LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Stop attacking the party 'machine'

Posted

To the editor:

As a progressive, I am deeply saddened by the many attacks I see in print against the local Democratic Party by prominent progressives.

There is a view of the “party machine” that is both inaccurate and untruthful. As we have seen in the last presidential election, parties and their machines are usually necessary to win elections. The discipline shown by progressives nationally to join forces in the big Democratic tent and support moderates — and even conservatives — in the election was critical in ousting our former president.

Members of parties are expected to unite to support even imperfect candidates in order to win elections.

I am tired of the lie that politicians who supported former state Sen. Jeffrey Klein were supporting the Republican Party, and were responsible for the hold the Republicans had on the state legislature. Unseating Klein would not have given control to Democrats if the party had not fought hard in other districts to elect additional Democrats to the legislature.

This fact is consistently obscured in public statements by “progressive” politicians, including some that the Democratic Party supported in previous elections. Furthermore, this consistent condemnation of the “party” ignores that progressives have been winning many elections despite the supposed power of the party machine.

There are six candidates who ran in a local election recently, and whoever wins will have had to compete — democratically — in the ballot box.

Helen Meltzer-Krim

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Helen Meltzer-Krim,

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