It makes me think of King Herod who died eaten by worms. In the last days of the power-glutton politician when newcomers start nibbling at their heels, they lash out like cornered leprous pit bulls

They all look alike, red faced, bloated, scowling. The situation molds what is left of the original man into a beast who has lost perspective of what it is to be a man, a good man.

The guy lives by the fist. He will probably die not by the fist but of liver, gout or clogs

I never heard of black carpetbaggers. They were the white Yankees who moved down to take advantage of the South when Southerners were restricted and under military control. It was the Carpetbagger who would be allowed to sell beef or sugar to the occupiers, who took over land confiscated for tax or penalties, who bought at auction the forfeit items and played the freed blacks against the vanquished whites. If there was a period when freed blacks aggravated southern whites, that ended as the occupiers moved out, and carpetbaggers can take some credit for making sure race relations settked down to the worse possible steady state.

I do not understand why Murtha uses redneck as an insult. The red neck was the burnt neck of a man who walked a mule team to plow from morning to night. The red neck is the badge of a man who works until his hands are hardened leather and his face lined by the elements and poverty. These men touch my heart.

Now the red face of a bloviating politician, that is disgusting

If the people of Pennsylvania re-elect this racist a—hole they need to have there “goddamn” heads examined!

Waitaminute…didn’t Hillary move to NY – a state she had never resided in – just so she could run for a Senate seat? If Lt. Col. Russell is a “carpetbagger”, what is Hillary – just a “bag”?

uncivilized on October 28, 2008 at 8:45 PM

Don’t pick on Hillary, she did no more than Bobby Kennedy.

With the rampant voter fraud I’ll no longer use that line with any Dem who continues to win elections and no one knows why.

Classy: I’m sure that statement will further endear Murtha to his racist, redneck constituents. Although, I’m still a little puzzled as to how he’s been reelected year after year after……

abcurtis on October 29, 2008 at 8:24 AM

I’m native Virginian also, and your meaning for carpetbagger is my understanding of the word too.

John Murtha, born June 17, 1932, New Martinsville, West Virginia.

You know, being from the south, the term “carpetbagger” is considered a racist term. At least, around here it is.

Why? Because carpetbaggers were typically travelling black men who sold snake oil, etc. out of their carpet bags for the express purpose of fleecing the white man.

So while I’m not sure that it’s considered a racist term everywhere in the south, his usage of it made me laugh out loud…considering his comments about western Pennsylvania recently.

jedijson on October 29, 2008 at 12:27 AM

That’s interesting. Being a native Virginian, I was taught it was the white men from up north who came south to swindle and take land from plantation owners, who could not pay the taxes on it. Around here, a carpetbagger is any obnoxious Yankee, somebody who comes in from outside, takes up permanent residence, and proceeds to tell us about the paradise he left to come to the Hell that is Virginia.
And dont flame me, I married a Yankee. (Had to go out of state to find a woman who would have me)

I WISH someone would say something like that here in Virginia! Our past two Governors have been carpetbaggin Yankees!!

TugboatPhil on October 28, 2008 at 10:34 PM

Yep, and one is going to be our next Senator. The first carpetbagger I remember as governor of my Virginia was Chuck Robb. The son-in-law of LBJ, he really fell in to obscurity.

Gohawgs on October 29, 2008 at 12:10 AM

Oh, right! The lifelong Cubs fan.

How anyone in Pennsylvania could want to keep a clown like this in office is beyond me, because even if he wins, he will be publicly disgraced and humiliated by those lawsuits and may be eventually forced out of office.

So why go through all that bother now?

Vote this jerk out next Tuesday!