Clarke and The War
Tomorrow should be a good day for Yvette Clarke. She's hosting a town hall meeting and getting endorsed by Rep. John Murtha, the hawkish Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania who is now calling for troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. (Anthony Weiner, who already endorsed her, will also be there.)
While all four Democrats in the Brooklyn 11th congressional race have taken similar anti-war positions, Clarke has a unique argument:
"Imagine a Congress that was half female, allowing our children to be sent to war, in harms way without an extremely good reason."
Anybody know how many women in Congress voted for the war?
Update: Town Hall info after the jump.-- Azi Paybarah Councilwoman Yvette Clarke, Rep. John Murtha, and Rep. Anthony Weiner WHAT: Endorsement and town hall meeting on ending the War in Iraq
WHEN: Town Hall meeting from 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Town Hall at Park Slope United Methodist Church, 6th Avenue and 8th Street, Park Slope
Murtha and Clarke are perfect for each other.
Neither one ever wanted to stay the course.
Isnt Murtha anti-choice? Why is she bringing him to Park Slope! So much for being a woman's advocate.
Owens is going to have a field day with this one!
I believe Murtha is pro NRA too.
Does Murtha know what he's doing? Did he accidentally agree to endorse Clarke as a favor for Weiner, or do you think he got her to promise to vote for him for majority leader?
Where is NOW now?
It's always nice to have somebody who earns an A+ from the NRA in your corner.
Imagine a Congress half of whose members looked like and voted like Margaret Thatcher, Golda Meir, Kathryn Harris & Ann Coulter. Could you imagine them not voting to send our children to war?
This town hall meeting should go really well as long as nobody brings up health care, abortion, women's rights, or gun control. Good thing democrats don't care about any of those things.
So Murtha's going to endorse someone who lied about their academic record and has been found to have outstanding student loans? Why am I not surprised, we are talking about a pro-life, pro-gun conservative Democrat with 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee.
And let's not forget the fact that he's opposed
to background checks on gun sales. Clarke is really grasping now, and so is anyone else even remotely thinking about voting for her.
What about the gays?? and the lesbians?? John Murtha is no friend of my community. His last rating from the Human Rights Camapign fund was 17%! That is in right wing GOP range!
Of Course this is about Murtha's race against Steny Hoyer ---first Wiener for Mayor '09 --now Murtha for Leader? The FEC needs to explain to Ms Clarke that she actually can not promise anything of value for support in federal race,ncluding future support! --BAD GIRL! (again!)
I don't understand why a so-called advocate for women's rights is teaming up with an official who so clearly isn't. Bad, bad choice. This endorsement gets Clarke nothing but bad press.
Thats better than the 0% he got from NARAL for the past 4 years!
and the A+ rating he got from the NRA
Murtha is great. Too bad someone like him can't run and win in NYC. We get 4 left wing clones in NY-11. Gun control nuts and Yassky is the worst because he has the chance to be effective unlike the rabblerousers running against him.
I can't remember is Emily's List "really" endorsed Yvette or it was still just another of her "claims", but if they did, this might make them want to reconsider.
Totally agree with 5:57. Murtha rocks! He's not running for the 11th CD, and his positions merely reflect the history, values and concerns of the people who elected him in SW PA. We should hope that whomever wins the 11th will be equally zealous in representing that district's history, values and concerns.
Clarke is a friggin joke.
"Too bad someone like [Murtha] can't run and win in NYC" Anont 557
I think if someone like Murtha ran and won in NYC, NYC would then share its politics with Alabama. (aside: old quote, b/w Pittsburgh and Philly is the state of AL) Murtha is pro-gun, anti-choice and anti-civil liberties. I respect the Congressman for the evolution his stance on the war has taken and his courage to say so, but I don't want him to represent me with those values. I'm not sure why Clarke would think this is a good thing. Another example of her questionable decisions if you ask me.
Murtha could win NY-13. Not everyone in NYC is a lefty.
Murtha opposes universal health care - I wonder what SEIU thinks about thtat? A pro-life, pro-gun, anti-gay conservative Democrat has no business in Park Slope, and Yvette Clarke with her questionable judgement and her inability to tell the truth, has no business in this campaign.
Rock's right. Hey Yvette, when are you going to stop this charade and drop out? Win or lose: the people who pay attention don't want you!
Just a few weeks ago Yvette had the nerve to stand up in front of the Stonewall Democrats and promise to fight to gay rights....and here she is about to stand with one of the most anti-gay Democrats in congress, all for her own personal benefit.
I really hope the Stonewall Dems rescind their endorsement of her. I know that I for one will not be out helping her.
Murtha doesn't support the inclusion of sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
10:23 - I agree...Stonewall should run far away from this imploding candidate.
Its almost more worrying if Clarke genuinely supports choice, gun control, and gay rights. If she gives this little forethought to political alignments and favors, there is no way she will be independent and effective. We need someone who not dependant or obligated to the Brooklyn Democratic Party or congressional leadership, which is doing a pretty great job of running the party into the ground.
Is this the same Murtha that gets a 0% from NARAL. Yes, NARAL gave Murtha a 0% rating regarding his record on abortion. I love how Yvette is all about women's rights one day, but then drags out Murtha who is so anti-womens rights for her own political benefit.
Why is Murtha in Brooklyn anyways?
I don't really understand what Murtha does here. I mean, why is Yvette more qualified than any of the other democrats running in the 11th? Don't they all agree - more or less - that the war was and is a horrible mistake? Why does Jack Murtha think Clarke is the right candidate? Does she agree with him on gun control, abortion, healthcare? I doubt it.
It looks like she is selling favors before she even gets out of the primary. Someone should fill her in on what she missed during her last year of college...you can't vote for Jack Murtha to be majority leader if you don't get elected on your own.
Yvette Clarke is showing her true colors as an typical product of machine politics, corrupt as they come.
The Murtha endorsement must be a real plus in the race. Just look at the panic it has set off among Yassky and Owens supporters.
Interesting. Murtha's people know nothing about an endorsement.
Does Murtha know he's going to be sharing a stage with someone best known for padding her resume?
If he doesn't know yet, he will soon, because the right wing is going to have a field day playing the guilt-by-association game - with him. And if Yvette thinks that that the way to rescue her imploding campaign is to bring in the big guns, then Diplomagate is more serious than suspected.