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Congratulations to our once-again US Congressman from the Eighth Pennsylvania Congressional District

By the Doylestown Intelligencer – October 24, 2010

IN AN ELECTION season that has witnessed the seemingly impossible – campaigning that in some places has once again set new lows for sleaze, dishonesty and maliciousness – we need look no further than our own 8th Congressional District for a casebook example of gutter politics.

Murphy enjoys a significant advantage over Fitzpatrick in financial resources, and he’s utilized his war chest to denigrate his opponent at every turn. Rather than stand on his own record since January 2007, Murphy’s strategy has been to berate Fitzpatrick for his performance in Congress in 2005-06 during President Bush’s second term.

He’s even bashed Fitzpatrick for his service as a county commissioner, an office he vacated in 2004.

In one very telling episode, Murphy spent virtually his entire endorsement interview with our editorial board taking shot after shot at the challenger while answering none of our questions. It was, in a word, a “terrible” performance.

But let’s cut to the chase here. When you get beyond the nasty rhetoric and innuendo, what you have is this:

Murphy, a loyal soldier in Barack Obama’s Democratic army who has voted consistently to advance the president and his party’s agenda, versus Fitzpatrick, who believes that agenda is wrong for America and promises to vote to undo a lot of it.

The choice for voters should be simple:

If you agree with what the Democrats have done and plan to do, then there’s no stronger advocate in Congress than Patrick Murphy.

On the other hand, if you don’t like what Congress is doing, then Fitzpatrick is your guy.

We’re endorsing Fitzpatrick on two levels. First, as an individual. We think he is more sincere, more polished, more accessible and more thoughtful than Murphy.

More importantly, we’re not sold on the Democratic program for the nation. Give the Dems credit for averting an immediate economic disaster. But their game plan has come at an enormous financial cost that most people can’t begin to fathom. Unemployment remains high. Americans continue to die on foreign soil for questionable objectives. And the centerpiece of the first half of Obama’s term in office, health care reform, was so badly botched that many Democrats who supported it, Murphy included, have shied away from it as they seek re-election.

Fitzpatrick can be expected to work on behalf of a different agenda. We feel strongly that that’s what America needs.

October 24, 2010

ED NOTE: These words are those published by the paper, but the format has been altered slightly to make it more readable online.

“Fitzpatrick is an honest, caring individual, and perhaps the best friend the Boy Scouts of America have in Bucks County.”

Despite that, and acknowledging that his oldest son, an Eagle Scout, served as Patrick Murphy’s very first intern as he was just beginning his congressional campaign. He then goes on to say that his choosing between them came down to the fact that Mike was elected to Congress “to support the policys of the Bush administration, and he did so.”

Seems to Mike’s friends that we know also for a fact that Mike was considered one of the few Republicans in Congress who was fiercely independent of the therepublican party machine, perhaps the most independent, as has been described in many articles of historical note.

Even in an ad in the same newspaper on the 19th, the Fitzpatrick For Congress campaign took time and money to combat some of the other distortions being pushed by those supporting Murphy on Veterans issues and support for troops in the field and Veterans benefits.

If you haven’t seen the ad here are some of the key points:

• Mike voted for a 3 1/2% across the board pay raise for our men and women in uniform and an increase in the reenlistment bonus from $60,000 to $90,000.
• Mike voted for $1.36 billion in funding for the IED Defeat Task Force of the DoD and an additional $362.7 million to procure and test new technology to protect our troops.
• Mike voted for and additional $1.2 billion for personal force protection items and gear such as body armor, for troops in the field.
• Mike voted for $22.5 billion in funding for Veterans Medical Services, a $1.7 billion increase over the previous year’s funding.
• Mike supported providing $2.2 billion for specialty mental health care services and doubling of funding for Veterans Administration (VA) mental health research.
• Mike co-sponsored H.R. 2735 to provide an enhanced funding process to ensure an adequate level of funding for VA health care programs and to establish standards of access to care for veterans seeking health care from the VA.
• Mike co-Sponsored H.R. 994 to allow Federal civilian and military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pretax basis and to allow a deduction for TRICARE supplemental premiums.

He also said: ” What we need is serious representation, not gamesmanship.”

After watching their oldest son battle cancer, Jim and Mary Fitzpatrick didn’t want him to run for Congress.

“Let someone else step up and do it,” Mike Fitzpatrick said, recalling his parents’ words.

Fitzpatrick, one of seven kids raised by his mom and dad, understood their trepidation.

“Parents are always concerned about their children,” the former Republican congressman said. “But if you want to live in a good neighborhood, you have to be a good neighbor. That’s the way we were raised. I’d like to pass some of that on to my own children.”

In this case, being a good neighbor means running for Congress to “bring some sanity to our nation’s capital,” Fitzpatrick said. “Running for public office is a major sacrifice for anybody, and one of the most important things anybody could do in terms of giving back to a community.”

Especially after overcoming cancer. But Fitzpatrick is no stranger to campaigning after 10 years as a Bucks County commissioner and two congressional races.

His January decision to “get back in the game” changed the dynamic of the competition for the Republican nomination in the 8th District.

When Fitzpatrick declared his intention, the GOP field was crowded with nine candidates. Fitzpatrick, who many consider the favorite because of his name recognition and ability to raise money, took in more than $500,000 in just over nine weeks since Jan. 23.

He now faces competition from three Republicans: Gloria Carlineo, a Solebury committeewoman; Ira Hoffman, a financial planner from Solebury; and James Jones, a Langhorne businessman.

Fitzpatrick has batted .500 in campaigns for Congress. In 2004, when Jim Greenwood left office after six terms, Fitzpatrick defeated Ginny Schrader. Two years later, in the first of back-to-back GOP thumpings as the country turned against President George Bush, Fitzpatrick lost by less than 1 percent – just over 1,500 votes out of nearly 250,000 cast – to Democrat Patrick Murphy.

According to The Washington Post, Fitzpatrick was one of the most independent voters in the House during the 109th Congress. He voted with his party 83.4 percent of the time. Only 17 of 435 members supported their party less, according to The Post’s voting database.

“The facts are, while I was in Congress I was one of the most likely of either party to ask the tough questions of both parties,” he said.

“People know what I stand for – smaller, efficient government and reform of government spending. A belief in the individual, and support of the entrepreneur and his or her ability and desire to take risks and create jobs. That’s what has made America great. And if we stray from that, America will crease being great,” he said.

Born and raised in Middletown – he lives three blocks from the home his parents have lived in since 1957 – Fitzpatrick returned to his law practice following the setback to Murphy.

“Being away has given me a fresh new outlook and a very clear vision,” Fitzpatrick said in his first campaign speech. “Eighteen months ago, I did not expect to run again for public office. But I also didn’t expect to see the runaway growth in the federal government, our national debt exploding, and so many fine Americans unemployed and underemployed.”

And 18 months ago, he didn’t know if he’d survive colon cancer.

“I look back on my diagnosis and it was a difficult time. It has given me a fresh perspective on life, on my family,” said Fitzpatrick, who with his wife, Kathy, have six children. “I can honestly say I’m glad I went through it. It has made me a better person.”

In the days before his candidacy, he said those who knew him as a friend or acquaintance would prod him about getting back to Washington to “stop the growing mountain of debt.”

“I’m not going to sit back and watch it continue,” he said. “I want my children and all children of the country to inherit a nation with a balanced budget and a business climate that encourages job creators.”

He said doctors have given him a clean bill of health prior to his entry into the race and he has a “renewed appreciation for the medical profession.”

“I have very clearly experienced the impact from the perspective of the patient,” he said. “It will make me a better representative in Congress for individuals who face important health care decisions and the struggle with cost.”

Once in the race, Fitzpatrick was not shy about staking out ground.

He called for an open primary, which earned the praise of tea party members; said he supported term limits and appealed for Murphy to limit campaign spending. At a health care town hall event in Perkasie, he promised to lead a repeal effort of the new health care law.

“I would not have been so adamant about term limits and controlling spending if I had not had these past four years to reflect on what works and what doesn’t work in the nation’s capital. I wanted to make it clear right out of the starting block that I feel very strongly and will fight very intently to change the way Washington does business.

“And given my fresh perspective, I’m going to ask even tougher questions because we don’t have much time to turn the ship around.”

“Eighteen months ago, I did not expect to run again for public office. But I also didn’t expect to see the runaway growth in the federal government, our national debt exploding, and so many fine Americans unemployed and underemployed.”

Mike Fitzpatrick

… the people of Bucks County have known Fitzpatrick for years, and they have seen him deliver over and over again. As commissioner he was instrumental in preserving acres of green space for the county.

And

Mike Fitzpatrick was the driving force behind bringing the cemetery (The Veterans Cemetery) to Bucks. The opening ceremony may have occurred when Murphy took over, but it is important to remember that the cemetery was announced under Fitzpatrick’s watch in 2006.

Through his tireless efforts as commissioner and congressman, Mike Fitzpatrick has won the respect of Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.