Patrick Murphy’s labor union endorsement this morning is yet another chapter in his continued efforts to fight Alan Grayson’s characterization of him as an “errand boy for Wall Street, ” but Murphy’s record once again shreds his credibility with Democrat voters. After losing out on an endorsement from the Progressive Democrats of America, Murphy was undoubtedly hoping to stop the bleeding by touting his union support.
Not so fast. As with most issues, Murphy’s past statements and votes just don’t square up with his new rhetoric. The Palm Beach Post notes:
- "Murphy’s union scoop-up emerges even though the congressman’s roots are in the construction industry’s management side. His father is the millionaire owner of Coastal Construction, a prominent building firm, and the lawmaker is a former Republican whose voting record is moderate to conservative on many labor issues." (John Kennedy, “Murphy Gets Another Union Nod In U.S. Senate Race,” Palm Beach Post, 1/29/16)
Add this to the list of issues where Murphy is undermining his credibility and running from his record in an attempt to play catch-up with Grayson.
…From Benghazi…
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Murphy Voted With Republicans To Create A Committee To Investigate Benghazi: “‘Patrick Murphy voted to give the Tea Party Republicans who run the House of Representatives the power to subpoena Hillary Clinton’s records, hold hearings and conduct a political witch hunt that will last through the presidential election,’ Grayson said in a statement.” (Adam Smith, “Alan Grayson Smacks Patrick Murphy Over Benghazi,” Tampa Bay Times, 8/20/15)
- Then Called For The Committee To Be Disbanded After Grayson’s Attacks: “Patrick Murphy, one of just seven House Democrats to vote for the Benghazi committee, said today that "it’s past time" the panel be disbanded…Murphy has come under attack from Democratic rival Alan Grayson for supporting the investigation, a plank in Grayson’s strategy of casting former Republican Murphy as a phony.” (Alex Leary, “Patrick Murphy Says It’s Time For Benghazi Committee To Come To End,” Tampa Bay Times, 10/21/15)
…To Social Security…
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Grayson Proposed Higher Social Security Payouts In August: “Continuing on the first theme of his U.S. Senate campaign, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson Thursday vowed to introduce a bill that would increase Social Security retirement benefits and tie future increases to a new cost-of-living index.” (Scott Powers, “Grayson To Push SS Increase,” Orlando Sentinel, 8/23/15)
- Me-Too Murphy Eventually Responded With A Similar Proposal: “We introduced H.Res. 393, a resolution to protect and expand Social Security benefits, along with seventy-six cosponsors, to improve benefits.” (Press Release, 10/15/15)
…To campaign finance reform…
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Murphy’s 2012 Campaign Was Swimming In Super PAC Donations, Including Hundreds Of Thousands From His Father: “Murphy’s father, Thomas Murphy Jr., and Coastal Construction played prominent roles in his son’s win over ex-Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West. Murphy’s dad fueled a combined $550,000 into super PACs that bashed West in ads.” (Jonathan Mattise, “Gift Triples U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy’s Personal Wealth,” TC Palm, 12/30/13)
- Then Murphy Claimed He ‘Always Opposed’ The Citizens United Decision: “Last week, an op-ed published in this paper criticized my strong opposition to the 2010 Citizens United vs. FEC decision which created Super PACs, opening a flood of unaccountable money into our political system. That decision is among the most detrimental to our democracy in American history, and I have always opposed it.” (Patrick Murphy, “Why I’m Fighting To Overturn Citizens United,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/11/15)
…Murphy continues to sprint hard to the left. Unfortunately for Democrats, this bloody primary won’t go away just because Murphy wants to run and hide from his past statements.