February 26, 2010
When Mike Fitzpatrick announced that he would be seeking to reclaim the Congressional seat that he lost to Patrick Murphy in 2006, Murphy did not personally reply. But Neil Samuels, deputy chairman of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, told the Intel that he felt that voters would prefer the "Army veteran fighting for good jobs in Bucks County over the serial politician".
And two weeks later, when Fitzpatrick called for each candidate to accept a campaign spending limit of $1 million, a Murphy's spokeswoman, Kate Hansen, called Fitzpatrick's plan a "gimmick", and added "It's hard to take this proposal seriously, since Congressman Fitzpatrick is a career politician who gave himself $23,667 in pay raises at Bucks County taxpayers' expense".
Apparently, "politician" is a four-letter word - at least in PA's 8th Cong Ress Iona L District.
Regardless of how you view Fitzpatrick's self-serving low-low-low spending limit (since Murphy already has a serious war-chest); regardless of how you feel about Murphy - the public servant - ducking personal comment; regardless of party, regardless of philosophy, regardless of who you prefer in any particular race for any office anywhere, you have to stop for a moment and think about the P word.
What is a "politician"? When does a public official, elected or appointed, cease being able to wrap his/her body in the mantle of whatever he/she was doing before taking office, and become a certified (if not certifiable) politician? How many years in office, how many deals brokered, how many votes cast, how many babies kissed, are necessary before an elected representative, at any level, is a politician?
Patrick Murphy is 36 years old. He was graduated from Kings College in 1996, and went to law school while in the military, so his "career" is only about 10 years old. Of that time, he was on non-school, active military service for less than four years, with most of his hitch spent as a law lecturer.
He campaigned for Congress in 2006, and again in 2008. At this point, the length of his political career exceeds his post-law school active military career. And he is running for a third term, which surely says that he wants to stay in political office. His campaign will undoubtedly be stressing how proud he is of his accomplishments in his political job. He has participated in well over 3000 roll call votes (even proudly breaking party ranks on some). When Fitzpatrick made his announcements, it was Murphy's political staff, and political party officials, who answered. When Murphy addressed the Central Bucks County Chamber of Commerce at the Feb 2 State of the Nation breakfast, he reacted to one issue by saying "It reminds me of the kind of work I do as a congressman". Can someone be a two-term congressman, vote over 3000 times, have a political staff, and yet not be a politician?
Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, was a practicing attorney for seven years after his graduation from law school in 1988, and again from 2007 to the present. In between, he served on the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, and one term as a congressman. Eleven years as a public servant, ten-plus as a lawyer. Hardly the "serial politician" that Murphy's staff would make him out to be (though it is a pretty sure thing that he would have preferred the scoreboard to be seven years private practice, 14 in office). But, the actual count shows that each man has spent about half of his career in public service, and half elsewhere. The on-line Wikipedia refers to both men as politicians.
And while Murphy may now find it convenient to brand his opponent with the "politician" stigma, he didn't seem to mind the term himself when it helped sell his book "Taking The Hill". The promotional testimonials, posted by distributor MacMillan, include "Murphy, a political novice, ran an inspirational grassroots campaign...", "...needed reminder that some politicians are forged by fire, principle, and ideals.", "Congressman Murphy, a soldier-politician of this new century...", and "Murphy, a first-term representative from Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, recounts the story of his unlikely political journey in this partisan autobiography."
This isn't to say which man would do a "better" job for the 8th District. That evaluation will always be in the political eye of the beholder. Each is well defined by his background and positions. One will never be confused for the other. And Murphy's service to his country in Bosnia and Iraq is undeniable. But at some point - certainly by now - he has forfeited the right to take the high road, and deny his new career as a politician.
And the Murphy-Fitzpatrick political illogic wasn't the only "Huh?" moment provided recently by PA candidates...
When the state Democratic Committee overwhelmingly chose former Republican (and long-time nemesis) Arlen Specter to be the party's (incumbent) nominee for the U.S. Senate, rejected rival Joe Sestak huffed "This is an insider group here...and you saw the machinations of the insiders. The people are fed up with dealmaking. They want a change". Obviously, party-loyal Sestak is angry and embarrassed at the result, but he seems to be suffering from the same Definition-itis as Murphy. Specter, a Republican since 1965, a Dem insider????
And as for the people wanting "a change", what could be more of a change than the Dems endorsing - and likely nominating - an 80-year old Republican for Senate?
Finally, there is a local connection in the ongoing Bonusgate scandal, involving former PA House Whip Mike Veon, who allegedly used millions of dollars in state money earmarked for local economic development for his own personal and political gain, including such things as bonus checks for employees who performed political campaign work.
In 2008, Veon was charged with 11 counts each of conflict of interest, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft of services, theft by deception, and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 381 years in prison and $805,000 in fines. Then, in 2009, the state Attorney General announced 25 additional charges of corruption, unrelated to the previous charges.
Veon is from Beaver County, on the far side of the state. But in 2007, he was one of the few politicians to formally endorse a particular local candidate for Richland Township Supervisor - (the other) Patrick Murphy.