Can we have a round of applause for Rep Murphy? (DADT)

[Patiod]

On the House Armed Services Committe, the bill aiding the repeal of DADT was his baby.

My dad was reluctant to vote for him because "he looks about 14", but he and his staff have since helped my dad and his buddies in dealing with the VA on several occasions.

Murphy has absolutely NOTHING to gain by this - his district is NOT urban, and includes a lot of vets and socially conservative elderly Catholics. I'm guessing he probably just thinks it's THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

Good for him!
(he's 100% pro-choice as well)

[Ishoutandscream2]

1. Not aware of him, but I will applaud his actions

A man who voted on principle. Wow, how radical is that! Thanks to Mr. Murphy.

[Patiod]

2. Here's his wiki page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Murphy_%28politician%29

Although the phrase "Blue Dog" makes me cringe, he does have a D+ rating from the NRA and an A+ rating from Planned Parenthood and he voted FOR health care reform.

Plus he's got a pretty good sense of humor:
"On February 13, 2008 he was the only member of the House to vote against a resolution congratulating the New York Giants for the Super Bowl victory. 'As a former 700-level security guard and lifelong Eagles fan, I couldn’t, in good conscience, vote for the New York Giants', Murphy later stated. 'The only thing worse would have been a resolution honoring the Dallas Cowboys.'"

[Demoiselle]

3. Yes, let's hear it for Patrick Murphy!

I seem to remember that when he first ran for Congress he was very much opposed to the Bush wars.
I don't see him as a "Blue Dog" at all...so I'm a little confused by your comment.

[Patiod]

7. wiki entry says he's a "member of the Blue Dog Caucus"

That would be wikipedia's comment, not patiod's.

[Demoiselle]

10. Good. I scanned Wiki but didn't see that phrase earlier.

Won't be the first time Wiki's been wrong.

[Ishoutandscream2]

18. Well, his remark about the Cowboys showed he's another insane Eagles fan

God, they are obsessed about that. But I will applaud again his vote.

[Patiod]

22. Checking in from "America's Team", eh?

Plu---ezee.

You gotta love not just his vote, but his leadership on this issue.

[tabbycat31]

4. I went to his victory party in 2008

I had never heard of the guy before that, but a bunch of us from NJ went to campaign for Obama in PA.

As I was putting up signs for him, I asked the staff to explain who the guy was so I knew some background info on him. I have family in his district that I'm seeing this weekend so I'll bring it up to them.

[MgtPA]

13. I was there too!

[tabbycat31]

23. there were people there from as far as Maine I think (or at least at the campaign office)

who knows, you might have been one of those many random people who hugged me the moment Obama's victory was official.

[MgtPA]

24. You're probably right! (I was in the bar area...)

I'm sure you bumped into my husband at the campaign office (mid-50's, 6 ft 3 in, beard). He was very much involved with the out-of-towners, as well as providing the office with internet communications.

[Patiod]

17. He's now my congressman

The district is so gerrymandered in Montco that I think my next-door neighbor is in another district.

[DFW]

5. I met him right after he was elected

He is a very solid guy, and as an Iraq combat vet, has fear at all to talk back to chickenhawks. He
comes from a conservative district and some his votes reflect this, but in essence, he is one of us.

[LynneSin]

6. What - DUers celebrating a Blue Dog Democrat??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Coalition

BTW, I post this NOT to begrudge Patrick Murrphy - I think he's a great guy and the ONLY house member to refusing voting a house resolution thingie that would congratulate the NY Giants winning the Super Bowl (the guy is a diehard Eagles fan).

This is to point out that not all blue dogs are bad people. Too many times we just make a generalization that "BLUE DOG DEMS = RINO = WE MUST REPLACE THEM"

Perhaps we need to stop that generalization and look at their records. Perhaps Patrick Murphy is a Blue Dog Dem but he's one of the good guys in DC!

[Patiod]

8. He voted for health care reform

he's pro-choice, D+ rating from the NRA and now the force behind the DADT repeal

So he's Blue Dog to some extent, but the health care vote told me what I need to know - that he has the most important priorities straight. .

[LynneSin]

9. To be honest I judge by their voting record and not their labels but....

that's not the norm sometimes at DU

:cry:

Murphy is one of the good guys. That was my old district. I remember when Peter Kostmayer lost, I liked him - was a very green person. Greenwood was actually pretty normal for a republican even though I never voted for him. Greenwood was pro-choice and pro-environment. But when Greenwood retired they got a real mouth-breather type republican in there, thankfully I had left the district. But that repuke lasted only 1 term in very moderate PA-08

[spinbaby]

11. Tim Murphy?

He's a pretty decent guy for a Republican.

[racaulk]

15. Patrick Murphy (D, PA-8)

:P

[csziggy]

12. Yes!

:applause: :woohoo: :applause: :woohoo: :applause: :woohoo: :applause:

[racaulk]

14. Absolutely!

Thank you, Congressman Murphy!!!

:applause:

K&R

[karynnj]

16. I remember whan he ran in 2006 and his opponent tried to swiftboat him

Here is a link to coverage of a Kerry appearance with him - the link no longer works - but the 4 paragraphs are there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=273&topic_id=109131&mesg_id=109131

Senator Kerry actually said - that Fitzpatrick has never served in the military and attacked Republicans who ''think they've served because they played with G.I. dolls.'

and

Former presidential candidate John Kerry is calling Republican attacks on Democratic congressional candidate Patrick Murphy's military and legal credentials ''a little bit like Jessica Simpson attacking Albert Einstein's IQ.''

In 2006, Kerry worked hard to protect Murphy from the swiftboaters and to raise money for him.

They also wrote this op-ed together:
( it was on philly.com, but is gone - but Kerry's site still has it)


http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=265323

I am so happy that I was one of many that contributed to Murphy's campaign - that he was able to get this through is amazing. I wonder if he could become one of the really promising new stars of the party by 2016.

[starroute]

19. I'm pissed at him right now for opposing Net Neutrality, though

He's my Congressman, so I take this stuff personally. I already wrote to say how disappointed I was.

I think the GOP has the same Neanderthal that Murphy defeated in 2008 running against him again, so he's certainly got my support. But I'd be happier if he was more reliable on some of these issues.

[Mojeoux]

21. Many Blessings to the Awesome Rep, Partick Murphy!

Just because it's right. That's why he's stopping DADT, because it's the right thing to do.

[blm]

20. Proud to support him from day one. Heard him speak with John Kerry - he's a SOLID person

a compassionate human being unafraid of the certain wrath of the RW machine....and we need more like him in government.