Yesterday the Chair of Newton’s Republican City Committee issued a statement fully supporting President Trump’s racist statements that a group of four congresswomen of color should “go back” to where they came from.
You can read Newton Republican City Committee Chair Tom Mountain’s full statement here, but here’s an excerpt:
The American people are tired of the unrelenting trashing of America by these four radical left-wing Congresswomen. President Trump was right to call them out, “If they hate our country, if they are unhappy here, they can leave.”
The American people are tired of the unrelenting trashing of America by these four radical left-wing Congresswomen. President Trump was right to call them out, “If they hate our country, if they are unhappy here, they can leave.”Or, to reference the motto of a prior generation, “America, love it or leave it.”
I doubt most Newton Republicans agree with their city committee’s chair.
I also doubt that most, or at least many, members of the Newton Republican City Committee — many of whom I know to be great, thoughtful, people — agree with their chair.
So why do these committee members still allow Tom Mountain to continue to speak for them?
According to the last census, 20% of Newton residents — that’s one out of every five of us — were born in another country. Do the other nine Newton Republican City Committee members believe that 20 percent of their Newton neighbors should “leave America” if they don’t meet Mountain’s and Trump’s litmus test?
It would be instructive to hear from them. Here’s their names and email addresses*
Susan Huffman (vice chair)
Sande Young (vice chair)
Anil Adyanthaya (recording secretary)
Debra Shapiro (corresponding secretary)
Bob Bombara (treasurer)
Mark Cestari (ward 1 chair)
Alan Dechter (ward 2 chair)
Traute Marshal (ward 3 chair)
Josh Norman (ward 4 chair)
Susan Huffman (ward 5 chair)
Debra Shapiro (ward 6 chair)
Daniel Groob (ward 7 chair)
Terry Sack (ward 8 chair)
*These email addresses, except for Mark Cestari, are all listed on the City Committee’s website.
Why do they? It’s obvious: they agree with him.
I’m perplexed why Tom Mountain and the Republican party think that these four elected officials should not be criticizing things happening in the country but this is OK …
“Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential” – excerpt from Trump’s inauguration speech.
Why didn’t Trump hear a Republican led chorus of “love it or leave it” in response to that speech?
Jerry I was thinking the same thing but didn’t know how to frame it. I am so glad we are friends!
To those who stand on the sidelines, whether cheering or silent in the face of Donald Trump’s use of a clearly racist trope, “go back to your country,” lobbed against 4 women of color who are US citizens, please know that doing so condones the underlying racism and serves as tacit approval of the white supremacy at its root; the notion that only white Americans truly belong here. Too often, missing from our local and national discourse, is the type of honor Senator John McCain showed during a 2008 Presidential debate, when he shut down racist claims made by a supporter who claimed that Barack Obama was “an Arab.” McCain refuted her claim immediately and went further; he said that Barack Obama was a good man, was a citizen, one with whom he had political differences of opinion. That took gumption. It took integrity.
McCain stood up for his political opponent in the face of a hateful attack. He did not permit silence or avarice for the office sought to stop him from denouncing that which was patently false, patently racist, and patently Xenophobic. We need some of that integrity now. I firmly believe that fellow residents of Newton, both Republicans and Democrats, share the view that people of color can be critical of policies they dislike, can love our country deeply and NOT be seen as un-American simply because of the tone of their skin.
This is such a disappointment. I’m not sure if it is common practice, but it certainly should be for Tom Mountain / NRCC leadership to get permission from all officers and Ward Chairs before such public statements are issued. There are many moderate GOPers in the city (and perhaps even members of the NRCC) who do not feel they are represented by such extreme positions. But like many moderate GOPers I had to leave the party that no longer represented me. I gleefully changed my party registration years ago. I’m disappointed and utterly disgusted by the POTUS or “occupant in the White House” as Congresswoman Pressley calls him, and hope and pray the DEMs can nominate a candidate that can win and bring character, values and unity back to our country.
Tamika and Gloria: Thanks for your excellent comments.
McCain certainly showed courage at the end of his days when he voted to save healthcare, but he also voted to support Trump’s agenda most of the time. His response to the “arab” remark was more head shaking than outrage. McCain seemed like a good man too, but we need someone in the Republican party to step up a lot more than that.
In 2016, 3 out of 20 of our neighbors voting in Newton voted for the fascist running our country. Here in Newton. Just let that sink in. Mountain isn’t the only one.
Thank you Tamika. This is very upsetting. As I stated on the previous thread I am definitely not on the sidelines. President Trumps’ comments were racist. The Representatives he attacked responded with grace and words that should sooth our souls. They are working to right wrongs and move this country back in the right direction. I was so proud to listen to them speak! “The first note that I want to tell children across this country is that no matter what the president says, this country belongs to you, and it belongs to everyone.” Rep Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
While I agree that McCain did not engage in hateful rhetoric, he was no friend to POC. The GOP always had racist tendancies in their policy-making; Trump just is more blatant by the things he said. And let’s not forget that it was McCain that brought Palin into the national public eye which IMO is how we ultimately wound up with Trump.
@MMQC…”The GOP always had racist tendancies in their policy-making”. Hmmm….I believe it was the republicans who voted to pass the 13th and 15th amendments while it was the democrats who totally opposed them. Then you have Bob Byrd who filibustered against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. I believe both parties could be accused of having racist policy making in their pasts….but only if you look at things with an open mind.
If you’re going back to the 14th and 15th amendments for 2/3 of your examples that’s pretty sad.
@Independent Man, I’m a foreigner living in this country, and wasn’t taught US history, but even I know about Nixon’s Southern Strategy.
Since then the party allegiance of southern racists has completely flipped. I seem to recall that Lincoln was a Republican, but he would surely repudiate everything the GOP now stands for.
@MMMQ….ok then how about William Fulbright (who Bill Clinton eulogized as a great msn) who opposed Brown v Board of Education…and Al Gores father….the point is your statement the GOP has always had racist tendencies is no more accurate than me saying that the democrats have a racist history. And my pointing out inconsistencies in your aguement is not “sad”, it’s actually called an opposing viewpoint.
@robert…repudiate everything???? There is not one good policy that republicans have? I’m an independent and agree with some republican policies and some democrat policies. I can’t imagine being so in lock step with a party that I would say that there is not one thing that is good about he opposing side. I think that is the problem with politics these days…there is no compromise on either side.
@Independent Man – I totally agree. “being so in lock step that there is not one good thing you can say about the opposing side” is definitely a problem with current politics.
Likewise, being so in lockstep with one’s own side that one refuses to recognize or call out the leader of the party for making a clear, vicious, unAmerican, hateful and yes racist comment is why so many people are appalled at the Republican party and leadership at the moment.
I just saw that the New York Times posted the question to their readership “has anybody ever told you ‘to go back where you came from'”?
17,000 people responded with 17,000 stories of racial taunts. To those Republican voices who have been trying to convince us over the last few days that the president’s tweets were not overt, loud and clear, well established racist taunts – go tell it to those 17,000+ people who have been on the receiving end of those exact words
@Independent Man. I get a bit tired of the “both sides did it” arguments even though you are absolutely correct about the Democratic Party’s sordid civil rights record in the distant past. Prime examples were Woodrow Wilson’s decision to sack virtually every Black career civil servant appointed through a merit based system established by preceding Republican administrations. You are also correct about the historic role of white Southern Democratic congressmen in opposing even the most basic civil rights legislation.
The problem is that this past is totally irrelevant to the present.
Things began to turn when President Truman integrated the armed services and when Hubert Humphrey electrified the 1948 Democratic convention with a powerful civil rights address that prompted many southern Democrats to bolt Truman and back Strom Thurmond’s 3rd party run. 1948 was only the second time since the Civil War that the Democrats failed to carry all 11 states of the old Confederacy. It’s been downhill for the Democrats ever since except for a one time bump up for Jimmy Carter in 1976. Barry Goldwater’s 1964 run is another instructive look at racially motivated voting. Goldwater voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act and compiled massive majorities in several southern states. This was hardly a one off vote. Overlay the votes for Thurmond in 48, Goldwater’s 64 totals and George Wallace’s vote in 68. The correlation is breath taking. Wallace’s totals would have been much higher except for Nixon’s ability to carve votes from him with his “Southern Strategy, devised in part by Thurmond, who by that time had switched to the Republican Party. When President Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, he lamented that it was probably the end of Democratic party dominance in the South. He was right. The rest is history and current patterns of Black and White voting in rural areas of the South demonstrate this fact conclusively.
I’d also add that Senator Byrd was obviously a member of the Klan in his younger years and he did, in fact, oppose the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Less well known is that he was a rather early supporter of President Obama when he campaigned for the Democratic nomination in 2008 , in part, because he thought it was time for an African American to become President. And Byrd did this when he was pretty certain that Obama would not carry West Virginia against any Republican opponent.
One statistical error in the last post The Democratic ticket of James Cox and Franklin D. Roosevelt lost Tennessee to Warren Harding in 1920.
If, as some commenters say, there are many republicans in Newton that don’t agree with the rubbish Trump and Tom Mountain, including at least Susan Huffman and Sande Young, why are they still running the NRCC?
Why don’t they speak up? Could it be that they agree with them but just don’t admit it in social circles. They can be nice, agreeable, helpful, caring friends or neighbors without sharing their beliefs.
I have had a close friend since college who until recently hadn’t shared her voting for, agreement and continued support of the racist in the White House and everything he says. It really knocked me for a loop.
Please let us not forget what “fine people” have done. https://archive.org/details/nazi_concentration_camps
@Independent Man: While Lincoln is unfortunately no longer around to comment, I wonder what current Republican policy might he have endorsed? Deficit spending? Removing healthcare insurance protections? Cruel treatment of migrants and refugees? Pray do tell.
How ironic for Donald Trump and his supporters to employ the inane love it or leave it mantra since if anyone is subject to criticism it’s Donald Trump. Query as to what Trump’s supporters would have said about Barack Obama if he had (1) been a pathological liar, (2) diverted funds from his own charity for personal use resulting in the dissolution of his charity; (3) launched invectives and vulgarities at anyone who dared to criticize him; (4) made almost daily false attacks on our free press (5) called a former female staffer a dog and (6) and had been a flaming narcissist, just to name a few things.
But the GOP vigorously opposed Obama and he was none of those things. Yet I don’t recall Democrats saying love it or leave it to Obama’s critics.
Keep your politics out of your responsibilities by oath of office to protect and defend the United States and State Constitution.
While enjoying a serene moment at the Blue Hill Elliot Tower and bridge I offer two people the use of my binoculars while I use my camera. They seem pleased and accept. Then from the mouths of babes (the child with them) comes “what do you think about the gun store in Newton?”. I can’t believe what I am hearing so I ask the apparent custodians of the 6 year old (?) . The younger of the two woman then repeats the question. I look at the women (a 40ish and 60ish) and as I think this has to be a joke. The women’s demeanor show it is no joke to them. I responds to the child’s question by looking at the women and state “ let the free market prevail, if you don’t like it don’t shop there” .
Later back at my car I google the “issue” and find I am reading article that seems more from Beijing,China than Newton, Massachusetts. I chose to write this communication because Ya’ll need to realize where you live and when on a recreational jaunt to Blue hill reservations leave you politics at home because obviously the child is intellectually poisoned by it if he is asking strangers about it. Any time spent in recreation with loved ones is to precious to taint it with anything but love for our country and it’s foundational documents that allow for moments of respite.
People ,I grew up with in massachusetts and worked in my career in law enforcement here . I am familiar with the reputation of Newton as a commune more than a city. I believe anyone putting a firearms haberdashery in the city of Newton is asking for trouble. Everyone I grew up with knows the politburo won’t allows such western free trade. That being said I will end with this , your children are listening and learning from you don’t let it be poisonous to their development with the Blessed Country that born them with the Bill of rights for all peoples. Every Newtonian should respect the elected officials of Newton as long as those officials respect their oath to we the people.