McGovern, Anxious to Leave Iraq, Backed Murtha
MCGOVERN
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Katherine Geyer
Boston University News Service
November 16, 2006
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16- Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) voted for Rep. John Murtha (D- Pa.) for House majority leader in Thursday’s election, he said, because he agrees with Mr. Murtha’s opposition to the war in Iraq.
Murtha lost to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) in a vote of 149-86 when the Democrats of the 110th Congress met to choose the party’s House leaders starting in January.
Mr. Murtha, a Vietnam veteran and two-time Purple Heart winner, has called for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Iraq region.
“I voted for Murtha in large part because I feel so strongly that we need to do everything we can to end this war in Iraq,” Mr. McGovern said. “I think it would have been another powerful signal that would indicate to the White House that we need to get serious here.”
Mr. Hoyer, who is finishing his second term as the House minority whip, does not share Mr. Murtha’s views on Iraq and has said that the U.S. needs to provide the troops with every resource necessary to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But Mr. McGovern said he does not believe that the other House Democrats voted based on the war or other ideologies. “For some people it’s like, ‘rather than shake things up or rock the boat, let’s just stay with the team that is tried and true and we know works,’ ” he said.
“I think Steny has been a good whip,” he said. “I think that’s more the reason than ideology.”
Mr. McGovern said personal relationships also played a role in the Democrats’ decisions.
“It was kind of a mixed up vote based on people’s personal relationships,” he said.
Stephen Hess, professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, agreed. “These things are always to some degree a popularity contest,” he said.
“It’s an election in which they intimately know the candidates running for office,” he said. “So to that degree, it’s more like electing to choose the senior class president in high school. More people like Steny Hoyer than John Murtha.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who the Democrats elected as their new speaker, publicly endorsed Mr. Murtha as majority leader. Some political analysts have criticized her decision to support Mr. Murtha, who managed her campaign during her race against Mr. Hoyer for minority leader in 2001.
“This was her first challenge [as Speaker-elect] and in political terms, she certainly failed it,” said Mr. Hess. “But it doesn’t mean very much other than the sense that she’s not as shrewd or as smart or as clever as she otherwise might have been.”
Mr. McGovern said he believes Ms. Pelosi’s power has not been diminished.
“Inside The Beltway, that’s what everybody thinks. That if you don’t win everything, somehow you’re weakened,” he said. “It’s nice to win, but sometimes loyalty and standing up for your convictions is every bit as important.”
Mr. Hess said the real test of her leadership is going to be how well she can push the Democrats’ agenda next year.
“With winning the majority, as we did on Nov. 7, comes great responsibility,” Mr. McGovern said. “The American people are expecting us to change things, to move things in a different direction.” He said he’s confident that Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Hoyer can do just that.
“People should feel pretty good about this team,” he said.
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