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alex morse
'Coordinated Homophobic Attack' on Alex Morse Denounced as Progressive Challenger Falls Short of Ousting Corporate Rep. Richard Neal
"We're not done yet," said Morse, who slammed Neal for raking in money from corporations that are "exploiting the working class people of this community and of this country."
Sep 02, 2020
After progressive challenger Alex Morse fell short of ousting powerful corporate-backed Rep. Richard Neal in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' 1st congressional district on Tuesday, LGBTQ advocates decried the "coordinated homophobic attack" against Morse--reportedly orchestrated by state party leaders--that came to dominate the final stage of the race as the incumbent's lead in the polls began to slip.
"The efforts to sensationalize and weaponize Alex's sexual orientation certainly influenced the outcome of this race, but the backlash it engendered should give pause to those considering similar tactics in the future," said Annise Parker, president and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, which endorsed Morse. "We are grateful Alex stayed in the race and took the body blows necessary to expose the double standards too often placed on LGBTQ candidates."
"We ran against one of the most powerful Democrats over the last 14 months who had access to millions and millions of dollars, the vast majority from corporations."
--Alex Morse, Holyoke mayor
Morse, the openly gay mayor of Holyoke, spent much of his post-election speech Tuesday night condemning a "broken" federal government that fails to guarantee healthcare as a human right while spending trillions on war and a Democratic establishment bankrolled by corporations guilty of "exploiting the working class people of this community and of this country." Morse also hinted at a possible second run for Neal's House seat in 2022, declaring, "We're not done yet."
"We ran against one of the most powerful Democrats--not just [any] Democrat, one of the most powerful incumbents in Washington--over the last 14 months who had access to millions and millions of dollars, the vast majority from corporations," said Morse, alluding to Neal's status as the top recipient of corporate PAC money in all of Congress, Republican or Democrat. "Corporations that aren't looking out for all of you... Big pharmaceutical companies that are making you pay egregious amounts of money for insulin, for medication in this country."
"This is who funds our congressman right here in western Massachusetts," Morse continued, also mentioning the healthcare lobby and the fossil fuel industry, both of which are major donors to Neal, who late last year helped tank legislation aimed at ending the scourge of surprise medical billing.
At the tail-end of his remarks, Morse condemned the "coordinated political attack" against him that "goes all the way up to Washington, D.C, Congressman Neal, the people around him, the Massachusetts Democratic Party, corporations that invested millions of dollars in attack ads over the weekend"--a reference to a spot from the Democratic PAC American Working Families that was widely denounced as homophobic.
"This isn't just about me," said Morse. "We have to send a message loud and clear that these kind of tactics in our communities are unacceptable."
Watch Morse's full speech:
Early last month, shortly before early voting began in the state primary, the College Democrats of Massachusetts released a letter accusing Morse of inappropriate sexual relations with college students, none younger than 18 years old. The letter alleged that Morse, who previously worked as an adjunct professor at UMass Amherst, used "College Democrats events to meet college students and add them on Instagram," among other vague accusations.
In response to the letter, which was immediately met with skepticism by many progressives, Morse said "every relationship I've had has been consensual" but apologized to anyone he "made feel uncomfortable."
"I will not apologize," Morse added, "for living out of the closet, for going on dates, and having consensual conversations."
Later reporting by The Intercept revealed the extent to which the College Democrats' letter was a product of coordination with the Massachusetts Democratic Party. According to The Intercept, state party leaders "connected the students with attorneys: among them was the powerful state party figure and attorney Jim Roosevelt, who worked with the college group on a letter alleging Morse behaved inappropriately."
In a statement late Tuesday, Justice Democrats--a progressive advocacy group that endorsed and remained supportive of Morse throughout the campaign--slammed the "manufactured scandal" targeting the progressive challenger who ran on a platform that included Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
"While national and local media--particularly local television media--covered the initial allegations, there was little subsequent coverage of the investigative reporting that exposed the political hit job," the group noted. "Neal's backers even claimed to 'accidentally' release an ad the weekend before Election Day attacking Morse over the allegations."
Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, said that despite Morse's loss, he emerges from the race "as an inspiration for his community who overcame a culture of fear instilled by the incumbent and desperate, manufactured attacks" while "Neal walks away damaged and vulnerable."
"Taking on Neal was always going to be our biggest battle," said Rojas. "He's the number one recipient of corporate PAC donations in all of Congress and wields an enormous amount of power over elected officials, labor unions, and community organizations as Ways and Means chair."
Parker of the LGBTQ Victory Fund said that "while Alex's loss is disappointing, it proved our community and our allies can respond forcefully in exposing the dog whistles and stereotypes that too often haunt LGBTQ candidates."
"We will not allow attacks on LGBTQ candidates to go unanswered during the final two months of this election cycle," said Parker.
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Progressive Democrats Look to Massachusetts for Next 2020 Primary Night Victories
"Today we vote for a future where clean air, healthcare, and a quality education are considered a human right; not a privilege."
Sep 01, 2020
As Massachusetts voters head to the polls Tuesday, progressives are pinning their hopes on some high-profile races in the Bay State.
The contest for Sen. Ed Markey's seat has drawn out the differences in Democratic Party factions, as challenger Rep. Joe Kennedy has garnered the endorsement of more corporate-friendly lawmakers, including Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in his bid to unseat the progressive incumbent.
Pelosi's support for Kennedy arrived despite a declaration last year from the party's congressional campaign arm that it would blacklist firms working for insurgents seeking to oust incumbents.
Markey allies--including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Medicare for All activist Ady Barkan as well as progressive organizations including the Sunrise Movement, Our Revolution and Indivisible--have come out in support of the Green New Deal champion.
In a race marred by scandal, Holyoke, Massachusetts Mayor Alex Morse--an openly gay champion of Medicare for All and other progressive issues--looks to unseat incumbent Richard Neal, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, for the state's 1st congressional district seat. After reporting revealed how local state Democratic Party leaders conspired with local college Democrats use Morse's sexuality as the basis for a a smear campaign against the 31-year-old mayor, his insurgent campaign was bolstered by endorsements from former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, Jamaal Bowman, who upset 16-term incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel in New York in June, and San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, a surrogate for Sanders' presidential run.
Morse, Markey, and Robbie Goldstein, an infectious disease specialist and Medicare for All champion looking to unseat longtime incumbent Stephen Lynch in the state's 8th congressional district, all outraised their opponents in the final pre-primary filing period, raising hopes that progressives will continue to tally big wins this cycle.
Polls show Markey ahead of Kennedy in the U.S. Senate race, and a close race between Morse and Neal in the 1st district. Goldstein's campaign released an internal poll in August showing him behind Lynch by only 7 points.
"So the challenger might have a shot at an upset," Nathaniel Rakich and Geoffrey Skelley wrote for FiveThirtyEight Monday.
The race to fill Kennedy's U.S House seat in the state's 4th district is crowded and fairly open, with a new poll showing Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss and former Brookline select board member Jesse Mermell pulling ahead of the pack.
In a tweet Monday urging voters to cast ballots for Markey, the Sunrise Movement said, "Today we vote for a future where clean air, healthcare, and a quality education are considered a human right; not a privilege."
Ryan Grim, part of the Intercept team who broke the story of the state Democratic Party's involvement in the Morse smear campaign, will be live on The Young Turks (TYT) tonight to cover results. TYT's schedule is here.
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'Honor of My Life': Alex Morse Scores Big Boost with Ocasio-Cortez Endorsement
AOC's Courage to Change PAC targets influential corporate-backed incumbent Richard Neal in a bid for yet another progressive upset.
Aug 26, 2020
Taking aim at one of her party's most influential members, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday endorsed embattled progressive upstart Alex Morse in his Massachusetts congressional race against Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Ocasio-Cortez, often known by her initials AOC, made her endorsement via her political action committee, Courage to Change, the New York Times reports. Morse, the 31-year-old mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, faces an uphill battle in his bid to unseat a long-serving incumbent, just as Ocasio-Cortez did in her successful 2018 primary challenge against Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.).
Morse tweeted that he was "so proud" to gain the endorsement.
"When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took on her own entrenched incumbent in 2018, she changed public service for the better, further inspiring me and so many others to fight for our districts and empower those who have long been forgotten," Morse wrote in a statement, referring to the former bartender and organizer's historic upset of Crowley, who represented New York's 14th Congressional District for 20 years.
"I am honored to have the congresswoman's Courage to Change in our corner, and it will be the honor of my life to bring the people alongside me to Washington."
Although only a first-term congresswoman, Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist former surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, has become an influential leader of the progressive left. Along with other members of "The Squad"--Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)--she is widely reviled by supporters of President Donald Trump, and disdained by backers of more moderate Democrats.
Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement comes in the wake of a tumultuous test for Morse, who has weathered accusations of sexual impropriety leveled by two campus chapters of the College Democrats of Massachusetts. Leading members of the groups claimed Morse abused his position as a part-time lecturer at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in order to pursue consensual sexual relationships with students.
As the scandal broke earlier this month, Morse considered dropping out of the race. However, it was later revealed that some of Morse's accusers had plotted to destroy his candidacy as far back as last October, and that Timothy Ennis, the chief strategist for the UMass Amherst College Democrats at the center of the allegations against Morse, aspired to work for Neal. The Massachusetts Democratic Party announced in mid-August that it would investigate the matter following the September 1 state primary election.
Neal, who is serving his 16th term in the House, is the most prominent incumbent targeted by Ocasio-Cortez, who since taking office has been cautious about offering her endorsements to candidates. Courage to Change has endorsed fewer than a dozen candidates, including Jamaal Bowman, who defeated Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.)--a 30-year incumbent backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and other power Democrats--in last month's Democratic congressional primary.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Ocasio-Cortez has personally endorsed just three progressive challengers during the 2020 primaries, while Courage to Change has now endorsed eight progressive candidates. In comparison, Sanders has endorsed five candidates, as have the activist groups Justice Democrats and Indivisible, while the pro-Sanders group Our Revolution has endorsed 15. Two of the three candidates personally endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez--Bowman and Marie Newman, who unseated anti-choice conservative Democrat Dan Lipinksi in Illinois--won their primaries.
Massachusetts voters are faced with a stark choice between Morse, who supports Medicare for All and a Green New Deal and who is not accepting corporate PAC campaign contributions, and Neal, one of the top recipients of corporate money in Congress. The latter counts insurance and pharmaceutical companies among his biggest contributors, and has taken over twice as much money from Big Pharma as the number two House recipient, Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.).
Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement comes less than a week after Pelosi endorsed Kennedy over Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in that state's Senate primary.
"No one gets to complain about primary challenges again," Ocasio-Cortez, who co-authored a Green New Deal climate resolution with Markey, tweeted on August 20 in response to the move by Pelosi, who like other Democrats has criticized members of her party for taking on incumbents.
Pelosi's endorsement of Kennedy gave the impression that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's shunning of primary challengers "seems like less a policy and more a cherry-picking activity,'" Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
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Massachusetts Progressive Candidates Outraise Centrist Opponents in Last Days of Primary Campaign
Both Sen. Ed Markey and Alex Morse outraised their opponents in recent days, even after an endorsement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for Markey's challenger and a smear campaign directed at Morse.
Aug 21, 2020
Progressives running in two high-profile Democratic primary elections in Massachusetts reported Friday that they outraised their centrist opponents in a recent fundraising push, raising hopes for the outcome of the September 1 primary in the state.
Sydney Levin-Epstein, special projects manager for Sen. Ed Markey, who is running to retain his seat, tweeted that the campaign raised triple the amount amassed by Rep. Joe Kennedy III's campaign since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) endorsed Kennedy on Thursday.
Kennedy, who Markey has denounced as a "progressive in name only," raised over $100,000 while Markey's campaign raised more than $300,000 via 9,000 individual contributions.
Markey, who co-authored the Green New Deal with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), has rejected Kennedy's attempt to cast himself as a youthful candidate who will bring bold reforms to Massachusetts voters' lives. The senator condemned Kennedy in a recent debate for spending time working for a right-wing prosecutor, neglecting to prioritize action, and failing to back Medicare for All until 2019.
Pelosi's endorsement angered progressives this week, with the Sunrise Movement saying it revealed a "ridiculous double standard," considering the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's (DCCC) blacklisting of vendors who work with candidates who challenge incumbent Democrats.
"In less than 24 hours, Ed raised $300,000 after Nancy Pelosi endorsed our opponent," tweeted Sam Delgado, a fellow with Markey's campaign. "The progressive movement is real, it's alive, and it's sticking with Ed."
Also on Friday, Holyoke, Massachusetts Mayor Alex Morse announced that his U.S. House campaign against longtime Rep. Richard Neal raised more than his opponent in the pre-primary filing period.
Morse amassed $475,000 in donations in recent weeks while Neal received about $367,400.
The vast majority of Morse's funds in recent weeks came in the form of small donations under $200, while just 1% of Neal's contributions were under $200.
The news out of Morse's campaign follows a controversy over the mayor's consensual relationships, which the Massachusetts Democratic Party reportedly helped a College Democrats chapter to orchestrate.
"Alex Morse looks very likely to join the ranks of new progressive millennials in Congress," tweeted TIME magazine correspondent Charlotte Alter.
Medicare for All advocate and infectious disease physician Robbie Goldstein, who is running to unseat Rep. Stephen Lynch, also outraised his opponent. Goldstein amassed $174,000 through 1,646 donations in the final FEC filing period while Lynch raised less than 10,000.
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Massachusetts Dems Call for Pre-Election Probe of State Party's Role in Smear Campaign Against US House Candidate Alex Morse
Citing recent reporting, state Democratic committee members said they're concerned some party leaders "may have behaved unethically."
Aug 18, 2020
Following a damaging report that the Massachusetts Democratic Party helped a group of college Democrats launch a campaign to discredit a progressive U.S. House candidate in the Bay State, a group of Democratic Committee members have called for an investigation into the state party's involvement.
"Recent events and revelations regarding an intentional effort to influence the outcome of the Democratic primary in Congressional District 1, by smearing Mayor Alex Morse, have raised concerns that members of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee may have behaved unethically," read a letter signed by more than 50 state committee members.
The letter, which demands an investigation before the September 1 state primary, came after The Intercept reported that members of the UMass Amherst College Democrats conspired to bring down Morse, a progressive challenger to Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), and that the state party was involved in the plot to sow doubt about Morse's character. The state party has agreed to an investigation, but not until after the primary.
"This investigation should be conducted by individuals or an organization outside of the MDP to ensure independence and transparency," read the letter. "And, depending on the results of the investigation, we call for the immediate resignation, suspension, or removal of individuals responsible for, or with participation or knowledge of, what appears to be an unprecedented abuse of power."
The scandal centers around allegations that Morse connected with some UMass Amherst students on dating apps and made them uncomfortable. Morse, who is gay, denied allegations of wrongdoing when they surfaced earlier this month.
"I continue this campaign mindful of the fact that my personal life--and my consensual sexual activity--will be subject to scrutiny and fixation that are all too familiar to other members of the LGBTQ community," he wrote in a statement.
"Too often, elections aren't about issues and ideas; they're about personal destruction," Morse added. "As I move forward, I vow to keep speaking up for the cause on which this campaign was built: the cause of building a true and just democracy in this country."
Neal has denied any involvement in the scandal, and on Monday The Intercept reported that Veronica Martinez, executive director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, denied allegations that she told the UMass Amherst College Democrats to destroy communications between the state party and the students after the outlet's reporting.
"Too often, elections aren't about issues and ideas; they're about personal destruction."
--Alex Morse, U.S. House candidate
Morse and Neal faced off in a televised debate Monday, where Neal again denied any involvement in the smear campaign and Morse, shifting to policy, criticized Neal for voting for the CARES Act, a Covid-19 stimulus bill laden with corporate giveaways.
"Congressman Neal helped craft legislation that created a $500 billion slush fund for corporations," Morse said in the debate, referring to part of the aid package. "Why go to Washington if you're not going to use your power for the people of this district?"
Local and national progressive groups varied in their responses to the allegations against Morse, with some pulling previous endorsements. Others, including the Bay State Stonewall Democrats, denounced "unsubstantiated" claims and threw their support behind the progressive challenger.
Brand New Congress endorsed Morse in March and continued to support him throughout the smear campaign.
"Regular-working candidates already have an uphill battle, especially when challenging entrenched incumbents. They face blockage from important tools," Zana Day, communications director for BNC, told Common Dreams Tuesday, alluding to the DCCC's blacklisting of vendors who work with progressive challengers.
"They face incumbents whose races have loads of cash, and more. In Alex Morse's race, he faced, even more, an orchestrated smear campaign built on homophobic tropes."
"We are proud to stand in support of Alex Morse," Day continued. "He's challenging a 30-year-incumbent, who's done little for the community. We know Alex is the right fit to replace Richie Neal and we remain unwavering in our commitment to getting him elected."
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Rep. Neal Urged to Condemn Smear Campaign Targeting Progressive Challenger Alex Morse After Internal Chats Revealed
"Everyone who bought into this bullshit smear campaign needs to recant, apologize, and more importantly, LEARN SOMETHING for god's sake."
Aug 13, 2020
Calls mounted for Democratic Congressman Richard Neal to condemn a homophobic smear campaign against his progressive challenger Alex Morse in the wake of The Intercept's damning Wednesday night report revealing internal chats about University of Massachusetts Amherst College Democrats leaders' efforts to sabotage the Holyoke, Massachusetts mayor's U.S. House primary run.
Just a day after reporting that one member of the UMass Amherst College Democrats had told another that "he wanted Neal to be his 'in' to politics and work his way up from there," The Intercept published screenshots and summaries of chats among the group's leadership "discussing an operation they believed could sink the campaign of Alex Morse for Congress as far back as last October, a plan they then helped engineer and which came to fruition on Friday."
The revelations provoked demands for political groups and individuals who have distanced themselves from or openly denounced Morse to apologize as well as for Neal--whose campaign has not been directly tied to the college students' operation--to speak out against the orchestrated attack on his competitor:
The student newspaper The Daily Collegian had reported Friday on a letter that the College Democrats of Massachusetts sent Morse accusing the 31-year-old local mayor and adjunct professor at the university of abusing "his position of power for romantic or sexual gain" by connecting with adult students--whom he was not teaching at the time--on dating apps and social media. The report came just weeks before Neal and Morse's September 1 primary.
On Sunday, Common Dreams reported on critics raising alarm over the thinly-sourced accusations and warning against anyone jumping to conclusions or withdrawing their support from Morse over the anonymous claims.
Morse, who is openly gay, responded with a statement saying that he has never used positions in the community for romantic or sexual gain, never had a non-consensual sexual encounter, and never violated UMass policy. Some journalists and political commentators have decried the letter and subsequent condemnation of Morse as an example of "creepy Victorian moralizing" and the use "old homophobic tropes" casting gay men as sexual predators.
As Ryan Grim and Daniel Boguslaw reported for The Intercept Wednesday:
Timothy Ennis, the chief strategist for the UMass Amherst College Democrats, admitted in the chats that he was a "Neal Stan" and said he felt conflicted about involving the chapter of the College Democrats in a future attack on Morse. "But I need a job," concluded Ennis. "Neal will give me an internship." At the time, Ennis was president of the chapter, a post he held from April 2019 to April 2020, when he was term-limited out.
Leaders of the College Democrats group went beyond merely plans to leak. They also explicitly discussed how they could find Morse's dating profiles and then lead him into saying something incriminating that would then damage his campaign.
That effort appears to have failed to generate the material they hoped for, but the group's leaders did believe they held damning evidence they contemplated leaking: Instagram messages between Morse and Andrew Abramson, who in April became president of the organization. Ultimately, the College Democrats did not release any chats or any other specific claims against Morse, opting instead to level broader charges that he behaved inappropriately.
Last October, Morse and Abramson appeared on a panel together at a local College Democrats event--which Neal also attended, "and was introduced by Ennis, who was at the time enrolled in a journalism class Neal taught at UMass Amherst," according to Grim and Boguslaw. Morse reached out to Abramson on Instagram after the event, and they had a conversation that Abramson shared with other members of the college group, including Ennis, who said that "this will sink his campaign."
"After Ennis concluded the chats with Abramson would sink Morse's campaign, the conversation between Morse and Abramson continued for another several weeks," The Intercept reported. "The two had previously matched on Tinder, Ennis said in the chats, but had never met up," the outlet noted, explaining that to match on the app "means both parties must swipe in the same direction in order to begin a conversation."
Prior to Grim and Boguslaw's latest reporting, both the College Democrats of Massachusetts and Neal spokesperson Kate Norton denied any coordination between the UMass chapter and the congressman's campaign, though Norton said that "our campaign commends these courageous students." Norton reiterated that message to The Intercept and said of Abramson and Ennis that "the young men you are asking about have no involvement with the Neal campaign."
Politico revealed Thursday morning that, in response to The Intercept's reporting, Massachusetts Democratic Party chair Gus Bickford "intends to convene a group to examine the conduct of college Democrats who leveled the allegations against Morse," though that investigation will come after the September 1 primary due to the state party's policy of staying out of such elections.
Some backers of Morse--whose platform includes Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and challenging corporate power--have doubled down on their support for his bid to oust Neal, who has been criticized for his ties to the for-profit health insurance industry:
The smear campaign against Morse has sparked conversations about homophobia among the U.S. political left:
The UMass Amherst College Democrats leadership's actions have also spurred online discussions about the #MeToo movement:
In light of The Intercept's reporting, television journalist and political pundit Krystal Ball declared: "Everyone who bought into this bullshit smear campaign needs to recant, apologize, and more importantly, LEARN SOMETHING for god's sake."
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Denouncing 'Smear Campaign' Against Alex Morse, Former Detractor Calls for Focus on 'Damage Richie Neal Is Doing to Our Democracy'
"What is being done to Morse is a huge travesty—much more sinister than people yet know."
Aug 12, 2020
A Massachusetts law professor on Wednesday retracted an earlier statement about Holyoke mayor and progressive U.S. House candidate Alex Morse, who became the target of a smear campaign and "creepy Victorian moralizing" over consensual sexual relationships he allegedly had with adult college students while he was an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts.
"This race will set a precedent for whether vague and anonymous allegations can be easily launched against LGBTQ candidates to destroy their campaigns."
--Mass. State Sen. Julian Cyr
Agreeing with other observers that the vague accusations over Morse's past relationships and behavior amounted to a political "smear campaign," Prof. Jennifer Taub admitted she jumped to conclusions based on the initial reporting of the story and re-affirmed her support for Morse's challenge to longtime Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), whose close ties to the for-profit health insurance industry have been a main focus of the campaign.
"The damage Richie Neal is doing to our democracy, must be our focus," tweeted Taub. "I should have waited before jumping to conclusions."
Taub was previously quoted in an article at MassLive.com over the weekend saying she was withdrawing her support for Morse after the UMass student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, reported that Morse had romantic and sexual relationships with students while he was teaching at the university. None of the students he reportedly had sexual relations with were under the age of 18.
Morse, who is openly gay, was not accused of having relationships with students he was currently teaching, which would have been a violation of UMass policy. The school does not prohibit all romantic and sexual relationships between professors and students on campus.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who expressed outrage over the weekend over the use of "old homophobic tropes" casting gay men as sexual predators, commended Taub for reconsidering her support for the smear campaign, and said her retraction of earlier statements "shows how dangerous this mob behavior is, this rush to find [and] destroy people with zero evidence or even concrete allegations."
The source cited by The Daily Collegian was a letter from the UMass College Democrats, which stated Morse met some of the students he dated at the organization's events. The group claimed Morse had "used his platform" and "took advantage of his position of power for romantic or sexual gain"--allegations which drew confusion from journalists who pointed out that the students had not been aware of Morse's status as a mayor or professor when they met him.
On Tuesday night, The Intercept published an article reporting on Neal's ties to the College Democrats' leadership. Chief strategist Timothy Ennis recently completed a journalism course at UMass taught by the 16-term congressman and told another College Democrats member that "he wanted Neal to be his 'in' to politics and work his way up from there."
The College Democrats denied over the weekend that its decision to publicize Morse's private consensual relationships was designed to harm the progressive mayor's House campaign or to help Neal, but The Intercept reported that a staffer at the UMass school where Neal teaches journalism claimed the attacks, which came three weeks before the Massachusetts primary election on Sept.1, "are politically motivated."
Other local political figures and groups pushed back this week against attempts to portray Morse as exhibiting predatory behavior.
While the Western Massachusetts coalition of the Sunrise Movement revoked its endorsement of Morse after the story broke, the local chapter in the town of South Hadley made clear Tuesday that its members had not been consulted about the decision and still supported Morse, who backs a Green New Deal.
"We are refraining from using the terms survivor, survivor justice, rape culture, and rape about consensual relationships where no one has stated they were hurt," the chapter said in a statement on Facebook. "Words matter and we want 'time to learn more' about the recent revelations."
On Wednesday, state Sen. Julian Cyr, another openly gay politician in the state, condemned the "vague and anonymous allegations that have been levied against [Morse] without any on-the-record sourcing."
"The timing of this letter seems to be dictated by a political calendar, not out of concern for revealing the truth," Cyr added. "This race will set a precedent for whether vague and anonymous allegations can be easily launched against LGBTQ candidates to destroy their campaigns... We all need to understand that the way these allegations have been brought against Alex Morse have a chilling effect on the willingness of LGBTQ people to run for public office."
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Critics Warn Against Smear Campaign, 'Creepy Victorian Moralizing' Aimed at Progressive Challenger Alex Morse
"Would be quite something if the groups backing Alex Morse took a stand here on behalf of free, consenting adults not in a subordinate role to do what they want with their lives," said one political observer. "Not counting on it but we'll see."
Aug 09, 2020
Alarm bells were sounded over the weekend following vaguely-worded accusations of "inappropriate" sexual behavior by Alex Morse--the openly gay and politically progressive Mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts challenging powerful Democrat incumbent Congressman Richie Neal in the state's primary next month--as critics condemned what appeared as a potentially unfounded smear campaign against the 31-year-old politician as well as a troubling example of "creepy Victorian moralizing" and shaming of consensual adult behavior for political gain.
First reported by The Daily Collegian, the student newspaper of the University of Massachusetts, the allegations came in the form of a letter from the UMass College Democrats chapter which alleged--citing numerous but unspecified "stories we have heard"--that Morse, as Mayor and a part-time instructor at UMass Amherst, had romantic contact and consensual sexual relations with college students, none younger than 18, in the local area.
The allegations, which came with a decision from the student organization that Morse--running on a platform that includes Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and challenging corporate power--would no longer be invited by them to sponsored events, sparked national headlines in major state and national outlets (such as here, here, and here) nearly all of which treated the accusations as a potentially devastating scandal for the progressive candidate who is now vying to unseat Rep. Neal--one of the most powerful corporate-friendly Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives in a primary on September 1.
In a statement sent to the UMass Democrats in response to their allegations, Morse said: "I want to be clear that every relationship I've had has been consensual. However, I also recognize that I have to be cognizant of my position of power."
"As I've become more comfortable with myself and my sexuality, like any young, single, openly gay man, I have had consensual adult relationships, including some with college students," Morse further explained. "Navigating life as both a young gay man and an elected official can be difficult, but that doesn't excuse poor judgment."
Meanwhile, as liberal and progressive groups that had backed Morse so far in his campaign were quickly called on to withdraw their support, political observers such as The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald, an openly gay man himself, argued that what was emerging was a grotesque example of unfounded moralizing and misplaced outrage.
In an 11-part thread on Twitter, Greenwald detailed his critique of the episode on Saturday, including why the implications of what began in the wake of the accusations--largely from the so-called "liberal/left"--should be seen as broadly troubling:
"Gay men spend their lives afraid of the toxic stereotype that they are dirty sexual predators who want to lure children into their 'lifestyle,'" lamented Greenwald, "and now this is the bigoted trope many leftists deploy for *consensual* dates with adults if it violates their little moral codes."
In another tweet, he added: "Constantly fixating on and trying to judge and control the private consensual sex and romantic lives of other people is, I guess, one way to escape having to confront what's happening in your own. That's just one reason of many why it's incredibly unhealthy and creepy to do."
On the political implications in Morse's case, Greenwald said it should not be lost about what's at stake when progressives like Morse who are challenging entrenched corporate power face the very good possibility of being derailed by a controversy such as this.
"This was the left's last big chance to remove a hideous reactionary incumbent from Congress and replace him with a progressive," charged Greenwald, "and they blew it all up over Victorian sexual moralizing, homophobia, and a desire to control how **adults** consent to have sex with each other. Pathetic."
After it was pointed out that the UMass College Democrats have received large donations from the Richie Neal Campaign to support their activities, the group on Sunday, along with the College Democrats of Massachusetts, issued a statement which read in part: "To suggest that our decision to send the letter to Mayor Morse was a quid pro quo with Rep. Neal, his campaign, or anyone else is untrue, disingenuous, and harmful."
Also in the letter, the groups make it clear that "those affected by Mayor Morse's behavior" were directly involved in the writing of the initial letter, but that none are willing to come forward to publicly describe their interactions with Morse or exactly how they were made to "feel uncomfortable" by him.
With no specific accusation of sexual assault or misconduct in any of the reporting or the letter from the student organization--not even a stated violation of UMass policy which forbids consensual sexual activity between faculty and adult students only when a specific power dynamic exists, such as an active professor-student relationship--the hand-wringing over what Morse was alleged to have done was confounding to people like Ryan Grim, Washington bureau chief of The Intercept, who spent much of the weekend looking at the story, asking probing questions about the details, and offering observations.
"Would be quite something if the groups backing Alex Morse took a stand here on behalf of free, consenting adults not in a subordinate role to do what they want with their lives," Grim said on Saturday. "Not counting on it but we'll see."
In his response to the UMass College Democrats, Morse said that his powerful opponent, Congressman Neal, will likely "be eager to twist this into something it's not to score political points, but I would caution him against indulging in old negative stereotypes about gay men. I will not apologize for living out of the closet, for going on dates, and having consensual conversations."
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'The Clear Progressive Choices': Working Families Party Endorses Markey and Morse in Primary Contests
"The progressive cavalry is headed to Massachusetts."
Aug 06, 2020
The Working Families Party on Thursday endorsed Sen. Ed Markey for re-election and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse for Congress, calling the two Democrats the "two clear progressive choices" in their respective contests in the upcoming September 1 primary.
"Sen. Markey and Alex Morse are the clear progressive choices in this race," said WFP national director Maurice Mitchell said in a statement. "They're leaders on a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, they have the political will to shift the balance of power in Washington, and they're committed to building a Massachusetts that works for the many, not the few."
Markey, facing a challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), earned the group's endorsement for his longtime advocacy of progressive causes and his work to advance those goals through legislation in the Senate, including the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
In a statement welcoming the endorsement, Markey noted his record and tied it to the priorities of WFP.
"I'm grateful they've chosen to endorse me in this race," said Markey. "Throughout my career, I have worked to challenge the wealthy and powerful, from big oil to the NRA, and fight for the needs of working families. I'm thrilled that working families across the country support my campaign to carry on that fight."
Morse, who is running in Massachusetts' 1st District against longtime incumbent Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), said that "as someone who comes from a working family in a working class town, I am proud to be a Working Families Democrat."
"The Working Families Party has a track record of helping grassroots campaigns like ours unseat corporate-backed incumbents like Neal, and I'm excited to have their support," said Morse. "I'm ready to go to Washington to join the WFP to fight for policies that help people, not corporations and wealthy donors."
The endorsements come in the wake of progressive wins in Tuesday's primaries. In Missouri, Cori Bush charged to an upset victory over 10-term incumbent Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.); in Michigan, progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) steamrolled a challenge from Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones.
"The progressive cavalry is headed to Massachusetts," tweeted CNN reporter Greg Krieg.
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Progressive Caucus Demands Democrats Reject GOP Plan to 'Unleash Widespread Suffering' on the American People
"The Republican proposal is nothing less than a policy of mass evictions, mass homelessness, mass poverty, and mass hunger."
Jul 28, 2020
The leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Tuesday condemned the Senate GOP's new coronavirus stimulus proposal as a "policy of mass evictions, mass homelessness, mass poverty, and mass hunger" that Democrats must unequivocally reject in favor of increased protections for frontline workers and the unemployed.
"Millions of Americans are on the brink of complete economic devastation as Covid-19 cases and joblessness claims continue to rise, and yet the Republican response is to dramatically hollow out unemployment and housing protections in the midst of a pandemic," Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairs of the CPC, said in a statement.
"The American people can't afford half-measures--we must do better for the millions of families who are counting on us."
--Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Mark Pocan, Congressional Progressive Caucus
"For more than 30 million unemployed Americans, the Republican proposal would amount to $400 less in critical relief every week as many families are already stretching resources to put food on the table, pay the bills, and make ends meet," Jayapal and Pocan added. "All the while, big corporations would be shielded from any responsibility or liability for endangering the wellbeing of the public."
The CPC leaders are urging Democrats in Congress to counter the GOP's business-friendly opening offer by demanding an extension of the $600-per-week boost in unemployment benefits, a moratorium on utility shut-offs, and strong housing protections to prevent a wave of evictions.
Last Friday, as Common Dreams reported, an eviction moratorium covering those who live in homes with federally backed mortgages expired, leaving more than 12 million people at risk of being forced onto the streets.
"We should also ensure that this latest bill does not become a free-for-all for corporations looking for bailouts, handouts, and liability shields, and prevent profiteering off the virus and people's pain," said Jayapal and Pocan, referring to the GOP's proposal to protect businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits for five years.
"Instead of shielding corporations, we should be ensuring that all essential workers are protected and states have access to increased PPE and testing supplies," Jayapal and Pocan said. "The American people can't afford half-measures--we must do better for the millions of families who are counting on us."
The CPC statement came shortly after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) suggested in a CNN interview Tuesday that the GOP's proposed reduction of the $600-per-week federal boost in unemployment benefits would not be a deal-breaker for Democratic negotiators.
"Look, it's not $600 or bust," said Hoyer. "[House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi said the other day, which I thought was a great line: 'We don't have red lines, we have values.' We're going into these negotiations with values."
After his remarks kicked up immediate backlash from progressives, Hoyer tweeted that "we do not have red lines, we have values, and we are going to negotiate our values."
"Dems passed the Heroes Act and extended the additional $600 per week," wrote Hoyer. "That is our position. I hope Republicans will join us in providing that, instead of telling Americans: you're on your own."
Progressive congressional candidate Alex Morse, who is challenging Rep. Richard Neal in Massachusetts' September 1 Democratic primary, was among those criticizing Hoyer's suggestion that Democrats would be willing to cut a deal with the GOP on unemployment benefits.
"This isn't $600 or bust. This is food on the table or bust. This is rent or bust," Morse tweeted. "Let's not compromise for scraps and call it a win. This is a fight for our lives and we need Democrats to hold the line."
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