Letter to the Editor of the Intelligencer, Jan. 10

In "How to keep your job in Congress," Mr. Mullane advises Congressman Murphy to still “bring home the bacon” but not to "go native" down in DC and “sell out” to the “corporate barons.”

Mr. Mullane thinks that the voters don’t want to “lose in Iraq,” don’t want to pay more in taxes, don’t want “nationalized healthcare,” don’t want to impeach the president, neither should Congressman Murphy “follow the advice of committees and study groups.”

This is worse than useless advice. Of course nobody wants to lose, to pay more taxes, to pay for teapot museums, or any other kind of folly and unpleasantness--real or imagined.

Is Mullane trying to help our newly elected congressman keep his job or is he trying to make sure he loses it?

Anyway, if the Democrats have their way, earmark spending will disappear and the problem that his predecessor faced in voting for the teapot museum in order to secure funding for Bucks County won’t exist.

The voters, including many who voted for Patrick Murphy, are looking for serious change. If by “moderation” Mr. Mullane means “bringing home the bacon” and staying away from the big stuff, I think that will leave voters dissatisfied. Voters are fed up with corruption, they want out of Iraq, they want a solution to the healthcare mess, and they recognize that their standard of living is declining. Republicans suffered at the polls because Bush and GOP leadership failed the country.

But if it’s not going to be business as usual it may be difficult for Congressman Murphy to “bring home the bacon” and raise the millions of dollars necessary (by the conventional wisdom) for his reelection in 2008. If it is business as usual then many voters will be disappointed.

America faces serious problems for which Mr. Mullane’s one-liners are not helpful. Congressman Murphy has a tough job ahead and deserves better advice than what’s offered by our columnist.

We at Upper Bucks for Democracy and Bucks County Progressive Democrats of America do, however, join in Mr. Mullane’s final thought: Best of luck, Patrick, in your efforts to make things better.

Jeanne Doyle
Upper Bucks for Democracy