enough with bashing primary candidates just because they used to GOPers or want to change the party or whatever.  Tell me what makes Warren a DINO other than his previous party ID. How does he stand on abortion or the minimum wage? How does your person stand on it? Because obviously, you work for the other guy/gal.

It shouldn't be outrageous for a Democrat to question a Republican who claims that he would still be a Republican if they ran for a different office, but because you inquired, ask an environmentalist where Warren stood on the Point Pleasant Pumping Station.

Warren is a pure opportunist who has a personal grudge against Mike Fitzpatrick and the Bucks County Republican Party.  In 2004, when Jim Greenwood resigned, he tried to get the Republican nomination for the Congressional seat, and lost to Mike Fitzpatrick.

Who, as we know, prevailed over Ginny Schrader in the fall.

While Warren is a pro-choice (Republican), no one knows where he stands on the minimum wage or any other progressive stance.  His entire platform is: (1) people have elected me before and (2) I'm older than dirt, so I'll make a great Congressman.

Good for Warren for switching to D.  We want to be a big tent party, and we'll accept the converted.  Maybe he really did get struck by lightning on the road to Damascus.  Or Doylestown.  And there he saw the light.  So let's give him the benefit of the doubt.  

But his sleazy record in the past speaks differently.  And he's only been a Democrat for LESS THAN NINE MONTHS.  That's not good enough to get my vote.

It's really funny how Ginny endorsed him last week, too.  They've got a grudge match going on, and it all boils down to the personal.  After all, Mike made her cry and run away from a debate.  The personal grudge is a terrible way to run a campaign and it's an ultimate recipe for failure.  

Whereas Patrick Murphy is running a progressive, grassroots campaign based on the issues.  He's a fantastic candidate with a proven record of achievement.  Murphy is pro-choice, pro-raising the minimum wage, pro-stem cell research, pro-environment....  While he's young, he's achieved more in his life than many of us ever get around to in 50 or 60 years.  Youngest professor ever at West Point, Iraq Veteran, paratrooper, lawyer.  And the next Congressman from Bucks County.

And let's give him and his campaign credit for making friends with local bloggers.  The Murphy campaign seems to be sending press releases to MSM and the blogs.  Isn't that what we bloggers wanted from candidates all along?  To be taken seriously?

Ginny having some sort of a grudge against Murphy?  Hadn't thought about that.

Mostly because it's just NOT TRUE.  And if it is, then it makes her grudge match even sadder than before--although I'm laughing hysterically through my tears.

Last summer, Murphy and Ginny both spoke before a local Democrats event.  The room simply went wild over Patrick.  Ginny had a lukewarm, at best, reception.  That's what I call winning fair and square.  Patrick impressed supporters and Ginny just...didn't.  

No one pushed her out of the race.  She left of her own accord.  I doubt Ed Rendell had anything to do with that, either.  If anything, Rendell might have asked her to step down to make way for a wealthy woman who was thinking about running....whose husband just so happens to be one of his major fundraisers.  But that woman decided not to run in the first place.

So any backroom speculation over what happened is kind of useless at this point.

I must have misunderstood Jake's original post then. He seemed to be implying that Ginny was behind Warren.  Adam, who I greatly respect, says it was to spite the Bucks Co. GOP party establishment.

If that is true, that is a stupid reason to become a Democrat.  The real test will be then if Warren looses, will he stay active in Dem politics or take his ball and go home?

I think the main thrust of the original post has been disproven however, that Warren is not Cuellar, who is a stalking horse for the GOP.  Henry supported GOPers in the TX state house at every turn, and was rewarded with TX-28.  He has gotten support from TX GOP establishment types that have ties to DeLay and Bush, and he is endorsed by right wing groups while he shills for them as a democrat.

This isn't like that Alexander guy in LA who switched parties over money and ease of reelection, this was a sham from the get go on Henry's part.  

It also shows how bad redistricting has gotten, that such a district doesn't even have a general election race even though the vote is really between a liberal democrat against a conservative republican.  

I like Murphy's grassroots energy! Not only is he progressive; he's sincere, enthused and tireless.

Sorry, but the other candidates make me yawn, where Murphy gives me hope for the future again.

I don't entirely trust the timing of Andy Warren's switch from R to D.  We welcome him - but his admission that he'd still be a Republican if he'd gone back to County office - is troubling.

And many of us were around during the infamous "Dump the Pump" era, when Mr. Warren was not working for the betterment of our environment.

MURPHY gets my vote, hands down!

My 2 cents to all the above:  Recently he confessed that he voted for Clinton, Gore, Rendell, and Kerry.  So instead of quietly changing his registration several years ago, Andy W., the closet democrat, holds a press conference to announce he's seen the light and is now a Reeeeel "Democrat".

........ Yeah, right.

A couple of things trouble me about all of the comments.  

First, over the past decade or so there has been a general shift in the Republican Party towards a significantly more conservative agenda.  This is shift is documented in the book "Off Center."  The end result of this shift, which was organized by Delay, Norquist, Rove, etc, is the marginalization of moderate Republicans.  Republicans like Andy Warren became, in truth, Republicans in name only.  In fact, Warren's stances on education, stem cell research, and  privacy rights have always been in line with Moderate Democrats.  

Second, criticisms from Murphy supporters about Warren's opportunism seems, at least, mildly hypocritical.  Murphy has never held an elected office before.  While I respect Murphy's service during the war in Iraq, he has never been a public  official.  He seems to be following the trend of officers coming home and trading on America's disenchantment with the war.  Moreover Murphy's ties to the Democratic party are quite tenuous as well.  Murphy voted for BUSH in 2000.  

I'm not entirely sure that either Murphy or Warren lack a bit of opportunism in their running for office.  I have yet to make up my mind about who to support in this race, but harping on Warren's switch without mentioning Murphy's opportunism and questionable voting record is doing a disservice to the undecided voters like myself.

I think there is too much of an emphasis being placed on "who is the real Democrat" in this race.  To quickly address this issue, I will just say that nobody knows what Murphy's stance is on any topic. All we know is that he voted for Bush, that he is young, and that he is a veteran (which he continues to tell us on an almost daily basis). If Warren wasn't a true Democrat, why would he have the support of the former chairman of Bucks County Democratic Committee, a former Democrat county commissioner, and last year's candidate Ginny Schrader?  

As a person who lives in Philadelphia, and as a registered Democrat, the one thing I really care about is who is going to best serve the local community interests. And in this case, the clear winner is Warren. Just look at his history of service. He grew up in the community, raised his family here, and really understands what this area is all about. Additionally, look at his credentials. He is obviously committed to education. He taught in high school, and built libraries across Bucks County as County Commissioner. He is obviously committed to the future, as he made unparalleled investments in environmental conservation, recycling, and started the Bucks County Farmland Preservation Program.

While Murphy may be a `real' Democrat, he hasn't proved to me that this is really his community, nor that he has any ideas on how to run it. I think that in this case experience, and a history of commitment to the community, deserved to be recognized and rewarded.

Check Murphy's website (www.murphy06.com) and click on his "issues" link.  You'll find PLENTY of information as to where Murphy stands on the issues.

He was BORN and RAISED in the 8th District - and now he wants to give back to the people who have been part of his life.....He doesn't want to "run" the district.  He wants to REPRESENT it.

Murphy has put energy, enthusiasm and hope back into the Democratic party (a VITAMIN "M", if you will).

I would be proud to have him represent the 8th District...