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Murphy discusses energy, economy
Sep 18, 12:53 PM
Lakeville Journal
By TERRY COWGILL
SALISBURY — Freshman Democratic Congressman Christopher Murphy (D-5),who faces a challenge from a Republican opponent in his first re-election bid this November, seems to know what’s on his constituents’ minds.
That’s why in his Saturday, Sept. 13, appearance at Salisbury Central School he wanted to limit the discussion largely to economics and energy — two subjects that are of immediate concern to voters in Connecticut’s 5th congressional district, which includes the Northwest Corner.
About 100 people turned out to hear Murphy give an update on what his office is trying to do in Washington. There was barely a mention of his re-election campaign against state Sen. David Cappiello (R-24) of Danbury, but Murphy laid the blame for many of the nation’s ills, including the lack of a coherent national energy policy, squarely on the shoulders of the Republicans who control the White House and controlled the Congress from 1992 to 2006.
Searching for an energy solution
Most of the audience members appeared to be residents of the Northwest Corner, where gasoline prices are higher than in nearby urban and suburban areas such as Torrington and Waterbury. So it was not surprising that much of the conversation focused on energy concerns.
“It is the most important issue,” Murphy said. “But the temptation isto use it to score political points or use it as window dressing.”
Murphy characterized the nation’s energy plight, particularly its need for oil, as “a demand problem but not fundamentally a supply issue.
“The burgeoning economies of powerhouses such as India and China “havecreated an insatiable appetite for this commodity,” while “our [U.S.]demand has remained relatively static” and the value of the U.S.dollar has fallen.
“This administration is doing little about it,” Murphy opined, referring to our dependency on oil.
“It’s exacerbated by the fact thatas long as we are dependent on a commodity produced in volatileregions, we are vulnerable.”Murphy conceded that production of oil and natural gas must increase, but his emphasis was on renewable sources such as solar and wind, which could reduce our demand for fossil fuels.
One audience member, Salisbury resident Claude Rollo, asked Murphy how widespread use of renewables would be possible given the high expense of investing in the needed equipment. Murphy cited the example of Germany, which offers generous subsidies for businesses and consumers who want to purchase the equipment.
“You take a relatively small amount of government money and leverage it to get more people to use alternative energy,” said Murphy, a member of the House Financial Services Committee.
He used a quote from Niccolo Machiavelli to show the kind of tenacityand courage it would take to tackle energy policy reform: “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, ormore uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order to things.”
Party politics
Other audience members asked Murphy about additional initiatives he is undertaking to benefit the state in particular. He cited his involvement with open space preservation and job retraining efforts.
Bob Estabrook, publisher emeritus of The Lakeville Journal Company, asked Murphy whether there is more partisanship among younger members of Congress than their elders.
But Murphy said age did not seem to be a factor as much as the demands of the job.
“There are really no opportunities anymore for Republicans and Democrats to be friends because the minute you are done legislating you are off raising money,” said Murphy, who has been an outspoken proponent of public financing. “We need to fix the campaign finance system.”
There was much applause. Others asked Murphy what they could do to help Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in his neck-and-neck race against Republican John McCain. Even though Obama is well ahead of McCain in Connecticut, Murphy, an early supporter of Obama, urged Democrats against being complacent.
Still, when asked what Democrats should do if Obama loses, Murphy predicted “he will win it in a landslide.”
Not known as one of the most partisan members of Congress, Murphy (who was married last year at The Wake Robin Inn in Lakeville) burnished his credentials with a personal anecdote about the recent birth of his son, Owen, which occurred at the end of the Democratic NationalConvention last month.
“Owen forced his mother into labor when Obama was giving his speech and was born on John McCain’s birthday. He is a bipartisan baby.”
