This Is the Best They Can Find?

What do you say about a man who regularly insults colleagues and challenges them to fights?

Who calls, for instance, a black man who doesn't agree with social policies "a disgrace to his race"?

Who, for instance, thinks that President Bush sent young men and women to war "to get their heads blown off" for President Bush's own amusement?

Who blames the Jews for the Gulf Wars?

Who accuses those supporting welfare reform of wanting to kill children?

Who, when told by a constituent not to pee on his leg and tell him its raining, replied that he wouldn't dignify the man by peeing on his leg, that it wouldn't be worth the urine?



You'd call him Acting Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Representative of the 13th District in California (which is part of San Francisco) Fortney Hillman "Pete" Stark Jr.





Ye gods. What was Pelosi thinking?

This is about the loosest cannon that the Democrats have. His campaign finances tell it all: he is owned by the health unions, lawyers, the pharmaceutical industry, with the vast majority of his money coming from PAC and very little from individuals. He doesn't even really live in his District, but rather in Maryland, despite owning a house in his District, where his in-laws live.

The CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus, isn't thrilled: they had hoped that John Lewis would get the job instead, but have bowed to the seniority principle that lets Pelosi put Rep. Stark at the front of the line.

The San Francisco Chronicle put it this way here:

Only a politician who assumes he has a job for life could behave so badly on a semi-regular basis by spewing personalized invective that might get him punched in certain East Bay taverns. Would-be challengers sometimes sense a whiff of opportunity, but the reality of taking on a 16-term Democrat in solidly liberal terrain is nothing short of daunting.

Surely there must be someone along the shoreline between Alameda and Fremont who could represent the good citizens of the district with class and dignity. It's not the case now.

Ye gods.


This is the best that they can find to chair the Ways and Means Committee? The Committee that determines what gets paid for and how?

The loosest cannon on the deck?

Mind-boggling.