Eric Massa held a press conference today and here are the highlights:

Massa started with a statement on the presidential race, stating “John McCain [is set] to be anointed by the president. Sounds like it was written by Karl Rove and the West Wing currently in power. I do agree with Mccain when he said ‘let the debate commence.’ On the other hand, the Democrats are going to continue the nomination process for some time now. Pennsylvania is a big state, very close to us in NY. I want to emphasize one overwhelming point, last night in Texas, Vermont, Rhode Island & Ohio, as we have seen in virtually every other state, the turnout by Democratic voters has gone off the charts, in some cases doubling.  I believe that is a very clear signal that the voters want to move the country in another direction. McCain’s policies are a continuation of George Bush and [the] failed team. We must begin to address healthcare.”

I asked Massa his thoughts on the home foreclosure crisis:

I’m not a person who says the sky is falling. Experts are saying that loud and clear. First thing we must do is have a mortgage freeze. FDR wrote the blueprint and called it ‘a banker’s holiday.’ We need to do that again. Stop all foreclosures for 60-90 days while the market figures out the rest.

I then asked him if he was opposed to Spitzer’s mortgage crisis plan (bold mine):

Sounds like his plan is a first step in the right direction. Success is measured in moving that football by 5-15 yards. Sounds like a very good idea. What we’ve had is an incredible institutional predatory lending. Most people who are in this situation lost their jobs, are in deep, deep financial crisis and have nowhere else to go. Someone gets sick, they think they have health insurance and their policy drops them.

The concept of mediation is one that I would support. I also like the idea of holding these predatory lenders accountable. They knew what they were doing when they did this…Norman Rockewell would be crying if he saw this today.“

His thoughts on the energy crisis?

“This administration has had the White House for 8 years….look where we are today. I cannot help but illustrate the mess that this administration and Karl Rove have gotten us into here. My opponent has been there supporting Bush every single day. We have to go in and clean it up.

We need to stop these incredible tax giveaways. Right now we are literally financing the profits at the pump of exxon and other oil corporatrions. We are paying a premium so Exxon can record another quarter of profits. Oil is at an all-time high, but the profits of Exxon are beyond the ability to calculate. [Somewhere I read an] excess of $40 billion in profits last year. I supported the House Resolution that ended those subsidies. Kuhl opposed it.

Newsflash: if you’re taking $4o billion out of my neighbor’s pocket, you ought to be putting something back in. By the way, that money could be used to make alternative energy. We’re paying them for the privilege.

Drilling in Anwar?

No, it makes no economic sense. It would only last 6 months [if we sucked it dry]. Why would we consume our last strategic oil supply? It won’t change the price of oil at the pump, not one penny, but it will make billions of dollars for Exxon and BP and I’m not in favor of that. The answer is in using less.

Nuclear option?

No matter what we want to do we have 116 nuclear power plants in this country. They are here today and will be there for as long as anyone can calculate. Either they’ll have to be shut down or rebuilt. They need to be radically overhauled and rebuilt.

Upstate plans?

Upstate is ‘the land that is forgotten.’ [We should] pass the enhanced SCHIP that returns tens of million in federal tax money that we pay to Washington in the form of health care for our children. The money for health care goes a long way to help offset the $4/gallon gasoline.

Kuhl voted against it.

What is the biggest difference between you and Kuhl?

The biggest and most visible is he has superglued himself to George Bush. From there all other conversations flow. Kuhl has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Bush and I have been in opposition to each and every one of Bush’s failed policies. I’m not afraid to stand up to the members of Republican and Democratic parties. Kuhl said in a recent interview ‘I can’t believe he (Massa) would criticize members of his own party’ when I criticized the Brazil trip. If it doesn’t make sense it doesn’t make sense.

Are you a maverick in the party?

I like McCain. Maybe it’s because of our shared military backgrounds. He’s a man of integrity, I just disagree with him. We are [both] willing to go up against our own parties. Yeah, I’ll wear that hat if I’m a maverick. My problem is I say what I mean and I mean what I say.

Are you okay to go up to Spitzer to secure Upstate aid?

We can either continue doing more of what we’ve been doing for 20 years and continue to fail, or we can go in a new direction. Kuhl brings pork back to the district through earmarks. When you’re behind a tax payer paid desk for 27 years you lose touch with reality with the people you represent. Or we can find new solutions. If we want to rely on Washington for pork barrel handouts, nothing will change. But if we demand our share upfront then we can get some changes.

I’ve proposed massive changes to WPA. The entire infrastructure of NY has to be rebuilt, that uses American materials and American workers instead of sending it to China.

This is America. This is the United States. Our best days are yet to come. These crises and challlenges are really opportunities. It is time to pass the torch to the next generation and we’ll solve the incredible problems. We can with optimism, vision and determination.

I’m always available.

Related posts:

1. Massa press conference on the Webb G. I. Bill
2. Massa press conference
3. Massa press conference summary
4. Massa press conference
5. Eric Massa, Press Conference Tomorrow