Arrogant Chris Murphy goes Vegas

Once upon a time there was a Democratic politician named Chris Murphy who, before he got elected to Congress, made a point of how much time he spent walking around his district and talking to  indivdual people.  

Yep, lots of stuff about "listening to people" "crossing party lines",and "knowing about individual towns".  People tired of politicians "talking at people".

That was Chris Murphy trying to get elected. What does Murphy do while in office?

Well, he isn't crossing party lines since he supports Nancy Pelosi 99% of the time.

And he isn;t listening to people in his district anymore.  Remember last year's health care faceoff at the Simsbury Stop & Shop?

Not this summer ! He's doing "telephone town halls" so he can sit out of sight behind a screener.

And how can he listen to ordinary CT voters when he spent the weekend away from his wife and infant son to hang with the Netroots Nation at a swanky Las Vegas hotel?

Chris Murphy has decided he needs the far extreme liberal elements of the Democratic Party more than he needs the ordinary voters of Connecticut.  The Kos and Huffington caucus is now his political base, not western CT.  

Murphy isn't running for Congress anymore, he wants to pick up the torch carried by Ned Lamont  run for the Senate and be the hard-line "progressive" opponent to Joe Lieberman,

He lamented the lack of liberal arbor in the upper house at this little soiree hosted by the Kossacks

 This discussion of lessons learned in 2009 and 2010 about engaging with Congress to advance progressive policies will include emphasis on the Congressional Progressive Caucus and draw contrast with the Blue Dogs. We'll have a frank discussion of how House progressives choose issues to organize around; factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of successful organizing around an issue; the mechanics of moving policy through Congress, and where key leverage points for the Netroots are; case studies on healthcare reform and Afghanistan; House-Senate dynamics and what changes can be made to push progressive ideas more successfully onto the President's desk.

I note one of Murphy's co-panelists was Rep. Raul Grijalva, one of the leading opponents of the Arizona immigration enforcement law.  Amnesty much, Chris?

It's interesting Murphy spent the weekend hobnobbing with powerful liberals in Nevada, a state with 14% unemployment. He might have needed to go that far away to escape the 14% unemployment in Waterbury and the 12% unemployment in New Britain; issues he might care about if he deigned to commune with the commoners he claims to "represent".

The 2006 version Chris Murphy mouthed some words that matter. It is time to change the tone in Congress. It's time to elect citizen legislators who really care about their constituents, not use them as stepping stone to personal political glory.

In 1996 5th District Republican Gary Franks started his 1998 senate campaign before his House re-election. He was defeated. Same story, different year?  

A real down to earth candidate, Sam Caligiuri, wants Murphy's job. If elected, I am reasonably sure he will be spending his time in Newtown and New Fairfield, not Nevada.