Patty Murray (D-WA)

[ALBliberal]

Senator Murray is so often overlooked when we discuss the future of our party. I remember how great she did a few years ago helping get some Democratic senators elected. I think she is fantastic.

[shenmue]

1. I like her too

[freshwest]

2. I'm a fan as well. She won by less than she should have, a real nail biter:

Patty Murray got 52.4% of the final vote. And the too sleazy, Karl Rove acolyte Dino Rossi got 47.6%. Which is absolutely frightening.

[Cha]

11. Was this just in this election, fresh? I've heard of Dino Rossi.. wasn't he running for gov before

too?

Congratulatons to Patty Murray!

[freshwest]

14. Yes, he was, and lost to Christine Gregoire. DHS even got involved in that fiasco. Plus the state

GOP worked with them and did dirty tricks then. It was a scheme by staffers working for a homophobic GOP on the eastern part of the state. It got really weird.

His campaign worked with them to disqualify voters with spurious challenges just before the election. It did prevent some voting, who were unable to go in person downtown to deal with the challenge in a timely manner. In the meantime, local hate radio played a constant refrain about Democrats signing up Mexicans to vote, to justify it. Sound familiar?

In that election, there were also letters sent from D.C. with the DHS logo, questioning individual rights to vote. I got one, wish I hadn't thrown it away. Everything goes poof in the internet.

They messed with the wrong people in some cases, who were well-off, long-time Democrats with the means to resist the challenge to their right to vote and they brought in the news to cover it, just as with the shenanigans in the last gubernatorial campaign.

Since that election was close, Bush ordered the federal AG for the area to intervene with the count. He refused and was fired. It made headlines, like the staffer story did, but I doubt it would now since they consolidated control of the media here.

In 2012 with the state governor and POTUS on the ballots, the GOP candidate sent people in vans to pick up ballots at people's homes when all that is required to vote here is a stamp. They said they were just trying to help by going to all those registered Democratic voters, how very nice of them, what sweethearts.

I'm sure they had a few shredders to help the ballots get to what they thought was the right destination for them, the landfill. Or maybe use them to start the wood in their fireplaces. It gets cold here in the winter, and people have to get by.

In 2012, there was a late night break in at the Democratic Party HQ in downtown Seattle. And some computer stuff was stolen. But nothing was resolved on that, AFAIK. And a Tea bagger won the elections job, but didn't make a deal about being GOP. A number of them ran as independents, or members of unknown parties, and even one, a really far right wacko, ran as a Democrat and he won...

Our last election offical was officially GOP, but a straight shooter. This one used all the bagger dog whistles in the state ballot pamphet. I knew she'd try something sooner or later and she did this year.

WA state and two others signed onto the database sharing scheme similiar to Jeb Bush's that pulled up names of people from out of state to match up and disqualify legal voters. It was listed as part of the New Jim Crow article here on DU. But it says she didn't participate, yet she signed for it.

Every election here is very close. Our state house races (I'm not looking at the results, I'm at stage, after all the dissing of Democrats) have been extremely close for a logn time now.

We may lose our house speaker to a new person from that district, which will lose us the seniority to keep that position. I'm not as attentive as I used to be as real life trolling takes over in my state, and may not keep up with this much longer anyway.

Thanks for the kind words for Senator Murray. She's a very quiet person but gets things done and does not get much press.

[Wounded Bear]

3. I'm kinda proud of her...

She's one of my Senators.

[freshwest]

4. She voted against Keystone, too:

Her voting record, a graphic and more:

http://ballotpedia.org/Patty_Murray

[brooklynite]

5. That Chart looks Familiar...

[freshwest]

6. Except HRC leans more populist. Wonder what that means?

[pnwmom]

8. All those who insist that Hillary isn't a liberal are ignoring her record.

Hillary is a lot more than one vote on Iraq. Thanks for this.

[pnwmom]

7. Yup. She's great. Wish you had many more like her. n/t

[itsrobert]

9. She tried cutting veteran benefits

with a budget deal with the republicans.

No thanks.

[HDSam]

12. Absolutely right

Patty Murray and Paul Ryan pushed a bill in late December of last year that would have had limited veterans cost-of-living adjustments to the rate of inflation minus 1 percentage point.

Examples of the effect of this legislation:

1. A twenty year service member who is receiving retired pay at the 50% rate would have that pay reduced by 20% over twenty years, effectively reducing that 50% retirement to 30%. As the cost-of-living increases over time, their income is reduced.

2. A medically retired service member would also be subject to the same -1% increase per year. This group leaves the service with what is called a "Serious Barrier to Employment" and are entitled to additional services provided through the American JobConnect Centers due to the challenges they face finding employment post-discharge. Saddling them with continually reduced income every year is a slap in the face to the challenges they already have

3. A retired veteran with service-connected disabilities would also have their income reduced by the same amount over time. This group is also classified as having an SBE by the Department of Labor in recognition of their difficulties finding employment.

The second and third categories are those that have a full range of disabilities, from tinnitus to loss of limb and paralysis. These are the people that would have been most affected by the Ryan/Murray budget deal.

I suspect they intentionally pushed this bill, the middle of December, when it's passage would have been least noticeable. Murray later called the legislation a mistake, even though it had her name on it.

After intense lobbying by pro-veteran organizations, this legislation was overturned, but it clearly indicates veterans will have to be continually vigilant and active to protect themselves from the likes of Murray and Ryan and their cohorts .

I'm sure this topic was beat to death some time ago, but that December budget deal really soured me on politicians in general.

On a brighter note, I'd like to say 'Hi!' to everyone. I've been lurking around here since about 2012, but this particular subject encouraged me to step out into the light.

[RussBLib]

10. She's one of the good ones

My nephew used to be on her Staff and spoke very highly of her. That's good enough for me.

Sometimes in politics you make mistakes or take a position that will cause ire. She's done that once or twice but overall she's a fine Senator. I'd be proud to have her as my Senator.

I don't think I heard her speaking out much this election cycle. I know she wasn't up for re-election, but I don't see that as a reason to be quiet.

[rustydog]

13. She actually does things for our Vets that

Republicans won't