Why Smith can't recant (Pearl Harbor*)

Representative Smith has apparently had time to rethink his stand on personal integrity and wants to soften his position on the charge of resisting attempted GOP coercion for a Medicare bill yea vote, now that an investigation has been called for.

But, there's a problem.

According to a report last night by WOOD TV, a Grand Rapids station, Smith confirmed the $100,000 offer in a taped phone interview with Vandenbroek on Dec. 1:

And so the first offer was to give [Brad] $100,000-plus for his campaign, and endorsements by national leadership, and I said no, I'm going to stick to my guns on what I think is right for the constituents in my district.

Unless Smith wants to argue he was suffering from hallucinations, he needs to retreat from his retreat.
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The article has a link to the audio of the Smith interview, and prints part of the transcript as well.

Smith: ...And the arm-twisting was probably as strong as I've ever seen it in my sixteen years in the Michigan legislature and my eleven years in Congress.

They threatened—here's what they did. They started out by offering the carrot, and they know what's important to every member, and what's important to me is my family and my kids. And I've sure limited myself, and so Bradley my son is running for office and so the first offer was to give him $100,000-plus for his campaign and endorsement by national leadership. And I said No, I'm gonna stick to my guns on what I think is right for the constituents in my district. And so what they did then is come forth with sort of the stick, and they said, Well, if you don't change your vote—this was about 4 a.m. Saturday morn—then some of us are going to work to make sure your son doesn't get to Congress. And that kind of personal attack is just sort of beyond what anybody should do. So I told them to get the heck out of there and I mighta used a different word besides heck, I don't know. But it's a tough situation when civility breaks down.

I think it would probably be in Smith & Son's best interests at this point to just become Democrats

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.