Pete Stark's greatest hits...

[Virginia Dare]

LOL--I wish the good Congressman would post here, he'd probably be a weekly Duzy winner!

Each party in the House has its colorful characters whose mouths get them in trouble. But Stark may be in a class by himself. Here is a compendium of his greatest hits:

2003: As Stark belittled House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), then-Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.) told him to "shut up."

"You think you are big enough to make me, you little wimp?" Stark taunted. "Come on. Come over here and make me, I dare you. You little fruitcake."

2001: At a Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on abstinence promotion, Stark referred to then-Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) as the "current Republican Conference chairman, whose children were all born out of wedlock."

1995: In a private meeting, Stark called then-Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn.) a "whore for the insurance industries."

"He didn't call her a 'whore,' " defended Stark press secretary Caleb Marshall. "He called her a 'whore of the insurance industry.' "

1991: Stark singled out "Jewish colleagues" for blame for the Persian Gulf War, referring to then-Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-N.Y.) as "Field Marshal Solarz in the pro-Israel forces."

1990: Stark called then-Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan, who is African American, "as close to being a disgrace to his race as anyone I've ever seen."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302165.html

[still_one]

1. It still does not detract from the validity of his present comments /nt

[PassingFair]

2. Nor does it detract from the validity of his

past statements.

They are all true.

[cali]

4. really?

how do you know?

[PassingFair]

11. Nancy Johnson

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.asp?cycle=2006&cid=N00000561

Whore.

[cali]

13. I know who Johnson is

and her connections to Insurance Companies. I still think calling her a whore is stupid and counterproductive. Same with several of his other comments. They change nothing and give him a reputation of being unstable.

[PassingFair]

14. How many times has he been re-elected by his constituents? n/t

[cali]

16. So?

I'm not claiming his constituency doesn't support him, and in many ways they're the only ones who count, in that they choose whether to retain him or not. That doesn't mean I have to agree with everythng he says.

[cali]

3. He's a loose cannon

always has been. sometimes he hits it right, other times he doesn't.

[chaumont58]

20. Just for all us unwashed masses, why don't you list Heath Schuler's

great accomplishments. Lets face it, the Democratic Party needs more Heath Schulers, and more Indiana type Democratic reps. And, I almost forgot Gene Taylor.
You should see how many newly minted Gold Star mothers will join you in trashing Pete Stark.

[cali]

23. No thanks.

i have no use for Heath Schuler. But just as Stark's district isn't where I live, neither is MS or NC. I certainly do prefer both my recent rep and current rep to Stark, however. And God knows, outspoken as he is, Bernie would never have got himself into the situation that Stark did.

[TomClash]

5. Only the comments about JC Watts and blaming jews for the Persian Gulf War are incorrect

The other comments are not very nice but not exactly inaccurate.

[LeftishBrit]

8. Agree, though the one about Sullivan also sounds pretty inappropriate from a white person.

HOWEVER - I would also say: (1) three guesses why they're suddenly bringing it all up now; (2) how often do they list all the nutty and/or racist comments that Republican congress members have made going back to 1990 - I think they'd get some VERY worrying ones!!!

[ProSense]

6. Wouldn't it be great if they compiled statements by Repubs: Boehner or this guy:

Rep. Rohrabacher: ‘I Hope It’s Your Families That Suffer’ From A Terrorist Attack

So they've decided to smear Stark?

[Buzz Clik]

7. Golly. One gets the impression that Stark did not just recently become unhinged.

I guess some DUers would have us overlook Stark's racist and sexist comments in order to accept his remarkably insane comment about the president finding amusement in soldiers' deaths.

[Virginia Dare]

9. I'm guessing McInnis didn't take him up on the offer..

to make him shut up...:rofl:

In fairness, if I were a liberal in the Stark vein serving in Congress of the recent pass, I'd have probably gone off on a daily basis. I'd have flattened Delay on my first day.

[Buzz Clik]

22. Delay, Ted Stevens, ... the list goes on.

Stark is in good company if we're looking for loons.

[LeftishBrit]

10. I don't think his recent comment was insane at all.

I do think that some of his past comments sound racist/ sexist/ nuts.

He may have moved in the direction of much greater sanity since the 90s; or he may be a stopped clock that is right twice a day - I don't know enough about him to know which!

[PassingFair]

12. This thread looks like a Zandor Reunion Party.

:puke:

[cali]

15. Yes, we must all follow the totalitarian

lefter than thou conventional wisdom of DU. Fuck that.

:puke:

[durrrty libby]

17. Banning people because you don't agree with them is stupid

That's why there is an ignore feature for those who can't just ignore own their own


right back atcha :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[PassingFair]

18. Take it up with the mods who banned him....

:puke:

Pete Stark is a straight talking Rep who brings
it for his district and for America.

The Post "piece" is a smear.

"Totalitarian"

:rofl: :rofl:

[cali]

19. each district to their own

and he's still a loose cannon.

[Virginia Dare]

24. How would you be able to tell?

The Zandor threads all blew up into giant flame fests, to the point where every thread on DU could be considered a Zandor reunion party. I wasn't flame-baiting, I thought it was pretty funny myself. Pete Stark rocks!

[H2O Man]

21. Wow.

I like him.

[Coexist]

25. I very hesitantly agree.