Since its inception, this campaign has had several conversations with congressional staffers of select offices, including Congressman Jim McGovern’s office, searching for a sponsor for [1] Patrick Murphy’s ”Shared Sacrifice” bill.  Yesterday, Congressman McGovern (D-Mass, 3rd District) officially [2] introduced legislation in Congress that would impose a “war surtax,” based on a Patrick’s “Shared Sacrifice Act.”  McGovern has partnered with House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey and Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania in introducing this legislation.   Murphy and his staff are happy that their persistence has paid off and that in Congressmen McGovern, Obey and Murtha they have found allies and champions for this important cause. 

Early in August, WBUR, Boston’s NPR affiliate, highlighted McGovern’s announcement of his intention to introduce this legislation and attributed the idea behind it to Patrick Murphy.  NPR also discussed the proposal later that week when host Tom Ashbrook and guest host Jack Beatty, editor for the Atlantic Monthly, featured it as one of the week’s top stories and, once again, attributed the proposal to Patrick Murphy.  On August 5, 2007, the Lowell Sun also wrote a brief piece crediting Patrick with the idea for the legislation (article posted in comment below). 

As Patrick has stated all along, however, what is far more important than who receives credit for his idea is that such creative ideas are put forth and acted upon.  Introducing new, independent ideas is what this campaign is all about.  The fact that a senior Democrat in Congress adopted Patrick’s idea, found other senior congressmen to support it, and introduced it as legislation is a shining example of how a true independent will create new ideas for legislation that will garner support from all (rational-thinking, intelligent, non-corrupt) parties.