I know we’re all supposed to be so overjoyed that former Patlosi Murphy punching bag Mike Fitzpatrick is jumping into the ring for a rematch this November that we forget the 9 other Republicans also running, none of whom have yet been defeated by Murphy.
I also know that there’s a lot of love for the guy within the upper echelons of the local Republican Party.
Look, if the guy is the nominee against Patlosi Murphy, I am of course going to support him. But we have to think long and hard about this, and I am firmly against the party supporting a candidate “Scozzafava Style” before the people have had a chance to weigh in.
Because no one else seems to want to interrupt the coronation, I feel like I have to remind local conservatives about some things. A good place to start is the National Journal’s 2005 list of the 25 most liberal Republicans in the House of Representatives. Fitzpatrick found himself at #24.
For those Fitzpatrick supporters who will want to immediately discount this, were you not all screaming that “Barack Obama is the most liberal Senator” based on the same methodology from the same publication?
The list for House members is compiled by looking at about 100 bellwether votes. They are scored based on a liberal / conservative scale and a correlation to each other.
Fitzpatrick was found to be more liberal than 44.7% of the House of Representatives that year. In detail, he was more liberal than 53% of the Congress on Economic issues like Taxes and Spending, more liberal than 44% of the Congress on Social issues, and more liberal than 45% of the Congress on Foreign Affairs.
Others who made the list are your usual group of RINOs from that time like Cap and Traitors Mark Kirk (#7), Mike Castle (#5), Frank LoBiondo (#19), and Dave Reichert (#25 – less liberal than Fitzpatrick).
I’m not going to trash the guy, but that’s some company. 4 of the 8 Republicans who voted for the disasterous Cap and Trade bill, with one of them showing up as less liberal than Fitzpatrick.
Doing a little more research, I found a page from Fitzpatrick’s site in 2006 called “Why Are Democrats Supporting Mike Fitzpatrick for Congress?” which was artfully deleted from FitzpatrickForCongress.com sometime after December 26, 2009 but still exists in Google’s cache. To be clear, this is information that appeared ON HIS OWN SITE while he was running for a second term against Patrick Murphy.
Because Google’s cache tends to disappear after a while, I have reproduced sections below. Remember, this is how Fitzpatrick was selling HIMSELF. He sold himself as an anti-Republican liberal. And, apparently, he got more liberal between the 2005 report I cited above and the 2006 report he cites below.
This is what he wanted you to know about him back then. Now: Not so much. Bolding and highlighting are mine.
Mike Fitzpatrick has been nationally recognized as one of the most independent-minded Congressman in the nation. The Bucks County Courier Times has publicized this fact, stating the following: “(Fitzpatrick’s) voting record may prove his independence. A recent report from National Journal that tracked 111 separate votes on economic issues, social issues and foreign policy gave Fitzpatrick scores of 45.5 liberal and 54.5 conservative. That means he was more liberal than 45.5 percent of the House’s 435 members and more conservative than 54.5 percent of members, or pretty much, right in the ideological middle.” ( Bucks County Courier Times, 04/24/2006).
Referring to a separate study, the Bucks County Courier Times stated the following: “[A]cording to a report released this week by Congressional Quarterly, a non-partisan Capitol Hill publication that covers Congress, Fitzpatrick has been one of the most independent voters in the House of Representatives this year. CQ tracked the voting records of the House’s 435 members on 196 votes since the beginning of the year that it identified as “party unity votes” or votes that had a clear division between Republicans and Democrats. The magazine’s analysis found that Fitzpatrick voted with the Republican Party 60 percent of the time, meaning he voted against Republicans 40 percent of the time. Only one Republican, Congressman Christopher Shays, R-Conn., voted against his own party as often as Fitzpatrick. The numbers are consistent with Fitzpatrick’s frequent claims that he is an ‘independent voice’ and votes for the interests of his district, not his party.”( Bucks County Courier Times, 07/15/2006)
Congressional Quarterly, a bi-partisan publication, has this to say about Mike Fitzpatrick : “Fitzpatrick, a freshman, is one of the most independent-minded House Republicans. In 2005, his CQ-defined “party unity” score, which measures how often he votes with his party on legislation that divides Republicans and Democrats, was 76 percent – the fifth-lowest among House Republicans. Fitzpatrick also opposed the stated position of President Bush more frequently than all but seven other House Republicans.” ( Congressional Quarterly, 05/18/2006).
And Terry Madonna, Director of the Center of Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College, referred to Fitzpatrick as one of the “least conservative Republican Members (of Congress).” ( Bucks County Courier Times, 04/24/2006).
Mike votes with his conscience and with his district, not with his party. This is something that we should all get behind. He has broken with his party and voted with the Democrats on many high profile issues. Mike has stood strong and battled against the Republican Party’s attempts to overly encroach on American’s civil liberties by voting against numerous provisions of the Patriot Act. Mike has been a staunch defender of the environment and wildlife, and has been recognized by the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Humane Society. Mike has repeatedly blocked the Republican Party’s attempts to drill in the pristine Artic (sic) National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). In fact, Mike delivered a nationally televised speech on the floor of the House of Representatives chastising the Republican Party over their environmental positions. That is leadership.
So much for “Drill! Baby! Drill!” For Fitzpatrick, it’s more like “Hug! That! Caribou!” And, if you care about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge so deeply, shouldn’t you learn how to spell “Arctic?”
Then there’s the part where he bragged about all the money he wasted through earmarks.
Mike Fitzpatrick has delivered the money and the jobs to Bucks County
In ten years as a county commissioner, Mike Fitzpatrick has done so much for our beloved Bucks County community. Mike was directly responsible for preserving over 11,000 acres of open space in Bucks County. He upgraded the county’s emergency management agency and 911 system. He created the major incident response team. He championed the enterprise zones in lower Bucks County which brought good paying jobs to our area. No county commissioner has done more for Bucks County than Mike Fitzpatrick.
In his first eighteen months in Congress, Mike Fitzpatrick has delivered the money and jobs to Bucks County in a big way. Mike Fitzpatrick has brought us:
• $1.25 million for a state-of-the-art fire training center in Lower Bucks County
• $250,000 grant for the Bristol Borough Police Department which will upgrade the department’s crime fighting technology infrastructure
• $425,000 for the Bristol Weed and Seed Program and Neighborhood One Project
• $450,000 to expand the capacity of Street Road by creating additional thru lanes and turning lanes
• $3.5 million to install bus shelters and transit signage, expand parking lots and improve bus access station improvements at Croydon and Levittown Stations In Bucks County
• $3 million for the Neshaminy Creek Flood Mitigation Program in Bucks County
• $50,000 to restore the historic Andalusia property
• $40,000 to restore the historic Delaware Canal
• $2.4 million for transportation enhancements along the Delaware Canal between Yardley and Bristol
• $5.9 million for US Route 13 corridor reconstruction, redevelopment and beautification
• $250,000 grant for Bucks County to distribute to police departments to upgrade the departments crime fighting technology infrastructure
• $1.6 million for Route 313 turning lanes, truck climbing lanes in Doylestown, Plumstead and Hilltown Township
• $750,000 for the September 11 th Garden of Reflection Memorial
• $3.3 million for the Swamp Road Improvement Project
• $300,000 for the Quakertown Rail Investment Study
• $10 million for the Pennsylvania Turnpike- I-95 Interchange Project in Bucks County
• $50,000 to restore the historic Honey Hollow property
• $220,000 for a virtual business incubator at Delaware Valley College
• $750,000 for an array of construction, infrastructure improvement and tourism projects along the 160 mile Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Trail
• $2 million for a two-lane extension of Bristol Road from US 202 to Park Avenue, Chalfont and New Britain
Help me understand why, at a time of conservative ascendancy when a Republican just got elected in Massachusetts, we should support a guy for the Republican nomination that sold himself as a solid tree-hugging liberal. Has he transformed? Has he seen the small government light? Are we not supposed to be trying to send conservatives to Washington? Isn’t that what this whole year past year was about?
How can I, in good conscience, throw my full support behind a guy who bragged about how liberal he is?
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2010 Election, Bucks County, Mike Fitzpatrick, PA-8, Patrick Murphy, Republican Party29 Responses to “FLASHBACK: Fitzpatrick Makes List Of Most Liberal Republicans, Brags”
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Thanks for posting the facts about Fitzpatrick. That is how I remember him also but I didn’t have the facts to back it up. My most vivid rememberence of him was the mailings he would send bragging about how much money he had funneled to Bucks. That didn’t strike me as fiscally conservative. If he’s the nominee I’ll support him but I’m looking to someone else in the primary.
Agreed. Thank you for resurrecting the major parts of Fitzpatrick’s record which at best he’s hiding from and at worst he’s actively suppressing. We must have a robust Republican primary for the 8th District. If the local Republican committee decides that the nomination is his birthright, then they are as elitist as the Obama-Reid-Pelosi economic death panel that hands out fiscal candy to political cronies and lapdogs (as evidenced by their top secret negotiations with Big Union and Louisiana & Nebraska senators).
The last thing that Bucks needs is a RINO Patty Murphy Light or unholy Mike FitzSpecter creature “representing” our fellow citizens in the House.
Not to dangle a Third Party sword over the local Republican heads as this is the surest way to suffer defeat and further entrench the disastrous Democratic machine. We don’t need an alternative to the Republican Party, we need to change (return) it to the party of fiscal and conservative responsibility. The antidote-to-Obama slogan comes too easily: Change Back.
Agreed! Thanks for resurrecting this info.
Check this out as well from the Thomas Jefferson Club. “Mike Fitzpatrick and “the Party of Creeps.” http://wp.me/pBslf-kS
While your all busy patting yourselves on the back for your Fitzpatrick-bashing, remember that Fitzpatrick also voted FOR:
HR 966 – which would have made the Bush tax cuts PERMANENT while also eliminating the Estate Tax after raising its limit to $5 million.
HR 1015 – which required “any individual who desires to register or re-register to vote in an election for Federal office to provide the appropriate State election official with PROOF that the individual is a citizen of the United States.”
HR 6061 – which authorized and order the funding to build a DOUBLE security fence along the entire US-Mexican border.
HR 1000 – which provided severe reforms on lobbying and earmarks.
HR 861 — This vote pledged support for the War in Iraq and REJECTED a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
HR 4437 — This bill would clamp down on illegal immigration and toughen border security. It does not include any new avenue for current illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
HR 810 — Fitzpatrick voted AGAINST this bill which would have repealed restrictions on federal spending on embryonic stem cell research.
HR 686 – Which authorized federal courts to review the Terri Schiavo dispute.
My point being that Fitzpatrick is hardly a liberal ….
Someone should tell Fitzpatrick that. With the exception of the 2005 National Journal List of Top 25 Liberal Republican data, outdated at the time he created “Why Democrats Are Voting For Mike Fitzpatrick,” all of the other data in this post was garnered from FITZPATRICK’S OWN SITE where he bragged about how liberal he was.
Steven:
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Fitz is by far the most conservative and integral GOP candidate who can and will win in 2010.
I’ll ask again. Who is YOUR ideal candidate in the 8th District? Give me a name.
Do you also reject Rick Santorum as too liberal considering he also lost in 2006 and who also voted for the budget you claim is unacceptable cause of some spending items you reject.
I don’t know how this became about me. I highlighted information that “Fitz” promoted about himself 4 years ago. If “Fitz” didn’t want to be known as a RINO, why would he tout his RINO bona fides front and center on his own site? Was he just sticking his finger in the air and seeing which way the wind was blowing? How is that principled conservatism?
As I said in the main article, I will support Fitzpatrick if THE PEOPLE choose him as their nominee for this seat without the finger of the party bigwigs on the scale. We don’t need a “Scozzafava Style” back room deal. Regardless, I think anyone who reads this site knows that I will continue to relentlessly pound Murphy no matter what happens or who he’s running against.
The guy is a Republican. He’s obviously better than Murphy if only for reducing Pelosi’s power by a vote. But there’s no escaping the fact that there were dozens of Democrats with more conservative voting records than him in the 109th Congress. We can obfuscate it by pointing out selected conservative votes and start shooting the messengers who point it out and expect an explanation, but that’s his record and he’s obviously proud of being an anti-Republican “maverick” or he wouldn’t have created a page about it. He can’t run on his experience and then attack anyone who points out his record.
A name? How about “Bush?” Here’s another one: “Cheney.” Fitzpatrick is tied to them in the public’s mind, and there’s no escaping that. That’s an albatross that none of these clean slate / solid conservative candidates carry.
The guy needs to court conservatives in this district with more than lip service. This is supposed to be a process, not a coronation. I don’t owe the guy my support just by virtue of him being there. No one does. Answering my 6 questions in a direct manner would be a start.
Also, it’s not helping matters that the one time I met the guy he came across to me as a self-absorbed dick.
I’m clearly not one of these “Third Party” guys who demands a 100% true conservative. But someone not so obviously proud of his liberal tendencies would be useful. If he’s the nominee, he has my vote. My vocal, enthusiastic support is another matter entirely.
The reason I asked about “your” candidate, Stephen, is because unless you offer a specific candidate AND a solution …. you are just throwing dirt without solutions.
Secondly, which is it: was Fitz a Bush-clone or was he an independent thinker with a high rating on breaking with the party.
It can’t be both.
Many people, it seems, are just more interested in tearing down someone else than they are in building up their own candidate…. and that is not a recipe for victory.
Lastly, the budget deficit went DOWN both years Fitzpatrick was in office … 2005 and 2006.
Yes, that’s right my Fitzpatrick bashing friends. The budget proposed by the GOP and voted ‘yea’ by Fitzpatrick reduced the deficit in 2005 & 2006, the only two years he was in office.
2004 budget deficit = $413 billion (fitzpatrick not yet in office)
2005 budget deficit = $319 billion
2006 budget deficit = $248 billion
please stop doing Murphy’s bidding, my friends.
http://www.govtrack.us/
check it out. it’s all there.
Great article Steven. Very well written. Gloria Carlineo is staying in the race. She is the antidote. A new face and new voice to renew the party, authentically represent the people and restore faith in congress. You will have an option in the primary and a good option at that! Please visit her website, carlineo4congress.com. I believe she is the best candidate. I don’t understand why the local GOP leadership feels Mike is the savior. While he is a nice guy, what makes them think digging up an old candidate is a good idea. Recycling is great for paper and plastic but not for congressional candidates. Gloria is a great candidate who can absolutely beat the heck out of Murphy and doesn’t have any baggage. Why is everyone so willing to resurrect an old candidate who already lost to Murphy when we have fresh, qualified talent ready to serve? Why does the GOP keep doing the same thing expecting a different result? It’s a real head scratcher.
Kelly,
Keep scratching your head. It’s not the GOP, the people of the 8th want Fitzpatrick to run. If Carlineo is a serious candidate, although many don’t see her as ready for this type of office, she should prove herself with winning a local or state election. I agree she has a compelling story and wish her success.
Its great Ms. Carlineo is staying in for the primary. All the announced candidates have that option. I cant understand the logic of being willing to battle out a primary in a field of 9, yet quit when Mike Fitzpatrick enters the race. All 9 candidates have stated their willingness to fight in Washington for the 8th yet where is their willingness to fight to represent the 8th? They cant stand the heat so they get out of the kitchen before the first course is even ready to go into the oven! As recent dem primaries go Murphy fought Warren, Maresglia fought Miller and Obama fought Hillary to the bitter end. Yet our tough talking republican congressional candidates and thier followers seem “annoyed” that Mike Fitzpatrick, who brings a little competion to the primary, has decided to run. Where is their fighting spirit?
My second observation are critisizms of Mike Fitzpatrick NOT being a rubber stamp for the Republican party, yet several comments find independant, third party-tea party types an attractive addition to politcs as usual-which it is. As far as the comment about “Mike Fitzpatrick being a resurrected old candidate who already lost to Murphy .” Mike Fitzpatrick has won 3 County Commissioner races and one Congressional. Although he lost to Murphy in “06, he won Bucks County and over all lost by only 1500 votes or .05%
In Mike Fitzpatrick we clearly have a candidate who is a proven fighter, with a series of successful campaigns, and an independant record that reflects the concerns and values of Bucks County residents. I believe this to be “positive.” The other candidates, should they stay in, have an opportunity, as well, to get their message out, qualifications noted, and promote their vision for the 8th. However, If they dont or dont do it as well as Mike Fitzpatrick, that’s on them.
So true, bux.indy1776 –
The other candidates, and yes there are some good and decent people among those 9 others, seem more obsessed with Fitzpatrick than they are in defeating Murphy.
The other 9 should go out and begin talking up their OWN qualifications and vision rather than tearing down Mike Fitzpatrick, who has been fighting for justice and integrity inside the 8th district for years.
This is fun, let me chime in.
In a quick Thomas search I found the following
Bills supported by Mike Fitzpatrick:
in support of the military
HR 303 to increase compensation for disability due to service
HR 292 an increase in compensation to the families of the fallen
HR 458 to protect military service members from abusive insurance/investment schemes
HR 5037- which kept people from demonstrating at the funerals of the fallen
to support business
HR 23 pertaining to a ban on counterfeit goods,
HR 525 to help small business provide medical insurance for their employees
in support of children’s safety
HR 4894 providing for access to national criminal database information in respect to people who work with children
These two are from memory Deleting Online Predator Act- and the Jeremy Bell Act (you can google them yourself)
In regards to abortion-
HR 356 providing information to woman about the pain an infant will feel during an abortion
Religious freedom
HR 736 supporting religious freedom in Afghanistan
Fiscal responsibility
HR 1000 earmark reform
Let’s see
support the military -check
support business-check-
support life- check
support the safety of children- check
support fiscal responsibility -check
support religious freedom-check
Who will I vote for come election day?
Fitzpatrick -check
Plenty of people vote for big spending RINOs every two years. There’s no shame in it.
As for me, I’m for having a meaningful primary in May rather than seeing another Scozzafava style appointment to the position, the kind of appointments that have initially granted Fitzpatrick every office he’s ever held.
That said, I’m well aware of the old saw that it’s not what you know but who you know.
[...] Here’s a link to BucksRight blog, which has some information on his voting history: Flashback: Fitzpatrick Makes the List of Most Liberal Republicans. [...]
I’m just going to jump in here and say that people aren’t upset that Fitzpatrick is running. They are disappointed that he has jumped in and the Republican party is ready to anoint him, rather having an open primary and waiting until after the primary to endorse a candidate. They set up his announcement, had the signs made and hauled in the committeemen to create a crowd, for crying out loud. That type of favoritism is what has people upset.
Exactly.
[...] are real concerns about Fitzpatrick, including his electability and his notably liberal voting record. In his original race for the seat in 2004, Fitzpatrick was up against a place-holder candidate [...]
Facts aren’t dirt. Facts are facts. I saw relevant information, information the candidate himself put out there, and I highlighted it with analysis.
I didn’t say “Fitz” was a Bush-clone. McCain certainly wasn’t a Bush clone, but he got successfully tagged as one just as “Fitz” will. The perception – whether or not it fits with his liberal voting record – is already out there, and Murphy’s people have already begun to reinforce it, with their comments dutifully published unchallenged or rebutted by Murphy’s press department at the BCCT just as they will be throughout the election season.
I’d probably call “high rating on breaking with the party” something like “a low conservative voting record.” However, it’s fine to be an “independent thinker” in this respect, just like Snowe and Graham and Specter. Just don’t expect not to be called on your Snowe/Graham/Specter voting record during a Republican primary.
Look, part of the purpose of a Republican primary is to pin the candidates into promising to vote for things the Republican rank and file like should the candidate eventually be elected.
If the guy is going to get to Washington and vote for $4 a gallon gasoline and electricity rates that will “necessarily skyrocket” just like Murphy has, or for term limits on the protections of the Patriot Act just like Murphy has, or champion the phony cause of the Global Warming hoax just like Murphy has, people should know about it while they can still do something about it. I don’t know why the Fitzpatrick faithful are so scared of his record. I mean, I do know, but it’s a little unseemly.
Instead of wasting so much time and energy debating whether Fitzpatrick’s record should be reported, how about actually trying to defend his liberal votes, vocal opposition to the conservative agenda, and sheer pride in the number of votes he cast against the Republican grain and dollars he wasted through earmarks?
Steven, besides ANWR can you please name just ONE ‘liberal’ issue that Fitpatrick has voted for.
And before you shout “spending” .. if you double check your list of items above you will notice that most of them are highway improvements or construction … which most people, conservatives included, happen to think IS a valid responsibility of government, whether federal state or local.
Also, projecting your own prediction on how Fitzpatrick would vote on Cap & Trade is hardly an argument, is it??
Lastly, the Patriot Act was and still IS supported by the vast majority of common sense conservative thinking in the 8th district, and across America.
In fact many people credit the Patriot Act with helping keep us safe all these years … until it was ignored recently by the Obama leftists.
Again, besides ANWR … just one issue.
He sided with the lobbyists and voted against HR 420 (Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005).
I know you just wanted one, but this one is especially egregious: Voting against gasoline refining (HR 3893 Gasoline for America’s Security Act of 2005).
Voting with Sheila Jackson-Lee to approve HR 3824 (Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005)
Voting with Big Labor on H.R. 250 (Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2005)
Voted against small business on HR 742 (Occupational Safety and Health Small Employer Access to Justice Act of 2005)
Voted against small business on HR 741 (Occupational Safety and Health Independent Review of OSHA Citations Act of 2005)
Voted against energy independence on HR 6 (Energy Policy Act of 2005)
Voted against private property rights on 4772 (Private Property Rights Implementation Act of 2006)
Voted against HJ Res. 88 (Marriage Protection Amendment)
Voted against HR 5254 (Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act)
Voted against HR 5429 (American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act). That one could be an ad “Mike Fitzpatrick: Solidly against American Made Energy and Good Jobs!”
I’m out of time right now, but if you keep pushing me to research this guy it may turn out I really can’t support him in the fall. I remembered he was not so great, but not just how bad he really was.
Steven …. if you can’t support someone as decent and conservative as Fitz, perhaps you should seek a third party candidate.
Try Lingenfelter …. he seems more your style.
Steven — HR 3824 — This endangered species act was also co-sponsered by super liberals such as Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa and Bobby Jindal and about forty other solid conservatives .. and yet you are trying to make this bill out to be some liberal kook.
You are distorting my friend.
HR 742 ( Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) …. provide for the award of attorneys’ fees and costs to SMALL EMPLOYERS when such employers prevail in (friviolous) litigation prompted by the issuance of a citation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. — HECK this is a conservative position if I ever saw one!!!
Steven you are stretching it. Where is your hatred coming from. I dont get it.
Cute. Were you weeping when you wrote that?
Weeping? Hardly. I just don’t like seeing someone I thought was on the right side suddenly going over the cliff.
I don’t like seeing someone who I thought was rational get quasi-religious and attack me personally over a political candidate.
Still waiting for your defense of his errant votes.
He voted AGAINST HR 742 ( the bill that is “a conservative position if I ever saw one!!!”)