JOHN MURTHA: NOT INVINCIBLE, NOT GOOD FOR AMERICA

I've cross-posted this at another site: http://murthamustgo.blogspot.com

For reasons known mainly to themselves, many voters in the 12th congressional district of PA have a sentimental attachment to John Murtha. Of course, many well-heeled lobbyists have an attachment to Murtha that has nothing to do with sentiment -- and everything to do with money.

As one group after another -- conservative, moderate, and liberal -- has pointed out, Murtha is to political corruption as a pig farm is to bad odors.

There should be consequences -- ranging from bad publicity to boycotts to federal investigations -- for every company that contributes to John Murtha's campaign. It should start with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center -- UPMC -- which gave nearly $200,000 last time and is preparing to do the same in this election cycle. People who believe in good, honest government should have nothing to do with UPMC

Like every congressman on the take, Murtha prefers to run unopposed, which is the usual situation in his district. In 2006, my courageous friend and political ally, Diana Lynn Irey, ran an excellent campaign against "The Prince of Pork." By getting nearly 80,000 votes, Diana heroically established the foundation for a future victory.

Well, the future is now -- and the candidate who can beat Murtha is Lt. Col. William "Trower" Russell. If he's not well-known to you now, he will be soon. Go to his web site at: http://williamrussellforcongress.com.

Of course, one way to beat a political opponent is to outspend him. That won't happen this time. When Murtha puts his votes up for sale, they don't go to the lowest bidder. In his last campaign, he raised nearly $3 million -- and spent about $3.25 million. Those are figures that would impress even Hillary Clinton, who spent less per voter in her last New York Senate campaign than Murtha did in his race against Diana.

Yes, the lobbyists believe that Murtha is the best congressman money can buy. To beat Murtha, William is going to have to outwork him (which isn't too hard given congressman's penchant for laziness) and to outsmart him.

I've urged William to follow the example of Christine Todd Whitman, who almost beat the much-better-known Bill Bradley in a 1990 New Jersey Senate race. He spent more than $11 million, while she spent $900,000. He won by two percentage points, a dismal showing that ended his aspirations to run for President.

Bradley spent about $5 million on TV ads, while Mrs. Whitman spent almost nothing on such commercials. She relied mostly on a much less expensive medium, radio.

A candidate like William will have a strong core of supporters, about 35%-40% of the voters in the 12th district. He should win almost all the Republicans -- and a solid majority of the independents.

I've discussed how William can establish that Murtha is NOT a Western PA Democrat, but rather someone who panders to the Pelosi-wing of the Party.

Yes, some Democrats will vote vote for Murtha out of habit. But many Democrats in the 12th District will be very uncomfortable with a man -- Murtha -- who shares few if any of their values. Democrats for Russell.

Frankly, most Democrats in America (81% according to polls) want America to win in Iraq. In contrast, 19% of them want our country to lose -- and, by all appearances, Jack Murtha is one them.

His disgraceful accusations against the Haditha Marines prove that the congressman cares more about his standing with the Pelosi Democrats than he does about our country's standing in the world. He's obviously more interested in winning re-election than in winning a crucial war.

Russell supporters must NOT be inward looking. In other words, we must do more than talk to one another. We need to reach out -- to family, friends, and acquaintances. For example, active military and veterans will back William in large numbers, but they need to promote his campaign to friends, family members, and acquaintances.

We need to keep talking, e-mailing, and blogging about the need to back William Russell.The goal is to make the name William "Trower" Russell a household name. In the Irey Campaign, I saluted the efforts of two young people, Josh and Amanda, who -- in just one day -- made 500 phone calls on Diana's behalf.Give William 500 people like Josh and Amanda, and he will win this race.

I hope each person who reads this will make a decision to be a "Josh" or an "Amanda." If we keep promoting William's candidacy, one year from now -- on Election Day -- we will have accomplished something of great importance to our country.

steve maloney
ambridge, pa

Afterthoughts

I'm a fan of "political multiplication," a form of what's sometimes called viral marketing. When two people tell two others about William's values and history, he will have four supporters. If all of them keep on telling others, then sooner or later, tens of thousands of people have been "told" about William's merits.

The hard part, of course, is keeping it up -- as Josh and Amanda kept making one phone after another. If there's a great core of people -- and William is getting such a core -- the advocacy of his candidacy will take on a life of its own.

To put it in it plain talk: yes, William wants the support of every member of the American Legion in the 12th District. But beyond that, he wants the support of everyone around them.

Telling many others about William's efforts -- and his lifelong commitment on behalf of America -- truly can be one of those "gifts" that keeps on giving.