For the most part, Mike Fitzpatrick's actions this week have followed the M.O. he's set throughout the government shutdown. Call for bipartisan cooperation. Support legislation deemed "essential" by him and his staff. These included bills such as the SHIELD Act of 2013, the Border Safety and Security Act, the Honoring Families of Fallen Soldiers bill, as well as other legislation protecting the rights of military personnel and their families. These bills ensure the security of both citizens at the national level, as well as the personal interests of his constituents, in this case, those that have served or continue to serve our country militarily.
Again, we are seeing some of Fitzpatrick's classic strategies at play in these efforts. By calling for bipartisanship, he is publicly removing himself from the governmental shutdown impasse. He is showing that, while other Congressmen are consumed by petty party divisions, he is not and, therefore, shouldn't be blamed for the Congressional stand still we currently find ourselves. Furthermore, his continued support of bills ensuring the needs of local constituent groups, such as veterans, continue to be met is a measure taken to hedge his bets against any backlash that might come from the government shutdown. Again, he is doing everything in his power to ensure that he isn't seen as a figure to blame by people hurt by the shutdown.
While we've seen this all before from Fitzpatrick, something very new for him took place this week as well. In an address delivered on Wednesday, he specifically calls out the President himself for what he sees as unforgivable travesties. This "unacceptable wrong," according to Fitzpatrick, is the denial of death benefits to the families of fallen soldiers during the shutdown. Within his address, Fitzpatrick questions the President and his decision making process directly, and goes on to conclude poignantly that "we've made promises to our fighting men and women and their families... the House is ready to keep those promises but the President is demonstrating at best a failure to lead, and at worst, bare-knuckle partisanship."
I found the above address and the motives behind it to be shocking. After spending so much time calling for bipartisan cooperation, Fitzpatrick resorts to picking out a sensitive issue such as death benefits for fallen soldiers and turning that into rallying cry against Obama. This just seems like an extremely petty tactic, and one counter to Fitzpatrick's messages of bipartisanship (which, mind you, he continues to embrace publicly on his facebook page and other media). I simply fail to see the thought process that led to Fitzpatrick believing that calling out Obama for "demonstrating at best a failure to lead, and at worst, bare-knuckle partisanship" would help foster understanding and cooperation between Democrats and Republicans. If anything, this should only to a deeper schism between the two.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=572276422834856&set=a.136359633093206.25706.132077153521454&type=1&theater
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL1nIN2iN3w&feature=youtu.be
http://fitzpatrick.house.gov/press-release/fitzpatrick-protecting-our-borders-essential
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/113-hj91/show
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/113-h3275/show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD-31lm9pMI
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