The Command Post
Iraq
January 04, 2005
My Congressman, Robert Matsui, Dead At 63


ahow_matsui.jpg 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


Originally posted at Diggers Realm

Posted By Digger at January 4, 2005 09:31 AM | TrackBack
Comments

The man was ill while he was campaigning. The fact that he didn't disclose this to the public shows he was campaigning in bad faith, knowing full well he would probably be unable to carry out the duties of his office. It's also totally hypocritical on the part of the Democrats, who grilled Vice President Cheney over his health. Not that the Dems care, since they'll do anything to hang on to office (witness the massive fraud in King Co., Washington).

Posted by: gus3 [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 4, 2005 09:15 PM

Gus, So this is how it works, if you're Cheney, your medical condition is a major consideration, if you're Matsui, you're 'private people'. And while George 43 was pressed for full disclosure of all his medical records, we still have not seen Clinton's. What a novel concept - health only matters if you're a republican.

Then there's the granddaddy of them all, FDR, who knew full well he was a dead man as he campaigned for his fourth term. I suppose he was a 'private person' too, not too much hinging on that election, with WWII raging, the Manhattan Project and spreading world communism in the background.

Only the 22nd Amendment and an active press can protect us from the permanently ensconced politician. It is becoming very clear the 'active' press will not include the MSM. Like the UN, they are playing an active role in their own irrelevance.

I find nothing positive in this death, save for the illumination it provides on yet another double standard.

Posted by: torpedo_eight [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 5, 2005 04:44 PM

And now his wife is running for his seat. She aided and abetted his bad-faith campaigning. The Republicans in the district are too pansy-assed to challenge her. Oh well, they'll get the representation they deserve.

Posted by: gus3 [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 17, 2005 12:15 PM

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