Letter: Senator Ed Markey is the true progressive in the race – SouthCoastToday.com

"So please dont talk about fighting climate change like its just something that will never happen! The fact is that if we do NOT make it happen, we can kiss our world goodbye."

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This letter is in response to Scott Langs letter about this race where he was advocating voting for Congressman Joe Kennedy III, rather than Senator Ed Markey.

The first part of his letter I find deceptive and simply an attack that you would have expected from a Republican conservative.

He called the Green New Deal legislation aspirational and even idealistic. I remember this saying about ideals from when I was in 7th grade. Ideals are like stars. You do not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the sea faring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you reach your destiny. Obviously Scott Lang didnt learn that lesson. Perhaps he also felt the same way when former President John F. Kennedy said we need to put a man on the moon by 1970! Yes it was aspirational and idealistic, but we then did it because we set our mind to it.

So please dont talk about fighting climate change like its just something that will never happen! The fact is that if we do NOT make it happen, we can kiss our world goodbye.

I would also challenge Mayor Langs statement about Congressman Joe Kennedy being a true progressive leader. I listened to his 2018 response to President Trumps State of the Union Address, and I was totally unimpressed by his response. He didnt seem like the true progressive leader that Mr. Lang referred to. Now I dont doubt that Joe Kennedy may have become more progressive over the past 2 years! If he didnt, he would have to have been living under a rock all that time!

Theres a reason why the Boston Globe has endorsed Senator Ed Markeys re-election campaign. They called him the True Progressive in this race.

I also remember an instance where Joe Kennedy III wasnt there for us Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service last year when we asked him to become a co-sponsor of the Postal Fairness Act (H.R. 2382), which would have ended the ridiculous requirement for the U.S.P.S. to pre-fund our future retiree health benefits for the next 75 years within 10 years!

As members of the Massachusetts State Association of Letter Carriers, we were tasked with getting our Massachusetts Congresspersons to co-sponsor that bill. Several of us had called or written to Congressman Joe Kennedy in hopes that he would sign on right away. He was the last Congressperson from this state and also one of the last Congresspersons in the United States to become a co-sponsor.

The last time I called his office I actually spoke to one of his staff members and asked why they would expect us to vote for him as a Senator, when we couldnt even rely on him to act on our behalf as our Congressman! I still have at least one of the letters I sent to his office on my Desktop!

Those are things us working people do not forget about when someone fails to come to our aid. Thats just one of the big reasons I voted for Senator Ed Markey!

Richard Drolet is a New Bedford resident and Chairperson of the N.B. Democratic City Committee.

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Letter: Senator Ed Markey is the true progressive in the race - SouthCoastToday.com