Speaking of Murtha’s seat
Since I live in the Johnstown area these days, I get to watch the battle for the Congressional seat recently vacated by the late John Murtha. Of course Murtha’s choice for the seat is his former staffer, Mark Critz. Critz runs from behind Murtha’s bloated corpse;
Even though he’s not a veteran himself, Critz claims to be the veterans’ candidate because he won the endorsement of an organization named “Veterans & Military Families for Progress“. They claim to be a non-partisan organization, but a peek at their staff reveals a solid Blue line through their leadership.
Their president/Media Director, Tom Howe was the Iowa chair of the Democratic Veterans’ Caucus Platform Committee. Executive VP Jan Donatelli was recognized at the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention as a “Hero of the Labor Political Movement.” Administrative VP Jim Van Doren maintained the Oregon Veterans for Kerry website, and more recently was active in the Veterans for Obama movement. So there’s really nothing “non-partisan” about them. A veterans issue organization that supported Obama in his run against John McCain. I’d like to see how they justify that bit of hypocrisy. Oh, wait, here’s their statement on the endorsement;
As the grandson of a veteran of World War II, his appreciation of veterans’ issues is underscored not by words but by actions. He serves on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has shown leadership by introducing several non-partisan bills, some of which have been enacted into law, for the benefit of veterans. He shares the values of our military forces, and fights to ensure our forces are well-rested and properly equipped. Of particular interest to VMFP, Senator Obama shows superior support for veterans’ “coming home” issues such as accessible physical and mental health care, expanded educational benefits and job opportunities, and reduction of homelessness and suicide within the ranks of America’s veterans.
If you scroll down their “Current Events” page, you’ll notice they get part of their money from SEIU – the purple-shirted thugs of Service Employees International Union which has caused so much trouble at Tea Party Rallies and has close ties to ACORN.
Critz claims he will “will put veterans first”, but his ties to Veterans & Military Families for Progress tell a different story.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Congress sucks, John Murtha, Veterans in politics
They may claim to be non-partisan, but the word “progress” in their title tells you all you need to know about them.
I was born north of there in Warren. Up by the New York border by the Kinsua dam….small world…
Bashing a veterans organization, good stuff. Hey the DAV also gave Obama a better rating than McCain, go beat them up.
Btw Jonn, can you show that link to when you wrote about the VFW PAC supporting non-veteran Republicans instead actual combat veterans who were running on the democratic ticket?
ASH–given the fact that the DAV is one of those, “gimme, gimme, gimme” organizations rather than a useful VSO (IMO), yeah, I’ll call them on it. Much like the NCOA was little more than an insurance scam, much like the AARP is little more than an insurance scam, so goes the DAV. The VFW PAC is also becoming a “me, me, me” group. Case in point–the local/state VFW told the VFW PAC to support Jeb Bradley in NH-1 in 2008, so who does the PAC throw their support behind? Carol Shea (Che) Porter. Needless to say, the rank and file as well as the officers of the NH VFW weren’t happy at all about it, but for some strange reason the VFW PAC wasn’t about to change it. Wonder why…
ASH, how is poiting out that they are partisan bashing them? Does the truth hurt?
Steve Nash and gm Steve Kerr will be speaking out shortly against SB 1070.