Letter to the Editor: Story Included 'Absurd Suggestion' That Democrats Will Control House

To the Editor:

As a longtime reader of the Danvers Patch and Bryan McGonigle, I was very disappointed in today’s article ‘Tierney Hopes for Democratic Party House Takeover.’ While your coverage is typically very balanced, this article appears to be written by the Tierney campaign. 

First, it quotes Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen as a budget expert, when he only got his post after four years of running the Democrat’s reelection effort in the House for Nancy Pelosi. The repeated assertion that Richard Tisei would weaken Medicare shows that Van Hollen is more interested in scoring cheap points for Tierney than addressing serious issues. Tierney says Richard Tisei wants to ‘end Medicare:’ I’ve seen him say it non-stop on television and my mail is overrun with it. Frankly, it's a lie. There is no place where Richard has ever said he wants to ‘end Medicare,’ a program that benefits his own mother. Further, the argument that Republicans wanted to ‘end Medicare’ was rated the lie of the year for 2011.

The article also allows Tierney and Van Hollen to make the absurd suggestion that Democrats are going to take the House. No rational person believes that's going to happen. And it's not only Republicans who understand that, it’s every single expert in the country, from Charlie Cook to Stuart Rothenberg to Nate Silver... and the list goes on. Here's the bottom line.. unlike John Tierney who is a rubber stamp for his party, Richard Tisei will NOT be a rubber stamp for the GOP, and the GOP is well aware of it. We need the Congressman who will NOT place the interests of the party over those of his constituents but who will be an independent-minded leader, one who has a twenty-six year track record of working across the aisle to get the job done for his district.

What’s best for the district is a breath of fresh air and a new Congressman starting Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Linda Flaherty 
Danvers

Linda Flaherty is the Danvers Town Captain for the Richard Tisei campaign.