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Rematch near, Murphy makes ‘FitzFlop’ argument

CORRECTION APPENDED (See bottom)

When former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick was facing a primary challenge this year, conservative opponent Gloria Carlineo’s campaign message was simple: that Fitzpatrick couldn’t be trusted after changing his positions and rhetoric on major issues.

Now that Fitzpatrick has easily captured his party’s nomination, the man he faces in the general election, Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8), appears set to seize on the same campaign theme. Even before Fitzpatrick had won last Tuesday’s primary, Murphy was preparing the argument against Fitzpatrick, who he bounced out of Bucks County’s 8th Congressional District in 2006.

Murphy’s campaign sent a letter to Fitzpatrick that night, asking him to clarify whether Murphy would be debating the Fitzpatrick who was called one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress—or whether it would be, as Murphy wrote, “Mike ‘Tea-Party’ Fitzpatrick.”

The very next day, Murphy’s campaign organized a conference call with reporters that featured former Fitzpatrick supporters decrying his shifting positions and endorsing Murphy. And Murphy has even picked up directly on language used by Carlineo’s campaign, referring to the policy shifts as “FitzFlops.”

Taken together, the strategy underscores the perils many Republicans face after they tack to the right in primary elections.

“Americans need to know where their leaders stand, and you’ll never have to worry about where I stand,” Murphy said during the conference call. “I vote with conviction, not with political whims. … Fitzpatrick must think his voters have amnesia.”

Fitzpatrick’s shifts are substantive, most notably on labor law and environmental policy. He was an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act but now opposes it. He supported an earlier effort to institute a cap-and-trade system to stem global climate change, but opposes similar legislation before Congress.

But his rhetorical transformation could be just as important. Whereas he boasted of being named one of the 25 most liberal Republicans in Congress during his 2006 race against Murphy, he disavowed that reputation during the run-up to the primary. That could prove especially perilous in the suburban Philadelphia district, which is hardly trending conservative in the way that others are.

Fitzpatrick’s campaign did not make him available for an interview last week. But campaign manager Kyle Whatley said that Murphy was focusing on the past to deflect attention away from his role in supporting the Democratic agenda in Washington.

“Congressman Murphy wants to look back four years because he doesn’t want the focus on what he’s done in office,” Whatley said. “What Mike Fitzpatrick is going to be focused on is what he’ll do to repair that damage.”

Fitzpatrick has been considerably more upfront that most regarding his change of heart on EFCA, saying the economic conditions have changed and that the legislation to ease the path toward unionization is no longer appropriate. He has elaborated far less on other policy shifts. Whatley reiterated Fitzpatrick’s argument on EFCA, and regarding cap-and-trade, said that the science on climate change was under greater dispute than before. While climate scientists have been stung by public relations blunders in recent months, the overwhelming scientific consensus that carbon emissions are contributing to climate change has not changed.

“The science changed and the economy has changed and the economy has changed since four years ago,” Whatley said, and any reasonable person considering these things is going to examine the fact and the changing circumstances and reexamine their policy.

“Responsible legislators are elected to look at the facts and make policy deicions that are best for their constituents,” he added, “and that’s what Mike is doing.”

In endorsing Murphy during the conference call last week, Tony Massaro, the political director of the League of Conservation Voters, echoed the skepticism about Fitzpatrick’s shift on climate change policy.

“The science hasn’t changed,” Massaro said. “The only thing that has changed is Mike Fitzpatrick and his politics.”

The race is ranked No. 10 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

Eric Katz contributed reporting.

Correction: Because of an editing error, this article originally misstated the name of the group for which Tony Massaro is political director. Is is the League of Conservation Voters, not the League of Conservative Voters.

May 25, 2010 at 10:55 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Mike Fitzpatrick, PA-8, Patrick Murphy

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