Conservatives Split Over Allegations Made By Massa
Rep. Eric Massa's resignation, and the allegations he has made about pressure
from the White House, received widespread coverage online yesterday and during
primetime on cable news, though none of the three network news broadcasts
covered the controversy. Fox News' Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity both lead their
shows with the Massa story, seemingly accepting his comments at face value, but
influential conservative columnists Charles Krauthammer, Bill Kristol and
Michelle Malkin ridiculed the theory that Massa is the target of a White House
plot.
Fox News' Special Report reported that Massa "says even though he
resigned...he was actually pushed out over his views on the healthcare
overhaul." The
New York
Times, in a "NY/Region" story on page A22, reports that in a radio
interview, Massa "said that Democratic leaders, including the White House, had
orchestrated a campaign against him because of his opposition to health care
legislation in the House," but "Democratic leaders in the House dismissed his
charge."
On
MSNBC's The Ed Show, Ed Schultz, who had Massa on as a guest many
times, also noted that Massa opposed the House healthcare reform bill because he
"wants single-payer and he wanted to go far beyond a public option."
The
Hill notes that Massa "told a story about a naked" Rahm Emanuel "angrily
confronting him in the congressional gym's shower" because Massa "was not going
to support the president's
budget."
Roll
Call says that even "before he faced an ethics committee investigation
into sexually charged comments that he made to one of his aides, Massa's
pervasive use of vulgarities prompted earlier efforts in his House office to
rein in his behavior, both the ex-lawmaker and a top aide
admitted."
John Bresnahan, in a piece for
Politico,
says that although Massa "was best known for voting against major pieces of
legislation because they weren't liberal enough," after "he was accused of
sexually harassing a male staffer," he became a "conservative media
hero."
The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol, appearing on
Fox News' Special
Report, rejected Beck's and Hannity's analysis. Kristol said Massa would
not have been "treated differently if he were a 'yes' vote. He is resigning.
He doesn't have to resign. If he is innocent, he should stay. He could at
least stay for three weeks and cast his vote on health care. ... He is a
creep."
Republicans Outnumber Democrats By More Than 45,000 In Massa's District
The
New
York Times reports Massa's resignation "leaves Democrats working to
maintain their hold on a hard-won seat," where Republicans "outnumber Democrats
by more than 45,000." Gov. David Paterson "could call a special election for
the seat as soon as next month, although he could also let it remain vacant
until the November election."
The
Hill reports Corning Mayor Tom Reed "has been a top GOP hope against
Massa, and Republican leaders are standing by him even as others emerge," while
"those weighing their options include Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and
the man Massa beat in 2008, former Rep. Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.). On the Democratic
side, nobody had stepped forward to run in Massa's
stead."
Obama Rails Against Insurers As He Makes Case For Healthcare Reform
To mostly positive media reviews, President Obama yesterday made the case for
passage of his healthcare reform measure in Glenside, PA. News reports
(including stories on two network newscasts) generally portray the President as
making an impassioned case for reform yesterday, and cast his criticism of
insurance companies as a strategic choice for the healthcare debate's
endgame.
ABC World News reports the theme of "the President versus the health
insurance companies" will "absolutely" be "the central focus of the President's
closing arguments on healthcare." As far "as the White House is concerned, it's
actually a change in tactics. If you remember last year, they were saying that
healthcare reform would actually be good for the insurance industry by giving
them access to millions of more new customers." The
Washington
Post says that "the president castigated insurance companies 22 times,"
carrying out a "near-daily demonization of the insurance
industry."
NBC Nightly News said that "the President has been criticized for not
taking enough ownership of this issue, for not finding a sales pitch that really
resonates." On Monday "he made an impassioned plea for healthcare reform. The
question is, is it too late to make a
difference."
The
New
York Times describes Obama's appearance as "high-octane appearance that
harked back to his 'yes we can' campaign days," as he "jettisoned the
professorial demeanor that has cloaked many of his public pronouncements on the
issue, instead making an emotional pitch for public
support."
The
AP,
meanwhile, reports that Obama's style stirred "memories of his campaign for the
White House" as he made "a spirited, shirt-sleeved appeal for passage of
long-stalled health care changes." The
Philadelphia
Inquirer refers to "a passionate argument" from the President, and adds
that "the trip to Arcadia is part of a last-ditch effort by the president to
press Congress to adopt legislation overhauling the nation's health care
system."
USA
Today notes that "Obama told about 1,800 supporters at Arcadia
University that he was 'kind of fired up' as he lashed into the insurance
industry for a recent spate of premium
increases."
More skeptical toward the President was the story run by
McClatchy,
which notes that "appealing for a popular uprising easily could cut both ways,
as some voters in the Philadelphia suburbs are impatient in their demand that
Congress pass Obama's proposed health care legislation while others are just as
vocal in opposition."
Politico
reports that "Obama's speech vacillated between hitting Washington and the
insurance companies." The
Washington
Times notes that Obama criticized those playing the "sport of
politics," and adds that "it's not lost on Mr. Obama that he and his allies have
not fared well in that sport
recently."
Bloomberg
News reports, "Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, who switched to the
Democratic Party last year, said the speech in Glenside, Pennsylvania, was the
'most fiery' he's seen Obama since the early days of the 2008 presidential
campaign."
