My congressman Robert Matsui died over this past weekend. The Sacramento Bee ran with the headline "A Good And Decent Man". I didn't feel that about him. He was arguably the worst of the worst when it comes to allowing illegal aliens to run amuck throughout the state of California. He's been the Congressman here for 26 years, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and was a far left Democrat often seen at the side of Nancy Pelosi as she spouted her partisan hate.
I'm sure he was a decent man, to his family and friends.
In 1988, he authored the bill that gave payments and apologies to Japanese interned during World War II.
He managed to rack up an F- from Congress Grades an organization that tracks congressmembers performance on immigration issues. This grade shows that he didn't just idly sit by, as some in congress have, and watched illegal aliens stream across our border. He actively helped them using all of his skill and power to influence the continuation of giving lawbreakers our tax dollars.
On November 3, 2004, the day after the elections, I named him my Asshat Of The Week. He was also noted in my November 3, 2004 coverage of the election results and their impact on immigration reform. I also called for voters not to re-elect him.
In our ongoing feud, which I'm sure Matsui never even knew about, he was a huge target and the poster-child of how NOT to handle immigration reform.
Sacramento Bee
His office, however, said he had been diagnosed recently with a form of myelodysplastic syndrome, which is sometimes called preleukemia and can inhibit the body's ability to produce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
The disorder apparently led to him contracting pneumonia, his office said, and to his hospitalization, which took place without public notice.
One thing of note in the article that stands out is a spokesman's comments.
A spokesman for the Matsui family, Jim Bonham of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, would not discuss whether the family had decided earlier to keep the diagnosis secret.
"Bob and Doris are private people, as all of us are," Bonham said. "He had a lot of responsibilities. He wouldn't want anybody to get distracted."
While he may not want anyone to get distracted, you are
not a private person when it comes to your health and you are a congressman. This was such a shock to so many people because they did not let anyone know the true nature of his disease, leaving people to run around shockingly scrambling to take care of things. That's not how a government is run. Transition should be well planned and executed, especially if there is a known potential death.
The Sacramento Bee went overboard as would be expected by a Liberal rag covering the death of their "hero", but in the end there's not a whole lot that Matsui can claim having accomplished publicly other than repeatedly being re-elected. In a district as blue as mine, they'd rather burn in hell before they elected a Conservative.
Other Commentary:
Rob at Say Anything who might call me a hatemonger.
Oliver Willis who surely can quote me on something in this entry, though I thought it civil.
Some people have some comments over at Lucianne about Matsui.
Pandagon who mourns.
Norbizness who does not mourn.
Others Posting The News
Interested-Participant
Short Family
PoliBlog
Crossposted to The Command Post
Beltway Traffic Jammed
