The Democrats revealed competing mental health legislation Tuesday in a move to derail the bill that Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) has been pushing through the House. Behind the scenes, I was told that petty partisan politics are more at play here than the public may realize. One story making the rounds is that Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the House, was not keen on having Murphy, a Republican, being responsible for pushing a social reform bill through Congress because social reform is supposed to be the hallmark of Democrats not Republicans.
Okay, I’ve just written that based on what several legitimate Capitol Hill sources told me and when I re-read it, I realized how childish it sounds. But honest, that is what I have been told by activists who are working behind the scenes trying to pass Murphy’s bill and those trying to stop it. Yep, by both sides.
I was also told that Rep. Ron Barber (D-Az.) one of the drafters of the Democrat’s bill, was not happy that Rep. Murphy didn’t make enough of an effort to consult with him before introducing his bill.