like Eric Massa.

[Spazito]

192. I did not disparage him, I merely pointed out how his story has changed over...

the recent days ending, at this point, with his 'spawn of satan' comments all of which are true. I feel no shame for pointing out the facts. It seems you are unclear as to what 'disparging' and 'shame' really means.

His current support is coming, primarily, from those who join him in his belief Emmanuel is the 'spawn of satan' and positively drool at the thought of Massa trashing the Democratic party/Administration on Beck's show and care little about the actual truth and that, imo, is what is shameful.

[saracat]

199. Massa has been consistent. He still is resigning for reasons of health

and the very fact that you are spinning a story questioning his integrity is disparaging to him. Massa is and always has been a truth teller.That is why he will not walk in lockstep with the WH. You don't like his truth telling because he reveals what the Rahm run org. is really like. The thing is, anyone who is even marginally politically astute has known that all along. Massa ruins the Rahm narrative.

[Spazito]

204. Mass also said he was resigning immediately instead of simply not...

running for re-election because of his health AND the ethics issue that have arose, these are from his statement on Friday:

"After I decided not to run again I was told, for the first time, that a member of my staff believed I had made statements that made him feel "uncomfortable." I was told that a report had been filed with the Congressional Ethics Committee."

An ethics issue he readily admits he is responsible for:

"In fact, there is no doubt that this Ethics issue is my fault and mine alone."

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/statement-massa-announces-resignation-from-congress.php



I am aware from your posts why you would see his 'truth' as your posts are vitriolic when it comes to Emmanuel and anyone who calls Emmanuel the 'spawn of satan' MUST be telling the truth or, at least, the 'truth' as you see it. I see it differently.

[saracat]

205. You really know little about DC. That " ethics issue " would never have been an issue

unless something was to be gained by it. Whatever. I also don't believe you know Rahm Emmanuel or have foloed his career or those of his brothers.Zeke is a real pip too.I base my opinions on years of observation and friendships with folks who work with these people everyday. Emmanuel has a justly deserved reputation.
I would also bet you have never been to a DC cocktail party with any congresscritters if you think Massa behaved in any particularly unusal way.

[Spazito]

213. And this has to do with the changing story by Massa exactly how?

Going to DC cocktail parties has exactly what to do with Massa's own admission about the ethics issue?

Massa is going on Beck's show which, to get back to the central issue, certainly doesn't denote his health being the central issue, now does it, unless Beck is doing a show on cancer treatments and that I very much doubt.

Your loathing of Emmanuel has been very clear in your posts over time so I don't take your opinion as being objective at all.

[saracat]

217. The ethics issue isn't an issue.it was made into one.

I think sharing the truth of this story anywhere is good to alleviate the stress issue. Massa doesn't have to be nice anymore . He can say what he wants. Many folks in DC right now, real liberals, are having to bite their tongues and are watching their blood pressure rise.Massa will feel better after he has spoken.This may be the way he has chosen to set things right with the world.He doesn't have to do this.He wants to.People should know how DC operates and that this Admin isn't an exception.
I don't like Beck but he offered Massa a platform and a controversial one and he took it. More folks might listen because of his controversial choice. Barny Frank always goes on O'Reilly. The difference is Massa no longer has anything to lose or a reason to protect those people who he doesn't respect.And he has every right to speak out.

[Spazito]

222. Massa, himself admits it's an issue, I posted his own words earlier...

Massa does have every right to speak out and, by choosing Beck's show as his forum for that, those who are disgusted by his decision also have every right to speak out.

Do you honestly anyone other than teabaggers and, to use your words 'real liberals' (what the hell are 'real liberals'?) are going to believe him? I highly doubt it.

Barney Frank goes on O'Reilly in defense of Democratic policies, a very different synopsis than Massa going on Beck would you not agree?

[saracat]

251. Yes. Eric Massa is a true Progressive. he stands for real liberal values and no compromise. He was

elected in a conservative district and even those folks respected that he didn't compromise his liberal values. And I think they will believe him.Most liberals already do. That is what I consider a real Democrat. He never compromised on HCR and he was punished for it.Barny Frank, OTOH, is a sellout to real values and admits it. He always gives a speech about the only time he told the truth and really represented the people was during his first term. H said DC changes you.It becomes about money and power. Massa, I remind you , is in his first term. It is a different synopsis. Frank will go on O'Reilly and support the Dems whether he believes in what they are doing or not. He will argue out of both sides of his mouth.

[No Elephants]

216. When you say someone is changing his story, you are implying that

he is lying. Implying someone is lying is disparaging him.

And his story is not inconsistent. So, you are not pointing out "facts," but only your interpretation of events and Massa's statements.

Massa may well be lying, in the same way and for the same reasons (and then some, given his relapse) that Clinton perjured himself.

Massa voted his conscience on health care reform. I wish more people had. Maybe we'd have a better bill now. And Tom Rinaldo's posts indicate a man of integrity. So, I believe that Massa at least believes he was targeted for his. If he is homosexual and trying to protect his family from disclosure of that, especially at this time, I can't blame him. He has not legislated against homosexuals, so there is not the hypocrisy issue usually used to justify outings. And Hoyer's comments are inexcusable.

We have a liberal legislator, probably a man of conscience, who is very ill, and maybe dying. He's made allegations that are very serious and, if false, are probably more of a misperception on his part than someothing he consciously fabricated out of malice. And many Democrats here post maliciously about him, anyway.

I don't think we know enough yet, one way or the other, for all the vitriol on this thread on either side. I look forward to learning more.

[Spazito]

225. I do question the reasons for his ever-changing story...

and the various versions of his story are a matter of fact as opposed to opinion. He began by stating he was not going to run for re-election due to health issues, is that not true? He then stated on Friday he would be resigning Monday due to his health AND the ethics issue, of which he stated:

"I own this reality. There is no doubt in my mind that I did in fact, use language in the privacy of my own home and in my inner office that, after 24 years in the Navy, might make a Chief Petty Officer feel uncomfortable. In fact, there is no doubt that this Ethics issue is my fault and mine alone. But in the incredibly toxic atmosphere that is Washington D.C., with the destruction of our elected leaders having become a blood sport, especially in talk radio and on the internet, there is also no doubt that an Ethics investigation would tear my family and my staff apart. Some would say that this is what happens when you stand apart from political parties, which I have done. Others will say that this is what happens to a non politician when they go to Washington DC. I want to make something perfectly clear. My difficulties are of my own making. Period. I am also aware that blogs and radio will have a field day with this in today's destructive and unforgiving political environment. In that investigators would be free to ask anything about me going back to my birth, I simply cannot rise to that level of perfection. God knows that I am a deeply flawed and imperfect person.

Therefore, effective at 5 PM on Monday the 8th of March I will resign my position as the Federal Representative of New York's 29th Congressional District in the 111th Congress."

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/statement-massa-announces-resignation-from-congress.php

That was Friday. By Sunday he was talking not about his health or his admission regarding the ethics issue but, instead, putting forth that he was being 'set-up' and going on a rant about Emmanuel as iterated in the OP thread to which we are responding. Is this not true?

The story continues to 'evolve' as each day brings new revelations.

Going on Beck's show show a distinct lack of judgment on his part, imo, because we know full well the only reason Beck would want him on would be to use him as a bludgeon against the Obama Administration and the Democratic party and for NO OTHER reason. Doing this will not serve Massa well, it will only increase, to use Massa's own words, the "field day" blogs and the media will have with this.

[Ticonderoga]

241. Actually it's

probably closer to shame on Eric Roberts for RESIGNING his office while claiming the position he's now finding himself in is everyones fault but his own. This doesn't speak well in terms of his credibility. It's disturbing that he's now turning to Fox News as a forum to "explain" his conspiricy theory against the W.H. don'tchathink?

[No Elephants]

211. I read Reply 177 , to which you are replying. It says nothing like you are implying.

It says simply that Massa is progressive (true) and he is willing to use the platform Beck apparently offered him (obviously true).

As far as Massa's story, he said he would not run for re-election because of his health. Then, he says, he learned of these allegations and that they are the subject of the Ethics Committee's investigation. After that, he resigned. Now, he is telling his side of the story.

Nothing about that is inconsistent. He may be lying through his teeth about everything from his cancer to being targeted (or not) but nothing is inconsistent.

You will hear his side of the story on Glenn Beck, unless Beck has Democrats there to contradict and/or cross examine Massa. You have heard from others about this (against Massa) will no doubt hear a lot more from them before it's over. From everything said, the truth may or may not emerge. But I really want to hear the various sides of this. I wish Massa were going on a show other than Beck's, but maybe he will do that as well.

[Spazito]

219. Going on Glen Beck's show to tell 'his side of the story' is all one needs...

to question his story and his judgment. His story has, indeed, changed over the recent days. He took responsibility for the ethics issue and then turns around and blames Emmanuel for it being an ethics issue at all could only be classified as an ever changing story whether one wants to refer to it as inconsistent or use some other word.

I find it truly amazing that some posters have little problem with him going on Beck's program given the racist, homophobic teabagger that he is. I do NOT think I will hear anything close to the 'truth' when he appears on Beck's show, that's not what Beck's about.

Edited to correct typo.

[saracat]

227. So you don't think the liberal Massa who won in a GOP District can handle Beck?

[Spazito]

242. No handling required when there is no intention to defend Democratic policies,,,,

or the Obama administration which it seems clear Massa is not appearing on his show to try and do. Quite the opposite, actually.

[saracat]

244. So what? Or is being a liberal a bad thing? Massa is a liberal and

if dem policies are to incoprorate GOP ideology, why should he support them? Why should he support those who are trying to smear him bevcause he doesn't think the current HCR is good and because he supports single payer?

[quiet.american]

186. Quite frankly, Massa, at this point, I'll cry tomorrow. nt

[saracat]

195. Another lack of empathy.What is wrong with some people that they cannot

care about anyone but a certain politician? The hatred displayed because Massa wouldn't walk in lockstep with the WH is revolting. Eric Massa is a great progressive congressman who has been attacked and he is dying.Yet all anyone cares about is protecting a nonexistent party image? Massa is one of the best of us, and you throw him to the wolves. Disgusting. Real people no longer count. Paul Wellstone would have been savaged by now.

[quiet.american]

218. You're going way over the top and totally in the wrong direction, saracat.

I've elsewhere expressed my sympathy for Massa's condition, but that is not what I'm addressing with my post.

What I'm addressing is his appearing on Glenn Beck's show to stick a knife in the Democratic Party, and wanting sympathy for that. No, he's not going to get sympathy from me for that action.

My post has NOTHING to do with his illness.

But for that matter, what are his progressive bonafides? Because so far, I am unable to discern him from a Republican from what I've learned of him in the past week or so. He's had a very serious illness, and from what I can tell, had the benefit of tax-payer funded insurance that he voted "no" on to provide to the rest of us. Even if he used his own insurance, he has insurance, but voted "no" for others to have access to it. Now he's appearing on Fox News and lending credibility to Glenn Beck in order to malign a Democratic Chief of Staff.

Those are not the first things I'd list to be on a progressive agenda.

[saracat]

234. Rahm can't possibly be maligned. And why shouldn't Massa stick a knife in the Dems?

They did it to him. I don't adhere to turning the other cheek in this instance. Do you think he should protect them? He doesn't support the current HCR because he knows that it is crap. Why should he support it? I have a preex condition as well and will soon run out of money for insurance and I don't support this HCR. It is bogus and just for a signing ceremony. I don't endorse "anything will do". And just like Rahm can't be maligned, Massa can't give Beck credibility.But Beck can give Massa a platform to vent and he deservs one.

[quiet.american]

238. That's not what I said either. But I'm entitled to say Massa gets no sympathy from me on this.

So, I've sinced learned Massa was a Republican who became a Democrat. That doesn't surprise me.

As for the rest of your remarks on HCR, we'll never see eye-to-eye. But because you want to be a seeming masochist about HCR, while you wrongly castigate me for having no empathy, where is yours for people who don't share your cynicism and *will* derive benefit from this bill?

After all the time, sacrifice and effort that went into this bill, I can't tell you how unbelievable it is to me that someone would refer to it as "anything will do."

I think your attitude is shameful.

[saracat]

243. Yeah. all that "compromise".Sorry I don't appreciate it.

[saracat]

245. And I think yours is short sighted, Few will benefit from this and many will pay the price.

but then you are one of those that "trust" the people that crafted this bill. I am really sorry but the people some think will benefit from this never will. I know it will not do anything to benefit me and I desperately need insurance.I think your attitude towards anyone who does not believe in Tinkerbelle is what is shameful. but you probably believe the elected officials are working in your interests. This lack of critical thinking is what has gotten us into this terrible predicament. Only now do we see it is on both sides of the aisle.If you were actually familiar with how insurance works and had read the Senate bill comprehensively you would see it is "any bill will do".The WH wants landmark legislation even if it does little. The tragedy is we could have had the real thing,and that is what Rep. Massa knows and that is why he was elected. He, at least, never betrayed his constituents. He ran as a ,liberal and remained one. He refuse to be buffaloed into supporting trash.He will not be forgiven for making Rahm look like a liar. He proved you don't have to cave to the GOP to win. He stood for single payer.

[Cha]

207. Fucking whiner..accusing others

when he's already taken responsibility.

[flamingdem]

210. loooooooooooooooooser nt

[saracat]

215. yea the same liberal " loser" that won without compromising liberal values

in a conservative GOP district proving the lie to the Rahm /Obama GOP compromise neccessity to win. Funny. Massa ran as a LIBERAL and WON!

[Cha]

230. Yes, I think Massa is a fucking loser.. he already

said on the local news here in New York that he takes responsibiltiy for using salty language to his aide and saw how it could be misconstrued..and that he was going to resign anyway bc of health issues.

Now not only is he loser but a liar.

[saracat]

233. He hasn't lost anything and he hasn't lied about a thing.

he is just reiterating what has been known for a long time about Rahm. We are losing a rare champion of the people. I think he is telling the truth because he has nothing to lose.The man is dying and you are nasty. I hope you get the same ammount of sympathy you offer to others.

[saracat]

214. Yeah. He should just STFU and let Rahm and CO say what they want about him

He needs to crawl of and die quietly. He is ruining the Rahm narrative. And hopefully the damn progressive won't say anything detrimental to the merely ornamental HCR that he opposes. The bastard actually wanted single payer. What a whiner.:sarcasm:

[No Elephants]

223. Whether Massa is full of it or mistaken or dead on, I hope we learn the truth soon.

Easy to understand why "May you live in interesting times" is considered a curse.

I wonder if our times are more "interesting" than other times, or whether we just have more information these days.

Odd, more information than ever, yet not necessarily more facts.

[Doctor_J]

232. Dunno. Sounds like someone wants a radio show

or paying gig on Fox "News"

[saracat]

235. Someone is dying, and wants to set the record straight.

[msanthrope]

253. Someone's under investigation for groping male staffers.....

Massa under investigation for allegedly groping male staffers


By Carol D. Leonnig
Tuesday, March 9, 2010; 4:03 PM

Former representative. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) has been under investigation for allegations that he groped multiple male staffers working in his office, according to three sources familiar with the probe.

The allegations surrounding the former lawmaker date back at least a year, and involve "a pattern of behavior and physical harassment," according to one source. The new claims of alleged groping contradict statements by Massa, who resigned his office on Monday after it became public that he was the subject of a House ethics committee investigation for possible harassment.

Massa had said that the allegations were limited to his use of "salty language" with his staff. He apologized for making some inappropriate comments and argued he was being unfairly vilified.

SNIP--

Massa could not be reached for comment Tuesday, and no one answered the phone at his home in New York or his campaign office. Staff at his former congressional offices declined to relay messages to him and said they did not know how to reach him.


According to two sources familiar with the probe, Massa's former deputy chief of staff Ron Hikel provided the information about the staffers' allegations to the House ethics committee three weeks ago. Hikel had earlier sought advice from Hoyer's office about brewing internal complaints, the sources said, and had been urged to report the allegations to the committee.

Hikel, reached at his home Tuesday, declined to comment on the ethics investigation.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/09/AR2010030902157.html

tell me again about this formerRepuke-turned-Dem progressive who's going on the Glenn Beck Show?????

[Tom Rinaldo]

261. "Under investigation"

That means an effort is being made to find out what exactly happened and whether or not it constitutes an offense, or whether it breeched the behavior code expected of a sitting member of Congress. An investigation is not a trial or conviction. It is not a determination. Democrats should not behave like Liz Cheney and leap to conclusions without the support of solid evidence.

What is known for certain is that Massa agrees that his behavior did not meet the standards he believes he should have set for himself. At this point, that is about the only thing determined.

[Stinky The Clown]

240. Here is some more of my pure, rank speculation on the Massa thing .....

..... after the pure, rank speculation I made here and which has shown itself to be true in the abstract.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7854881

Massa is from a district that hasn't voted for a Democrat in a hundred years or more. He is a freshman. He needed staff. He used to work for the repubicans. He probably has some current or former repubicans on his staff.

I'd love to know the name and political background of the staffer who filed the ethics complaint but was totally UNINVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT, except as an onlooker.

[Garbo 2004]

246. Reportedly Ronald Hikel, Massa's deputy chief of staff & legislative director.

One article said that he was a veteran and friend that Massa hired. I dunno.

Campaign contributions appear to be for Dems: http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=Hikel&fname=Ronald

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/ronald-hikel.asp?cycle=08

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/ronald-hikel.asp?cycle=06

[No Elephants]

258. From his own words, Massa was too casual and familiar with male staff. Whether they

were okay with that or not is another issue. The crux of employer harassment is not that something happens. It's that the employee reasonably feels that there is a relation between the advances and employment security, including firing, raises, promotions, being given lesser duties, etc.


However, I heard some talk on MSNBC of inappropriate behavior with interns. If that is true, then it is indeed a Foley like situation, and Hoyer was not simply smearing by association. (However, Hoyer was still wrong to mention that to the media, since Congressional ethics investigations are supposed to be top secret, for the sake of both the whistleblower(s) and the target.)

The Deputy Chief of Staff was said to be the whistle blower and, on the Beck show, Massa said his deputy chief of staff told Massa he should not be sharing living quarters with his employees, so he moved. (Several "bachelors" shared a D.C. area apartment, supposedly to save money.)

This, friends, is yet another reason why we need equal rights for all human beings. It has to be okay for people to love who they love and to have sex with any consenting adult they want to have sex with.

That aside, I think we also know for certain now that the President was not simply sitting on his hands while Congress sorted this out, as so many who are either naive or dishonest or in denial maintained. It wasn't the he just washed his Congress and could not do a thing with it.

My skin in this game? I had to watch Glenn Beck and Fox News for the first time in my life. I was not able to watch the whole show though, only the last bit

[Tom Rinaldo]

259. Yes

I watched the whole Beck show by the way (yuck). Massa knows that his bounderies with staff were inappropriate to his position, and for that reason he is accepting that his own actions dictated that, in good conscience, he needed to resign. His health issues also are real and potentially grave, and I fully believe that this is the reason why he announced he would not seek reelecttion in November.

The Massa family does not have much money. They spent everything they had and mortgaged their home the first time he ran for Congress and lost. They have two kids in College. Eric stated that he lived in a group situation in DC to hold down costs, and that after his Deputy Chief of Staff advised him that was inappropriate to his position, he moved into his Congressional Office and lived out of there while he was in DC.

For now I am taking a stance that Massa is innocent of wrongs that he has not already confessed to unless real facts emerge that prove greater guilt.