The headline of a Sept. 6 guest column proclaims “A vote for Morse will not help oust Trump.” My question: Will a vote for current Congressman Richard Neal accomplish that goal? Not necessarily.
Former congressional staffers Raymond Ahern and Kerry Dumbaugh suggest in their op-ed that Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, who is challenging Neal in the Democratic primary, would make a good candidate, but claim Neal — who they note has a “reputation for principled compromise” (?) — can more effectively represent the 1st district.
Note to self: The voters in primaries in New York and Boston in 2018 — where long serving house members were running — overwhelmingly chose Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. They were voting for new voices, new ideas and a new direction for the Democratic Party. Many voters in the 1st district feel the same way.
In 1963, Bob Dylan first sang: “Come senators, congressmen (sic) / Please heed the call/Don’t stand in the doorway/Don’t block up the hall…for the times they are a-changin’.”
Neal might want to put that song on repeat
Rob Okun
Amherst