Eric Massa caps bad week for the Democrats
Eric Massa, Charlie Rangel, David Paterson – after a rough week the Democratic
party must be glad it's over
Hasn't it been a fabulous few days for the party of Jefferson? So bad that they
must be glad it's come to an end, especially at the party's New York branches.
There's still a few hours left – but as things stand on Friday afternoon:
Charlie Rangel surrendered the chair of the House ways and means committee
under a cloud, David Paterson may not last much longer as governor of New York
thanks to scandal, and Eric Massa announced that he was stepping down from
Congress in November, because of cancer or a harrassment charge, depending on
who you believed.
Now the Corning Leader newspaper reports that Massa has decided to resign next
week:
Embattled US Rep Eric Massa announced Friday afternoon that he will resign from
office effective Monday.
Massa, 50, notified his Washington and campaign staff from his home in Corning
that he was leaving office, citing a reocurrance of cancer and allegations
filed against him with the House ethics committee.
But the Corning Leader article goes on hint at the misconduct charges that
Massa faces:
Massa admitted in his statement that he had used inappropriate language in
front of staff both in his home and in his office.
"There is no doubt in my mind I have used improper language," he said. "It's my
fault and I can't blame anyone but myself."
Massa said he learned of the allegations made by a member of his staff on
Thursday by reading internet news sources. He said he does not know the
identity of the staff member, when the incident happened or what was said.
"I can't subject my family and staff to a full investigation," Massa said. "It
would tear us apart ... It's not that I can fight or beat these allegations,
I'm guilty."
The Associated Press sheds some more light on the allegations:
Massa's resignation comes as the House ethics panel was reviewing a harassment
complaint by a male staffer who reportedly felt uncomfortable in a situation
with Massa that had sexual overtones.
The way things are going the Democrats are going to get a hammering in November.
Subject: US DEMOCRATE SENATOR FROM NY BEHAVED LIKE A VOYOU
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:08:56 -0800
Shenanigans: Schumer has a flight to forget
By ANNE SCHROEDER MULLINS | 12/16/09 3:52 AM EST
Close
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) hurries to catch a flight after voting on Capitol
Hill. | Photo by APClose
Sen. Chuck Schumer loves the sound of his own voice, but it carried a bit
farther than he might have liked on the US Airways shuttle from New York to
Washington on Sunday.
According to a House Republican aide who happened to be seated nearby, the
notoriously chatty New York Democrat referred to a flight attendant as a
“bitch” after she ordered him to turn off his phone before takeoff.
Schumer and his seatmate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), were chatting on
their phones before takeoff when an announcement indicated that it was time to
turn off the phones.
Both senators kept talking.
According to the GOP aide, a flight attendant then approached Schumer and told
him the entire plane was waiting on him to shut down his phone.
Schumer asked if he could finish his conversation. When the flight attendant
said “no,” Schumer ended his call but continued to argue his case.
He said he was entitled to keep his phone on until the cabin door was closed.
The flight attendant said he was obliged to turn it off whenever a flight
attendant asked.
“He argued with her about the rule,” the source said. “She said she doesn’t
make the rules, she just follows them.”
When the flight attendant walked away, the witness says Schumer turned to
Gillibrand and uttered the B-word.
“The senator made an off-the-cuff comment under his breath that he shouldn’t
have made, and he regrets it,” Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon told Shenanigans.
Ironically, Schumer has been a friend of US Airways flight attendants of late,
lobbying company chairman and CEO Doug Parker on their behalf after several of
them asked the senator to help keep them based at LaGuardia.
Through her office, Gillibrand said Schumer was “polite” with the flight
attendant Sunday and “turned off his phone when asked to.”
But moments after the flight attendant had told Schumer to shut it off, the
phone rang again.
“It’s Harry Reid calling,” the source quoted Schumer as saying. “I guess health
care will have to wait until we land.”
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