Alex Morse Reports Biggest Fundraising Day After Coordinated Smear Campaign Backfires

[liskddksil]

Link to tweet

"According to chats obtained by the outlet, Timothy Ennis, the chief strategist and former president of UMass Amherst College Democrats, was a student and fan of Neal (who also taught a class at the university) and hoped an internship with the 16-term incumbent congressman could lead to a career in politics. Andrew Abramson, the chapter’s current president, said in the chats that he didn’t mind “leading [Morse] on” in private Instagram messages, after meeting the mayor at a UMass event. Ennis, who said Morse dated other college students, chatted back that they could use the messages to “sink” Morse’s campaign."

https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2020/08/13/alex-morse-allegation-richard-neal

[cloudythescribbler]

1. I wouldn't get complacent about it however -- progs generally have to MUCH more visibly push back

It is not surprising that a large number of progressives in this district (I live & vote in the Morse/Neal district) are appalled & giving more. But remember that the pseudo-scandal is very much in the news (w/several members of the Holyoke City Council calling for Morse's recall), and only a small local audience reads or hears about the Intercept & what they have found. I haven't seen it get nearly as much play (yet) in local media as the charges.

Remember that even if 90% of Morse supporters think it's bunk & reject it, but 10% still believe it (or like another DUer -- not necessarily from the district, but the thinking is key -- feel that when in any doubt, you avoid the scandal-tarnished candidate who MIGHT be guilty of something, what I call the "Caesar's wife" syndrome) that margin is enough to sink an underdog candidacy. There are a lot (more here in Springfield, the largest city, at least than Morse) of Neal signs, and his campaign is pulling out all the stops, w/ads on TV featuring Nancy Pelosi on how she needs Neal in Congress to fight Trump) -- if Morse were to win, it wd probably be narrowly. The misuse of this kind of concern in politics, and the MUCH greater vulnerability of progressives & liberals to being played in this way that RWers, who rally around their guy (like Kavanaugh) no matter what is a real problem that progressives need to both be conscious, but also organized, to counter effectively. I don't see nearly enough of the kind of progressive group/visible leaders etc in the media pushing back hard. Even then it merely becomes "controversial" but that's better than what there is now.

I posted about this general issue and mentioned Woody Allen. To anyone at all objective who is reasonably closely familiar w/the facts -- from Moses Farrow's blog to Woody's lengthy and powerful delineation of it in "Apropos of Nothing" it is clear that Mia & Co smeared him badly, and the media have been reluctant to highlight the less dazzling truth (smear rather than gruesome child molestation). The pushback was massive, with multiple posters insisting that he was guilty, had slept w/his "stepdaughter" (Soon Yi wasn't), etc. There is an inclination to treat anyone in this sort of situation as guilty until proven innocent, and those inclined to exploit that problem sure know how to do it.

At any rate I definitely think that, beyond fundraising, progressive orgs who form a substantial & visible crowd of people who can be heard, need to get together and powerfully "cancel" at least this kind of "cancel culture" including this case in particular -- and fast. The primary is Sept 1 and the scandal just was indeed SPRUNG (as the OP notes) just this month

[cloudythescribbler]

2. more cold water on exuberance: MSM (Boston Globe) fuzzy glossed-over coverage of issue

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/13/metro/with-just-weeks-go-wrench-thrown-neal-morse-congressional-race/?et_rid=1842181769&s_campaign=todayinpolitics:newsletter

[lapucelle]

4. UMass hires attorney to review Alex Morse conduct

State College Democrats say concerns were raised by ‘several’ students

Updated 10:37 AM; Today 10:36 AM
AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts Amherst said Friday that it has hired an attorney to conduct an independent, comprehensive review of alleged inappropriate conduct by congressional candidate and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, a former adjunct faculty member.

Natashia Tidwell, a partner at the Boston law firm Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, is asking members of the UMass Amherst community, as well as anyone else who may have relevant facts regarding the allegations, to contact her directly at [e-mail] or 617-723-3300. She will respect the privacy interests of those who come forward, UMass said in a news release.

“The university believes the nature of the allegations initially raised in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian necessitate a thorough and independent review, with the possibility of including a determination of whether students were subjected to a hostile learning environment as articulated in its campus policies, which are based on and guided by federal and state anti-discrimination law, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.”

snip==================================================================

Morse has acknowledged having sexual relationships with college students, but said all were consensual and did not violate school policies.

https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/08/umass-hires-attorney-to-review-alex-morse-conduct-state-college-democrats-say-concerns-were-raised-by-several-students.html