One of the motifs in the long radio monologue Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) delivered on Sunday is that Democratic leaders conspired to force Massa — a no vote on health care — out of Congress.
As TPMDC explains, Massa, who announced last week he will resign today, was a no vote on health care. His departure will mean the threshold for passing the bill would drop by one vote, to 216.
According to Massa, either the Obama Administration or Dem congressional leaders — or both — caused the ethics committee to begin an investigation of him after he announced March 3 that he wouldn’t seek reelection for health reasons.
He announced he would resign two days later, on March 5. And Massa says that didn’t hear of the harassment allegations until after the announcement he would not seek reelection.
“It wasn’t until after I stood in front of the American people and said I simply can’t do this anymore … did anyone say anything to me about a House investigation concerning [the harassment allegation],” Massa said on his radio show. He continued:
“And then you turn to Roll Call newspaper this morning — ‘Massa’s resignation good news for health care backers’ — and the light comes on. That with the departure of Congressman Neil Abercrombie, who is running for the governorship of Hawaii, and with the tragic, and very sad passing of my personal good friend Jack Murtha, mine is now the deciding vote on the health care bill.
And this administration and this house leadership have said, quote unquote, ‘they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill.’ And now they’ve gotten rid of me and it will pass. You connect the dots.”
Here’s a clip of Massa’s remarks:
Massa also blasted Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for publicly acknowledging the existence of the ethics allegation. And he revealed a profanity-laced phone call he claims he got from White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel following a vote on the cap-and-trade bill.
Massa said Sunday: “The future of the Democratic Party rests on passing this health care bill. They can get anyone to say anything about me concerning anything at all. … I was set up for this from the very, very beginning.”
