Deceit, Not About Sex


This doesn't pertain to Anthony Weiner, nor should it be about Patrick Murphy, who served as a naval officer in the Iraq War and was elected in 2008 to the House of Representatives to represent a small portion of Philadelphia and of its northeastern suburbs, where he was instrumental in the congressional effort to end 'don't ask, don't tell." Defeated in his re-election bid in 2010, he now is running for Attorney General in Pennsylvania and was one of the guests of Chris Matthews, who on Wednesday brought Hardball (transcript here) to the shadow (except at a sunny, 90+ degrees, there was none) of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The show's host, who is enthralled (here and here) by the Weiner story and wants the New Yorker to get out of the House now, asked Murphy if Weiner must leave, to which the ex-congressman self-righteously replied

I think he has to leave, Chris. And this is why people hate politicians. They say one thing and do another.

Or perhaps there is a more pervasive reason "people hate politicians." Murphy, who emphasized "and he lied," surely is aware of the hyper-partisanship- the wrong kind of partisanship, that is- and the disingenuousness which maintains it. After the (disguised) sex talk, Matthews asked Murphy about the speech the President gave earlier in the day, in which Obama promoted manufacturing jobs and his effort to turn around the economy. The former U.S. representative, so aghast that Anthony Weiner would "say one thing and do another" and had "lied," referred to the President's speech earlier in the day in which

At that community college in Northern Virginia, he talked about this public/private partnership, making sure that getting prihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifvate industry -- and he listened to them to say, what do you need to get these folks, these young Americans engaged to get them back in the work force?

And he answered the call today at about a half-a-million jobs just in the manufacturing sector, which is important.

Noting a recent appearance by the President in Murphy's home of Bucks County, Pa., the Hardball guest contended Obama's efforts are "about winning the future and getting people back to work, period."

Hold off on that period, Mr. ex-congressman. In fact, you might want to add a "but," given that The Hill reports

The Obama administration on Tuesday night might have thrown a wrench into Senate Democratic plans to pass what they see as a jobs bill — by implying the bill spends too much money.

In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House said it supports the broad goals of the bill.

"However, the bill would authorize spending levels higher than those requested by the president’s Budget, and the administration believes that the need for smart investments that help America win the future must be balanced with the need to control spending and reduce the deficit," the administration said.

The Economic Development Revitalization Act, S. 782, would expand the reach of the Public Works and Economic Development Administration (EDA), and increase funding from nearly $300 million in the current year to $500 million a year through 2015. The White House budget proposal recommended an increase to $325 million.

The comment on the price of the bill is likely to be seized upon by Senate Republicans as a further reason to reject it, and could undermine Senate Democrats' effort to build support for it. Earlier in the day, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) told The Hill that he does not support the funding increase.

Murphy noted of Obama "I think he would be the first to tell you that he is doing everything he can" to increase employment. No doubt he would be the first. Though striving to explain his interest in manufacturing employment (confusingly remarking "today at about a half-a-million jobs in the manufacturing sector, which is important"), Murphy claimed

That`s right. It`s about winning the future and the jobs of the future, not the jobs of the past.

Gotta have those manufacturing jobs- as long as they're not about "the jobs of the past" or, presumably, about the middle-aged Americans who worked at them, earning decent pay and benefits. It was (and still is, decreasingly) employment which helped support through college the young Americans Patrick Murphy and the President care about. But, according to Murphy and many others, aghast at the sins of Anthony Weiner, "people hate politicians" because they are not forthcoming and candid about sex.

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