Gibbs on Massa: ‘This Whole Story is Ridiculous’
EmailPulling no punches this morning on ‘GMA” the White House Press Secretary added: “We’re focused not on crazy allegations but instead on making this system work for the American people rather than work for insurance companies.”
Gibbs also took up the olive branch offered by anti-abortion Democrat Bart Stupak, saying the President is willing to pursue a new negotiated solution to the impasse over abortion funding: “I think there’s no doubt we can come to a solution that maintains the rules that are in place that federal funds are not used for abortions while protecting a woman’s right to choose.”
As for all those stories on White House in-fighting? “The president has confidence in each and every person that works here…the president is not focused on palace intrigue…he wants us to focus on getting something done for the American people.”
See the entire interview here:
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
For some awkward reason, I do believe Rep. Eric Massa’s charges, regardless of what Robert Gibbs tries to tell me what to believe.
Posted by: Brian CK | March 9, 2010, 8:46 am 8:46 am
George why don’t you just shut up and go away. Nobody wants to listen to your “Pelosi.” If the situation were reversed and it was a republican chief of staff who pulled this stunt, you would be all over it and calling for accountability.
Also, did you know Katie Couric makes 14 million dollars a year to sit in front of the teleprompter and read stories that were written by network writers who make only about 20 dollars an hour? All Katie has to do is sit there and look pretty. But yet she salivates over the opportunity to report that banking executives who actually have to use their brain should have their salaries capped at about 500,000.00 which is about 1/28 of her own salary. Talk about a screwed up mentality.
Or wait, maybe we should cap your salary based on the level of skill requred to do your job. But wait that wouldn’t work. That would mean photographers and writers would make more than you.
Posted by: mclark305 | March 9, 2010, 9:05 am 9:05 am
Somewhere in this Rahm-Congressman story lies the truth. If it were true, Rahm would be counting his teeth if I were that Congressman.
Posted by: Matt | March 9, 2010, 9:45 am 9:45 am
Why does Washington keep touting that this health care legislation is “for the American people” when clearly a majority of Americans don’t want what is being literally stuffed down their throats?
Posted by: Bruce | March 9, 2010, 10:37 am 10:37 am
I like apples and pears and grapes.
Posted by: Davida | March 9, 2010, 12:32 pm 12:32 pm
Regardless of whether or not the story Congressman Massa is telling is the truth, he only makes himself look back by trying to make this some ganster story about being accosted in a steam room. Why not just give general details about the alleged story rather than talking about two naked men making a deal. He sounds like a lunatic.
Posted by: C. Taylor | March 9, 2010, 12:59 pm 12:59 pm
We will found out the truth tonight when he appears on Glenn Beck
Gibbs moved his lips.. I knew then he was lying
and its just like the Chicago Mafia wanna bes to play NUDE footies in the shower.. Rahm is a jerk
Georgie you must be getting dizzy from all the spinning you do
And Tell Diana Sawyer ..YES we know what her politics are.. she may be able to fool a magazine.. but not the public
Posted by: another crisis-another photo op | March 9, 2010, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm
George, honey, your time is up. Quit now while you still have some integrity left.
Posted by: gsj | March 9, 2010, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
Massa does seem a little unstable and/or weird. His stories of masturbation etc were a little odd to say the least! A weird guy but, then again, his stories of Rahm and the Obama cronys did ring true. Remember that often mobsters liked to meet in places like saunas, pools, showers, etc because you can ensure that nobody is “wearing a wire”. It is likely that the Chicago machine-politics took some of the mob tactics with them to Washington.
Posted by: Ed | March 9, 2010, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm
I know Eric Massa personally having lived near him for years. He’s an empty-headed, self-absorbed bloviating bag of hot air -duller than a door knob – no grasp of any issues…. but he is NOT GAY repeat NOT GAY nor would he “grope” male staffers. Female staffers – yeah maybe. He’s a non-PC “pat on the butt Honey” kind of guy… a bad pickup line in the bar kind of guy (with women) but not men. The whole thing is truly ridiculous. NO WAY IN HELL IS ERIC MASSA GAY.
Posted by: MassaIsNotGay | March 9, 2010, 5:33 pm 5:33 pm
Furthermore.. do any of you doubt that hot-headed Rahm Emanuel would confront someone in the Gym or lockeroom? I don’t. He’s an idiot too.
Posted by: MassaIsNotGay | March 9, 2010, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
The men that are against abortion sure
don’t know what it is to live a life of a woman- They have no right todecide our body and oaur thoughts. I thought we weren’t slaves anymore. I sure would like to be in government and make decisions for the so called men who know best.
Posted by: Betty C | March 9, 2010, 7:25 pm 7:25 pm
I’ve had to live without health care ins. most of my life. Beleive me it’s not easy. Thank the Lord I’m pretty healthy. I can’t go to my Doctor like I should either. So if you don’t know what it’s like just wait. The cost keeps going up & if you get it through work your gonna see them cutting more & more out of it. Because the insurance company will have one again, & we will be at their mercy. This is really scary.
Posted by: LLL | March 9, 2010, 7:26 pm 7:26 pm
If this was ‘for the American people’ it would be for all government employees first, and that would include the POTUS, his family and all of Congress. But, they don’t want it because it is crap.
Posted by: Sheilph2 | March 9, 2010, 7:29 pm 7:29 pm
Massa didn’t have to leave and create another hole in the voting. This story stinks. He’s a phony. And, he got something to go.
Posted by: Sheilph2 | March 9, 2010, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
At the top right hand corner of Page 17 of the New York Post of January 24th, 2009 , was a short column entitled “Replacing Michelle” in the National Review “The Week” column. I found this interesting, so here it is, word for word, as it appeared:
” Some employees are simply irreplaceable. Take Michelle Obama: The University of Chicago Medical Center hired her in 2002 to run “programs for community relations, neighborhood outreach, volunteer recruitment, staff diversity and minority contracting” .
In 2005 the hospital raised her salary from $120,000 to $317,000 – nearly twice what her husband made as a Senator.
Oh did we mention that her husband had just become a US Senator?
He sure had. Requested a $1 million earmark for the University of Chicago Medical Center , in fact.
Way to network Michelle!
But now that Mrs. Obama has resigned, the hospital says her position will remain unfilled. How can that be, if the work she did was vital enough to be worth $317,000?
Let me add that Michelle’s position was a part time, 20 hour a week job. (that’s $305/hr) And to think they were critical of Blagoyovich’ s wife for taking $100,000 in a fuzzy real estate commission.”
My thoughts: How did this bit of quid pro quo corruption escape the sharp reporters that dug through Sarah Palin’s garbage and kindergarten files?
Posted by: L. Jones | March 10, 2010, 8:53 am 8:53 am
You have got to like it when the Democrats start fighting each other!
A win, win situation for the country!
Posted by: Ron Kimball | March 10, 2010, 1:26 pm 1:26 pm
Check out Glenn Dumbeck’s show featuring Massa. It’s on youtube. Dumbeck thought he was getting a scoop having Massa on for a full hour. Instead he got to listen to Massa apologize to the democratic party, that he left on his own and it wasn’t the democrats fault! What was funny was that Dumbeck tried to get Massa to spill something…. anything bad but Massa just kept upholding the democrats and only speaking good of them! Wait till you see the numerous shots of Dumbeck’s face looking more and more frustrated until he finally realizes that Massa isn’t going to give Dumbeck the scoop he wanted! Hilarious!!
Posted by: Bart | March 10, 2010, 1:41 pm 1:41 pm
Look out Massa, turn on the Dems and the media turns on you. I love how the bloggers try to change focus to Beck. Too funny…better worry about the goofs on your side. Beck isnt making policy and heading the country down the street with hard left turns.
Posted by: Zeke | March 10, 2010, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm
On the Massa Story:
Neither the Democrats nor Replublicans have a monopoly on VICE or VIRTUE. I have designed a bumper sticker which says:
“Throw the bums out!” In the 2010 elections voters should check the voting records of all candidates and vote “to throw the bums out!” You decide or the bums will enslave you!
Posted by: R. Dunn | March 10, 2010, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm
What’s WITH this administration – and most (if not all) of Congress? Can’t SOMEONE find a better, more creative way to reform healthcare? Insurance is part of the problem, but inflated egos, outright fraud, incompetence and inefficiencies in the medical BUSINESS are a far greater problem. We’ve had our hospital bill our PPO 6 to almost15 times what they are entitled to by their contract, laboratories billing our PPO for the same tests that the hospital has already billed for, ambulance service billing inflated mileage. doctors pushing my wife into unnecessary tests or “strongly recommending” chemotherapy though not needed, etc etc etc. Americans will NEVER get their money’s worth in health-care unless the PROFIT MOTIVE is removed from care for the masses. What we need is a 3 network system: entirely private, entirely public, and entirely charity. E-mailed the president twice in more detail on this – each time got a reply from the Office of Presidential Correspondence: “We’ve changed the format for correspondence. Please send your message again in the new format.” With genius like this screening what the president sees, no wonder things are getting so screwed up.
Posted by: Ray Kawano | March 11, 2010, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
Massa chose to resign. If it’s only “inappropriate remarks”, then just apologize and stay on as most others in such fixes do. The guy is known in the beltway as somebody with mental problems.
Today’s HCR: aka the “no Massa” bill… ;^) — saw a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth
Posted by: Walker44 | March 13, 2010, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm