Tennis shoes vs. flip flops

Sen. Patty Murray is not a mom in tennis shoes anymore. Heck, when the senator went to a conference with airport and air industry executives the other day, she didn’t really need to be that formal.

Hawaii is a place for informality, yeah?

Murray, as the new chair of the Senate’s transportation appropriations subcommittee, attended the Aviation Issues Conference organized by the American Association of Airport Executives. It was held last week at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in Hawaii. Among other congressional representatives at the meeting was Rep. Harold Rogers, a Kentucky Republican. He and Murray have the key roles in writing transportation budgets for Congress.

The conference drew the attention of the watchdog group Common Cause. Clearly knowing how to stir up a little sun-envy among journalists, Common Cause helpfully provided the resort’s Web site in a press advisory (www.hapunabeachprincehotel.com). More to the point, Common Cause appropriately criticized the conference as an example of the access that industries frequently enjoy because of their financial ability to host such events. Common Cause also expressed particular unhappiness with the timing so soon after the Sept. 11 massacres and with industry lobbying against aviation security proposals and "pro-passenger" legislation.

Murray spokesman Todd Webster said the conference was an opportunity for the senator to learn more about issues facing airports and airlines, particularly security. "She would have gone whether they had it in North Dakota or Hawaii," Webster said. Indeed, the hard-working Murray probably made as good use of the gathering as anyone (although the conference’s apparently light schedule drew pointed humor from a Washington Post column). Still, we’re guessing that the organizers have yet to schedule the annual conference (now 16 years old) in Bismarck or Fargo.

Murray has generally been seen as someone who is concerned about the role money plays in politics. Common Cause senior policy analyst Celia Wexler praised Murray’s support for the McCain-Feingold campaign reform legislation.

As Webster points out as well, the co-sponsors of the conference include Boeing and the airline industry, both of more than passing importance to her state in general and Snohomish County in particular. Still, the value of the conference should not erase public concerns about the friendly, pleasant settings that industries can arrange for their dealings with members of Congress.

Beyond the nice-perk aspects of the conference, there’s a larger reality about Murray that has been of an increasing benefit to the state. She is a power in the Senate, even if she’s wearing beach flip-flops. She might be better advised, however, to stick to her usual power suits and pumps.

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