Nothing to see here. The House Democrats tabled a motion to reprimand Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) for threatening to remove another lawmakerâs future earmarks. Although the motion was tabled, Democrats had to stand up and vote not to consider whether one of their own violated a rule that came about as part the new Congressâ ethics reforms. Meanwhile, Dana Milbank has a good narration of the scene between Murtha and Rep. Rogers (R-MI). (Washington Post, NY Times)The new Democratic Congress is struggling to pass comprehensive ethics reforms that were a keystone in 2006 midterm campaigns against a Republican party plagued by a âculture of corruption.â With Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) and other senior members bristling at change, Nancy Pelosi and her class of freshmen lawmakers are now worrying about their ability to pass a stripped down ethics bill in a vote this afternoon. (NY Times, Washington Post)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=180781