Letter: Goodlander and Pappas reject Progressives

Concord Monitor | LTE by Jeff Duhamel

Toward the end of June, Maggie Goodlander put her name alongside 12 of her colleagues to reject the “extreme left and right.” This is clearly in response to the NY DSA Democratic Party primary victories that week. Last July, Chris Pappas went to Fox News online to reassure them that he is not Mamdani.

These two congresspeople aren’t just conflating some of their voter base with the Republican Party, but they are also telling us a lot about how they view politics now. Progressive candidates in NY ran on expanding health care, the primary driver of bankruptcy in the US. They want to increase taxes on billionaires as the wealth inequality between classes has skyrocketed since the 80s. They want an end to ICE and better immigration. Finally, they want an end to military action and illegal weapons flow to the Middle East.

All of those used to be important to the Democratic Party. People forget that the 2020 primary was full of Democrats calling for Medicare for all. Billionaires have gained enormous power that neither party is reining in anymore. ICE is committing murders and crimes in our neighborhoods as they round up immigrants that Democrats used to defend. The party that 20 years ago ran on being against endless wars in the Middle East now slanders people as anti-Semitic for opposing them.

Goodlander and Pappas are telling corporate donors and AIPAC that they are going to stand up for them. We should listen, and vote for Paige Beauchemin and Karishma Manzur on Sept. 8.

Jeff Duhamel, Henniker