Rep. John Murtha of Pa. dies at 77

[coolbreeze]

I didn't know he was ill other then in the head.

Will his replacment be elected or appointed? anyone know?

[synseer]

"Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha, the first veteran of the Vietnam war to enter Congress and one of the House's most powerful lawmakers, died Monday afternoon at Virginia Hospital Center after complications from gallbladder surgery. Murtha was 77.

Congressman John P. Murtha (PA-12) passed away peacefully this afternoon at 1:18 p.m. at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va. At his bedside was his family," read a statement from his office."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/08/rep-murtha-dead/

[Remphoto]

There is so much I could say about this guy (as I have in the past), but I'll just let him RIP.

Not sure how they will replace him. but given the Dem Governor and machine in PA, probably be someone equally loathsome.

[TaxmanHog]

Would be nice to see pragmatic centrist make a BIG change in PA as was done in Mass!!!!!

[Remphoto]

Would be nice to see pragmatic centrist make a BIG change in PA as was done in Mass!!!!!

Actually, in Murtha's district, a rock solid conservative would be a good fit. With the demise of the Steelworkers and Mineworkers unions over the years, his Western PA district is very conservative, composed heavily of Reagan Democrats and other frugal peoples. Murtha fooled his constituents by being a puking liberal in Washington, while projecting himself as a strong-defense conservative at home.

He also was a master at bringing home the bacon for his district (while also taking care of his relatives, friends and himself). There are dozens of projects around Cambria County with his name attached. The Wall Street Journal once called him Johnstown's largest employer. His wasteful pork projects are legendary. His crowning wasteful project is an airport (the "John P. Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport", naturally) with a runway long enough to land a 747 and a state of the art baggage handling system. Unfortunately there was only one tax-payer subsidized commercial flight per day -- a puddle-jumper flight to Washington, DC. Go figure.

Of all his despicable acts, Murtha's comments about our soldiers in Iraq is the lowest, rivaled only by the distain he directed towards his "red neck" constituents.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on about this character, but he has been a long-time irritant to both my family and my wife's family (who hail from that part of the State). My late father-in-law waged for years a personal campaign to expose and unseat this rotten thief and scoundrel. He can now rest in peace along with a man who wasn't fit to shine his shoes, John P. Murtha. Enough said.

[LittleAl]

here's your answer:

Gov. Rendell said Monday that he has not decided when to schedule a special election to replace Murtha. He has 10 days by law; the political parties must come up with their own candidates. The governor said that it would save taxpayer money to hold the election on May 18, the state's planned primary date, but that he might set it sooner in the event of urgent congressional issues.

[Remphoto]

here's your answer:

Gov. Rendell said Monday that he has not decided when to schedule a special election to replace Murtha. He has 10 days by law; the political parties must come up with their own candidates. The governor said that it would save taxpayer money to hold the election on May 18, the state's planned primary date, but that he might set it sooner in the event of urgent congressional issues.

Thanks for clarification. You can bet that old Ed will finagle it in some way that is most advantageous to the Dem's. Probably testing the waters to see if the Dems have a better chance of winning sooner rather than later. I like the comment about the "sooner in the event of urgent congressional issues." Like the dead-in-the-water healthcare takeover?

[Jeb]

Murtha has got to be burning in hell for his many sins of bribes and back stabing innocent Marines!

[coolbreeze]

here's your answer:

Gov. Rendell said Monday that he has not decided when to schedule a special election to replace Murtha. He has 10 days by law; the political parties must come up with their own candidates. The governor said that it would save taxpayer money to hold the election on May 18, the state's planned primary date, but that he might set it sooner in the event of urgent congressional issues.

Thanks Al. If an upset can happen in M**** then anything is possible in Pa.

Jeb, you're right on Murtha's betraying his fellow Marines. He convicted the Marines of the Haditha incident without facts, or trial, Plus his loads of wasteful earmarks, and pet projects, and being suspected of corruption didn't shine him in the light of a representative laced with integrity either.

[Jeb]

Can you say Abscam!

[right$pecial]

bump, bump, bump, another one bites the dust...

[coolbreeze]

Lets let Murtha demonstrate Abscam in his own words.

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[Jeb]

I remember this, and they let him slap off! He testified and put a lot of his friends in jail! Snitch! Yet he got re-elected time after time!

[gtrman66]

His comments on our troops (who hadn't even been tried) made him lower than pond scum. Good riddence. I hope he doesn't RIP. I hope he ran into a battallion of real Marines where he wound up.

[MYCAR47562]

sucks for his family, but i can't even act upset

[Remphoto]

I just wish he lived long enough to be swept out of office in disgrace.

[coolbreeze]

I just wish he lived long enough to be swept out of office in disgrace.

He was!

[Remphoto]

He was!

Actually, I wanted to see him be defeated by the constituents he disdained in the November election and then be lead away in handcuffs for fraud. Then he could die. In a sense he "cheated the hangman" and will be granted sainthood by the Libs. I expect to see even more public projects named in his honor. Of course he now has a higher power which to answer to and all the glory granted on this earth won't do him any good now.

As a side-note, the Libs call us paranoid about our ideas regarding the biased reporting from the MSM. Here's a little tidbit from a CBS obituary on Murtha:

As a Democrat from a socially-conservative, pro-union region of western Pennslyvania, Murtha largely voted with his party and was for the most part in tune with his constituents.

What a crock. Union activity in his district was largely swept away with the 1977 flood, which wiped out what remained of the region's steelmaking. Bituminous coal mining has also died due to EPA restrictions on high-sulfur coal. The statement is also nonsensical in that how could "socially-conservative constituents" stomach Murtha largely voting with his party? Can't see social conservatives supporting the Dem's on abortion or against the Iraq war.

[Jeb]

Sad fact is, he won with a large majority after bad mouthing everything we stand for! So, obviously my idea of conservative aint the same as his district!

[Remphoto]

Sad fact is, he won with a large majority after bad mouthing everything we stand for! So, obviously my idea of conservative aint the same as his district!

The Republicans were never able to find a strong candidate to oppose him. The last guy was strong on paper but moved into the district to run against Murtha A Kennedy can get away with that but not someone in Western PA. Also, he used his (actually taxpayper) pork influence to buy votes and give the impression he was doing something for them. He talked out of both sides of his mouth.

[coolbreeze]

Actually, I wanted to see him be defeated by the constituents he disdained in the November election and then be lead away in handcuffs for fraud. Then he could die. In a sense he "cheated the hangman" and will be granted sainthood by the Libs. I expect to see even more public projects named in his honor. Of course he now has a higher power which to answer to and all the glory granted on this earth won't do him any good now.

As a side-note, the Libs call us paranoid about our ideas regarding the biased reporting from the MSM. Here's a little tidbit from a CBS obituary on Murtha:

As a Democrat from a socially-conservative, pro-union region of western Pennslyvania, Murtha largely voted with his party and was for the most part in tune with his constituents.

What a crock. Union activity in his district was largely swept away with the 1977 flood, which wiped out what remained of the region's steelmaking. Bituminous coal mining has also died due to EPA restrictions on high-sulfur coal. The statement is also nonsensical in that how could "socially-conservative constituents" stomach Murtha largely voting with his party? Can't see social conservatives supporting the Dem's on abortion or against the Iraq war.

I hear ya Rem, and understand your sentiment completely. The fact though is that he's gone, and that's a good thing. One less corrupted rep in congress to oust. It's already done. Now more time can be concentrated on getting rid of other corrupt back stabbers of the people in congress.

[nelson]

We need to watch this one. Another long-time seat lost by the Dems sure would put them in scramble mode - we'd suddenly hear a lot more baloney "come together" offers.

[Jeb]

Eddie Rendell will change the law before he will lose that seat!

[Remphoto]

Well, they buried murtha in grandview cemetery in johnstown where both my paternal and maternal grandparents were laid to rest. I can feel them turning over in their graves.

[right$pecial]

Well, they buried murtha in grandview cemetery in johnstown where both my paternal and maternal grandparents were laid to rest. I can feel them turning over in their graves.

Might want to exhume them and find a better spot. They'll thank you for it when you see them again.

[Remphoto]

Might want to exhume them and find a better spot. They'll thank you for it when you see them again.

I swear, if they rename Grandview, "John P. Murtha Memorial Cemetery", (which is possible given how many other things in Johnstown are named after him -- see link below), I will do just that.:D

http://gallery.me.com/remphoto#100323

[Jeb]

They should name a building the Abscam Rehab Center for Crooked Bastards!

[Remphoto]

Arghh....my Dad just called and told me they had Murtha's funeral in our family's ancestral church, Westmont Presbyterian, where both my grandfather and father served as elders. Not sure why because to his knowledge, Murtha was not a member there. Security was to be tight with assistance by the Secret Service and Capitol Police. Wonder why that was needed for such a "popular" guy?
http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_041215331.html

[Jeb]

What no Arlington for the treacherous backstabbing bastard?