Letter: Tisei would address district's needs for all

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE CHANGES IN POLICY: Commenters are required to have a username with a valid and verified email address. Gloucestertimes.com reserves the right to ban the IP address of any commenter (person) found using multiple aliases under multiple e-mail addresses in a deceptive manner. Posts that do not meet site standards, which can be found here, will be removed.

If you are experiencing problems logging in or posting comments, please contact Disqus' help center by clicking here.

comments powered by Disqus

October 5, 2012

Letter: Tisei would address district's needs for all

Anonymous Gloucester Daily Times The Gloucester Daily Times Fri Oct 05, 2012, 12:00 AM EDT

To the editor:

As someone who grew up in Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s district in Maryland but who now resides in John Tierney’s district I think I speak for all the Democrats who are supporting Tisei when I say that we would appreciate it if Mr. Van Hollen stays in his own back yard (Story, the Times, Wednesday, Oct. 3).

This race is not about supporting the Democratic Party. It is about ensuring that the interests of children, families, seniors, veterans, fishermen and the other unique needs of working people in the 6th District are represented effectively in Washington.

Mr. Van Hollen’s cynical efforts to wrap Mr. Tierney’s flagging campaign in the Democratic Party is not only irrelevant to our interests, it’s sad. In Mr. Van Hollen’s relatively affluent district in suburban Washington, with an economy bolstered by the federal government as the major employer, there aren’t a lot of fishermen out of work. Having spent 50-plus years in Van Hollen territory and 10 years here, I am quite certain the gentleman from Maryland has no idea what we need or don’t need.

As a longtime resident of Washington and a registered Democrat for many years, I can tell you one thing – no mercy would be shown a Republican who had accepted campaign contributions from a tainted bank account that ultimately led to his wife’s conviction in federal court and a trail of unanswered questions in his wake.

Despite the Democratic Party underwritten Tierney ads which completely misrepresent and distort Richard Tisei’s positions, many people of both parties support Richard Tisei. This is in no small part due to the longstanding track record and personal relationships he has with many of us.

The notion that Richard Tisei will be a rubber stamp for the Republican Party, much less the Tea Party, is laughable. But, of course, the Democratic Party in Massachusetts, a long-standing beneficiary of Mr. Tisei’s willingness to run interference with his Republican colleagues, knows that. The reality is that Richard Tisei is exactly the right person to represent the people of the 6th District of Massachusetts in a Republican House of Representatives. But as a longstanding honest broker in bipartisanship he is also the perfect antidote to the insane and troubling gridlock on Capitol Hill at the moment.

Ironically, many Democrats who have endorsed Richard Tisei have said they are voting for the person, not the party. It seems that’s a choice people like Chris Van Hollen can’t afford.

Fortunately, it’s not about him. It’s about us. Richard Tisei never forgets that.

MAUREEN FLATLEY

Main Street, Essex