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Massa staffers talk: He "expressed a desire to have sex with the men in the office"

By GottaLaff

Tickle Me Massa is about to stop laughing:

Just three months after Eric Massa was elected to Congress, his young male employees on Capitol Hill began complaining to supervisors that the lawmaker was making aggressive, sexual overtures toward them, according to new interviews and internal documents.

The senior staff, one of whom said he heard Massa making lewd remarks to young staffers, tried to manage the problem internally. But reports of Massa's inappropriate behavior continued, leaving junior workers feeling helpless, according to victims, other staffers and sources close to an ongoing House ethics investigation.

To anyone who has ever suggested that Democrats don't report negative things about other Democrats... I rest my case. Two dozen interviews and many documents later, Married Massa appears to have engaged in even worse behavior than has been previously reported.

The man was a predator. Staffers were afraid to report him for fear of repercussions, and things "spiraled out of control." So sad, so wrong, and so good riddance:

Staff in the D.C. office felt they had nowhere to turn, she said. For months, according to numerous accounts, Massa's aides tolerated a frat house environment full of sex talk and lewd behavior. [...]

In one instance, a staffer said he alerted Joe Racalto, Massa's chief of staff, in March 2009 that Massa tried to fondle a young colleague in a hotel room during the 2008 campaign. Racalto told staffers he believed their complaints, because he had heard similar stories, according to staffers. Two sources said that Racalto told staffers he himself had been a victim of Massa's advances.

There are many more details here.

Sexual harassment is a sick power play. I've been on the receiving end of it myself, back when I was young, naive, and didn't know how to deal with it as I would today. Many of Massa's staffers apparently felt the same way. Nobody should have to.

I can tell you from first hand experience, you feel helpless, angry, embarrassed, intimidated, and scared. In my case, I publicly humiliated the guy, who was a respected [sic] game show producer, and it ended.

When you read the whole article, you'll see what these people felt they were up against... literally.

H/t: 42bkdodgr

AUDIO: “I hope you die a slow death at a very young age." My bad.

By GottaLaff

Via mlive.com:

Another day, another mindless cretin, another death call, another apology.

Note to half-wits: "I saw a commercial and just couldn't help myself" just doesn't cut it:

Bob Bepristis told the Citizen Patriot he was upset over the health care bill and wanted to make his concerns known.

He said that he didn’t know who his representative in Congress was, and so decided to call [Rep. Mark] Schauer after seeing a TV political advertisement that listed Schauer’s name and phone number. [...]

“I screwed up,” Bepristis said. “It was rude and I was wrong.”

Yes you were, and yes you were.

But even more wrong were the people who put an ad out that revealed Schauer's personal information.

How many invasions of privacy does it take to screw a Democrat?

The Capitol police were notified. Bust. Ed.

“I didn’t mean to say what I said as a threat,” Bepristis told the Citizen Patriot.

Of course not, dear. Wishing people were dead aloud on their home phones would never be looked at that way. Please don't worry your pretty little head about it.

Bepristis apologized to the representative, by the by.

“They were very gracious,” he said.

Good, take lessons.

Massa'd

By GottaLaff

From the land of MassaDon't-ia... Is that your snorkel or are you just happy to see me?

Joshua Green writes:

[His] "behavior toward his subordinates that got Massa into trouble in Congress is part of pattern that dates to his time in the Navy."

Tickle Me Massa's old shipmates said that he was known for making "unwanted advances toward subordinates." They didn't rat him out though, for fear he'd retaliate.

Here's what one of them said:

"When you're on ship, you're almost exhausted 24-7. So a lot of times you sleep with your uniform on. Tom and Massa shared a stateroom together. Massa climbed up on the top of his bunk, which is hard to do--you never crawl up on somebody else's bunk. He wakes up to Massa undoing his pants trying to snorkel him."

Snorkeling, huh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Time to come up for air.

Eric Massa will not seek re-election

By GottaLaff

Via an e-mail alert from Politico:

Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) plans to announce he will not seek reelection next year after only one term in office.

Waiting for more details.

UPDATE via another Politico alert:

Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) has decided not to seek reelection amid allegations that he sexually harassed a male staffer, House aides tell POLITICO.

UPDATE #2 (H/t: DCPlod):

A source who has spoken to Massa said he is leaving because of a reoccurrence of cancer.

His retirement was first reported by the New York Daily News.

I'm inclined to believe the second source.

Most Liberal and Most Conservative Lawmakers

Always an interesting report. Via Taegan-

The National Journal's annual vote ranking study is out.

Liberals: "The most liberal members in the Senate include Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Roland Burris (D-IL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), all tied for first place. In the House, 8 members share the distinction -- Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Gwen Moore (D-WI), John Olver (D-MA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Mel Watt (D-NC) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) are tied for the top spot."

Conservatives: "Unlike Dems, GOPers get to fete a clear winner in the most-conservative sweepstakes: This year, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) takes the prize. He's closely followed by Sens. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Jim Bunning (R-KY) and Tom Coburn (R-OK). In the House, Reps. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), Pete Olson (R-TX), John Shadegg (R-AZ) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX) share the prize."

TPC EXCLUSIVE: Tamyra d'Ippolito to run for U.S. Senate as a Libertarian

By GottaLaff

A reliable source close to the Tamyra d'Ippolito campaign has given TPC a bit of a scoop:

Tamyra d'Ippolito, who failed to get on the Indiana ballot as a Democrat after Evan Bayh announced his retirement, is going to Indianapolis tomorrow. Why?

She's paying a visit to the secretary of state's office to announce her change in political party.

She will be running for the U.S. Senate as a Libertarian.

According to my source, the Libertarian party said they would welcome her on the ballot as their candidate. She is almost guaranteed a place on the ballot because the Libertarians did the required to work to keep their spot open.

I don't hold out a whole lotta hope for Tamyra.

And who will she pull votes from? Women? The GOP?

People Can Tell Your Politics From Your Face

Via Taegan-

Scientific American reports on a new study in which subjects "were able to accurately identify candidates from the 2004 and 2006 U.S. Senate elections as either Democrats or Republicans based on black-and-white photos of their faces. And subjects were even able to correctly identify college students as belonging to Democratic or Republican clubs based on their yearbook photos."

How?

Study 3 then showed that these judgments were related to differences in perceived traits among the Democrat and Republican faces. Republicans were perceived as more powerful than Democrats. Moreover, as individual targets were perceived to be more powerful, they were more likely to be perceived as Republicans by others. Similarly, as individual targets were perceived to be warmer, they were more likely to be perceived as Democrats.

Gaw, they get power, we get warmth.

BREAKING: Dem. Rep. Parker Griffith switching to Republican party

By GottaLaff

A defector in our midsts. MSNBC just reported that Alabama Dem. Rep. Parker Griffith will become a Republican.

Politico has the rest.

UPDATE:

Now he's right where he belongs. Good riddance.

And this:

First Read provides some more context on Rep. Parker Griffith's party switch today, noting "he was one of four Democrats to oppose the stimulus, cap and trade, and health-care reform. The other three: Walt Minnick (ID), Bobby Bright (AL) and Gene Taylor (MS). All four are/were considered major targets for the GOP in 2010. Griffith also voted against the Wall St. reform legislation and the Lilly Ledbetter Act."

"So considering Griffith's votes, when measuring his switch versus Arlen Specter's, Specter's was much more significant."

Meanwhile, though the NRCC tried to remove their advertisement blasting Griffith from YouTube, they must have forgetten that nothing is ever really deleted anymore.

You can see the titles of the three ads they have since removed, but here's an ad they missed:

More here.

California assembly to select its first openly gay speaker

By GottaLaff

Hector Amezcua / hamezcua@sacbee.com
Assemblyman John Perez, D-Los Angeles, talks with Assemblyman Jerry Hill in June 2009.

One more incremental step for equality:

Assemblyman John A. Perez's final opponent has bowed out, setting the stage for the first-term Democrat to be selected Assembly speaker today — the first openly gay man to hold the post.

Perez, who is chairman of the Assembly Democratic Caucus and was regarded much of the year as a potential candidate for speaker, entered the fray as a late-comer after being pushed by colleagues.

Too bad about New Jersey's step back.

Another Democrat Calls it Quits

By GottaLaff

Not good:

Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) announced his retirement tonight, The Hotline reports, "becoming the third Democrat in a vulnerable seat to announce his departure in the last few weeks."

The district, with a Cook PVI of EVEN, "is a very fertile open seat for GOPers to attack."

2010 is looking a little bleak. <--- Follow that link to see why.

Freshman Dem: Passing health care reform worth losing my seat

By GottaLaff

Wait... a principled Congress member? A Democrat? Sacrificing himself for health care reform? No way:

“If you get to the final point and you are a critical vote for health care reform and every piece of evidence tells you if you support the bill you will lose your job, would you cast the vote and lose your job?” CNN’s John King asked Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado on Sunday’s State of the Union.

“Yes,” Bennet bluntly and simply replied.

Way.

Senator Byrd Will Set Another Record

Congrats to my favorite cranky Senator.

Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, who is already the longest-serving senator in United States history, is set to cross yet another milestone of longevity in the legislative branch. On Wednesday, he’ll surpass Carl Hayden as the longest-serving member of Congress in history, combining terms in both the House and Senate.

Mr. Hayden, an Arizona Democrat, served in the House from 1912 to 1927 and in the Senate from 1927 to 1969 for a total of 56 years, 319 days.

Mr. Byrd served in the House from 1953 to 1959, and has been in the Senate ever since. He served as the Democratic leader from 1977 to 1989, about half of that time as the majority leader.

A Texas House Democrat leaves the party, citing Obama

By GottaLaff

When in doubt, and when you can't win a Democratic election, blame Obama:

Rep. Chuck Hopson, D-Jacksonville, will seek reelection, but as a Republican — a move that might save his neck while wrecking the party's chances at winning a majority in the House. [...]

"President Obama and the Democrats in Congress just don't reflect the values of this district," he said.

Republican Guide to Undermining Health Care Reform

Shorter Frank Luntz strategy- Make sure the D's screw it up because the nation wants it and it's the right thing to do. Via Taegan-

GOP strategist Frank Luntz briefed Republican lawmakers this week "on his new plan for undermining Democrats' health-reform without making the GOP look bad," reports Mike Allen.

Luntz's 8-page memo is a fascinating read. He notes Republicans "still need to acknowledge the need for reform." He also says President Obama "is right: what Americans want is a solution, not continued political bickering."

However, Luntz says that once Republicans have "articulated the goal of bipartisanship, it is fair game (and according to our polling, supported by independents) to level a sharper attack on those who control Congress: 'The Democratic Party controls a 77 seat majority in the House and almost 20 seats in the Senate, along with the White House. If they cannot get a bill passed with such overwhelming control of Washington, it says there's something wrong with the legislation. Rather than forcing a bill through with only limited support, they should keep working until they can get a bill that represents the opinions of most Americans.'"

Here's the memo via Politico:

Specter Becomes Reliable Democratic Vote

By GottaLaff

I'd amend Taegan's title to say "a more reliable vote", since I don't have a whole lot of trust in Specter the Democrat:

Nate Silver notes that since Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) announced he would almost certainly challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) in a Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, the formerly Republican senator has voted with his new party on 28 out of 29 contentious votes, or 97% of the time.

"Specter's overall party loyalty score since becoming a Democrat -- counting votes both before and after the primary challenge -- is 87%. This contrasts with the 44% of the time that he broke ranks to side with the Democratic on contentious votes while still a member of the Republican Party. He's basically been behaving like a mainline, liberal Democrat."

Good, but I still don't trust him.

Mitch Daniels Ends 2012 Speculation

Toodles Mitchy. My dream? Evan gets bored with DC (he'll never be President), decides to run the state again and a real Democrat runs for his seat. I know, I did say it was a dream...

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) indicated today that his current job would be his last, "a statement likely to deflate the hopes of many conservatives around the country that he'd run for president in 2012," according to Real Clear Politics.

Said Daniels: "I've only ever run for or held one office. It's the last one I'm going to hold."

Democrats to rule until 2049?

Don't know about you, but that really doesn't sound all that healthy for the country...

VIDEO, from the Dep't. of I Beg to Differ-- Specter: "I Did Not Say I Am A Loyal Democrat"

By GottaLaff


Oh really?

Oops.

Trying to clarify Specter’s position on Obama’s health care reform, Gregory then asked, “You would not support a public plan?” “That’s what I said and that’s what I meant,” Specter replied.

DINO.

New Americans United For Change Ad- Timeline

Clear and concise, I like it.