Vote for Pennsylvania NOW Endorsed Candidate Patrick Murphy for Attorney General in Primary Election Tuesday, April 24

There’s a reason so many labor unions and progressive groups have endorsed Patrick Murphy. For one thing, he keeps his promises. See Dan U-A’s great post describing Murphy leading the successful fight to end DADT at http://www.youngphillypolitics.com/.  From Dan's post:

When Patrick tells us that he will be a strong advocate for Pennsylvania families targeted by predatory mortgage companies, I don’t really have to wonder. His body of work tells me that he will follow through.

This is a real opportunity here. Let’s support the people that have followed through on progressive fights, and get the word out on this race. Please, please, please: vote, and spread the word. Let’s not waste this chance.

Patrick Murphy has the broad social vision we need in an Attorney General. His opponent Kathleen Kane presents herself as “A prosecutor, not a politician.” That’s precisely the problem. We don’t need prosecutorial talent—there’s plenty of that around, and anyhow, it’s the rare case that’s tried by the Attorney General in person. What we need in the Attorney General of Pennsylvania is political courage and political ability—the courage and ability to go against the grain, to doubt received opinion, and to protect the rights of the citizens of Pennsylvania. Such courage has characterized Patrick Murphy’s entire short but distinguished career.

Despite his Army background, he always had the courage to challenge Army orthodoxy when he thought it misguided. He was able to see, and loudly state, that the Iraq War had been a serious strategic mistake. He was also able to see, and loudly state, that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was discriminatory and misguided. This gave President Obama the knowledgeable support he needed to repeal it. Patrick has shown political courage in other ways, as well. He was the first elected official from outside of Illinois to endorse Barack Obama for President—at a time when no one thought Obama had a chance.

Perhaps the easiest way to assess what Patrick would do as Attorney General is to consider a few of the positions he took as Congressman. Here, then, in no particular order:

Patrick helped enact the most sweeping set of financial regulatory reforms since the Great Depression. These reforms expanded the authority of state Attorneys General to protect the public from financial skullduggery.

According to Julia Ramsey, President of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Organization for Women, “Patrick is a proven leader on women’s issues…He’s 100 percent pro-choice and will refuse to enforce the unconstitutional mandatory ultrasound bill. He helped strengthen laws that prohibit gender discrimination in the workplace….” (For a complete list of Phila NOW endorsed candidates see http://www.philanow.blogspot.com/) 

Patrick has been a leader on environmental issues, and has helped pass laws both against the dumping perpetrated by industrial polluters and in favor of renewable energy. His leadership in this area is particularly important because of the ongoing drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. The gas drillers have the Governor and the Republican legislators in their pocket, it would seem. And it may take more than prosecutorial competence to protect the citizens of Pennsylvania from the environmental havoc they can wreak.

As a military lawyer prosecuting terrorists in Iraq, Patrick offers courtroom competence, but he offers far more. He has the potential to be an Attorney general in the mold of Eliot Spitzer—without the sex scandals, of course.  Please spread the word!!  

If you have a few hours to spare to volunteer for Election Day, please contact allison@murphyforpa.   If you would like to volunteer for Patrick in Mt. Airy/ Chestnut Hill please contact me at  kbojar1@verizon.net or Nina Ahmad at prymejenomix@gmail.com