Posted on 04/11/2010 1:17:35 PM PDT by Born Conservative
U.S. Rep. Chris Carney wants to know why fellow Democrat U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski didn’t support his quest to sit on the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.
“I would really like to understand Mr. Kanjorski’s vote,” Carney said. “I was surprised that the delegation didn’t honor the regional diversity that they are supposed to have on the committee by having two Philadelphia area Congressmen on the committee.”
Carney won’t say much more. He just doesn’t understand why the Congressman for a neighboring district — a 13-term Congressman at that and the “dean” of the Pennsylvania Delegation — would not want him on that committee. The delegation has recommended U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy — brother of former Wilkes-Barre City administrator J.J. Murphy — to fill John Murtha’s seat.
Dan Flood and Joe McDade, two of the most powerful Congressmen in the history of Northeastern Pennsylvania, each sat on the Appropriations Committee and steered millions of federal dollars and projects to the region.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien is one of two Democrats challenging Kanjorski in the May 18 Primary. Marywood professor Brian Kelly is the other. It’s O’Brien that has declared the Appropriations Committee misadventure as “the key issue” in the race.
Kanjorski, 73, will not talk about the issue. He will only say that it was his duty as dean of the delegation to assure that the committee recommended the person who stood the best chance of being named to the seat. It should be noted that the seat does not have to go to a Pennsylvanian and be further assured that there are plenty of other states looking for representation on the powerful committee.
“The Congressman doesn’t comment on decisions of the Pennsylvania delegation,” said Ed Mitchell, spokesman for Kanjorski’s campaign. “It was a secret vote. Only the Congressman knows how he voted.”
As for the significance of the vote, O’Brien said it will have devastating effects on the region.
“We can only appreciate how much Kanjorski’s vote may have hurt our region by looking at the hundreds of millions of dollars that his predecessors were able to bring to the district as members of the Appropriations Committee,” O’Brien said. “Interstate 80 and Interstate 81, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, McDade Park, the Scranton Expressway, the Steamtown Historic Site, the Steamtown Mall and countless defense contracts and manufacturing jobs can all be traced to Joe McDade and Dan Flood’s tenure on that powerful committee. But inexplicably, Paul Kanjorski chose to vote against Chris Carney — and all of us — and has hurt our region’s ability to secure federal money that could spur job creation, improve the delivery of health care, fund educational initiatives and renew our infrastructure. Kanjorski’s vote was selfish, short-sighted, and insulting to the people of our region.”
Okay, O’Brien, 36, is a candidate running against Kanjorski and that should be duly noted. But he is also a Lackawanna County commissioner with a vested interest in the future of the area he calls home. Carney and Kanjorski each represent sections of Lackawanna County. O’Brien said he would have voted for Carney to get the seat.
And if the roles were reversed, Carney said he would have supported the Congressman from a neighboring district for a seat on the Appropriations Committee.
“I would have voted a reflexive ‘yes’ if the roles were reversed,” Carney said. “Because we are in Congress to ultimately serve the people we represent and the region we represent; a seat on that committee would be a boon to the area.”
O’Brien said he is certain that Kanjorski did not support Carney. Here’s O’Brien’s math: “There were only 11 votes in the room, and three of those were candidates seeking the recommendation, leaving eight “unknown” votes. Carney confirmed that he received commitments from Tim Holden, Jason Altmire and Mike Doyle, which — with Carney’s own vote — equal the four votes he received. It is safe to assume Dahlkemper voted for herself, leaving the remaining six (four Philadelphia Congressmen, Murphy, and Kanjorski) having to have voted for Murphy. Secret ballot or not, politicians count votes for a living and know exactly who votes which way.”
Carney said he believes O’Brien’s math is correct.
So why didn’t Kanjorski support Carney? Will we ever know? Should we know?
Carney is concerned not only about the future dollars that may now be lost to the region, but also protecting the jobs — especially in the defense industry — that are already here.
For instance:
• Tobyhanna Army Depot
• Gentex Corp., located in Carbondale
• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Scranton
• DuPont, located in Towanda
• BAE, in Jessup
• Lockheed Martin, located in Archbald
• Snake Creek Lasers, in Hallstead
• Vital Probes, Inc, in Mayfield
• EthosGen, in Dallas
• Global Tungsten & Powders Corporation, Towanda
• Pocal Industries, Moscow and Scranton
The jobs represented in that list number into the thousands.
Carney is concerned; he said he will continue to seek a seat on the committee.
“Things change,” he said. “People come and go off the committee.”
Ping
Yo Carney !!Kanjo didn’t vote for you because you are TOAST like he is in November . Start brushing up your resume .
Exactly. Moot point.
I hope that all three of them lose this year.
Dan Flood was caught with his hands in the cookie jar when I was a kid. I think the seat is inherently corrupt. Glad my dad moved us from Mountain Top to Georgia in the 70’s.
Carney’s my congressman and I’d like to seat him in a patch of poison ivy.
ping
What a SHAME he won’t be able to steal millions of taxpayers dollars for Pa. vote buying!
La Cosa Nostra
Dapper Dan the Actor started it all...
I’m ready for some dim canniblism.
Seat him on the unemployment line in November.
And to make your day regarding Carney et al check this thread as to how Congress may have inadvertently stripped itself of health coverage.
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