Arthur Schaper: Senator Markey Leaves His Mark
Friday, August 09, 2013
Markey is currently embarked on a month-long tour to reach out to the voters who placed him back in the MA senate.
Worcester
Last week, Senator Markey enjoyed a Worcester walk-through with Mayor Joseph M. Petty and Congressman James McGovern as part of his extended meet-and-greet in the Commonwealth. Joshua Miller of the Boston Globe (now a Red Sox fan for sure, since the team’s owner just bought Miller’s job and company at a loss from former owners New York Times) lighted on the local critics’ previous remarks about Markey, as they made light of the former Congressman’s light campaign schedule when running for John Kerry’s senate seat. They obviously missed the three Gomez-Markey debates, although none of them were very enlightening, except to demonstrate how light Markey is on the issues (I uh have uh paid uh my uh fair uh share).
Telegram.com reported that the three politicians (Petty, Markey, McGovern: quite a petty pack of government types leaving their mark!) visited Worcester’s Martin Luther King Jr. Business Empowerment Center. With all of his oratory and advocacy on behalf of the downtrodden, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. could not empower anything in Massachusetts, since the current Governor Deval Patrick is more interested in subsidizing fraudulent welfare benefits, playing the race card about dead teenagers in other states, and ignoring the growing plight of taxpayers, who are taking flight out of the state. By the way, businesses need government empowerment the way that a butterfly needs a cocoon: it doesn’t, and to impose either prevents the birth and growth of both.
Instead of Martin Luther King Jr. Business Empowerment Center, the Massachusetts GOP should rechristen the corner after former US Senator Edward Brooke, the first popularly elected (and Republican) African-American US Senator who represented Massachusetts from 1967-1979. There, the Bay State Republicans could affix a plaque which tells each business (what few remain) and every individual (what few can maintain): “Your place is anywhere you want it to be.” The government has no place telling anyone, especially the diligent and hardworking, where their place is.
Following their visit to the MLKBE, Markey and company reviewed the civil servants in Worcester. Markey may not have a lot to learn about government, but he still has offered very little when it comes to civil service. Besides Cap and Trade, Markey has left very little mark in Congress. I even Googled his former House website and new Senate website only to find nothing or the same blasé comments that legislators do everything. At least Congressman McGovern cared enough to co-sponsor legislation about getting the NSA off my phone and to stop reading my emails (and he cares about dogs, too). Markey should ditch the Senate gig (for our good, not his, of course) and open an ice cream shop. At least that was the one decent, real job he had before taking up space in Chevy Chase.
Northampton
In contrast to little campaigning, Markey’s parading lasted for an extended strech of time, as his tour of the Bay State did not stop (unfortunately) in Worcester. In Northampton, he bought a vanilla ice cream cone (one of the residents suggested he go big, but he went small. No joke!). Markey then dished his scoop on the sequesteration which was cutting federal spending. “Sequestration is just a very fancy word for mindless cuts.” These uncompromising cuts were enacted following Congress’ inability to compromise on spending reductions, revenue increases, and entitlement reform. Then he commented about his transfer from the House of Representatives to the US Senate: “It’s a cultural difference, like the difference between the American League and the National League.” A constituent who voted for Markey, Amanda Zolobrowski, greeted him, and then admitted that she did not recognize the guy. From baseball metaphors to resistance to spending cuts to ignorant voters, Markey should have reserved “mindless” for other people (such as himself).
For the remainder of this tour, Markey will visit (or rather visited) New Bedford, Fall River, then Lowell, and finally Boston. Not surprisingly, the voters will not see him in Malden or Medford, not because those constituents know him so well, but for precisely the opposite reason. Imagine an entire city of Amanda Zolobrowskis jumping up and down shouting: “Senator Markey, I voted for you!” then saying: “I had no idea you looked like that!” followed by a disgruntled land lady demanding thirty-seven years of missed rents payments.
Arthur Christopher Schaper is a teacher-turned-writer on topics both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A life-long Southern California resident, Arthur currently lives in Torrance. Follow him on Twitter @ArthurCSchaper, reach him at [email protected], and read more at Schaper's Corner and As He Is, So Are We Ministries.
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