1-8-2013 - Rising Star in the US Democratic Party

Last week my wife, Deborah, and I had the honor of being invited to Washington, D.C. to attend the Swearing-In of the new Senator from the State of Connecticut, Chris Murphy (no relation). He is the youngest Senator serving in the Senate. He is 39 years of age and married.  He and his wife, Cathy, have two handsome boys. Owen is 4 years old, Rider is almost 2.  I love this charming video of the “family” being sworn in.

At times we can be cynical about politics and our politicians. And at times they deserve it.  However I have had the privilege of knowing one who is a committed public servant.  Some in our industry may remember meeting Chris at the PPTA Forum in Washington, D.C. in 2009. He was our keynote speaker. He spoke about Healthcare issues.

We have supported Chris from his first race for the House of Representatives six years ago. He is intelligent, thoughtful, moderate, and a good family man. For him to be a politician is an honor and a service, a service to the people of his State and, now, to the country.

On Thursday, January 3, we were honored to be in the Senate Gallery when Chris was officially sworn in by Vice-President Joe Biden. For me it was the first time being in the Senate Chamber. The room was so much smaller than I imagined it. And yet that room exuded power, prestige, responsibility. Right in front of me was an extraordinary group of men and women who have served this country with exceptional courage and commitment, albeit with their human frailties, people such as John Kerry, John McCain, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Lamar Alexander, Barbara Mikulski, Diane Feinstein, and many others. It was an extraordinary honor to be there.

That evening Chris was kind enough to invite us to join him and his family with a few close friends for a private dinner in a restaurant in Washington. I watched Chris hold one of the boys on his lap and feed him, later he was taking a video of the two boys on his iPhone rolling on the floor playing in the corner of the room. Still later he had to get under a table to pull Rider out, who was insisting on cleaning people’s shoes!

At the end he walked out of the restaurant carrying Owen in his arms while Cathy carried Rider. The first day in the life of a Senator. And I thought: As long as he remains this grounded, Chris Murphy will be a great senator. He has already been assigned to serve on the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), as well as the Joint Economic Committee. Our senator is on the move.