Sunday, I went to a meet and greet for Congressman Chris Murphy, who is running for U.S. Senate here in Connecticut. The event took place at the house of State Senator Gayle Slossberg. On the way in, I ran into Milford Mayor Ben Blake. Later, I ran into Woodbridge First Selectman Ed Sheehy, State Representative Paul Davis, as well as various Democratic Town Committee chairs from Milford and Orange, and a large assortment of politically active friends.

This wasn't a smoke filled room. There may still be smoke filled rooms in politics, but I suspect that the image of smoke filled rooms is overplayed. Politicians know that to win, they need votes, and that people vote. At least in a small state like Connecticut, most politicians are very accessible.

Now, I may have a warped view, because I've been active in politics for years, but I do believe that most people, if they want become involved in politics can, pretty easily. Unfortunately, too many people don't even vote, let alone take time to get to know the candidates.

Congressman Murphy gave a typical speech to the assembled group. Yet what particularly struck me was his ask to the assembled crowd at the end. He talked a little bit about money, but he is likely to run against a self-funding millionaire, and the money he could raise from this small crowd wasn't substantial enough make a big difference. Instead, this was a crowd of people who volunteer, who work hard for candidates and he acknowledge the importance of motivated campaign workers.

Yet what struck me most, was the final part of the ask. He asked for people who could help him craft policy. He recognized that there were a lot of bright people in the crowd who could help him come up with better ideas on how to tackle the problems our country faces.

Perhaps it was the setting that he could ask for something like that. Too often politicians buy into the myth that they have to know everything and have it all worked out, or at least presenting an image like that to the voting population. They have to use the scripted and tested sound bites that pollsters tell them they should use to get elected.

Politics is changing. Anyone can get involved and important discussions take place in living rooms and not smoke filled rooms. Chris Murphy is doing a good job of embracing a more open form of politics and I hope we see more of it.