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CLT UPDATE
Saturday, June 24, 2017
A Rollicking 50th Reunion
By Chip Faulkner, Communications Director
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Chip Faulkner's CLT
Commentary
They thought it would add spice to my HC Class of
1967’s 50th college reunion. That is, a forum on
politics, to be scheduled at the College of the Holy
Cross in Worcester during the second weekend in
June.
So my classmates went ahead and put together a
political seminar. It featured my ‘67 classmate,
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and yours truly to discuss
the national political scene — each of us coming
from a different political perspective. At first I
thought it would entail a discussion group in a
classroom with a couple of dozen classmates. As it
turned out, the reunion committee highly publicized
this “encounter” and described it vividly in the
below description that appeared in the reunion
schedule of events:
9:30 a.m. | Class of 1967 Session:
“Whither the Republic in the Age of Trump”
Brooks Concert Hall
Panelists:
Chris Matthews, widely respected
Washington insider, popular author and
historian and, pertinently for our
panel, thoughtful observer and
rapid-fire commentator with a blue
liberal drift.
Chip Faulkner, Director of
Communications of Citizens for Limited
Taxation, tax expert, successful
political activist and again
pertinently, equally thoughtful observer
and rapid-fire advocate with a flinty
red conservative core.
Walking into the Brooks Concert Hall, I was
astonished to see that the place was packed. The
Hall was small as concert halls go, but including
standing room the crowd numbered at least 300. I
started off with a brief opening statement that
included an oft-repeated famous (or infamous) line
by Chris Matthews when he’d heard that Obama had
been elected on election night in 2008. I said “I’m
pleased to be here and especially to share the stage
with Chris Matthews. In fact, as I speak, a thrill
is going up and down my leg.”
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MSNBC host and Holy Cross alumnus
Chris Matthews |
Of course I couldn’t resist pointing out that
Chris had been a member of the Conservative Club
while attending Holy Cross. He explained his
conversion by his admiration for JFK and others
during the 60s. He did bring up the late Daniel
Moynihan, who had served as the US Senator from New
York. I volunteered that I had been an admirer of
Moynihan myself, he being one of the few Democrats
who would have gotten my vote. In addition to his
working class background and common sense approach
to politics he had a sardonic sense of humor. When
asked once where in his long career he had
experienced the most vicious politics, Sen. Moynihan
replied: “No question, the Harvard faculty.” When
asked why, he said, “Because the stakes were so
small.”
There was quite a bit of discussion about The Donald
and Hillary. I told the audience that my first
inkling that Trump had a shot at winning came last
summer. I frequent a couple of sports pubs in the
Attleboro area and was friendly with some of the
regulars. I noticed that the white males I had
discussions with backed Trump. Not some or many of
them, but all of them. They made no bones about it
and were quite vocal in their support. I remember
thinking: “This is blue state Massachusetts. What is
it like in the rest of the country!”
When I told this story, I noticed that Chris did not
disagree, but rather observed that this was one of
the problems the Democrats had. However, the dilemma
facing the Democrats goes far beyond my white male
story.
Republicans now have control of 25 states with a
Republican governor, house and senate, while the
Democrats have six. You can now drive from Key West
Florida to the northern tip of Idaho and never leave
a Republican controlled state. The number of state
legislators across the country that now carry the
Republican label is the most since at least 1928.
What do the Democrats have to counter them?
Their leadership consists on Chuck Schumer, Nancy
Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. I
turned to the audience and quipped: The average age
of these four is deceased! This being one of my
better lines, it seemed to delight the crowd.
We also dived into the topic of immigration —
offering different views naturally. I cited a few of
my experiences on four different trips I’ve taken
along U.S. border with Mexico. I traveled with staff
from the Center for Immigration Studies talking to
border officials, bureaucrats, and individuals who
had homes/ranches close to the border. To repeat
what one border agent in Yuma, Arizona told us:
“Walls make a difference; before they were put up,
hundreds would pass over at night. Now just a few
make it.”
This session was scheduled to last an hour, but was
extended for another half an hour to accommodate
several more questions from the audience. Chris
Matthews and I were never at each other’s throat. It
only got testy a couple of times. All in all, this
forum was a pleasant experience.
One woman came up to me after the meeting and said
she could have listened to the two of us for hours.
I told her to be careful what you wish for.
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Chip Faulkner
Communications Director |
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NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Citizens for Limited Taxation ▪
PO Box 1147 ▪ Marblehead, MA 01945
▪ 508-915-3665
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