Bucks
Murphy Obama Questions
Dear Friends,
Good morning. The recent Associated Press story must have been bittersweet for Congressman Patrick Murphy. While it gave him credit for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the Bucks County Congressman won’t be in Washington to witness the implementation of the new law. Republican Michael Fitzpatrick will be taking Murphy’s place in January. Permitting gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military was a major civil rights victory.
“Congressman Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq war veteran elected to congress, was the lead sponsor of the house bill to repeal the policy that began 17 years ago under the Clinton administration,” the AP began (Dec. 23).
“Today, we close the books on the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that hurt our national security and ran counter to our American values,” Murphy said in an e-mail. “When I served in Baghdad with the 82nd Airborne Division, my team and I didn’t care who someone was writing to back home. We cared if everyone could fire their assault rifle, kick down a door, and do their job so we could all come home alive.
“Gay men and women are serving in our military,” Murphy continued. “I served alongside them in Baghdad, and they continue fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to protect our families at home. With today’s vote, we finally stop telling them that they have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love.”
Until eight Republican Senators joined their Democratic colleagues, the threat of a filibuster stopped the senate from taking a vote on repealing the measure [Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell]. When the Republican leaders realized that they couldn’t prevent the vote, they allowed the senate to consider approving the passage. It did, 65 to 31.
“More than 14,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women lost their jobs and their dignity over the last 17 years because they were gay, but there will be no more victims of this injustice,” the lead New York Times editorial stated two days later (Dec. 20). “The Senate vote to allow open service by gay and lesbian soldiers was one of the most important civil rights votes of our time. Saturday [the vote] may be remembered as the day when sexual tolerance finally became bipartisan.”
From the day the Obama administration began in 2008, every major Obama initiative has been crippled by the threat of senate filibusters. Whether it was the attempt to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” create health care, forge a nuclear treaty with Russia, or address the economy, Republicans have done their best to bring this president down.
The filibuster has always fascinated me. It’s so undemocratic. Any U.S. Senator or group of senators can stop legislation dead in its tracks by implementing Senate Rule 22. That is, senators can speak as long as they want unless a super majority (three fifth’s of the senate) votes to stop the debate. That means 60 of 100 senators. The super majority rule is called cloture and was imposed by the Senate in 1806. Without cloture, the senate cannot move on to other business unless the filibuster motion is withdrawn.
The House of Representatives has no such rule and passes legislation by a simple majority vote. I’ve always thought that the Senate should change its super majority rule. But it would require two thirds of the Senate, or 66 votes, to do so. How likely is it that 66 Senators would make that change? Alas, most of them believe that it’s not in their best interest to do so. Making that change has as much chance of the Senate, or any federal or state legislative body for that matter, to impose term limits.
I can hardly wait to ask Pennsylvania’s new U.S. Senator for his thoughts about the filibuster. Would Patrick Toomey introduce a measure to eliminate Senate Rule 22?
But I stray.
I was unsuccessful in reaching Congressman Murphy in order to get his views about the last two years. In all fairness, he’s been a very busy fellow. But, here are a few of the questions that I’d ask.
First, will Murphy run against Fitzpatrick in 2012? If the economy improves and voters have two years to reflect upon their decision this year, Murphy could reverse his fortunes.
My next questions for Murphy involve the president. During 2009 and 2010, President Obama had sizeable majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He wasted precious time in gathering congressional support for his agenda. Why did Obama fail to use discipline to keep Democrats in line?
During my lifetime, Lyndon B. Johnson stands out as the president who used harsh discipline to insure that members of his party did his bidding. LBJ was famous for his technique of using the carrot and the stick.
Why didn’t Obama use his popularity and personality to sell his programs to the American public?
I’ll try to track Murphy down so you can get his answers. In the meantime, Murphy’s four-year career has been worthy of applause. It’s not easy to be a front man for the President when so many are trying to undermine him.
It would have been safer for Murphy to sit on the sidelines of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” argument. The fact that he led the fight in the House of Representatives makes him a warrior of note.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith