June 14, 2024
The Right-Wing Lawmaker Behind the Moderate Image
by Hal Wright

Brian Fitzpatrick's voting record places him far to the right of his public image and most of his constituents.

It's a question Democrats have been asking for most of the eight years Brian Fitzpatrick has been in office: How do we get folks to notice what Fitzpatrick does rather than what he and his PR team say he does? On this website, we have compiled a growing list of Fitzpatrick's right-wing votes and quid-pro-quo relationships. To be clear, Fitzpatrick is not the worst of the worst. But he is certainly no friend to moderate voters seeking reproductive rights, free elections, schools safe from gun violence and bullying, better healthcare, and a fair tax code.

Several factors work to create a near perfect obfuscation around Fitzpatrick's record, starting with his brother Mike's sterling reputation and service to our community. When Brian Fitzpatrick was recruited from California to run in Mike's stead, an effort was made to confuse voters as to which Fitzpatrick was actually running. On campaign signs, Brian's first name was printed in a tiny font that could barely be seen.

Along with his congressional seat, Brian also inherited his brother's campaign team. Right away, they moved to isolate Brian from unscripted, unchoreographed interactions with the public, a habit which continues to this day. Brian Fitzpatrick's campaign and fundraising style is to meet with constituents in the context of informal meetings or private gatherings. In his newsletter and on social media, Fitzpatrick announces that these meetings took place and praises the participants, without providing any details about what was discussed. Only occasionally is there a connection between the meeting and pending legislation.

Which brings us to Fitzpatrick's legislative style: find a good-sounding bill, sign on as a co-sponsor or supporter, and hype the bill. Rarely is there any follow up as to whether the bill passed — it probably didn't — or whether it worked as Fitzpatrick claimed it would. It's all sizzle and no steak.

Fitzpatrick is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of self-described moderate representatives from both parties with numerous problems of its own. It hasn't gotten much done. It's in turmoil after a failed attempt to pass its own bill funding the border and foreign allies. It's a product of No Labels, a group which derives its funding from hedge fund and private equity leaders, not ordinary citizens who want government to work for them. More sizzle without the steak.

The bulk of Fitzpatrick's own campaign funding comes from big-money donors and PACs, not constituents. His partners in fundraising have included Karl Rove and Kevin McCarthy, along with other right-wing figures. To whom is Fitzpatrick beholden?

For any Republican politician, a side benefit of having convinced most everyone that they are moderate includes becoming the go-to "safe" choice for liberal groups with a need to endorse members of both major parties. Thus, Fitzpatrick has benefited from endorsements by numerous groups — teachers' unions, trade unions, gun safety advocates — in spite of his Democratic challenger being demonstrably the better ally of the group.

Brian Fitzpatrick has always skirted answering important questions when the answer might belie his meticulously crafted moderate image. In those rare instances when he is cornered and asked such a question, such as whether he supports Donald Trump, Fitzpatrick runs away. No, for real. He literally runs away.

In a final ironic twist, far-right activists, who take issue with any politician not 100% aligned with MAGA in word and deed, classify Fitzpatrick as a RINO: Republican in Name Only. Their venom helps Fitzpatrick to burnish a moderate image he has not earned.

We in Newtown Democrats know it will be difficult to overcome these obstacles as we help voters see past the "purple haze" around our congressperson. We must try though; the stakes are just too high.

June 13, 2024
Fitzpatrick Joins Team MTG in Impeaching Mayorkas
by Dana Rollins

Republicans are blood-thirsty for someone to blame for an immigration problem that dates back to well before the 1930s when America went nativist and deported more than one million people of Mexican ancestry. They could have focused on why so many people are so desperate they’re willing to leave their homes and risk their lives on the perilous journey to reach the promise of America. Instead they decided to impeach a cabinet secretary who’d been on the job for less than two years. They needed a scapegoat, and Alejandro Mayorkas would do just fine.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is the one who introduced the resolution to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security for high crimes and misdemeanors (H.Res.863 118th Congress). It failed to pass on the first vote largely due to the ‘no’ votes of three Republican representatives: Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher, of Wisconsin, and Tom McClintock, of California. Don’t get the wrong idea. These are not moderate Republicans. These are the kind of Republicans who have no problem voting to protect semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity magazines. But even they couldn’t stomach this taxpayer-funded farce.

The conservative Wall Street Journal Editorial Board proclaimed: Impeaching Mayorkas Achieves Nothing. A policy dispute doesn’t qualify as a high crime and misdemeanor. Despite this, the resolution was brought to the floor a second time. It passed by a single vote. Representative Buck was quoted as saying, “You can try to put lipstick on this pig. It is still a pig.”

Where was Brian Fitzpatrick in all this? He was going-along-to-get-along, matching his vote with the likes of Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Scott Perry, and Lauren Boebert. Perhaps he felt he needed to ingratiate himself with Marjorie Taylor Greene and the rest of the extreme MAGA right. It’s a head scratcher. This hardly seems like the actions of someone who loves to tell us what an independent thinker he is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s his prerogative to join the clowns and carnival barkers who now seem to be running the House of Representatives, just don’t pretend to be anything else.

If Brian Fitzpatrick feels it’s okay to impeach someone over a policy dispute, you would hope he’d understand when he gets impeached for the same thing. After all, Fitzpatrick has voted against allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. Against extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. Against expanding tax credits for renewable and clean energy efforts. Against establishing a 15 percent corporate minimum tax. Against prohibiting restrictions on access to abortion services. And against developing strategies to lower food and fuel costs. If these are Fitzpatrick’s policies, there are more than a few constituents of Pennsylvania’s 1^st District who have a legitimate dispute with that.

So, should Brian Fitzpatrick be impeached? Probably not. After all that would make us as bad as those we rail against. But the need for him to be voted out of office is indisputable.