What Florida New Dem Patrick Murphy Did To Undermine Hillary Clinton

On May 8, 2014, the Republicans rammed through a resolution to establish the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, a committee specifically designed as a witch hunt to drag Hillary Clinton through the mud and sully her name before the 2016 presidential election. Every single Republican voted YES (225 of them) and 186 Democrats voted NO. Seven of the worst Democrats in the House-- the ones who consistently vote for Boehner's agenda day in and day out-- crossed the aisle and voted with the Republicans. These were the seven putative Democrats:

• Ron Barber (Blue Dog-AZ)
• John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)
• Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)
• Patrick Murphy (New Dem-FL)
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
• Nick Rahall (Blue Dog-WV)
• Kyrsten Sinema (Blue Dog-AZ)

If there's a bright side to this ugliness, it's that most of the treacherous Democrats were forced out of Congress just a few months later. Mike McIntyre, knowing he had no chance to win reelection, retired. Barber, Barrow and Rahall were defeated at the polls when Democrats refused to show up and vote for them. Each experienced a gigantic fall-off in his vote from 2012-- Barber from 137,993 to 108,230, Barrow from 138,965 to 75,123 and Rahall from 107,302 to 62,309.

Sinema and Peterson are still in the House, working every day to undermine progressive legislation and destroy the Democratic Party brand as a vehicle for progressive ideas and values. Oh, and so is Patrick Murphy-- but he's also been recruited by Chuck Schumer to run for Florida's open U.S. Senate seat against stalwart progressive Alan Grayson. Murphy would probably have been defeated as well, but he drew a weak Republican opponent, Carl Domino, and Murphy's father and his crooked friends-- three of whom just pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing-- spent immense sums of money to prop him up. Murphy spent $4,924,668 to Domino's $1,498,450. On top of that, his developer father-- a kind of Florida Trump-- persuaded the National Association of Realtors, which gives almost all its money to right-wing Republicans, to spend $875,278 on Patrick's behalf. Steve Israel's incredibly corrupt DCCC threw in another $400,000+. And the shady Blue Dog PAC (Center Forward) put in another 161,770.

Murphy was recently named the least effective Member of Congress-- which is especially embarrassing for Schumer and his Wall Street allies inasmuch as Grayson was named the most effective. Not that Schumer even wants anyone competent or effective in the Senate. He just wants frightened little yes men... like Patrick Murphy.

Meanwhile, Florida journalists, some of whom are on the Murphy family payroll and others of whom are seeking to curry favor with the execrable Schumer, never ask Murphy why he voted with the GOP to throw Hillary to the wolves. Whether you're a Bernie supporter or a Hillary supporter, you can back Alan Grayson's campaign here-- and help make sure Patrick Murphy goes back to his Republican roots.

UPDATE Adam Schiff Suggests Ending The Witch Hunt

This morning, my own congressman, Adam Schiff, who is the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of the Select Committee on Benghazi, published an OpEd in the NY Times: Disband the Benghazi Committee. I wonder how Patrick Murphy feels about seeing a colleague demanding his handiwork be obliterated. "[T]he Select Committee," wrote Schiff, "became little more than a partisan tool to influence the presidential race, a dangerous precedent that will haunt Congress for decades. This is all the more painful when you consider how grievously the committee has let down those families, along with the rest of the American people."

When I was asked to join the Select Committee, I was deeply skeptical about its true mission, and questioned whether I-- or any other Democrat-- should participate. After eight investigations, what could a ninth contribute? But I was determined to do my part.

Since its formation, the Select Committee on Benghazi has been aimless and slow moving, not knowing what it was looking for or where. It has acted in a deeply partisan way, frequently failing to consult or even to inform Democratic members before taking action, and selectively leaking information to the press. After 16 months and more than $4 million, the committee has gained no additional insight into the attacks in Benghazi. It has nothing new to tell the families of those killed or the American people.

...Whatever their original purpose, the Select Committee’s leaders appear no longer to have any interest in Benghazi, except as the tragic events of that day may be used as a cudgel against the likely Democratic nominee for president.

The committee is solely concerned with damaging her candidacy, searching for something, anything, that can be insinuated against her. With all of the committee’s obsessive focus on Mrs. Clinton, you would think that she was a witness to the killings, instead of half a world away.

Some of my colleagues think this is just good politics. And already, other ambitious committee leaders are hoping to get in on the act with their own inquiries and attacks on Mrs. Clinton. This is a terrible mistake, and it would be no less offensive if it were a Democratic majority going after a Republican candidate. Do we really want to see future select committees ginned up to attack other likely presidential nominees?

A committee that cannot tell the American people what it is looking for after 16 months should be shut down. Otherwise, Benghazi will come to be remembered not for the tragedy that claimed four American lives, but for the terrible abuse of process that now bears its name.

UPDATE 2: The Ties That Bind-- Trump and Patrick Murphy

Spoiled little rich kid and "ex"-Republican, Patrick Murphy, who has refused to agree to a debate with progressive icon Alan Grayson, instead put out one of his childish and unfounded press releases calling Grayson names, this time comparing him to Donald Trump. Ironically, Trump is an associate of the Murphy family and is in business with Murphy's father, a real estate developer and a major GOP donor who has also financed his son's worthless political career. He built 2 major projects for Trump. Grayson's campaign responded to Murphy's attack by telling the media that "Murphy’s family construction business-- where he used to work, where his daddy’s money comes from, and in which he owns a share worth $1 million to $5 million-- has a business relationship with Donald Trump. How much money has Donald Trump put in Patrick Murphy’s pocket?" A Murphy insider whined that he opposed the Trump attack on Grayson but that Chuck Schumer, who is backing Murphy on behalf of the Wall Street banksters, persuaded him to do it. What a mess! No wonder Murphy was recently named "the least effective Member of Congress."