I'll stand with Eric Massa until I know it is time to step away

[Stinky The Clown]

I've read his statement on his congressional web site.

I've read what I can from various news sources.

I listened to that rat turd, Chris Wallace, do a screed filled with innuendo and supposition punctuated by snide inflections of his grating voice.

He is not my rep. He's not even from my state. But in my view, he's a good guy who wanted to do what he thought was the right thing.

I still have several hand written notes from him from when Sparkly and I donated to his campaign back when he first ran (and lost by a whisker) to the despicable Randy Kuhl.

Hang in there, Eric. You're not alone.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Didn't the person sitting in for Keith tonight say Massa had already announced his resignation

to be effective on Monday?

[babylonsister]

2. Yes. Rep. Massa to resign...

doesn't look good. Or he honestly doesn't want to drag his family through the dirt.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/85233-massa-to-resign

[Stinky The Clown]

3. That's correct. He has resigned effective this coming Monday.

Doesn't change my support for him.

[xxqqqzme]

4. I recently met him at a small house party (fund raiser)

here behind the Orange Curtain. (He was the XO of the host, don't remember the name of the ship) He was very pleasant, answered all our questions, offered some insights...his wife was there. I know very little about the current storm but am sorry to hear he has resigned.

[merci_me]

5. We're standing right there, too

Jim and I could have written your post word for word, except we didn't (and wouldn't) watch Chris Wallace.

About five years ago, we met Eric in Little Rock and he and my husband shared many stories about their time in the Navy and dealing with cancer and the recurrences. Since they've shared occasional e-mails.

As for the "salty language". I never heard it from Eric, though I've only talked with him in public places, but I can take "salty language" and I can give it out. Not only am I married to an ex-sailor, I was raised by an Italian, Brooklyn born, ex-Marine.

Those of us, you and I and my husband, who have strong political concerns, but also have had to face life threatening illness, need to keep our priorities in order.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Chris Wallace ......

.... was a spot on DC's WTOP noozradio. They get commentators from all points on the compass rose.

We first met him in the backyard of a .... uh ..... Big Donor's Capitol Hill townhouse when he was with Wes Clark, both doing some campaigning and fundraising. I chatted with them both, and then just him for perhaps half an hour until the big money guys showed up and we got hustled off to the cheap seats.

The check I wrote that night was the first and only one I ever wrote and handed directly to the candidate I was supporting.

[merci_me]

7. Our meeting was in Little Rock

when we had hoped you and Sparkly would be able to be there, too.

Eric was there from Friday night, through the whole weekend. Sunday morning, there was a fundraiser breakfast for Eric's up coming first run for congress. Just a few months before, Jim had just finished another year of chemo and radiation in his first recurrence of stage 4 Hodgkins lymphoma, so he and Eric spent a fair amount of time through a few days, trading cancer war stories and Navy tales.

Jim was hit in 1993, 2004 and last year. There is never a day, when you can put it totally out of your mind. You have to be prepared to minimize stress and be ready to fight it. So, when Eric says he has to put his health first, he's doing the right thing and we support him.

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. Me too Stinky

Janet and I campaigned for him in his district both times he ran. Eric is a passionate no nonsense guy who stands with regular folks against powerful special interests. You can read all of his emotions on his sleevee, there is no deception in him. Eric was never afraid to take an important stand no matter who opposed him. This is very sad and we are pulling for him.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. I also found him to be one those people you just instantly like

This episode saddens me, no matter what the back story.

[ChicagoSuz219]

9. You can step away now... he said he's 'guilty'... n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

10. He said he was guilty. Yes. But guilty of what?

Offensive language? That's what he's copped to.

I suspect we'll never know. Of course, rat turds like Chris Wallace are dropping all sorts of smarmy comments.

As I said, I'll wait before I turn away.

[ChicagoSuz219]

11. Whatever it was, it was enough to make him step down...

...his last day is Monday.

[bigtree]

12. I'm not sure I know enough about what's behind all of this

He says he's responsible, so I'm not prepared to stand in front of that, but I think these private matters between adults should remain private, unless there's some public connection that speaks to abuse of power. I do think the quick resignation is more troubling than it's reassuring.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. The following is *pure speculation* on my part

Based on what I've read and heard, there was some incident between him and a male staffer. The right wing is putting a lot of emphasis on the staffer's gender, the implications be obvious.

But take a step back and we have two facts:

He planned to not seek reelection based on his third (or fourth?) cancer recurrence. Fair enough. He has a well know history of Hodgkins. This means he is already predisposed to not being in the Congress any more.

He then hears about a staffer filing an ethics beef against him. He owns up to "using bad language" and resigns immediately instead of fighting the ethics charge.

So what can we conclude from this, in the absence of more information?

First, we can accept it on face value. He said something that was strong and that was offensive to the staffer. What could that have been? Let's say the staffer was gay. Let's say Massa called him a gay slur. That would not be out of character for a life long sailor. Not a good thing to have done. But not rare. And not acceptable.

Or

Let's continue to assume a gay male staffer. An angry man might say something along the lines of "Keep that up and I'll <perform some gay sex act on the man>" Again offensive. Again, not incredible for a lifelong sailor. Still not rare. Still not acceptable.

I'm sure I can speculate more, but I think my point is clear.

It could also have been what the right wing is implying - an unwanted gay sexual advance on a male staffer.

Any of those things, when in the context of a man already predisposed to no longer serve in the Congress, and an early departure is understandable.

I don't condone any of what I've speculated, but none of it would cause not to stand by someone. I am not suggesting any of this be celebrated, but I am saying it is not sufficiently bad to cause me to shun someone.

But again ..... this is all speculation.

[bigtree]

16. "the context of a man already predisposed to no longer serve in the Congress,

. . . and an early departure is understandable."

That's the bottom line, I think, considering the announcement of his life-threatening illness. It's not like he personally needs the crap that's flying around to be the focus of the rest of his life. We move on . . .

[inna]

15. K&R. I stand with him, too.

It's incredibly sad that we lost one of the few progressives in Congress.

I'm so sorry that he has to go through all this, between his illness and now these allegations. :(


I found his statement almost heart-breaking:

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) released the following statement Friday afternoon, announcing that he will resign from Congress effective on Monday, March 8.

Two days ago as I sat reading my new annual CAT scan, having been told that the anomalies in the films may or may not be scar tissue, I decided to finally take the advice that my doctors have repeatedly given me, and that is to take care of my family and myself before my profession. 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. At no point prior to this had any member of the Ethics Committee communicated with me directly - if fact I first read it on the internet.

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.

During long car rides, in the early hours of the evening, late at night and always in private, I know that my own language failed to meet the standards that I set for all around me and myself. I fell short and I believe now, as I have always believed, that it is not enough to simply talk the talk, but rather I must take action to hold myself accountable.

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. I do so with a profound sense of failure and a deep apology to all those whom, for the past year, I tried to represent as our Nation struggles with problems far greater than anyone can possibly imagine. I hope that my family, constituents, and fellow Members of Congress can accept this apology as being both genuine and heartfelt and I wish for them and all Americans only the best. I will take all actions possible to ensure that my personal health is secured in that I know that mine is a far more fragile lifeline than most. For the millions of fellow cancer survivors with whom I share this experience, they, more than anyone else, will understand the honesty and openness in this statement.

I ask that members of the press respect the privacy of my family, my staff, and me at this time.

-Congressman Eric Massa

It's almost as if he's been "blacklisted" (at least, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if this was indeed the case.) :(