Posted on 04/01/2010 4:54:18 AM PDT by Cricket24
They will not say so publicly, but U.S. Reps. Chris Carney and Paul E. Kanjorski are not on speaking terms.
Carney, D-10, Dimock Twp., wanted to be the next Pennsylvania member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee that controls federal spending.
As senior member of the state's Democratic congressional delegation, Kanjorski could have helped him get that appointment to a vacant committee seat.
Instead, the delegation recently voted to recommend a suburban Philadelphia congressman to congressional leaders who will fill the vacancy.
The two congressmen refuse to say much about their spat, but their silence and veiled swipes at each other are raising eyebrows over Kanjorski's role in the recommendation and whether Northeast Pennsylvania lost a chance at a larger share of federal funding.
Kanjorski, D-11, Nanticoke, refuses to disclose his vote, saying it is "confidential."
"And unfortunately, the people that are talking about it obviously have interests," he said Tuesday after a public meeting at the South Side Senior Citizens Center. "And I think they've made major political errors in breaching confidential relationships."
He did not name "the people."
Kanjorski, who touts his own prowess at bringing home federal dollars, refused to discuss whether he had harmed Northeast Pennsylvania's ability to do that. He disputed that he cost Carney the seat.
As "dean of the delegation," Kanjorski said his job is to ensure "that we have someone who can get that support from the steering and policy committee. To have named somebody that couldn't have gotten that support (and) wouldn't be on Appropriations would have been fruitless for us."
Asked if he was saying Carney would not have received the appointment, Kanjorski said, "I didn't make that judgment," before an aide cut off further questions.
Kanjorski actually said more than Carney, who has refused to be interviewed. He issued his first statement on the matter Tuesday, promising to continue to fight for the region's "deserved share of federal funds."
"I'm not going to comment on the internal workings of the delegation," he said. "What I will say is that I had counted on the support of my colleagues in maintaining geographical balance from the state on the Appropriations Committee. ... And I will always put our region ahead of politics when making these critical decisions."
"He is livid," said a source familiar with Carney's thinking who spoke only if he was not identified.
The delegation voted Thursday to recommend Rep. Patrick Murphy to replace the late Rep. John Murtha. The Johnstown area congressman was legendary for spreading federal dollars across the state. Kanjorski frequently sought his help.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with input from a steering and policy committee, has final say over committee appointments. Presumably, the recommendation would play a key role if she chose a Pennsylvanian. Efforts to reach her spokesman were unsuccessful. The state, which had four congressmen on Appropriations earlier this decade, only has Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-2, Philadelphia.
Murphy, D-8, Bristol Twp., a King's College graduate, represents Bucks County and parts of Montgomery County and Philadelphia. In a secret ballot among the 11-member delegation, he received six votes, Carney four votes and Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-3, Erie, a single vote.
The source said Carney is sure Kanjorski voted for Murphy. Carney voted for himself and had commitments from Reps. Jason Altmire, D-4, McCandless, Michael Doyle, D-14, Forest Hills, and Tim Holden, D-17, St. Clair. Kanjorski ignored Carney's appeals for support, the source said.
Another vote for Carney would have created a tie and forced a second vote, leaving Dahlkemper to break the tie.
Phone calls to the other nine Democratic delegation members were mostly ignored. Only Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7, Edgmont, responded.
"At the request of the Pennsylvania delegation, it was a secret ballot and I will respect that," Sestak said in a statement issued by his office.
Local residents who grew up with Reps. Joseph McDade, a Republican, and Daniel J. Flood, a Democrat, both Appropriations members, learned first-hand the power an Appropriations member wields. Both are renowned for bringing federal dollars here. After McDade, Rep. Don Sherwood, Carney's predecessor, had an Appropriations seat for about 5 1/2 of his eight years in office.
Political science professors David Sosar, Ph.D., at King's College and Jeff Brauer at Keystone College are puzzled by Kanjorski's apparent lack of support for Carney.
With Murphy and Carney facing stern re-election tests later this year, the delegation could be betting Murphy is likelier to win, Sosar said.
"They evidently are sacrificing Carney for Murphy," he said.
In 2006, as he ran for Congress for the first time, Murphy told The Citizens Voice in Wilkes-Barre that Kanjorski had been a mentor since college. Perhaps the personal relationship had an influence, Sosar said.
The matter could become at least a fringe campaign issue.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey D. O'Brien, who is challenging Kanjorski for the Democratic nomination to the 11th District congressional seat, said his opponent blew "a golden opportunity" to attract hundreds of millions of dollars to the region.
"He has given two Appropriations seats to Philadelphia," O'Brien said. "No other part of the commonwealth is represented outside of Philadelphia."
Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, the likely Republican nominee, said, "I know what I would have done. I would have thought of Northeastern Pennsylvania first. Is it better for Northeastern Pennsylvania or worse? I think the answer is obvious."
Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com
I am sure the dem party knows that Carney is history after this next election!
Let us hope Murphy loses to the man he beat for the congressional seat not long ago. Murphy is in lockstep with Obama and the Chicago thugs. Kick him out.
Everyone knows he wont be re-elected, thats why he voted for Obamacare. I guess he thinks being Murtha’s mini-me for past 3 years entitles him to that post.
Exactly. Carney, Kanjorski, and Murphy are all going to LOSE in November, so let them tear each other apart.
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