Patrick Murray is a Republican running for Congress in the 8th Congressional district. Here is our interview:
VG: What made you decide to run for Congress?
My entire professional career has been spent in service to my country. As a 24-year veteran of the United States Army, I commanded tank units for seven years before transitioning to Foreign Area Service in the Defense Intelligence Agency. I have worked in various international relations venues, foreign policy, political military affairs, arms control and military-to-military relations. I have been a Military Attaché and have served in our embassies in Russia, Belarus, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, and Kosovo. In 2007 during the “surge,” I served in Baghdad with the Joint Forces Command. My final tour of duty was at the United Nations in New York as a member of the U.S. Military Staff Committee.
When I retired from the Army, I was very concerned about the direction of our country. In foreign policy, it appears the current Nancy Pelosi-Jim Moran regime is more concerned about how well the US is liked rather than how much we are respected. This weakens our country and makes the world more dangerous, leading to an increased chance of otherwise avoidable military conflict.
Domestically, we are deep into an unsustainable spending binge that will bring us to the brink of bankruptcy in less than 10 years. Fiscal sustainability requires real leadership in an era when Jim Moran votes to spend money recklessly and drives our deficit to crippling levels.
My natural inclination toward public service led me to decide to continue in that role with an eye toward offering voters in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District representative leadership to address the real concerns facing our country in the immediate future – something they don’t have now. I hope I can make a real difference in improving the future lives of our residents and of their children.
VG: Jim Moran has been in office for many years and has survived many challenges, what are the main reasons you believe you can beat him?
This here presents us with a unique opportunity. Where the last two election cycles have been overwhelmingly Democratic, the overreaching of the Pelosi-Moran regime has caused the pendulum to swing back to the point where Moran is no longer automatically safe. Jim Moran has simply lost touch with his district as evidenced by the fact he has confessed to having been “radicalized” over the last few years and the fact that he calls Republicans the “Taliban.”
I have a well-organized campaign reaching into every corner of our district engaging the majority of voters who think it is indeed time for change. We are energetic and visible and I have found the enthusiasm among voters to be highly contagious. We are running a hard-hitting issue based campaign which holds Jim Moran accountable for his allegiance to partisan politics rather than to the people of his district.
Add to that the fact that Moran has made Judicial Watch’s list of the 10 most unethical members of congress and you have the perfect storm that signals an end to Jim Moran’s rather tainted service in Congress.
VG: What are the most important issues facing the 8th congressional district, and the country?
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No doubt that jobs and the economy are the most important issues we face today. But the issues are broader than that. Everything Jim Moran has done just in the last term of office has been designed to suppress economic activity and reduce job creation.
Moran voted for the failed stimulus sucked close to a trillion dollars out of our economy that could have been used to lower interest rates, reduce the deficit and create jobs.
Moran voted for the Cap and Trade energy reduction bill. For 200 years the success of our economy has been built on easy and inexpensive access to energy. Jim Moran voted to reduce available energy resources in America and to “necessarily skyrocket” the cost of the remaining available energy. This bill will cripple our economy and reduce jobs dramatically.
Moran voted for the federal takeover of the heath care market. Because no one was allowed to read the bill (Moran did not read it) before the vote (Pelosi: “We need to pass the bill so we can find out what is in it.”), we now find out that the real effect is the cost of health care is going to rise dramatically and the quality of care for those who have it will diminish substantially – all because Moran thinks a government bureaucrat knows more about your health care needs than you do. Because of the increased costs, it is also a job killer.
Jim Moran stands around ineffectively while the extremist regime in Iran is developing nuclear weapons. This is making our world much more dangerous and needs immediate attention. I could go on and on, but it is clear we all can see that Jim Moran is simply not up to the task of representing us in the United States Congress
VG: What has been the response so far to your candidacy?
The response has been enthusiastic. From Reston to Alexandria and from Arlington to Mt. Vernon/Lee, we are getting an enthusiastic response to our message of restoring integrity and honor to the representation of the 8th Congressional District, and to actually representing our residents’ interests rather than ignoring them. I am very gratified by the support we have received.
VG: If someone would like to get involved in your campaign what is the best way for them to do so?
We have volunteer activities going on 7 days a week. It is easy for a supporter to fit it into their schedule. They can contact our volunteer coordinator Diana Haberstick at Diana@Murray4Congress.com or just visit our website at www.Murray4Congress.com and click the “donate” and/or the “join us” tabs. We look forward to having everyone join our team as we retire Jim Moran and return responsive leadership to Northern Virginia.
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