[headline edited] Newton resident and Democratic activists Shawn Fitzgibbons has shared this 2016 Tweet and has some harsh criticism of City Councilor and Congressional candidate Jake Auchincloss on Blue Mass Group.
.@JakeAuch standing up for 1st Amendment rights of North students who flew confederate flag #newtonma pic.twitter.com/nFlI5imiiq
— Jonathan Dame 🗒️🖊️👨💻 (@DameReports) October 3, 2016
This article on Politico says that Auchincloss now considers that letter to be a “mistake.”
But asked about the letter this week, Auchincloss said he “should have been a better ally….
...It was a mistake to focus on this distinction, and I wouldn’t do so today. My privilege allowed me to see this as a free speech issue, but I should have focused on the bigger, more important truth: the Confederate flag is a racist symbol of hate that has no place near a school―or frankly, anywhere in our society,” Auchincloss added.
Good for Jake for progressing on this issue. I wasn’t a fan of his when he first ran for various reasons, but he’s grown on me as I feel like he’s made a lot of really positive growth in his time in office. I hope he continues.
How refreshing! A politician who’ll actually admit a mistake! All this shows is that Jake was young when first elected and that he’s growing and maturing into someone who looks like he’d make an excellent Congressman.
On the other hand, Shawn Fitzgibbons apparently never learns. Soon you’ll probably hear him re-peddling that same old tired refrain about Jake really being a Republican in disguise. This is how those who support losing candidates act. Come on, Shawn, take a lesson from Jake and grow up.
The headline to this article is incorrect and unfair to Jake. He did NOT support that despicable flag. He merely said that the students had First Amendment rights. There is a big difference!
Unfortunately, the First Amendment protects a lot of offensive speech. Just as a public defender defends the accused, it is possible to defend the First Amendment without condoning the offensive speech that it protects.
Thanks to the First Amendment, peaceful protests continue around our country, despite a President who would rather shut them down. Thanks to the First Amendment, anyone in this country can criticize the government without fear of reprisal. That is very profound! We should not take it for granted.
Jake has apologized; he has shown that he listens to criticism and can admit mistakes. This four-year-old story is a little more than well-timed, cynical smear campaign.
One enduring observation you can make is that Jake believes deeply in our civil rights enshrined in the Constitution. He will be there to protect them for all of us.
@Greg Reibman–as an editorial matter, the headline here is so false and misleading that you should correct it. Please look at the primary source.
@Greg – I hope you will change this misleading headline. Jake never supported the Confederate flag. He supported the 1st Amendment right to free speech. While I disagreed with him in that case and am glad he now admits it was a mistake, this was not at all the same as endorsing the Stars & Bars.
@Michael and Meredith: I appreciate and respect the feedback but he was challenged for supporting the flag by Fitzgibbons (“Supported Confederate Flag Display” comes straight from his Blue Mass Group headline). That’s the accusation. I’ve added quotes on the word ‘support.’ Hopefully that make it clearer. And I’m open to other suggestions but my intention is to call attention to the accusation, not convey my personal take.
I do think the story here it that he’s being accused of this on a forum read by a lot of Democrat activists and it was big enough for Politico to pick up and Auchincloss to walk back. Whether or not the accusation is appropriate is a topic for the comment section.
Thoughts?
@Greg – If you’re going to do it as a quote of the headline, I think you should include the word “display” from the headline and quote the whole headline. My strong preference would be to change the headline to be a more accurate reflection of what Jake did and then quote the headline in the body of the post.
Unfortunately, the Blue Mass Group site seems to be down.
@Meredith: To be entirely honest with you, I’m barely on V14 these days because I don’t have the time. I felt this story was worthy of posting here because I’ve seen it on social media multiple times and felt it was worthy of a discussion in Newton. If someone suggests a headline that coveys this neutrally, I’ll change it. Otherwise, I’d urge folks to discuss the substance while agreeing that it’s an imperfect headline. OK, gotta go.
As an entitled and privileged white male, I strongly support Jake and his opportunistic, finger-to-the-wind style of politics. We definitely need more corporate marionettes like Jake.
True, for the last four years Jake was resolutely unapologetic for his “free speech” stance.
But now that Jake’s poll numbers are in peril, he’s obviously ready to admit his mistake. And that, my friends, is as refreshing as my home-delivered Perrier (single-serve glass bottles only please).
I’m confident that Jake and the machinery of Kennedy-Auchincloss toadies will do whatever it takes to preserve the status quo, so that I can continue my lifestyle of pulling in the big bucks for doing very little.
Speaking of which, hats off to the military police for coming into the city yesterday with their turret-mounted humvees and standing guard with MP5s in front of the Ritz Carlton condos, Newbury Street, and Bank of America. I absolutely love that you guys have got my back.
And I love that Jake does too.
#PrivilegedWhiteMalesForJake
The headline has been updated thanks to a reader’s suggestion
The blatant lie in the title says it all. Sean continues to be obsessed with Jake.
Although I never emailed Sean, I receive emails from him, plugging Jake’s opponent. He uses my email address that is on the Newton Dems list. Sean no longer works for the Newton Dems. I asked Sean where he got my address from but he never responded.
Am I alone, or are there others on the Newton Dem list, who receive unsolicited emails from Sean?
Sooooo, Black Lives Matter until it’s uncomfortable and we are called on our stuff? He changed his position within the past WEEK, folks. The past week. Lots of Black people have died at the hands of cops between 2016 and the killing of George Floyd. The confederate flag and the hate it incites isn’t new. If he didn’t change his position before now, it’s too soon to get my vote. And please please please don’t call yourself an ally or hashtag another thing about Black lives if you’re really ok with this sudden flip.
Our mayor has literally tens of thousands of dollars in donations to GOP groups, I don’t think anyone on here is making bold claims about how she’s actually a Democrat in name only or “help[ing] elect conservative Republicans to state offices across Massachusetts.” I believe many Newton Democratic Party leaders actually endorsed her.
https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=ruthanne+fuller
Auchincloss voted no on impeachment, because he’s a *city councilor* and has no role in impeachment. This is like the City Council’s votes on nuclear disarmament etc., I appreciate the sentiment, but the time could be better spent advancing progressive policies elsewhere. Not sure if he has my vote, but this is a silly and heavily biased attack.
Above and beyond, as we evolve as a society, so does Jake as a leader in admitting that past stances can be refined by personal and historic growth. He has been consistent in condemning “these students actions but argued, with other city councilors, that school officials needed to discipline them without running afoul of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s wide latitude for student speech.” He admits that “it was a mistake to focus on this distinction, and I wouldn’t do so today.”
I praise Jake for standing behind his history and explaining where his growth has taken him. At the same time I thank Shawn Fitzgibbons for his attack on Jake, which allows us all to have this conversation highlighting the complexities of history and politics over time.
All who are running for the 4th District are quality candidates and don’t deserve to be treated as Jake has been by Shawn. I guess that is what happens when you are clearly the front runner.
One more thing: I’m curious to know how my good friend Ted Hess-Mahan feels about this as he is a Jesse Mermell supporter but was even more strenuous than Jake 4 years ago about protecting the students’ freedom of expression.
Wild headline, even with the edit.
That being said, I would not vote for Auchincloss if I was still living in Newton. Judging him as a person, I appreciate his apology and it strikes me as genuine. As a white person, I’ve made racist mistakes in my past, and will make many more. And like Jake is hopefully doing here, I will listen to people of color and learn from their guidance on how to be a better ally.
But I am not running for Congress.
Judging Jake as a potential Member of Congress, I cannot get past this. If he really wanted to be an ally for the black community, he’d drop out of the race and support Ihssane Leckey, an immigrant and (as far as I know) person of color, who’s understanding of racial and identity politics will always be infinitely greater than Jake’s.
Or at the very least, he could more openly advocate for the recent demands of our country’s black activists, such as defunding the Boston Police department.
Over the last week, Jake’s Twitter has consisted of vague content about how he supports the protestors’ cause, and wants to “take action to ensure the [Tim Duncan] incident doesn’t happen again.”
What action? Be specific. Because the black community isn’t having a problem being specific with their demands. If you are truly interested in being an ally, don’t you think the best step is taking a step back here?
I don’t mean to question you as a person, and have always respected your voice in City Council. But if you read this, I hope you consider the above, and far more importantly, the voices of our black community, as you evaluate the role of your campaign in the ongoing fight for a better America.
+1 to the very intelligent Brett.
I cannot believe people are giving Jake a pass for his comments and behavior. The comments were inappropriate in 2016, and he had no reason to make & act on them: He chose to come out of the woodwork to do so.
Jake ‘soft’ condemnation for the comments in 2016 was ignorant at best, hateful at worst. He thought the bigger issue was about freedom of speech, hence the comments. What the last week should have proved to us, along with all of the other events of the past decade, is that the Confederate Flag is a symbol of hate and terror in the USA and has been for decades. It is a direct threat against the African American community. Flying the flag on a public school campus deserves a strong punishment, not a reframing of the narrative.
One can grow on the issue. But giving a pass on past comments shows the tunnel vision of the few who have commented, just like those who “just follow orders” many of those commenting are Jake supporters.
I was never a big Jake fan, but I certainly respected him. I completely forgot about this. No chance I vote for him now.
Jake earned an endorsement from Progressive Newton in the last election. He has been a supporter of causes that I support including housing, diversity, immigration, and education, amongst other things. He was with me and co-docketed the Welcoming City Ordinance to stand with immigrants. And – I’m with him (along with many of my colleagues) in support of his campaign for Congress.
To debate the specifics of this post’s headline shows why Auchinchloss should be ruled out as a potential candidate for any Democrat seeking to support a progressive in this race. There should be no confusion at all when it comes to opposing the display of the Confederate flag or opposing Trump. For our next Congressperson, it should be crystal clear – oppose racism, oppose Trump. End of story. There are plenty of other Democrats running for Congress who can be fully trusted on these and many other issues of concern to the Democratic Party faithful.
I did not support Jake in his first election and was concerned that he may be one who thought he had the answers to complex issues. But to my very pleasant surprise that hasn’t been the case. I believe that, over a short period of time, he has grown tremendously and will continue to. His current perspective on issues related to those who are not privileged or are vulnerable has changed and evolved significantly. Anyone who has spoken with him can see that clearly. This hasn’t just happened because he’s running for office – it’s happened because he’s put time and energy into seeking out and communicating with people from varied perspectives on difficult issues facing the city and, now the country.
As a voter and constituent, I want to see that a candidate can grow as times change. Because times will change and today’s answers will not suffice for tomorrow’s problems. I’m less interested in candidates who burnish their progressive creds in the current moment than in those who demonstrate an ability to grow with the times. Jake has done that time and again and I believe will continue to do so for the entire Fourth District.
Wow – I cannot believe how people are missing the point here. Just 4 short years ago, Jake put the Confederate flag in the same category as a Black Lives Matter flag or an LGBTQ flag. This lack of judgment or perspective should be immediately disqualifying. He framed it as a 1st Amendment issue, but in so doing, demonstrated his lack of empathy, caring and true “seeing” of those less fortunate and privileged than he is – a very wealthy, white male. He has no place in this race – and he is not the progressive that he claims to be. There are many good candidates in this field, but he is absolutely not one of them. Jake tries so hard to come off as substantive, and most people think he is because he blankets people with data. But when it matters most, his core values shine through – like they did here in 2016. If we miss the opportunity to elect a genuine progressive to this seat, we will regret it for decades.
Jake served his country on the front lines in Afganistan. Most of those criticizing him above can’t muster the courage to add their last names to their comments.
Sean attacks Jake now, but I don’t recall him supporting his opponent in the last election.
Coming off of his service defending the US, Jake chose the wrong incident to try to make a point that free speech no matter how abhorrent or stupid should be protected. It’s a slippery slope. Four years later we have peaceful protesters and journalists overrun by a WH seeking to dominate the battlespace and get a photo op.
On the Trump issue, Jake’s point was that the city council needs to focus on where they have a responsibility to make a difference rather than superficial gestures. I was struck during that episode or a related one, there was a huge turnout for the debate. The public headed home, and the council had the question in front of them of whether to wire every major intersection in Newton with 24/7 surveillance cameras. It was deferred, and I don’t know where it landed, but the contrast in that important decision with sending a memo to DC was stark.
I don’t agree with Jake on some issues, but he has shown that he can think and act independently, which is something we need in our leaders on all sides today.
For people interested in reading more about Jake Auchincloss’ responses to many issues, here is the link to the Progressive Massachusett’s questionairre that was sent all the CD4 candidates as part of the process of making an endorsement:
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/progressivemass/pages/5543/attachments/original/1581860604/Jake_Auchincloss_PM_CD04_Questionnaire.pdf?1581860604
The link to all the CD4 questionnaire is at:
https://www.progressivemass.com/2020-congress
Progressive Mass endorses on a race by race basis. An endorsement for City Council is not intended to imply support for a future election.
@Jack Prior,
I acknowledge your oh-so-virile insult against the “courage” of Auchincloss opponents such as myself.
Following the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan I decided that the best course of action to serve my country was by joining the U.S. Foreign Service, because I honestly believed that the promotion of diplomacy was a better course of action than participating in unjust military aggression and foreign occupation on behalf of ExxonMobil and Halliburton. Jacob evidently felt otherwise and instead chose to serve in Afghanistan for what seems to have been a few weeks during the summer of 2015.
Is Jacob’s voice, or your voice (based on your apparently courageous service to our country) somehow more valid than mine? Does Jacob’s choice somehow entitle him to draw equivalencies between BLM, Pride, and the confederacy, or to send a clear message that the legitimacy of the Trump administration was of no concern to him?
If you’re so worried about last names, then I would genuinely be pleased to meet with you and hopefully Jacob in person, so that we can regale each other with tales of our service to our country, and what sort of privileges and discretion those choices evidently afford each of us, in your opinion. I’ll be cycling from Needham to Boston this afternoon – happy to met anywhere along the Beacon Street corridor. I can bring my old State Department ID – maybe you can bring your discharge papers in addition to your self-profiles in courage.
Emotions are high right now. To the extent we can have this conversation— and any conversation—respectfully and with open hearts are dare I say it even love for one another, imagine what a world we could build. In this case I disagreed with Jakes take on this issue at the time, but I appreciate his apology today. We can all look at things we have said or done in the past and conclude we would have done them differently today. However this highlights why I believe so strongly representation matters. Ihssane Leckey is the only woman of color running in this race. She is an immigrant, a Muslim, and a sexual abuse survivor. She knows what it’s like to be on the outs of the power structure. She is also a former Wall St regulator, which could kinda come in handy at a time when our government is owned by corporations. She has less campaign cash bc — surprise!! — people on the outside of power structures are able to raise less money. I think is time for white men to use their privilege to lift up voices of those who have been left out for far, far too long.
@Micheal — Sorry, I was just noting the somewhat new/unfamiliar first name commenters praising each other’s wisdom. Seems like a regular event on v14 as elections approach. It’s good you have a means here to express your opinions.
Thanks Jack, cheers.
The Auchincloss camp has made similar reference to “courage” in the past and I feel as though that argument has been used unfairly.
My observation is that among those with a chance of winning, Auchincloss is the most conservative, pro-establishment, pro-business candidate in the race right now, and the Fourth District should be debating if that’s the kind of candidate we want representing us in 2021, even if he’s suddenly become enlightened.
After watching a debate, I felt that Jesse Mermell had the best performance, but I won’t vote for her because of her complicity in perpetuating the institutional racism of Brookline’s public safety departments, which for the last decade has infuriated anyone with a modicum of decency – even if she’s also suddenly become enlightened.
I sincerely hope that the party can coalesce around a genuinely progressive alternative to Auchincloss.
I was very disappointed when Progressive Newton endorsed Auchincloss for the city council race, as I do not think he is progressive or ever has been. I was disturbed but not surprised when he defended flying a Confederate flag as “free speech” or refused to support an admittedly symbolic vote on impeaching Trump. Only time and actions will tell whether his current apology is genuine, but in the meantime, I would like him to fully disclose where all of his campaign contributions come from.
His initial city council run was funded with $40K from outside the state, when most city councilors have on the order of $1 – 2K from out-of-state supporters (usually relatives), but Auchincloss refused to disclose his donors. That much undisclosed money is the kind of support that the Koch brothers and other far-right dark money sources provide. I am disappointed that there has not been more scrutiny of his financial backers and their gains from his votes on the city council.
I think there are plenty of reasons to not to vote for Auchincloss, and I hope that the press and possible endorsers will take a much more thorough look at him, his financial backers, and his routine votes and actions.
Newton Upper Falls resident: all campaign donations are public. At the state and local level it’s posted at https://www.ocpf.us/. For federal candidates you can go to the FEC. Here is the page about Jake:
https://www.fec.gov/data/candidates/house/?q=auchincloss&election_year=2020&election_full=True&is_active_candidate=true
FEC has all kinds of info. It’s how I found out a certain Newton developer donated nearly 70K to the GOP after Trump was elected! 🙂
I will not be voting for Jake….
For (1), there are better candidates out there IMO – Leckey.
And (2) his support of the N word (Northland) and his position that anyone in opposition are basically NIMBYs who fear people of color moving into the neighborhood. That still stings, and neither he nor Becky will receive my vote just because they are fellow Newtonians.
Regardless of how one feels about development and/or Councilor Auchincloss, referring to Northland as the “N word” is inappropriate and offensive. Please don’t diminish the plight of people of color in our community, country or world with attempts to be cute.
I’m not voting for Jake, but seems like a cheap shot from Shawn Fitzgibbon. Jake’s statement in 2016 made a poor and in accurate analogy between the Confederate flag and a BLM flag or LGBT flag. He’s apologized for the statement. We’re voting on a person’s position in 2020 not 2016. People make mistakes. It’s noteworthy that he admitted his mistake.
Jake docketed a resolution to the full City Council that specifically referenced the Confederate Flag. It was not a generic free speech resolution for the Council. Rather, it stated that the rights of individuals to display the Confederate Flag should be protected. This was done in response to an incident of racism at a school.
Shawn-
That’s not quite right. The resolution “embracing free speech” was as follows: “requesting a resolution reflecting the will of the City Council that punishing Newton North High School Students for displaying the Confederate flag is contrary to Newton’s embrace of free speech, and that the display does not rise to the Supreme Court’s standard of protecting schools from substantial disruption to educational program or discipline.”
I don’t recall which Northern Massachusetts town dealt with a similar issue I believe around the same time, but a school superintendent, after consultation with, if memory serves me, the Dept of Ed and the DOJ office of civil rights, was prohibited from banning a student from wearing to school a shirt bearing a confederate flag. At the time there was a lot of discussion here as to whether the students would be punished for displaying the flag on school grounds – after school hours if I remember correctly.
As Justice Brandeis famously said, sunshine is the best disinfectant and this is most certainly apt for ugly speech that falls within First Amendment protection.
@Emily Norton: Dollar amounts of political contributions are public, but not the list of donors. Moreover, there are now many ways for political candidates to get money without disclosing who gave it to them.
In any event, I was discussing Auchincloss’s run for city council in 2015 (not the 2020 run for congress, where your links go). I admit that my recollection was wrong on the dollar amount, and I want to correct the record on that: the amount undisclosed in 2015 was $19K (not $40K). Here is the source of my information, the MetroWest Daily News: https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20151111/NEWS/151118825.
In the 2015 city council election, Auchincloss was the top fundraiser, and as the MetroWest article indicates, the sources were unusual (two-thirds, or $19K, from out of state). Given documentation of political dark money (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Money_(book)), I find those discrepancies disturbing, and not only because of what I consider to be Auchincloss’s subsequent dog-whistle support for white supremacy.
But turning to the the 2020 race for US Congress, Auchincloss is the again the top fundraiser in a political race (https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2020&id=MA04). And I for one think that the SOURCES of his funding needs investigation and disclosure.
In my opinion, we are at a tipping point in this country and globally. We have a narrow opportunity to shift wealth inequality and to save the planet. I think that we are not going to achieve the many dramatic changes needed to prevent planetary disaster and domestic revolution by electing people like Auchincloss.
People get so bent out of shape over their president. Does anyone know when I can go back to church? Folks I have news for you middle America controls Nov election and they are pro-cop and pro-Trump. My advice would be to load up on Kleenex in October. And Be thankful Warren is out of race.
I am glad that Jake saw the light on the Confederate flag the students waved in North’s parking lot. Around that time, while holding a Clinton sign at the entrance to the Farmers Market, I discussed the issue with two police officers on duty there, one of whom I have known for years and admired. They both declared that they were supporters of Trump’s candidacy, their right of course.
At first they downplayed the episode, saying that the kids were just “wise guys” who were in any event exercising their First Amendment right of expression. I asked, “What if it had been a Nazi flag and not the Rebel flag?” One officer admitted, “Now that would have been different.”
I asked, “How so? At lynchings in the South, the Confederate flag was often conspicuously present, as it was and is at Klan rallies. Why shouldn’t African-Americans feel threatened by that flag? Why shouldn’t the rest of us be offended?” The other officer replied, “Some people are too sensitive.”
The officers wondered how I, a retired teacher, would punish the students waving the flag. I suggested that it wasn’t a matter of punishing but of educating the young people to the significance of their actions. Since those days, we have seen our President describe demonstrators carrying the Rebel flag and chanting “Jews will not replace us” as “good people.” Guess where those students in the parking lot got their cue?
Newton Upper Falls Resident: The identities of donors is indeed public, at the local, state, AND federal level. Go to that link I posted. In 5 seconds you can find Jake’s donors:
https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H0MA04192/?tab=raising#individual-contribution-transactions
I’m the author of this post here: https://village14.com/2020/06/07/who-is-our-city-changing-for/#axzz6OdVtBYCa. I’m impressed by Jake’s evolution on this issue but it’s still not enough to convince me to vote for him yet. I’d be very impressed and would definitely consider voting for him if he turned his apology into action by pledging to do everything he can to divert the increased police budget money (~147k) towards services that are being cut, like the library or the parks.
I haven’t yet decided on a candidate. I’m still listening.
As for Jake, I have supported him for city councilor since his first election and continue to do so. He has shown a great capacity for understanding issues and being able to explain them.
The 2016 incident, that Shawn continues to harp on without getting it exactly right, constituted NNHS teens driving on school property with the confederate flag flying out the window and Jake’s subsequent proposal to the City council shown above.
The confederate flag is a symbol of hate and fear directed toward African Americans specifically and other minorities, including immigrants – a symbol of white supremacy in general and for a whites only society.
The teens involved were roundly criticized prompting calls for discipline ranging from being suspended from school to being arrested by the Newton Police. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and NPS handled it appropriately – on its own.
We live in a country that still allows free speech and particularly protected speech for students in our schools but regardless the discipline of these students’ situation became a city-wide virtual shouting match.
So that’s where Jake was coming from in his defense of the students’ free speech rights. He never supported the confederate flag being flown – he only wanted the students to be treated fairly. He also did not conflate the confederate flag with the Pride flag or any other symbol – he used them as examples of what would be lost if free speech wasn’t upheld.
In his zeal, he left out empathy for what other students were experiencing. I’m glad he understands that now.
According to an article in today’s Globe tracing Jake Auchincloss’s frequent changes of party registration, Jake acknowledges that as recently as 2018 he voted for Charlie Baker. It is of course Jake’s right to register with any party he wishes, or none at all, and to vote for whichever candidate he prefers. But that’s the point. Someone who, midway through the disaster that is the Trump presidency, still preferred a Republican for governor will not be getting my vote in the Democratic congressional primary. There are too many other people running whose judgment and whose Democratic principles are made of sturdier stuff.
“A super PAC took nearly $40,000 from a candidate’s parents. ‘It wouldn’t be surprising’ if it helped him”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/25/metro/super-pac-took-40000-candidates-parents-it-wouldnt-be-surprising-if-it-helped-him/
Funny how Jake Auchincloss and liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer agree on Constitutionality of Freedom of Speech and Expression no matter what the cause: In an interview with former TV talk host, Larry King, Supreme Court Justice Breyer., an Army veteran, recalled how the sight of the American flag being burned during the Vietnam War triggered ‘a physical reaction of repulsion’ in him. Yet such are the burdens of living in a free society. ‘We protect expression that we hate,’ he said. ‘You can think what you want.’