I am writing here on my own behalf, and am solely responsible for this content.
Tom Mountain, a Newton resident and Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, has a responsibility to speak up, for himself and the state GOP, to denounce the call for an armed uprising that the FBI has reported is being actively planned in all 50 states in coming days.
While Mr. Mountain has expressed contrition over his previous disregard for COVID safety and for bringing COVID cases to his family and Newton, he has more to address. Mountain defended Donald Trump, disputing Trump’s incitement of the armed insurrection in the Capitol building a week ago. Mountain mis-characterized the insurgents as a fringe group when it is now clear it was the GOP base, aided and abetted by, and even including elected republican officials. The Mass GOP website and twitter feed has remained silent on Trump’s role in the insurrection, but the website still has Trump’s photo as its centerpiece.
Finally, and most egregiously for Mr. Mountain, given his own role in spreading COVID, the riot in the Capitol now appears to have also been a COVID super-spreader event, and Republican lawmakers mocked colleagues who attempted to pass out masks for everyone’s safety, in a room where around 100 lawmakers sheltered. Now some of those legislators who attempted to keep everyone safe have become infected with COVID. Mr. Mountain must denounce the Republican lawmakers for this act of criminal, potentially fatal negligence, and apologize for the actions of the Republican Party and all those who continue to intentionally put others in harm’s way. Mr. Mountain can not remain silent. His silence would amount to complicity.
You are 100% right, but I think Tom Mountain is too far down this Trumpian rabbit hole to do it. Absolutely shameful. The Massachusetts Republican Party should remove him (and any other of this brand of Republicans) from being a vice chairman without delay.
Thank you, MMQC. I’m not so sure Mountain isn’t willing to dump trump. The defections are mounting from even the most obedient and craven of the trump loyalists, including now GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy:
https://theweek.com/speedreads/960333/trump-reportedly-blamed-antifa-people-capitol-siege-told-by-gop-house-leader-no-maga
It seems to me that Tom Mountain has been a rabbit hole guy before there was a trump presidency – whatever that means. So he’s is unlikely to change.
Anyone who supported or encouraged the riots that led to the attack on our Capital should be held accountable. And yes, alarmingly, we now know these insurrectionists are not a fringe element as some militias have been in the past. They include trump, members of the Republican Party in both the Senate and the house, the cabinet, police officers and honorably discharged members of our military among others. These rioters and their handlers represent the worst of the worst – white supremists and power.
The defectors are just abandoning the sinking ship. But that doesn’t erase the lies they have been spouting to rile these rioters to attack.
Like trump, they are Cowards.
“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” Voltaire
It would be nice to have some serious Republican leadership in Newton.It’s embarrassing to have someone who has so fully embraced the Trump brand be the face of the party in our city. The drop of support from McCain and Romney to Trump clearly shows that Newton is not *that* kind of town.
“Yes, the crowd was in a frenzy. Yes, (Trump) riled up the crowd. But he didn’t tell them to break into the Capitol,” said Massachusetts GOP Vice-Chair Tom Mountain.
Tom M is a lost cause. If he didn’t learn from his covid experience that the inarticulate Trump can message and influence in many insidious ways than Tom is a delirious fool.
We’ve learned nothing new about him.
The nation badly needs all Republican leaders, local and national, to tell their followers,”There was no electoral fraud; Joe Biden won the election fair and square; those conspiracy theories like Qanon are outright lies; and true Republicans denounce all racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic groups and militias.”
That would be a first step in moving the Republicans back toward being the party of Free Enterprise and limited government: the party of Francis Sargent, Edward Brooke, Nelson
Rockefeller, George H.W. Bush, and William Weld. Its current incarnation has led our country in a dangerous direction, and Republican leaders must take responsibility and embrace the challenge.
Terry, Mountain’s words fall into the distinction without a difference category.
Mountain has no decency. He hasn’t for years.
Any rational observer understands that Trump purposefully incited the neo-fascists among his followers in a last-ditch attempt to subvert our democracy and stay in power by means of mob violence. Trump gave that speech with full knowledge from the FBI that members of his audience came to DC with the goal of violent insurrection. Tom Mountain is all-in with the absurd conspiracy theories that were used to justify the sedition, and it appears no act by Dear Leader will shake Mountain’s obeisance. The MASS GOP needs to jettison him and his fellow Trumpists from leadership roles, post-haste.
As with Covid-19, Mountain has made clear that unless he feels it on his own person, it is not real. Mountain, don’t think that your treason will be appreciated by the fascist mob, and that you and yours will be spared. The danger is real, just like Covid. Unfortunately your insane choices affect everyone in our country and around the world, or I would say: “Enjoy your brief remaining Freedom in the Turd Reich, you have certainly earned it, and you own it.”
“Yes, the crowd was in a frenzy. Yes, (Trump) riled up [incited] the crowd. But he didn’t tell them to break into the Capitol,” said Massachusetts GOP Vice-Chair Tom Mountain.
Trump didn’t expressly tell the mob to break into the Capitol. But he urged the the crowd to rush to the Capitol to prevent it from doing a constitutionally compelled action central to the continuation of the government. To boot, Trump’s conduct was based on a Mountain of Lies. That is incitement of insurrection. Trump’s impeachment is more than justified.
However, the 25th Amendment should have been invoked, this is exactly what it was for. Trump is incapable of governing, and he always has been. The man practically has more psychiatric disorders than are listed in DSM-V and is entirely incompetent.
In you-can’t-make-this-up news, today, Tom Mountain’s organization, the Massachusetts GOP, mocked US Rep Ayanna Pressley, who was infected by reckless maskless GOP lawmakers breathing COVID into her air space, as reaching “a new level of victimhood” for calling out the GOP lawmakers for their dangerous behavior: https://twitter.com/massgop/status/1350120325024018433?s=21
I would not ever expect Tom Mountain to disavow Trump after what the Administration did for the right wing Israeli Government. As a Jew supporting Israel, I am ashamed of this marriage to Trump. For Mountain and his ilk, the ends justify the means, even if selling your soul is required.