McCarthy Campaign in High Gear for Congress

Vietnam Vet Wants to Bring Resources Back to Fifth District

By Curt Lovelace
September 2002 Print Edition

Chuck McCarthy is seeking to unseat incumbent Democrat Martin Meehan in the Fifth Congressional District and has been taking his message to the streets. According to campaign aide Tim O'Brien, the people of the district have been underrepresented in Washington because Meehan is "more interested in Washington than Main Street."

"The issues Chuck is hearing about from the people in the district are everyday problems that Congress can help to solve," O'Brien explains. These issues include saving Social Security, cutting taxes, unemployment in the district and the affordability of prescription drugs for the elderly.

Meehan is "out of touch" with the district and has done nothing to ease the employment situation of his constituents, the McCarthy campaign claims.

"The 5th District is worse off today than it was in 1995. Clearly, we would have better success with Republican representation in Washington. I will be able to work more closely with the House leadership and the White House to get this district the assistance it needs and deserves.

"Marty's not getting the job done, and the people of the 5th District are paying the price. We are seeing our tax dollars spent in other parts of the nation while Marty is busy with his pet projects that do nothing to protect jobs, save Social Security and improve our schools."

Citing recent research, McCarthy asserts, "The 5th Congressional District's ranking sank 22 spots to 200 among the nation's congressional districts between 1995 and 2001, according to the Associated Press survey of U.S. Census Bureau data. And the 5th District ranked in the bottom half of the Massachusetts Congressional Districts, placing 6th of 10. In addition, the 5th District received below the average federal funding of $5.5 billion per district reported by the AP."

As of mid-August, the McCarthy campaign had raised $150,000. In August, they added Priscilla Ruzzo to the staff as chief fundraiser. Ruzzo was the major fundraiser for Mitt Romney in his Senate run against Sen. Edward Kennedy. According to O'Brien, "Fundraising is still going strong, but we've got a long way to go to get near Meehan's $2.8 million war chest."

Recently, McCarthy, a former Marine and a decorated Vietnam veteran, formed a Veteran's for McCarthy coalition. It is to be headed by former Marines Jeff Moore and Robert McCann. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and past Commissioner of Veterans Affairs for the Commonwealth, Thomas J. Hudner, is one of the district veterans who has joined the coalition.

McCarthy wants change for the Fifth District. He believes that the incumbent spends too much time on high-profile Washington issues and national television news programs, to the detriment of his own constituents. McCarthy asserts, "Obviously, my opponent doesn't care about tax dollars. Otherwise, he would not have voted against President Bush's tax cut that returned $2 billion to Massachusetts families. He does not care that we pay high taxes and he does not care that we don't get our fair share. This is just another example of why it is time for a change of leadership in this district. I will fight for the views and interests of the people of the 5th, and that includes getting them the assistance they deserve from Washington."

Has a Primary Opponent

His competition in the primary, Thomas Tierney, lives in Framingham which is actually not in the District. According to officials at the headquarters of the Mass. Republican Party, Tierney is considered a "fly in the ointment." Members of the MassGOP staff have tried to convince Tierney to run against Democrat incumbent Edward Markey in the 7th district. No Republican is running against Markey.

Although Tierney has actually spent most of his political life as a Republican, he's actually a Democrat in Republican clothing. But, the candidate is naked. His clothing hides nothing. The last time Tierney ran for the nomination for this seat, in 2000, he ran in the Democrat primary. His party affiliation switch came just before the deadline for candidate applications this year.

Beyond that, Tierney is running on a Democrat platform. His key issue is health care. He'd like to give us socialized (that means socialist) medicine, based upon the model currently used in Canada. One has to wonder, if that's such a good system, why do so many Canadians have their major procedures performed in the U.S.? Tierney also opposes President George W. Bush's Social Security proposals.

A few years back, I covered the Hillary Clinton presentation of her health care plan when she brought her traveling show to Boston. It was the first stop on her tour - and it ended any chances for her plan. The people came out in droves from all over New England to "just say no" to Hillary-Care. The people are just as likely to reject Tierney's Democrat-flavored views.

Tierney has also shown his true party colors recently when he joined the Democrat challenge against Mitt Romney over his legal residency in Massachusetts. The election board decided that Romney is a resident and qualified to run for governor as a candidate of the party Tierney now claims.

Paul Hoar, Chairman of the Lowell Republican City Committee, which has been honored as the best committee in the state, recently wrote a letter in support of McCarthy. In part, he writes, "A Democrat is trying to hijack the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District. Noting the similarities between Tierney's agenda and that of the Democratic National Committee, and the strong Republican support being received by McCarthy, Hoar adds, "Tom Tierney's supporters, upon learning of McCarthy's Republican Party endorsement, have begun the politics of personal destruction. They are attacking his values and morals." That seems like enough indication that Tierney's sentiments still lie with the party affiliation of his recent past.