http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/murtha-pleas-for-1-million-after-racism-comments-2008-10-30.html
excerpt:
Veteran Democratic Rep. John Murtha (Pa.) has sent out a last-minute plea
for $1 million to save his hotly contested seat, endangered by his own
remarks describing his district as racist.
In an e-mail sent to potential donors, Murtha's campaign asked his
sup****ters to maximize all campaign contributions.
"We need to raise another $1 million to compete," his campaign fundraiser
Susan O'Neill wrote in the e-mail obtained by The Hill. "We need money
immediately."
O'Neill blamed Republicans from outside Pennsylvania for Murtha's
problems.
Polls show Murtha, running for his 18th term, ahead of his GOP opponent by
just a few percentage points.
"Congressman Murtha is in a brutal reelection campaign," O'Neill wrote.
"The
Swift Boaters have put up a candidate from Virginia and have raised
millions
of dollars against Congressman Murtha. In addition, other 527s and the
[National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)] have spent millions
to
smear Congressman Murtha on TV, radio and in newspapers."
Murtha's race appeared to tighten after he called his western Pennsylvania
district a "racist area." After apologizing, he added more fuel to the
fire
by saying the district was, until recently, "really redneck."
Murtha's comments have been widely repeated, and the congressman was even
parodied on "Saturday Night Live."
In a fundraising e-mail sent on Thursday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
(D-N.Y.) asked her own sup****ters to help Murtha. "In Pennsylvania, my
good
friend John Murtha - a strong sup****ter for me during the primaries and an
im****tant voice against the war in Iraq - is depending on your help to
win,"
Clinton wrote.
GOP challenger William Russell, a 46-year-old Iraq war veteran and retired
Army colonel, has outraised Murtha so far. As of Oct. 15, Russell had
raised
$2.9 million compared to Murtha's $2.2 million.
Political action committees can donate up to $5,000 to candidates, while
individuals may donate up to $2,300.
Murtha, a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), is a
welcome
target for Republicans, who otherwise are headed toward what appears to be
a
gloomy election night.
Russell moved from Virginia to run for Congress because of Murtha's
criticisms of the Iraq war. Murtha's comments about western Pennsylvania
being racist have emboldened Republicans to give last-minute help to
Russell.
Murtha, a decorated war veteran, first won his seat in a 1974 special
election by a little more than 100 votes.
The NRCC this week bought a television ad that highlighted Murtha's
remarks.
Separately, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) accused Murtha in a radio
spot of "insulting his own constituents" and "apparently forgetting who he
works for."
-------------------
"We need to raise another $1 million to compete." [...] "We need money
immediately."
This is somewhat reminiscent of how Jerry Farwell appeared on his
televangelist broadcast in tears and proclaimed that the Lord told him he
would "call him home" if he failed to raise $7 million by the end of the
week. Little old church ladies responded by sending him their social
security checks hand-over-fist in order to meet God's demands and spare
Reverend Farwell.
The good news for Murtha is that even if he loses next week, he will be
able
to sleep well at night knowing that he went down for a noble cause like
falsely denouncing his responsible constituents in favor of imaginary
victims.
Eventually the pendulum swings back, Congressman Murtha. If you lose,
perhaps you can team up with Hillary afterwards and compare notes about
how
pandering to undesirables is ultimately a self-defeating practice.
--
Jolly Rogers
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