Redstate

I know this is a safe district for Democrats, but are there any strong Republicans for the special election? If Arnold succeeds in having the current ugly maps reconfigured to a fairer stance, what would Matsui's district look like?

I didn't agree with many of Matsui's views but he certainly seemed like a decent man, good to his family. He will be missed.

Can you believe over at Daily Kos they're already saying that Bush killed him?

How pathetic we have more respect for their dead than they do.

and some people here are as well.  We just have to ignore them and take the high road ourselves. I looked at the Daily Kos comments.  Most of them genuinely mourn Matsui's passing.

The comments just jumped out at me. I had been commenting in another thread here about not judging an entire category of people based on message boards, and yet that's exactly what I did. I got upset because 1) the President sent out a note expressing his condolences, and 2) the whole idea of Bush going out of his way to kill this one Congressman is outrageous.

Matsui was crucial in the passage of NAFTA. I'm not a big fan of NAFTA/free trade (although I guess that puts me in the minority), but he certainly does warrant recognition for his efforts.

I never voted for Matsui but grew up in his district.  I never heard an ill-word spoken of him either inside or outside his district.  I think all of us should respect his service in the Congress as well as his internment as a Japanese-American.  He nominated me twice to service academies and I had ZERO political connections, influence, or money.

That leftists would suggest that the GOP would kill him or move him from the picture indicates how absolutely, truly low these idiots are.  My God, where are these people coming from?  Matsui may have been Democrat but he was a loyal public servant and a fine person.  I never heard any stupid rhetoric (eg. Bush caused 9/11) out of him, although I haven't lived in his district in some time.  

I would not want to associate with people who, in this context, look at the politics first and the person and reputation second.  Someone's death is not a political discussion.  I'm glad I am on the "right" side of things over here.  I can't imagine anyone on Redstate.org taking any glee in the passing of a decent, loyal public servant, no matter how nutty we might find them.  (Heck, I'm a little glad the nuts are out there...it keeps us centered...thanks Cynthia McKinney!)

People who suggest these things are bad and need to be held accountable.  Further, people who TOLERATE such conduct are equally accountable.

My condolences go out to the Matsui family, as well as my thanks for his contributions to Congress and this Nation.

If Arnold succeeds in having the current ugly maps reconfigured to a fairer stance, what would Matsui's district look like?

The core of Sacramento is Democratic, and reasonable redistricting would probably result in a seat which is still Democratic.  There are a couple lean Republican districts outside of Sacramento which might become more competitive if CA-5 (Matsui's) became less Democratic.

I live in Matsui's district which was as safe for him as it could get (and will be for whichever Dem runs for it).

Never heard a bad word about Bob although he was a bit of a reactionary if he thought anybody made an ethnic joke. Always ready to play the sympathy and martyr card on his family's Internment in WW2.

Was a kind of classic liberal and closet socialist. He helped keep the Auburn Damn from being built which would have done much to supply future water needs and flood control.

I guess the best that can be said of him is that he wasn't so active in pushing the Dem agenda that he did that much harm to the State and nation (although he did become a major party player). Or else he did all his dirty work in private.

Bob was a decent fellow, I suppose, but a basic fool. Poor grasp of reality and economics like so many Dems.

If he'll be missed, it will only because he was mild and unobnoxious which is always preferrable to all the blowhards in Congress and elsewhere.

That should be Auburn Dam.

Politically speaking one can argue that most Dems have at best significant misunderstandings about the world works, Matsui included.  When someone dies, one would hope to put that aside, so long as that those views were honestly held and were held in (more or less) the best interests of the nation.

A nice contrast is the death of Yasser Arafat, which is realistically a blessing.  I think it's arguably much more proper to dance on his grave.  Accusing people of dancing on Matsui's grave is revolting.  Probably a natural assumption on their part since those people probably were dancing on Reagan's grave.

Always ready to play the sympathy and martyr card on his family's Internment in WW2.

Were they not deserving of sympathy?  

That would have been a good place to stop.

Your 'compliments' are insulting.

Have you been in an internment camp, that you can be so dismissive of Matsui's concerns about bigotry?

As you know, there was much more to the Auburn dam and its controversy than your comment implies.