The Inky Tries It Again on PA-08

This takes you to in-depth interviews that the Philadelphia Inquirer conducted with Patrick Murphy and Mike Fitzpatrick related to the U.S. House congressional race (“in-depth” being a stretch in Mikey’s case as far as I’m concerned).

I don’t intend to republish everything that they said, but I want to highlight Patrick’s thoughts on Medicare Part D and the men and women who have served our country.

There is a woman in Bristol Township who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a couple of years ago. After receiving treatment and medication, her disease went into remission. But now she is on Medicare Part D, and like so many Americans has hit the "doughnut hole." She therefore has to pay the next $3,000 for her prescription drugs out of her own pocket. She can't afford $3,000 on her fixed income and has not been able to take her MS medication for the last few months. Tragically, she is starting to see signs that her MS is coming back.

It makes me angry that Congressman Fitzpatrick knew the doughnut hole was coming, knew that people like this woman would be devastated when they hit it, but has done nothing to fix it.

What makes me feel good about this country is that the woman with MS, despite being bound to a wheelchair, now volunteers in my office nearly every week. She knows that we need a change of direction in our country and she believes that one person can make a difference. Every time I see her stuffing envelopes in my office it reminds me how important this election is and how together we are going to change how Washington works.

There is simply no rational basis for not allowing our government to negotiate with drug companies for the best price. The Veterans Administration is able to negotiate on behalf of their members and they can get prices that are nearly one-half the price of drugs under Medicare Part D. If our government were allowed to negotiate for drugs under Medicare Part D, we would be able to use the cost savings and completely close the doughnut hole.

What would I work on even if not elected?

A good military officer puts the interests of his troops ahead of his own. When I was an Army officer in the 82nd Airborne, this meant that the other officers and I ate only after we ensured that the men and women under our command were properly fed. It meant that I was charged with protecting their lives and well-being. And it meant that I would never let them down.

I will always continue that devotion to my brothers and sisters in uniform. The men and women of our armed services devote themselves to our great nation. That devotion compels them to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, to fight to protect it, and - for some - to lay down their lives in its name.

We dishonor the sacrifices of these great Americans when we fail to provide them with the resources they need and the opportunities they deserve. We have a responsibility to those who protect us, and it is a responsibility we must not neglect. That is why over the course of this campaign I propose a renewed commitment of resources and respect to our service members, our veterans, and their families: a new G.I. Bill of Rights, a covenant that our nation will enter into with those brave men and women who volunteer to protect it.

That is also why I was also proud to start the Bucks County Veterans Committee in 2004. This nonprofit organization has raised thousands of dollars for veterans and their families throughout Bucks County.

I will always find a way - no matter what occupation I may have - to honor the service and sacrifice of my fellow veterans.

Also, the following letter appeared today in the Bucks County Courier Times; the paper noted that the Repugs will probably outspend the Dems by about $2 million from here on out, since the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also has to allocate funds for the Sestak/Weldon (PA-07) and Gerlach/Lois Murphy (PA-06) races (both hotly contested also), and I hope they’re able to give Lois Herr over in PA-16 a taste of that as well.

I’m not surprised that Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick’s campaign would resort to an 11th-hour litany of lies about his opponent, Patrick Murphy.

And it’s no surprise that the well-funded attack advertisements from this so-called moderate Republican completely distort Murphy’s integrity, military service, and legal career.

Murphy does not deserve these deliberately misleading smear tactics. What happened to discussion of issues?

Are we supposed to be proud that tactics such as these are what get candidates elected? Dupe the public in order to score points? We’re smarter than that!

This is behavior unbefitting a congressman – and it just makes me more determined to have him sitting no longer.

Jeffry Dence
Falls Township

And this fine letter appeared in yesterday’s Inquirer…

The Inquirer's endorsement of Mike Fitzpatrick for Congress, with a slight edge over Patrick Murphy, seems a little partisan, especially since Murphy has the edge in The Inquirer's "ethics/character" category, and the two candidates have an even score for their ideas ("Mike Fitzpatrick for Congress, Oct. 23). The edge comes only from "experience," which may or may not be a plus - given the broad dissatisfaction that people have with Congress's performance lately.

Many of the voters in the Eighth House District are calling for a change in direction from the misdirected priorities of the Republican-monopolized Congress. Don't forget that the party in power has the ability to control which issues come out of committee for a vote, and which ones die.

The Republicans in charge have had a chance to push their agenda, with a Republican president and a Republican House and Senate, but there is little to show for it. There was so much time wasted on symbolic issues such as flag burning and visiting Terri Schiavo - while citizens here at home still lack affordable health care, soldiers are dying in Iraq, jobs are shipped overseas, seniors are struggling to make ends meet, stem-cell research funding is thwarted, and women's right to choose is threatened.

Murphy's qualifications bring hope, change and energy to the table, and his participation in Congress will give it the momentum it so desperately needs to move ahead.

Janine Witte
New Hope

I’m going to try and write as many posts as I can on PA-08 between now and next Tuesday, but I’ll see how successful I am. If any more goofy stuff comes up with Dubya and his cronies (such as whether or not Dick Cheney supports “water boarding” – of course he does, people! This is the “torture administration,” remember?), that will have to be put off for another time if it comes to that.

This may be the best shot at electing a Dem to the U.S. House that we’re likely to get for a good while, and I don’t want to leave anything “in the locker room,” if you know what I mean.

So with that in mind, please click here.