THE TISEI DILEMMA

This letter was written by a resident of Wakefield – Richard Tisei’s hometown – and explains the Republican conundrum. 

Fred Rich LaRiccia

The contest for the seat in the House of Representatives from the Massachusetts Sixth Congressional District gives the voters a choice between two candidates, one of whom, Seth Moulton, can tell us what he stands for, and the other of whom, Richard Tisei, cannot.

As an elected Republican official in Massachusetts, Richard Tisei took stands on the issues that differed from those of the national Republican party. It is on the basis of these stands that he claims to be a different kind of Republican, which indeed he has been — here in Massachusetts.

Now he is seeking to venture outside the shelter of the bluest state in the nation and to take a seat in the House of Representatives, where his effectiveness will depend on his ability to work with the national Republican party. He needs to explain to the voters how he could do this and still be a different kind of Republican.

The national Republican Party of today is not the party of Leverett Saltonstall, Margaret Chase Smith, or Eliot Richardson. That is to say, it is not a party that believes in statesmanship. Since 2008, its stated goal has been to prevent President Obama from being successful at anything he attempts. This goal has been more important to the party than the good of the country. And to ensure that it achieves its goal, it enforces strict discipline among its members.

For example, Republican congressmen who do not toe the line can expect to see any legislation that they introduce die in committee. And when they are up for re-election, they can find themselves facing surprisingly well funded challengers in the primaries.

One obvious solution for Richard Tisei would be to go along with the national Republican party. But this would mean supporting measures to privatize Social Security; to allow Wall Street to continue to play irresponsible games with the nation’s working capital; to pass additional tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent of Americans while transferring more and more of the burden of taxation to the middle class; to discourage investment in alternatives to fossil fuels while continuing to reward oil companies with generous tax breaks; to deny that climate change is happening, or, if it is happening, to maintain that it can only be beneficial; to deny people of the same sex who love each other the right to marry each other; and to block measures to ensure that all people receive equal pay for equal work.

In Washington, Richard Tisei could be effective in only one way — by effectively promoting the measures that are important to the national Republican party. If that is his intention, he needs to tell the voters that it is.

Seth Moulton, the Democratic candidate for Congress from this district, does not face the dilemma that Richard Tisei does. He is proud of what his own party stands for: equal opportunity, equal pay for equal work, fair taxation, public education, the rights of workers, affordable health care for all, and a humane solution to the problem of illegal immigration. He is committed to fair measures that would ensure the solvency of Social Security and Medicare for decades to come.

Seth Moulton’s military service as a Marine in Iraq has given him an understanding of what can and cannot be achieved through military power that few members of Congress would be able to match. On the basis of his experience, he opposes sending American troops back to Iraq.

The Sixth Congressional District of Massachusetts deserves to be represented by a Congressman rather than a dilemma. That is why I will vote for Seth Moulton on November 4, 2014.

John Breithaupt