I still haven’t decided who to vote for in November, but Donald Trump is starting to make it an easier choice than expected.
I’ll admit to having been amused by some of Trump’s antics, and I’ve even found myself agreeing with him at times, especially regarding the need for more attention to be paid to protecting our national security interests.
But “The Donald” may have lost me this week when he chose to publicly attack the parents of a Muslim-American soldier for committing the seemingly unpardonable sin of criticizing him during a speech at the recent Democratic National Convention.
Putting aside the lack of basic human decency displayed by that counterattack, Trump’s response raises lots of questions about how he would react as president. The guy seems ready to swing at every pitch that’s thrown in the dirt, which is fine if you are a teenager battling with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
But being the leader of the free world requires a tad more diplomatic skill than Trump has exhibited thus far, and while his base may love that part of his “charm,” that’s not where the battle is being fought now.
To win — assuming he wants to, which seems to be a topic of some conjecture at this point — Trump has to win over people like me, independent voters without an ideological dog in the fight who crave a strong leader to keep us safe and make our lives a little bit better.
I’m not entirely convinced that such a candidate exists in this field, but of the choices that we have, Trump’s name is right now at the bottom of my list — and I’m guessing I’m not alone, based on some of the poll numbers we’ve been seeing.
As expected, the Massachusetts Legislature this past week voted to override a series of budget vetoes issued by Governor Charlie Baker, including a rejection of the entire budget for the Franklin County and North Quabbin Opioid Task Force.
Restoration of that funding was a largely bipartisan effort on the House side. Rep. Paul Mark, 2nd Berkshire, says he and fellow Democrat Steve Kulik, 1st Franklin, and Republican Rep. Susannah Whipps, 2nd Franklin, teamed up to twist as many arms as possible to get that money put back in.
“We all did our part,” Mark said. “We had the bipartisan angle with Susie, and we had Steve as vice chair of Ways and Means, and I pushed hard as Greenfield’s representative and also the author of the amendment in question.”
Mark said he also stuck close to House Speaker Robert DeLeo, with whom he spent a good chunk of that final week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
“We were down there together, and what do you think the first topic was that I brought up each morning?” Mark said, laughing. “I think he must have gotten sick of hearing it after a while.”
Probably. But the best part of this story, for me, was seeing Democrats and Republicans work together to advance the interests of all of their constituents.
What a novel concept.
Sunderland Selectmen’s Chairman Tom Fydenkevez isn’t always know for his sentimentality, but he recently did something pretty remarkable in an effort to correct what some view as a major injustice involving a now-former member of the Board of Oversight for the South County Emergency Medical Services Board (SCEMS).
Fydenkevez is one of the original members of that board. So was Deerfield resident Matt Russo, until he was recently replaced by new Selectman Trevor McDaniel in an attempt by the Deerfield selectmen to take a bigger role in steering the policy decisions of that organization. All three selectman now occupy Deerfield’s three slots on the oversight board, ostensibly leaving Russo on the sidelines.
Enter Fydenkevez, who, after an unsuccessful attempt to get Deerfield Selectboard Chair Carolyn Shores Ness to reconsider the Russo “non-appointment,” offered to resign his seat on the oversight board and install Russo as Sunderland’s representative.
“I think the world of Matt Russo, and he should be on that board,” Fydenkevez said. “His experience and expertise have been invaluable, and SCEMS has benefited greatly from his participation.”
What makes the move even more amazing is that Fydenkevez and Russo have not always gotten along during their time on the board.
“We’ve butted heads here and there, but I have tremendous respect for him,” Fydenkevz said. “That’s why I’m doing this.”
It will be a couple of more months before the Sunderland board decides on the offer, which may be one of the classier moves we’ve ever seen from a local official.
Chris Collins, who worked in local radio in a number of capacities, has observed political life in Franklin County for years. He also is a former staff reporter for The Recorder and a Greenfield native.