Dem Source: Massa Won't Run (NY-29)

[brooklynite]

Source: NY Daily News

Rep. Eric Massa is poised to announce this afternoon that he will not seek re-election in the 29th Congressional District this fall as planned, a Democratic source confirms.

...snip...

UPDATE: Massa's office says he will be speaking with the press on a "very important" conference call at 3:30 p.m. He's in Washington.

...snip...

Sources close to the congressman say there has been talk of an ethics investigation, but a staffer in Massa's district office contacted yesterday insisted he had no knowledge of that.

The former US Navy officer received a diagnosis of terminal cancer while serving as as the Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark, during the Bosnian conflict, according to the bio on his Web site. He returned to the US to undergo treatment, survived and is "completely cured."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/03/source-massa-wont-run.html

---

This might explain why he hasn't called lately (I've spoken to him every 2-3 months since his first campaign), although it could also be because I cut off his contributions when he voted against the Health Care Reform bill.

[El Supremo]

1. "Sexually harassed a male staffer."

Politico is reporting the House ethics committee has been informed of allegations that Massa, who is married and has two children, sexually harassed a male staffer.

I thought that Democrats only harassed members of the opposite sex, unlike Repugs.

[OswegoAtheist]

11. Sexual harrassment =/= overt acts

If Massa, as he suggests, used sexually explicit language around staffers, it's sexual harrassment no matter what the gender of the staffer. The gender of the offended party shouldn't make a difference in how we approach severity or perception, whether it was overt acts or not.

Oswego "sadly, it does anyway" Atheist

[Ramulux]

2. Fuck

What the fuck is with these assholes, why did they even run in the first place if they are going to pull this crap? Its stuff like this that is just destroying any chance we have in November.

[ButterflyBlood]

7. The guy has TERMINAL CANCER

Geez, give him a break.

[cal04]

3. Massa: Cancer is reason for retirement, not 'salty language'

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/84815-massa-cancer-is-reason-for-retirement-not-salty-language

Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that he has used "salty language" with staff but that it's not the reason he's retiring.

Massa announced he would retire from Congress after just one term, but said reports that he is under investigation for sexually harassing a male staffer are besides the point.

"There are blogs who are saying that I'm leaving because there are charges of harrassment against my staff," Massa said. "Do I or have I ever used salty language when I'm angry -- especially in the privacy of my inner office or even at home? Yes, I have. And I have apologized to those where it's appropriate. But those kind of articles, unsubstantiated without fact or backing, are a symptom of what's wrong with this city."

Massa said he recently underwent his third major cancer recurrence scare, in December.

[FLAprogressive]

4. Massa is strongly against continuation of the Afghan war and FOR single payer

and voted against the bill for a good reason. Quit smearing the guy.

[brooklynite]

5. Are you saying...

...that he's being smeared because of these positions, or that no politician who supports these positions could be guilty of irresponsible behavior?

[Matt Shapiro]

10. It is not irresponsible

to oppose a bill that hurts more people than it helps and pours billions of dollars into the coffers of the health insurance companies by forcing people to buy a defective product they can't afford to either buy or use (because of the high co-pays). It is not irresponsible to stand up for the real solution to the health care crisis - improved Medicare for All, the solution that the President and Congressional (Democratic) leaders refused to allow to be considered because they obeyed the commands of big pharma and the health insurance industry.

We should all be praising Rep. Massa for his courageous stand on health care, not implying that he did something wrong by not following the corporate party line.

[Earth_First]

6. NY-29 will be a tough fight

I'm ready!

[PATRICK]

9. Having met Massa

I can only imagine that what he says is true. He has a frank temper to put it mildly and I am sure he lets it loose away from the coffee table meetings and cameras. Boy have I been wrong about just every other pol, but those guys had some issues that would give some inkling of of plausibility for the scandal. On the other hand I have always been uneasy about his miraculous, unexplainable cure which he never ever claimed was permanent remission(like most pols would). On the other hand, he made a suicidal pact IMHO when he pledged to not take Congressional health care perks as long as we didn't have real HCR. Keeping that promise with a new onset of Hodgkins....

If this scandal were true, not being blinded by admiration or too logical about Dem judgment, this would still be an inexplicable surprise like the sun rising in the west at midnight. When DUers raised some concerns, based on witnesses and staffers about Edwards, I paid attention and thus was not as shocked by his affair. I have seen Massa on several occasions and honestly I can't possibly see it as anything more than he says in his defense except he might really gone more off the deep end with his language than he vaguely suggests.

Likewise my surprise should any Dem fill his shoes in NY-29. It's a lost cause even if his volunteers are not demoralized or affected by some "scandal". From the looks of things it may actually even be worse than that with big name moderate GOPers with deep pockets moving here- as they should have done in the first place rather than let right wingers and trolls abuse the supposed safety of the district where they greatly outnumber Dems.

Whether he mated with goats on the Capitol steps he has been absolutely the best and freest from corporate influence that I have seen. We really needed a few terms from him and others. This blows a big hole in upstate and the progressive movement to get populist elected champions.

The sad state of affairs is not just the wounded chances of any Dem incumbent this year but the lack of progressive growth or attention to such a movement as the present leadership falters even on the easy wins.

Oh yeah, and we get that imported DLC #%&^*&&&^% Harold Ford trying to stomp on Killebrand.

[merci_me]

12. From my experience

lymphomas can come and go for years. My husband was diagnosed with a stage 4 Hodgkin's in 1993. After a year of aggressive treatment, he continued to be monitored every three months and then at 5 yrs, every 4 months, then at seven years, they wouldn't say "cured" but stable and went to 6 months tests. We thought we made it, but at 10 years, in 2003, it was back and another year of intensive treatments. Then we started back at the every 3 months tests and then in 2008, another recurrence. That time, while my husband was in the hospital, his best friend, whom he had met in his cancer support group, passed away. His friend had been diagnosed with lymphoma in 1988 and been in and out of treatment and clinical trials for 20 years, before his passing. Yes, it was the lymphoma, but more than that, it was the result of all the hits his body took in the previous 20 years.


We met Eric Massa before his first run for congress and he and my husband sat and talked about their shared Navy years, their cancers and their shared political concerns. They have remained in e-mail contact off and on over the past 5 years or so. We greatly admire Eric.


BTW, about his medical care and not taking the congressional medical package.......he's retired military and that insurance has been keeping him alive through some rough times, so I wouldn't say his opting to continue his military benefits is suicidal.

[inna]

8. One of the best representatives. Sad news. :(

Sorry you "cut him off" btw, voting against that corporate/anti-people monstrosity of a "insurance care reform" (or "health care deform") was an honorable thing to do.