If Patrick Murphy can't behave before he's elected, what will he get up to as a United States senator?
Even Democratic leader-in-waiting Chuck Schumer has to be asking himself those questions today, considering the money and gravitas the national Dems have injected into millionaire Murphy's Florida Senate race.
You would think the petulant, privileged candidate would smarten up and show a little appreciation to Schumer, who backed Murphy over another Florida U.S. representative, Alan Grayson -- Schumer, who took time out recently to fly to Florida and personally intervene in Murphy's train wreck of a campaign.
Apparently Murphy didn't like Schumer dressing him down for "the continual embarrassing headlines his campaign has been generating." Why are we so sure? Because Murphy, in full pout pose, says he's not sure who he's backing for party leader. Schumer now knows he might not get Murphy's vote.
This comes at about the same time Murphy weighed in with his own in-depth analysis of the $400 million in cash delivered to Iran on the same January day Iran released four American hostages. One word was all he could muster. Murphy called these revelations "concerning."
Sean Philbin, research director and strategic communications advisor for the Senate Leadership Fund, couldn't help but notice. "What’s actually more concerning is Patrick Murphy’s world view on foreign policy," Philbin said. "Last August, in his statement expressing support for President Obama’s disastrous Iran nuclear deal, Murphy channeled his inner Neville Chamberlain and stated his belief that the deal would lead to 'peace in our time.'”
As the Washington Examiner reported at the time, “Rep. Patrick Murphy, the Florida Democrat who is running to replace Sen. Marco Rubio, endorsed the Iran nuclear deal on Monday by saying it would help the cause of ‘peace in our time’ -- echoing the infamous words uttered by Neville Chamberlain after he struck a deal with Adolf Hitler.” (And, of course, huge blunder -- war ensued the following year.)
Even the Washington Free Beacon picked up on Murphy's use of one of history's most ridiculed remarks: “Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla. is coming under fire from fellow Democrats for coming out in favor of the Iran deal in order to promote ‘peace in our time,’ a reference to former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s famous remarks about the Munich agreement,” the Free Beacon reported last September.
So, let's see what we know about Patrick Murphy:
- He has accomplished virtually nothing, either for his district or his country, after four years in the House of Representatives.
- He can't be trusted to tell the truth, judging by his inflated resume.
- Donations to his campaign have been fraudulently procured in a straw donor scam, according to a lawsuit filed against his campaign.
- There are serious questions about the friends he might be beholden to.
- A hard-working man of the people? The jury's definitely out.
- He shows more political allegiance to his father's priorities than to his party's (see above).
- And either his grasp of history is lacking or he just likes saying the darndest things (see above).
Murphy claims his biggest problem is name recognition -- getting Floridians to know him better.
Be careful what you wish for, Patrick. Every day, day by day, Florida voters are getting to know you just that little bit better.
As Sean Philbin wryly advised, "Keep doing you, Patrick."
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
