October 15, 2007 by Grainne.

Last things first. We would like to invite everyone to our celebration tomorrow night at Hookslide Kelly’s. We plan to be there from about 8 p.m. onwards (feel free to arrive earlier, though, if you wish). We’ve reserved the back room, where there are two TVs — one for the Sox game, the other for the election results (or maybe just two for the Sox game). The pizza’s on us.

If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need reminders about when to vote or for whom you should be voting. But just in case, here’s where you vote: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php, and the candidate for whom to cast your vote: www.sendmurphytocongress.com. Polls are open from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Patrick will be stopping in at a number of polling locations throughout the district tomorrow, and his supporters will be out holding signs and showing support in as many of those locations as possible.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support, and we hope to see you tomorrow night, if not earlier in the day!

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October 13, 2007 by Grainne.

Yes, as we encounter pumpkins, cobwebs, and spooky signs of ghosts and witchery while going door-to-door canvassing with Patrick, we oftentimes feel like trick-or-treaters.  No luck getting any early offerings of Halloween candy yet, though.   We have, however, had the pleasure of meeting some really lovely people in this district, many of whom are thrilled with Patrick’s campaign and his ideas. 

If, by chance, we’ve missed meeting any of you, and you’d like to get in touch with Patrick to ask him a question before Tuesday’s election, please note that you may email him at volunteer@sendmurphytocongress.com.  He would be happy to talk or exchange emails with you. 

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October 12, 2007 by Grainne.

These are Patrick’s closing remarks (in video form) from the UMass Lowell Debate last Tuesday.  They may be closing remarks from the last debate before the election, but they’re not the last you’ll be hearing from him…

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October 10, 2007 by Grainne.

“I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t swallow.”

– Jim Ogonowski

Admittedly, that quote is taken out of context. You may have heard it once, twice or twenty times before in the context of Jim Ogonowski’s non-life-threatening case of a sore throat in that horrible Communist country to our north, Canada, where, rather than admit Jim to a hospital, evil Canadian doctors had the gall to send him packing to a pharmacy to buy some cherry-flavored throat lozenges, a bottle of Sudafed and a pack of Kleenex. Of course, Jim tells this story in the context of yet another logical vacuum in the health care debate. (Seen through to its conclusion, Ogonowski’s fairy tale actually turns out to be a parable demonstrating why a single-payer health care system is most effective, but that’s a matter for another day.)

At any rate, last night, Jim appeared to have been revisited by the same malady that struck him during his travels in Canada. He couldn’t talk. While symptoms of Jim’s affliction manifested themselves early in the debate, Patrick’s rebuttals pointing out Jim’s logical deficiencies inflamed and aggravated these to a point where not even a throat lozenge would bring back his voice.

Unless you actually saw or heard the debate last night, you probably wouldn’t be aware of this since, yet again, the newspapers failed in their responsibility to provide even the most basic of facts to the people.

Fred Thys of Boston’s NPR affiliate WBUR, however, did manage to get some airtime for Patrick. His short piece on last night’s debate, which can be heard here, highlights one of Patrick’s many victories. It also highlights the reasons why the Tsongas-supported Massachusetts health care plan fails and why a universal, single-payer health care plan would best serve us all.

Video from the debate is now available online so that you may draw your own conclusions about it. I believe you’ll find that Patrick gave real meaning to the word “debate” last night in a way that no other candidate did. He not only effectively stated his own positions, but also he was the lone force driving rebuttals that challenged the other candidates’ statements. This is what we should all want in a congressman: someone who drives the debate with thoughtful ideas and solutions, who challenges the flawed arguments that do nothing to advance our society as a whole, and who, all the while, does so with the utmost conviction and decorum.

We only wish the debate were longer so that Patrick would have had more time to convey his nuanced ideas (which are difficult to fit neatly into 10-, 20-, and 30-second responses) and to expose more comprehensively the fallacies of the other candidates’ positions. I must say, though, that I am personally grateful that I will never again be subjected to Ogonowski’s “Canadian sore throat” or “great-grandmother from Poland on the deck of a ship” stories again.

One last thought. The only criticism Patrick received after his performance last night had to do with his local accent. For the record, Patrick has always spoken this way (as his older sister, I know this).  While his opening and closing statements may have sounded more lyrical than his everyday banter, this is a good thing. For how can we expect people to be inspired by a leader unless he delivers his remarks in an inspiring manner?

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October 6, 2007 by Grainne.

Tomorrow, Patrick and the campaign will continue canvassing efforts in Lowell and Ayer. We are looking forward to meeting more people in both of these locales.

We’d like to invite anyone who wishes to join us for the end of the Patriots game, the Sox game, some traditional Irish music and a bit of political discussion (in between tunes/commercial breaks) in a relaxed environment to head to O’Hanlon’s in Ayer tomorrow (Sunday, October 7) from 3:30-7:30 p.m. or so. O’Hanlon’s is a great pub, and you’ll have the opportunity not only to meet the candidate, but also to hear him play some Irish tunes on his tin whistle. Patrick will be joining Flynn Cohen on guitar, his brother Dan on bodhran, and his sister Grainne on fiddle. Should be a nice afternoon. Hope to see you there!

(For directions, click HERE.)

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October 6, 2007 by Grainne.

Click HERE for the latest from Patrick Murphy caught on film.

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October 6, 2007 by Grainne.

Video from Patrick’s appearance on NECN in the only live televised 5th District (post-primary) debate is now available: click here.  For now, at this late hour, let’s just say, “res ipsa loquitur.”   

And, well done, Patrick.

In case you missed it, the NECN debate will re-air at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 8.  If you’d prefer a live debate, the last one is this coming Tuesday, October 9 at UMass Lowell. 

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October 4, 2007 by Grainne.

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 Patrick Murphy’s ”Shared Sacrifice” bill.  Yesterday, Congressman McGovern (D-Mass, 3rd District) officially 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.   

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October 3, 2007 by Grainne.

For the Lowell Sun article on Micky Ward’s endorsement of Patrick, click here.

Today’s Sun also included a story about all 5th District candidates.  The section devoted to Patrick focused on his Shared Sacrifice Act, a form of which Congressman Jim McGovern and other senior Democrats introduced in Congress today (more on that later). 

We were also pleased to read a letter to the editor of the Sun from Mr. Patrick Hughes of Ayer, entitled “Murphy is an independent thinker.”   It seems that Mr. Hughes shares not only Patrick’s good name,  but also his good ideas.  We wish to thank Mr. Hughes for his letter, his vote and his courage to stand with Patrick and the campaign in ensuring that a “new voice” is heard.

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September 27, 2007 by Grainne.

Here are the links to some more recent articles:

http://www.townonline.com/littleton/homepage/x775332081

http://www.lowellsun.com//ci_7004133?IADID=Search-www.lowellsun.com-www.lowellsun.com

http://www.lowellsun.com//ci_7004140?IADID=Search-www.lowellsun.com-www.lowellsun.com

http://www.lowellsun.com//ci_6994025?IADID=Search-www.lowellsun.com-www.lowellsun.com

Patrick also appeared on both WUML and WCAP radio programs this morning.  We’ll post a link to the WUML interview once it’s available.  (WCAP, however, doesn’t post its shows online.) 

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