Eric Massa A Small Loss For New York Progressives
Another Blue Dog Democrat is leaving the House. First term U.S. Representative Eric Massa announced today that he will not seek re-election to Congress.
The reasons for Massa’s departure are disputed. Massa says he’s retiring because his cancer has returned. Others say Massa is being forced out because of allegations of harrassment. Massa has also lost the support of many Democratic voters, due to his frequent work with Republicans to undermine the sort of progressive legislation that most Democrats favor.
In his first year in the House of Representatives, Massa certainly did little to help members of his political party who were seeking to follow through on the promises of change that brought the Democrats such remarkable victories in 2008. Massa worked to help Republicans cripple health care reform. He opposed climate legislation as well. Most recently, Massa voted with the congressional Republicans in favor of legislation to extend the most abusive aspects of the Patriot Act without any attempt at reform whatsoever.
Eric Massa’s retirement may be regarded as a blow to congressional Democratic leadership, but for progressive Democrats, Massa’s departure clears the way for a candidate who is willing to govern as a progressive, rather than as a Republican in everything but name.
