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Patricia Murphy

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Don’t call Speaker Nancy Pelosi “crazy” lest people assume you’ve lost your mind, Murphy writes.

Nancy Pelosi may be many things. But ‘crazy’ isn’t one of them

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 17, 2020 at 6:00am
Constituents gesture during a town hall in New Jersey’s 7th District in 2017. The pandemic has limited opportunities for members to hold such in-person meetings, and that is not a healthy development, Murphy writes.

Congress returns from its August recess with America on mute

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 9, 2020 at 6:00am
A school bus lot on New York Avenue Northeast in Washington on Friday. Public schools face a reopening dilemma that would not have existed had Congress thought to rescue them before businesses, Murphy writes.

Stop saving businesses and start saving schools

By Patricia Murphy
Posted July 28, 2020 at 6:00am
A woman votes in Lorton, Va., in 2018. Suburban women turned away from congressional Republicans that year, and they are likely to repeat that this November, Murphy writes.

The moms are not all right

By Patricia Murphy
Posted July 8, 2020 at 6:00am
Protests against police brutality, such as this one in D.C. on June 6, offer Congress a chance to be a solution, and not another problem, Murphy writes.

If Congress can’t pass police reform now, we just don’t need a Congress

By Patricia Murphy
Posted June 23, 2020 at 6:00am
People march past Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on May 30 during a protest in response to the police killing of George Floyd.

On primary day in Georgia, a chance to pick up where MLK left off

By Patricia Murphy
Posted June 9, 2020 at 5:30am
UNITED STATES - MARCH 3: Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., talks with reporters after a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus in the Capitol on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The crucial privacy debate happening in the shadows of the coronavirus

By Patricia Murphy
Posted May 21, 2020 at 5:30am
As Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie learned the hard way recently, the days of the deficit hawk in Washington are not just numbered, they may be over, Murphy writes.

Is there any amount Congress can’t spend to save us?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted May 5, 2020 at 6:00am
South Carolina Republican Bob Inglis has no regrets about his 2008 vote for the so-called bank bailout of 2008 that later cost him his House seat.

He voted for a massive stimulus and lost his seat. He says he’d do it all again

By Patricia Murphy
Posted March 25, 2020 at 6:00am
President Donald Trump talks to reporters about the coronavirus Tuesday on Capitol Hill. Trump may want to remember that trust in a leader is earned in moments of crisis, and surrendered just as easily, Murphy writes.

Nothing to fear but Trump himself

By Patricia Murphy
Posted March 12, 2020 at 5:00am
With the future of his legacy at stake, former President Barack Obama must speak up on who he thinks is best equipped to win in November, Murphy writes.

Now would be a good time for Barack Obama to say something

By Patricia Murphy
Posted March 3, 2020 at 5:30am
The weight on Joe Biden’s shoulders is especially acute this year without his two sons at his side, Murphy writes.

Joe Biden’s lonely burden

By Patricia Murphy
Posted February 19, 2020 at 5:30am
If Democrats are serious about beating President Donald Trump, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be their best hope, Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Goodbye, Iowa. Hello, Bloomberg

By Patricia Murphy
Posted February 5, 2020 at 5:30am
To see how a Senate trial would work under nonpartisan circustances Murphy suggests the 2010 case of Judge Thomas Porteous Jr., center, in which Jonathan Turley, right, acted as lead defense counsel. (Tom Williams/Roll Call file photo)

Senate got its man in last impeachment trial

By Patricia Murphy
Posted January 13, 2020 at 6:00am
New Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s teamis prepared to spend $20 million of her own money for the 2020 cycle alone. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images file photo)

Who is Kelly Loeffler?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted January 6, 2020 at 5:00am
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., stands near the statue of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Capitol Rotunda before a memorial service for Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., in October. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Don’t go yet, John Lewis. We need you.

By Patricia Murphy
Posted December 30, 2019 at 11:04am
During impeachment hearings, career diplomat Marie Yovanovitch told of being called back as the ambassador to Ukraine in the middle of the night and, later, of being “shocked and devastated” to learn that President Donald Trump had told Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that she was “going to go through some things.” (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Thank you for your (government) service

By Patricia Murphy
Posted December 23, 2019 at 6:01am
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., after a meeting to announce a spending deal on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

What’s the shocking secret sauce to progress on the Hill? Impeachment

By Patricia Murphy
Posted December 16, 2019 at 5:30am
Nancy Pelosi has shown she’s a master of her own reactions, Murphy writes, but how will she manage the boiling rage of half of her caucus? (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Democrats have an anger management problem

By Patricia Murphy
Posted December 9, 2019 at 6:00am
Sen. John McCain waves to supporters at an opposition rally in Kyiv, Ukraine, in December 2013. No Republican has stepped in to replace the late senator as a top advocate for Ukrainian democracy, Murphy writes. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images file photo)

The missing voice of John McCain in impeachment and Ukraine

By Patricia Murphy
Posted November 18, 2019 at 5:30am
He was neither nominated nor appointed to the job, but that hasn’t stopped Rudy Giuliani from acting as de facto secretary of State since Donald Trump’s election, Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

How America’s mayor became America’s State Department

By Patricia Murphy
Posted November 11, 2019 at 5:00am
With the new rules in place regarding relationships between lawmakers and their staff, California Rep. Katie Hill had no choice but to resign, Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Why Katie Hill had to go

By Patricia Murphy
Posted November 4, 2019 at 5:30am
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House on Oct. 10. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call)

Impeachment is already a gold mine. Shut down fundraising until it’s over

By Patricia Murphy
Posted October 28, 2019 at 6:00am
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney answers questions during a briefing at the White House on October 17. He and other staffers were caught off guard by President Donald Trump's tweet attacking a senior U.S. diplomat as she testified in the impeachment proceeding. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Mick Mulvaney, from Washington reformer to chief of graft

By Patricia Murphy
Posted October 21, 2019 at 6:00am
Russia is far from done with destabilizing our democracy, Murphy writes. The Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Richard M. Burr, right, and Mark Warner, made that clear in its latest report on 2016 election interference. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

The most important document you may ever read

By Patricia Murphy
Posted October 15, 2019 at 6:00am
New York Democrat Lindsey Boylan, left, with her spirited primary challenge likely pushed House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler into publicly supporting an impeachment inquiry, which Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last month, Murphy writes. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Women's Forum of New York, Tom Williams/CQ RollCall)

The women trying to impeach Trump — and the men making it so damn hard

By Patricia Murphy
Posted October 7, 2019 at 5:00am
Institutionalists like Nancy Pelosi embrace the workings of the oversight process like a warm hug and deploy them like a Tomahawk missile, Murphy writes. (Doug Mills/The New York Times pool photo)

Welcome to her wheelhouse — Trump’s living in Pelosi’s world now

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 30, 2019 at 5:00am
House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler was just one of the many characters with politics on their minds during the Corey Lewandowski hearing last week, Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Why Congress would be better off holding no hearings at all

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 23, 2019 at 6:00am
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s “comfort level with who she is” comes across in her speeches, former Al Gore speechwriter Eric Schnure tells Murphy. President Donald Trump is another effective communicator, Schnure says, with his ability to speak “visibly.” (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call file photos)

Writing a speech for the boss? Two White House pros show you how to nail it

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 20, 2019 at 6:00am
Attacking former Vice President Joe Biden for his age is just politically dumb given who the most reliable voters will be next year, Murphy writes. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Joe Biden is old. Who cares?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 16, 2019 at 5:30am
Walmart’s decision to halt sales of handguns and certain ammunition in its stores is just the latest example of corporate America leading on public policy, Murphy writes. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

With Washington missing in action, Walmart for President

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 9, 2019 at 5:30am
Georgia Democrat Lucy McBath last year won a suburban Atlanta seat once held by Newt Gingrich, a sign of the state’s shifting demographics. Republicans are determined to take the seat back next year. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Why Georgia will be the wildest ride in politics heading into 2020

By Patricia Murphy
Posted September 5, 2019 at 5:00am
Democratic candidates should stop cudgeling each other and keep their eye on the presidential prize, Murphy writes. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Democratic voters just want to beat Trump. Why are their leaders making it so hard?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted August 23, 2019 at 6:00am
A demonstrator holds a sign on the East Front of the Capitol during the student-led March for Our Lives rally on Pennsylvania Avenue to call for action to prevent gun violence in March 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

How about a crime bill for white people instead of black people?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted August 7, 2019 at 6:00am
Former Vice President Joe Biden needs to show the same fire and finesse onstage this week that California Sen. Kamala Harris did when she attacked him in their debate last month, Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photos)

Biden vows to be less polite with Harris in Detroit debate. That won’t be enough

By Patricia Murphy
Posted July 29, 2019 at 5:30am
The years of executive experience that, from left, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee bring to the table should still matter, Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call file photos)

Governor who? Hickenlooper, Inslee and Bullock are at 1 percent. Combined

By Patricia Murphy
Posted July 22, 2019 at 6:30am
By going after Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats, Saikat Chakrabarti, left, chief of staff to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, broke a cardinal rule of the unwritten Hill staffer code, Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez need a ‘chief of change’ or a change of staff?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted July 19, 2019 at 6:30am
Presidential candidate Cory Booker waves as he marches in the Boulder City Damboree Celebration in Nevada on July 4. Many of those who meet him are invariably won over, Murphy writes, but with 24 candidates in the race, how do you scale that kind of in-person connection? (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

The Democratic field is trying to win over black voters. Cory Booker already knows how

By Patricia Murphy
Posted July 15, 2019 at 6:30am
Yes, Joe Biden worked with segregationists to pass legislation. No, that doesn’t mean he was a monster, Murphy writes. It means he was a senator. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Working with the enemy? Biden was just doing his job

By Patricia Murphy
Posted June 22, 2019 at 9:00am
Last week, Steny Hoyer found out just how unpopular a congressional pay raise can be — but it’s the only thing that can stave off a Congress of the super-rich, Murphy writes. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Want a more diverse Congress? Bite the bullet and raise the pay

By Patricia Murphy
Posted June 17, 2019 at 5:30am
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential race has inspired many, Murphy writes, but if the goal is to make a difference in people’s lives, he would have been better off running for the Indiana Legislature. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Democrats running for president should run for the Senate. The state Senate.

By Patricia Murphy
Posted June 10, 2019 at 6:30am
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is no dummy, Murphy writes. She’s keeping her caucus from repeating impeachment mistakes of the past. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

5 reasons Nancy Pelosi is absolutely right about impeachment

By Patricia Murphy
Posted June 3, 2019 at 5:00am
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a Democratic presidential candidate, traveled to Atlanta last week to rally for abortion rights in the wake of the state passing a law restricting them. The issue has returned to the political fore as several states pass laws to restrict abortion. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

The politics of abortion surge to forefront of 2020 debate

By Patricia Murphy
Posted May 20, 2019 at 5:00am
President Donald Trump’s trade actions are testing American farmers in ways they never imagined, Murphy writes, even though that’s exactly what he campaigned on. (Win McNamee/Getty Images file photo)

‘Grimmer by the day’ — Farmers’ love for Trump in peril

By Patricia Murphy
Posted May 14, 2019 at 5:05am
Anyone who rides the Red Line to work won’t be surprised to know that mass transit in the U.S. gets a D-, Murphy writes. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Today I’m getting boring. Please, Congress, join me

By Patricia Murphy
Posted May 7, 2019 at 5:00am
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden greets supporters at a campaign rally at Teamsters Local 249 Union Hall on Monday in Pittsburgh. Biden began his first full week of campaigning for president by speaking on how to rebuild America's middle class. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Joe Biden’s Washington is vanishing. Does America want it back?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted April 30, 2019 at 5:00am
New lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., insist they’re not for capital “S” socialism, but for a living wage, health care for all, and affordable or free education, Patricia Murphy writes. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Trump’s warning you: The socialists are coming!

By Patricia Murphy
Posted April 17, 2019 at 5:00am
People for and against abortion gather outside the Supreme Court in 2018. When Jen Jordan testifies before the Judiciary panel on Tuesday, the state senator from Georgia won’t shy away from her own grief and pain, Murphy writes. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images file photo)

She miscarried 8 times. Today she’s telling Lindsey Graham why abortion should remain legal

By Patricia Murphy
Posted April 9, 2019 at 5:02am
Joe Biden has shown an immense capacity to learn from his mistakes, Murphy writes. That’s rare in Washington today. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Joe Biden can change. Will Democrats let him try?

By Patricia Murphy
Posted April 2, 2019 at 5:04am
Democrats can thank Attorney General William Barr for saving them from themselves, Murphy writes. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Mueller and Barr just did Democrats a gigantic favor

By Patricia Murphy
Posted March 26, 2019 at 5:03am