KnowThyNeighbor.org

Former Senator Bill Saltonstall Leaves GOP Citing Same-Sex Marriage

Massachusetts GOP Icons Lament GOP's Shift and Head To The Other Side

KnowThyNeighbor friend, Former Senator Bill Saltonstall, 79, joined other Republican Party Icons Former Senator Christopher Phillips, 85, and George Lodge, 79, son of former US Senator Henry Cabot Lodge in publicly declaring their dis-satisfaction with the Republican Party and their full support of Deval Patrick for Governor. 

Why?  Because as Senator Phillips who lives in Kerry Healey's hometown of Beverly stated for the Boston Globe, they are "tired with what the Republican Party has become today" and cited, now get this, "their opposition to the war in Iraq and the state Republican Party's positions on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage."  The stone table has cracked.

Bill Saltonstall who lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea with his wife Jane attended the very first piece of local activism that my husband and I did.  Back in 2003, we put together a group of local leaders to help pressure Rep Brad Hill and Senator Bruce Tarr into understanding that the Commonwealth should never allow discrimination to segregate our citizens regarding marriage rights.  This was before MassEquality had its act together and the Log Cabin Republicans, Patrick Guerrero, who attended this meeting were asking LGBT to "accept" Civil Unions because Mitt Romney would be "okay" with that.  It was amazing to witness the respect that these legislators showed toward the Former Senator as he said, "I hope that when MY daughter comes back to Massachusetts that she will be welcome here."

Bill Saltonstall, if you remember, went to bat for his daughter years ago in a full page letter in the Boston Globe admonishing the GOP for its stance against gay adoptions. 

In a letter to the Boston Globe Saltonstall wrote: "I have a lesbian daughter who, with her partner, has adopted three children into a loving family. The national leadership of the Republican party takes the position that no gay people should adopt children, and if they do, the child might be taken away from them to be placed elsewhere. I regard this as a direct attack on my family. While I continue to support local Republicans, as long as the Republican national leadership feels this way, I cannot support it."

And last week, the very reserved Saltonstall told the Globe, I've been active in the gay rights movement, because my daughter is gay--she lives in Alaska--and the party has not been favorable to people like her.  And here in Boston, the local party has been back and forth on that sort of thing."  Saltonstall even went as far as changing his party affiliation to Democrat.

I remember receiving a phone call from Bill last year after Alex and I arranged the infamous meeting that ended our constant pressuring of Rep. Brad Hill when Hill conceded to vote down the anti-gay amendments including the one on Nov. 9th.  Bill was quite angry with us...for not having invited him to this historic meeting.  The truth be told--we had heard that the Saltonstalls were in Alaska at the time, but Bill never forgave us (in a friendly way).

KnowThyNeighbor, would like to publicly thank Senator Phillips, Mr. Lodge and Senator Saltonstall for doing the right thing.  But especially, Senator Saltonstall for having the guts to speak out for your daughter and for the rest of us when so many do not.  Mary Cheney, don't you wish you could say the same thing about your dad?

So what was the local GOP's reaction to all of this?  House Minority Leader, Rep. Brad Jones of North Reading said, "It is disappointing to see people who decided it's better to leave the party rather than help change the party."  Umm, Rep. Jones, we tried, but most of the time it is like beating a dead horse (or elephant for that matter).  I still carry my Massachusetts Republican Party card in my wallet even though I am officially "Unenrolled."  On the back is "The Republican Oath" and I quote two lines from it directly, "I believe that good government is based on the individual and that each person's ability, dignity, freedom and responsibility must be honored and recognized. I believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all."

GOP strategist, John Moffitt, is quoted in this Globe article as stating "I think that a lot of the old-time Republicans tend to be socially liberal."  Well, Mr. Moffitt, you failed to mention one other thing.  It seems that these "old-time Republicans" can also read.

Tom Lang, Director

Massachusetts Republicans Set Eyes on 2010 Governor's Race

Kerry Healey's Body Isn't Even Cold Yet or Is It?

This is smart politics at it's best.  A KnowThyNeighbor Exclusive...
The Massachusetts GOP, having determined it would be losing the Corner
Office and a considerable amount of within party support in this 2006
Gubernatorial Race, is circling the wagons and taking stock in what
they have to offer in the 2010 Election.  And who is testing the water
or should I say the leather chair in the Corner Office?  It is my
Senator, Bruce Tarr, Republican of the 1st Essex and Middlesex
Senatorial District--at least that is what sources close to the
Senator have told me.

What was the tip off?  An invitation that I received to the third in
the line of fundraising parties entitled, "Steps to a Better
Massachusetts" which is scheduled to take place on November 16, 2006 .
I take it that Kerry Healey's demise is an accepted fact among the
Massachusetts and National GOP Leadership.  It reminds me of the joke
that Joan Rivers told when Eva Gabor died a few years back.  Joan
said, "Zsa Zsa Gabor was wearing Eva's jewels before the body even hit the
floor."

So who is Senator Bruce Tarr?  The Senator is a much respected
Legislator, locally and among his peers and considered a moderate.  It
was Senator Tarr who opposed Mitt Romney so strongly on Mitt's anti-stem cell research stance and publicly stated his personal reasons for supporting the Senate's Bill.  I personally consider
Senator Tarr a good leader and a man of good character.  From a State
House source, I was forwarded an email which indicates that there are
other people who feel the same.  To my question, "Is he getting a good
response from people who want to see him in a higher position?  I
understand the hardline GOPs, but I am talking the moderates and all
the people that we lost in the party (including me)?"  Answer, "I
can't tell u who, but I assure u, it has come from all levels, from
all communities, and from far outside the Commonwealth, at all levels
of government."

This "national" attention being directed toward my Senator (and I need
to point out that if Tarr had accepted a position within the Gov.
Cellucci Team years back, Bruce Tarr would be "the Kerry Healey," now)
is actually re-assuring.

I had a heart-to-heart yesterday with Bob Parks , the
African-American, Ultra-Conservative friend of Alan Keyes who is vying for control of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee.  Parks is
a self-proclaimed "extreme" conservative who believes that the ONLY
way for the GOP to win elections in Massachusetts is to take the Right
Side of Right stances on social issues and economic and immigration
issues.  He feels that a moderate Republican loses elections in a
state like Massachusetts and will work and is working to organize from
within the GOP State Committee, mustering support, using issues like
same-sex marriage as a fear tactic, replacing the current Chair
Darrell Crate with himself and then "calling for the immediate
resignation of those in State Committee who would oppose him (Parks)."
So you can see, National GOP Drives, even when based in the fear of
having lost key races, are much better when they include Moderate
Republicans backing Moderate Republicans.  The other tactic, Bob Parks
and his like, is a very scarey alternative and one that we need to
watch closely.  BTW, how did I gather this information on Bob Parks?
It was easy, he must have "googled" me and KnowThyNeighbor and read
only the beginning of our website headline, "Protecting Marriage" and
did not continue reading, "...for All Families."  Yes, folks, he was
looking for KnowThyNeighbor to help him and to be on board in his
campaign because he thought we were against same-sex marriage.  Silly
Rabbit...

If Senator Tarr steers clear of the Radical Right and remembers that
he is in Massachusetts, together with the fact that he is very
well-liked by pretty much everyone who knows him (including me), then
this Commonwealth will not lose him to "the dark side" like we have
lost so many.  "Dark side" meaning: the side of ambition and false
conviction.  Senator Tarr's vote on November 9th against the amendment
will tell us all that he may truly be a Leader worthy of a run for the
Corner Office come November 2010.  I have faith Bruce.

Tom Lang, Co-Director