Murphy: Boockvar is a Fighter, a Mother, and a Leader

Kathryn Boockvar, Democratic candidate for the 8^th congressional district, formally opened her Bristol campaign office today.  Around 50 people attended, which made for a full office.  These are rough  notes from the public comments at the event, followed by some personal observations.  This is not intended as a full transcript.  As always I apologize for any errors or misconceptions.  Voters with questions should contact the campaign.  Boockvar's campaign website is www.boockvar.com.

 Patrick Murphy, who represented the district from 2006 to 2010, introduced her. 

Murphy said Boockvar would represent the families in this ear.  He knows her personally and professional and there would be no stronger representative of our families and seniors.  She’s a fighter, a mother, and a leader.  Washington, DC is polarized; people refuse to talk to each other.  There is an article in today’s Inquirer on health insurance rebates due to the new health care law.  It did away with discriminating based on pre-existing conditions and discriminated against women. 

Her opponent wants to go back to discriminating against women.  There is a clear contrast.  The economy is not bleeding jobs like it was at the end of George W. Bush’s presidency.  We need to create meaningful jobs.  There used to be 15,000 jobs at US Steel down the road.  Then it was a brownfield.  Now it houses the 5^th largest solar field in the United States, people are manufacturing wind turbine and solar panel components. 

Congressman Fitzpatrick was the deciding vote on CAFTA.  He said he wouldn’t vote for it then buckled under pressed and voted for it.  Kathy Boockvar won’t be pressured by Democrats or Republicans; she will do the right thing.  Fitzpatrick voted against tax credits to keep jobs in the United States.  It is up to us to fight for our values.  Give Kathy a chance.

The political polarization is a disgrace.  As John McCain said, “Country First.”  The Republicans this eyar said their goal above all was to make Barack Obama a one term president.

Kathy is one of us.  She will fight for civil rights, our families, and our seniors.

Kathryn Boockvar then addressed the crowd.  She thanked Murphy, campaign staff, volunteers, interns, and fellows. 

Paul Ryan, Todd Akin, and the RNC draft platform are extreme, and far from the center.  Fitzpatrick and Ryan want to end Medicare as we know it.  They want to redefine rape and support the Tea Party agenda.

American should take care of the middle class families before taking care of millionaires and billionaires.  We need to create good paying jobs and send our kids to college. 

I’ve spent my career fighting for Pennsylvania families.  I’ll take that to Washington and make Congress and Congress a common sense.  It is not enough to have a vision.   Making a vision a reality takes hard work.  We need to end tax breaks for billionaires and special interests. 

You are my eyes and ears and boots on the ground.

Personal notes:   Murphy is clearly very popular with his neighbors in Bristol.  He brought his children with him, and was dressed casually.  It is one of the few times I've seen him when he wasn't wearing a suit.  The crowd was anxious to greet him, ask about his family, and talk about local matters.  They weren't asking political favors; they just like him.

Boockvar's volunteers are devoted to her.  The campaign staff greeted me when I came in and steered me towards the food (woot!).  The volunteers talked about how wonderful they think Boockvar is and one woman told me how much she enjoyed spending time on the campaign.  

I like going to events in Lower Bucks County because the people there are just so darn nice.  It's not always easy to find locations; one way streets abound and if you aren't familiar with that specific neighborhood it can be tricky to maneuver.  But it's always well worth the effort.   

Boockvar seems at ease with people.  She walked around the room greeting people, many of whom wanted to be photographed with her.  Her daughter was in attendance and frequently went to stand by her mother.