Anonymous
16th March 2003, 09:09
Moran to Relinquish Leadership Post over Comments (http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=Politicsarchive200303POL2003 0314b.html)
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief
March 14, 2003
(1st Add: Includes further comments from Va. Rep. Eric Cantor.)
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Virginia Democrat Jim Moran will relinquish his position as a "regional whip" in the U.S. House of Representatives following intense criticism from Republicans and moderate Democrats over allegedly anti-Semitic comments he made last week.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asked Moran to step down from his elected leadership position in a conversation early Friday. According to a press release from Pelosi's office, Moran agreed to the request, "accepting responsibility for his remarks and expressing his sincere regret."
"I have taken this action because Congressman Moran's irresponsible remarks were a serious mistake," Pelosi is quoted as saying. "As I said earlier this week, his comments were not only inappropriate, they were offensive and have no place in the Democratic Party."
Moran said he agreed to the request "as a way to demonstrate acceptance of my responsibility for insensitive remarks I recently made.
"I will continue to reach out to the Jewish community and others who were offended by my remarks," he said in a press release. "And I will work tirelessly for all of my constituents in Northern Virginia, as I have done throughout my 13 years in Congress.
"Most importantly," Moran concluded, "I will strive to learn from my mistakes and listen to the concerns of my constituents."
Fellow Virginia Representative Eric Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the House, believes Moran's leadership resignation is "an important step" but doesn't go far enough.
"I think his comments were outrageous and offensive and unacceptable," Cantor said. "I think the Democrat leadership ought to reassign him to positions where his leadership influence can be diminished."
Cantor, who believes Moran should be removed from the House Appropriations and Budget Committees, had initially criticized Moran's remarks and challenged his original apology.
"Mr. Moran's statements are wrong and do not represent the thoughts and feelings of Virginians," Cantor said. "I am offended by his remarks, and I find his apology only focused on political survival; he has failed to ask the American Jewish community to forgive his anti-Semitic thoughts and words."
As CNSNews.com previously reported, Pelosi had been criticized by Republicans for an apparent double standard between the manner in which she initially responded to Moran's statement and her response to racially offensive comments by then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) last December.
At what was billed as a "constituent forum" in Reston, Va., Moran seemingly blamed the Jewish community for American involvement in a potential military action against Iraq.
"If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this," he said. "The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should."
The Virginia Democrat initially defended his comments, explaining that he was responding to a question from a woman who identified herself as Jewish. He then apologized for the remarks.
Pelosi was critical of Moran's statement but also defended her Democratic colleague, saying that Moran had "properly apologized."
In December, Lott remarked that the country "wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years" had voters in other states followed Mississippi's lead in the 1948 presidential elections and supported South Carolina Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, who ran on the segregationist "Dixiecrat" platform. Pelosi responded to Lott's expression of regret by saying: "I don't know if any apology is adequate."
Moran was elected three years ago as regional whip by his colleagues in the mid-Atlantic. He has said he will not resign from his congressional seat and that - despite threatened primary challenges from at least two Democrats in his district and calls from Jewish leaders that he not seek re-election - he will run for another term in 2004.
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Even though I'm pro-war, I must admit he was only stating the obvious. I can't believe the gull of these PC liberal ****s in asking him to resign over a few "anti-semitic" (if you even want to call them that) comments.
Political correctness at it's finest!
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief
March 14, 2003
(1st Add: Includes further comments from Va. Rep. Eric Cantor.)
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Virginia Democrat Jim Moran will relinquish his position as a "regional whip" in the U.S. House of Representatives following intense criticism from Republicans and moderate Democrats over allegedly anti-Semitic comments he made last week.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asked Moran to step down from his elected leadership position in a conversation early Friday. According to a press release from Pelosi's office, Moran agreed to the request, "accepting responsibility for his remarks and expressing his sincere regret."
"I have taken this action because Congressman Moran's irresponsible remarks were a serious mistake," Pelosi is quoted as saying. "As I said earlier this week, his comments were not only inappropriate, they were offensive and have no place in the Democratic Party."
Moran said he agreed to the request "as a way to demonstrate acceptance of my responsibility for insensitive remarks I recently made.
"I will continue to reach out to the Jewish community and others who were offended by my remarks," he said in a press release. "And I will work tirelessly for all of my constituents in Northern Virginia, as I have done throughout my 13 years in Congress.
"Most importantly," Moran concluded, "I will strive to learn from my mistakes and listen to the concerns of my constituents."
Fellow Virginia Representative Eric Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the House, believes Moran's leadership resignation is "an important step" but doesn't go far enough.
"I think his comments were outrageous and offensive and unacceptable," Cantor said. "I think the Democrat leadership ought to reassign him to positions where his leadership influence can be diminished."
Cantor, who believes Moran should be removed from the House Appropriations and Budget Committees, had initially criticized Moran's remarks and challenged his original apology.
"Mr. Moran's statements are wrong and do not represent the thoughts and feelings of Virginians," Cantor said. "I am offended by his remarks, and I find his apology only focused on political survival; he has failed to ask the American Jewish community to forgive his anti-Semitic thoughts and words."
As CNSNews.com previously reported, Pelosi had been criticized by Republicans for an apparent double standard between the manner in which she initially responded to Moran's statement and her response to racially offensive comments by then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) last December.
At what was billed as a "constituent forum" in Reston, Va., Moran seemingly blamed the Jewish community for American involvement in a potential military action against Iraq.
"If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this," he said. "The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should."
The Virginia Democrat initially defended his comments, explaining that he was responding to a question from a woman who identified herself as Jewish. He then apologized for the remarks.
Pelosi was critical of Moran's statement but also defended her Democratic colleague, saying that Moran had "properly apologized."
In December, Lott remarked that the country "wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years" had voters in other states followed Mississippi's lead in the 1948 presidential elections and supported South Carolina Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, who ran on the segregationist "Dixiecrat" platform. Pelosi responded to Lott's expression of regret by saying: "I don't know if any apology is adequate."
Moran was elected three years ago as regional whip by his colleagues in the mid-Atlantic. He has said he will not resign from his congressional seat and that - despite threatened primary challenges from at least two Democrats in his district and calls from Jewish leaders that he not seek re-election - he will run for another term in 2004.
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Even though I'm pro-war, I must admit he was only stating the obvious. I can't believe the gull of these PC liberal ****s in asking him to resign over a few "anti-semitic" (if you even want to call them that) comments.
Political correctness at it's finest!