RUTHFULLY YOURS

from

N. Richard Greenfield  

Michael Sullivan for US Senate  

 In 2010 Scott Brown won a stunning victory in a state that is not supposed to elect Republican candidates and finally we had a Senator representing us.

We don’t know each other, but it’s likely that you and I voted for Scott then and also voted for many of the same candidates for office over the years.  We do that in spite of the conventional wisdom that in Massachusetts we have little hope of electing the people we vote for.  The fact is though, that we turn out and comprise and consistent statewide 30-35% of the electorate in any given election.

When we vote, we may be voting for the Republican or against the Democrat, but in no small part, we are motivated by the awareness that the smothering one-party nature of this state, a reality that creates a level of corruption that produces a mind numbing apathy for our politicians and the process itself, dominate us.   [With three felons as former Speakers of our House of Representative, it is hard to avoid this conclusion]. The legislative dominance of our Congressional Delegation by the Democrat party is symptomatic of the disenfranchisement you and I and about a third of the electorate feel all the time in this state.

The 2010 Scott Brown election might have been an aberration or possibly the sign of a new beginning in the Commonwealth. That he was subsequently turned out of office in 2012 doesn’t diminish the fact that in order to do that, the Democrat had to spend 22 million dollars, a state record by a wide margin, and rely on hordes of well-funded union and special interest groups to swamp our Commonwealth with additional millions of dollars to get it done.

In a few weeks we are being presented with another opportunity to try and elect someone who can genuinely represent us. There are three candidates who want the Republican nomination notwithstanding the fact that the winner is likely to be faced with the same onslaught of outside money, orchestrated union attacks and strongly incented uninformed voters that we fight against in every election. No matter what the punditry tells us; no matter how much is spent to push us one way or another; the first task we have is to vote for and elect the most viable candidate in the field.  It is up to us to nominate a candidate who can fight this fight and win it. Someone who can go up against the overwhelming odds and overcome them.

In my opinion, only one of the three candidates in the Republican field fits that description: Mike Sullivan.

I’ve looked at the three candidates, read what they’ve posted on their web sites and heard them present their case. It is clear to me that Mike Sullivan is the only one of the three who could make it happen. His positions along with his ability to genuinely communicate them make him more than capable of being able to take advantage of circumstances that hopefully will present themselves to allow him to win this seat. Scott Brown was blessed with an over-confident opponent and also was able to excite and energize his base. Nothing plays out exactly the same way the second time, but finding a candidate capable of exploiting the opportunities that present themselves is a first step in making a victory possible and Mike is that person. 

Mike Sullivan has demonstrated that he can run strong and hard. He comes from a geography, the South Shore of Boston, that can deliver Republican votes in great numbers.  Mike Sullivan doesn’t just rely on his resume to persuade voters. He has got a stellar record of private business experience and public service.  He is persuasive because his experience is real.

It’s important to remember that Massachusetts can elect Republicans to state wide office. Brown won the Senate and Weld, Cellucci, Swft and Romney all managed to win the governorship. The ineptness and corruption of their opponents had much to do with those wins. But the road to victory is paved first with the qualifications and sincerity of the candidate.

Who might Mike Sullivan face?  Right now the Democrats have two candidates and the polls say the likely one will be Ed Markey. In any event, neither of them will represent Massachusetts as much as they will be confined by the narrow, extreme, leadership-directed agenda of their party. For the purposes of this note, we will only look at Markey.

Ed Markey is one of the most liberal/progressive members of Congress and he has close to a 37 year record to prove it. He’s been in Congress far too long and is out of touch with his constituency and his State.  The Congressman lives in suburban Washington and visits here occasionally, while Mike Sullivan and his family live in Abington. A Sullivan /Markey contest would give the voters a very clear choice: a life-long politician in his 37th year in Congress and a person who’s been close to this state and its people for most of his career. 

Both Markey’s and Mike Sullivan’s web sites have a section titled  ISSUES and while they both start off talking about ‘Jobs and the Economy’ that’s about as close to each as they get…..Markey goes right into his misplaced trust in the ‘environment’, by immediately talking about ‘climate change’ as being  the answer for ‘jobs and the economy’  (?????) and you can almost feel government getting bigger as you read his thoughts.

Sullivan stays on topic and ties the performance of the economy to our ability to provide private sector jobs for more people than are working now.  He then talks about practicing a fiscal sanity that Markey doesn’t deign addressing.

One need only look at Ed Markey’s record to guess what kind of Senator he’d make.  Markey’s  37 years is a full throated  advocacy for increasing our budgets, piling on debt and job killing regulations.  Ed Markey has not meet a tax increase he doesn’t like nor a regulation that he can’t tinker with to make it more onerous.

What can we do about this?

First, we must take April 30^th seriously and realize that our vote counts and we have to use it to make Mike Sullivan our candidate.  The we have to join hands and work together to rid ourselves of career politicians like Ed Markey.

This is not a fund raising letter nor is it authorized by any committee. It just a note from another long-suffering voter, like yourself. 

I think that what Scott Brown did in 2010 was not a fluke and we can work towards doing it again in this race and others to follow.

But first there is April 30th.

On that day we can nominate Mike Sullivan for the task of taking on whatever the Democrats have for us to deal with.

It started in Massachusetts more than once before and we can make it happen again.

The following is from Mike’s web site

First Principles: Fiscal Responsibility

The World War Two generation did not achieve so much for this country, only to have it squandered by politicians who won’t face up to their clear duties of our own time. Compared to what others before us have had to face, the problems of today are totally within our power to solve and put behind us.

I believe that our generation has a moral duty and obligation to address our nation’s pressing fiscal problems and “to put our house in order.” All that is required in my view is honesty, clear thinking, and a sense of common purpose. The next generation deserves better – and this generation is capable of better – and that is why I am in this race, I am committed to doing better.

Jobs and the Economy

The millions of people who need jobs in this country have waited long enough. We must get our economy running at full strength again. As your Senator, if it’s a choice between the expansion of government and the expansion of economic opportunity, I will always come down on the side of opportunity. That is what made our country great in the past and is the path to future greatness.

In my view, many federal regulations and policies could hardly be more hostile to growth and opportunity if they were deliberately designed to do so. Taxes have gone up, and there are so many new rules, regulations and penalties on small business, people can hardly keep up. We need to do everything we can to reduce the burdens that are creating an obstacle to job growth and lowering take-home pay.
Our federal tax code also is a standing invitation to manipulation, favor-seeking, and abuse of every kind. It’s tailor-made by and for a thousand lobbyists and their special interests. I will advocate its complete reform.

Protecting Our Second Amendment Rights and Fighting Gun Violence
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
– U.S. Const. Amend., II

As former Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), a state legislator, and both a state and federal prosecutor, I’ve spent years protecting our rights under the Second Amendment while at the same time aggressively enforcing our federal and state laws to reduce gun violence. I always have been a strong advocate of the rights of individuals to lawfully own firearms under the Second Amendment. In fact, while some argued that the Second Amendment applied only to members of a militia, I have always believed that it applied to individuals, and I proudly advocated that position on behalf of ATF during the drafting of the U.S. Department of Justice brief in the recently decided Heller case.

Reducing gun violence must continue to be a priority of our government. We can and must reduce gun violence without infringing on our Second Amendment rights. We need to make sure that those who cannot legally possess a firearm do not get one, and if they do, then we must make sure that the consequences are swift and severe. I also believe that new gun bans are not the answer to stopping gun crime and violence – they are ineffective, as the U.S. Department of Justice itself has concluded, and would only prevent law abiding persons from getting and using the firearm. Those persons prohibited from possessing or using firearms will simply be undeterred by a ban.
We know from experience that keeping firearms out of the hands of prohibited persons (felons), who are frequently repeat and/or violent offenders, has a dramatic impact on gun violence. We also know that most mass murders are committed by people with serious mental illness who often are prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal and state statutes. We need to find new ways to keep persons who are adjudicated mentally ill from acquiring firearms – all the while protecting individuals from unacceptable government intrusion.
As the District Attorney in Plymouth County, I worked with local schools, churches, and law enforcement to identify root causes of violence by juveniles and young adults. Our Safe Neighborhood Initiative efforts proved effective. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I led our Project Safe Neighborhoods effort where we worked with local partners to find, prosecute, and jail the violent felons who were committing gun crimes. Prosecuting offenders, increasing penalties for “straw purchasing,” and education along with early intervention with troubled youth by faith communities, local partners, friends, and family, remain the best tools available in our ongoing fight against senseless violence.

From Mike Sullivan’s web site

Budget and Spending

In Washington, D.C., we have a Senate that only recently passed its first budget in four years, an abdication of one of its most basic responsibilities. Even so, all that many can talk about is more federal spending, more borrowing, and more debt they will leave for the next generation to pay. And even when there are actual budget cuts, as under the recent sequester, they amount to almost nothing. They offer billion-dollar solutions, when we are dealing with trillion-dollar problems.

Instead of confronting the matter squarely and accepting their own part in solving the debt problem, the politicians in office try to scare us away from any attempt to enact real reductions in federal spending. They trade on fear, while ignoring the thing we should really fear most – a debt-crisis across our whole economy. We need to talk honestly and openly about the size of our government and find ways to drastically alter our spending. That is what I will do as your Senator.
Our Veterans

Supporting our veterans both home and abroad is one of my top priorities. We must leave no doubt that our men and women in uniform have all the training, equipment, and support they need to meet every danger and complete every mission.
We also must leave no doubt that our men and women in uniform are taken care of when they return from serving our nation. We simply cannot stand idly by while they go from the front line to the unemployment line.

While leading the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), we teamed up with the Wounded Warrior Project to place returning veterans in positions at ATF. The program was a great success. While government agencies currently provide some degree of preference for veterans, we must do more. I believe, for example, that our veterans who’ve served in war zones should be placed first in line for front-line security positions in the nation’s airports and other transportation.

I am mindful that well over 2 million men and women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since the attacks on America in September 2001, and, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Some suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”). We have a sacred commitment to them and their families to offer them the very best opportunities and care as they return to “normal” lives.

American Leadership: Foreign Policy and National Security

In foreign policy, I am believer in American leadership. I believe there is work only America can do. There are dangers only we can prevent.
Of course, we must stand side-by-side with our ally, Israel. In my view, we must ensure her and her people’s security no matter the outcome. A nuclear Iran puts our national and the world security in jeopardy. Working with other nations we must take steps to convince or prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons capability.

While prosecuting a terrorist conspiracy and the notorious “Shoe Bomber” as the U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts after 9/11, I saw the resourcefulness of America’s enemies. National security must always be our top priority. But in national security, as in all responsibilities of government, the mere expense of money is no evidence of strength or wisdom in our policy. Reasonable cuts in defense spending are possible, and my rule is, the more critical the public responsibility, the less tolerance we should have for waste, fraud, or excess.

Marriage

Consistent with my federalist view, I believe that it is up to the people of each individual state to define marriage and provide benefits as they see fit, including whether or not to recognize same sex marriage, and not the federal government. Personally, I am a traditionalist and have long believed that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Based on the right of individual states to decide this issue, my core value of fairness, and Massachusetts’ decade-long recognition of marriage between same sex couples, I believe that same sex married couples in Massachusetts (as well as married couples in other states that recognize same sex marriages) should receive the same benefits, both state and federal, as any other married couple. Consistent with these principles and views, I would vote to repeal the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) since it prevents federal benefits from being provided to same sex married couples in states that have defined marriage to include same sex couples.

Immigration

Like most in our country, my grandparents were foreign born. My dad was a first generation American. I appreciate that we are a nation of immigrants and we should be encouraging legal immigration. For example, to strengthen our economy and nation, I am in favor of simplifying our broken visa system. We must identify opportunities to promote and increase the number of entrepreneurs, inventors, and workers with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to legally enter our country, as well as focus on uniting families by cutting bureaucracy and red tape.

I also strongly believe that we are a nation of laws and we must stop illegal immigration. First and foremost, we must secure our borders. And, as I did as U.S. Attorney, we must crack down on employers who break our immigration laws and exploit undocumented workers who are here illegally, as well as those criminal organizations that traffic in human beings.

With respect to the 12 million people here illegally, we should treat them with respect, compassion, and the goodness that defines us as a nation. I am against amnesty, but would support a pathway to legal status provided certain conditions are met, particularly successfully passing a criminal background check, and properly disclosing and paying taxes on income. I also would support a special pathway to citizenship for those who have served our country honorably in the military.

Life

I am pro-life. This is a sensitive issue that impacts two lives, the mother and the unborn child. I believe in the importance of advocating for the voiceless, while also coming to the assistance of the woman in a crisis situation with all of the care and compassion and loving heart that such instances demand. This includes providing women with as much support and information as possible, including the alternative of adoption.

We are a society that respects life and I will be a Senator that protects life. I will promote policies to simplify the process of adoption, recognizing that there are many loving families who are eager to adopt a child only to find the process excessively complex and expensive. Making the domestic adoption process easier for women and families will provide women who experience an unplanned pregnancy with wider choice.

Shared Conviction and Political Courage

In my view, the greatest achievements in politics come about by shared conviction and love of country. So whether you are a Democrat, Independent, or a Republican, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is shared conviction. All that matters is our country, our Commonwealth, and our common concern for their future. On the strength of that alone, I believe that we can do great things and make sure our Nation’s best days lie ahead.