The Intelligencer - Fitzpatrick Calls Out Obama for 'Lack of Leadership'

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By Gary Weckselblatt

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick didn't mention his Democratic opponent Kathy Boockvar or President Barack Obama by name, but he clearly blamed Obama's "lack of leadership" for the problems in Washington and said if Boockvar was elected, the 8th District would be represented by "San Francisco" values.

Fitzpatrick made the comments during a Friday breakfast at the Spinnerstown Hotel with members of the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce.

He said people often ask him why can't we get anything done with a divided government. Fitzpatrick said they can and have before, using both the Reagan and Clinton administrations as examples.

Both presidents, he said, reached across the aisle to work with the opposing party.
Reagan worked with former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-NY, to reform Social Security. Clinton and then House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-SC, reformed Welfare and had budget surpluses.

"There was leadership," said Fitzpatrick, a Republican. "They were willing to bring people together. Folks involved in the (White House today) prefer to divide the country."

The administration, according to Fitzpatrick, says "You can have your say, we're going to have our way."

Boockvar said she could help fix the problems in Washington that Fitzpatrick has been unable to.

"What I see in Congress is a place where there has been a complete halting of an ability to get something done and move forward," she said. "I've spent a lot of my time working to build bridges for people, for parties, for organizations. They go into situations not expecting to agree but realize you're able to find some productive solution to move forward.

"That's what Congress should be doing. Instead it's all about party and politics. To me, let's start with ourselves and not point the finger at somebody else."
About 40 people attended the Friday morning event, in which Fitzpatrick spoke for about 30 minutes. One questioner asked, "Why does George Soros have you targeted?"

Soros, a billionaire businessman, supports progressive causes, including CREDO SuperPAC. CREDO, based in San Francisco, has hired several organizers and opened a field office in Doylestown to "spread the word about Fitzpatrick's extremist Tea Party politics," according to a press release. It is not connected with the Boockvar campaign.

In response to the question, Fitzpatrick asked "would you rather be represented by San Francisco or by someone from Bucks County?"

Fitzpatrick has tried to tie Boockvar to Nancy Pelosi, the liberal congresswoman from San Francisco. Pelosi is a boogeyman to the right, much as the tea party is to the left.

Boockvar called it "fascinating" that Fitzpatrick "is making this contrast with me."
She said she out-raised him in campaign fundraising from individuals while Fitzpatrick took in more money from Political Action Committees.

"He says one thing in Bucks County and another thing in Washington," Boockvar said. "How can he be about Bucks County when he's out raising special interest money in Key Largo, Fla.?

"I raised my family here. I owned a business here. I've worked most of my life here. What I say in Bucks County will be exactly what I fight for in Washington."
Boockvar, an attorney from Doylestown, criticized the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling, calling it "one of the worst decisions in American history."

The court said the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions.

"It drowns out the voices of citizens while amplifying those of special interests and big corporations on all sides and from every direction," Boockvar said. "It's one of the worst things to happen to politics and political discourse."

Fitzpatrick tied the question about Soros to redistricting, saying he is the lone GOP House representative from Pennsylvania in a district with a Democratic edge in registration.

Fitzpatrick said "political consultants" in Harrisburg suggested removing heavily Democratic areas like Bristol and Falls from the 8th District, but he "insisted" Bucks County not be divided.

In actuality, the recent redistricting made the 8th more GOP-friendly as the Democratic portion of Montgomery County and Philadelphia were removed in favor of the Republican portion of the Indian Valley.

Fitzpatrick told the audience he was halfway through his goal of visiting 100 businesses in 100 days. He said three points stick out in conversations with business leaders: taxes are too high, regulations are "burdensome" and "health care is killing our ability to hire."

Fitzpatrick said he believes the Supreme Court will find the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional later this month. He said he supports health care reform that includes liability reform, an increase in competition and the ability for individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines.

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