Will Keating regret having diminished a man's character on November 3rd?

To the Editor:

Will Bill Keating regret having diminished a man’s character on November 3rd?

After endless personal attacks on Jeff Perry, building the foundation of his bid for the 10th Congressional District to the United States House of Representatives entirely on mud, the man of which I speak, whose character will lie in tatters, is not that of Jeff Perry, but rather Bill Keating.  What does it say about a man’s constitution that from the moment the primary’s ended through the entire general election in the Congressional race, he has avoided speaking to issues and solely focuses on innuendo, deception, and half-truths in an effort to sully his opponent’s good name?  Mud makes for a lousy foundation.

Meanwhile, Jeff Perry continues to rise above the personal attacks by focusing on issues.  What has Mr. Keating run on (besides mud)?  Is there is no single issue that his campaign can be identified as being for?

These same failed tactics were attempted to no avail in the Republican primary by Perry’s opponent, former Treasurer Joe Malone.  In the Republican primary, these quarter century old events were vetted and didn’t stick.  The voters in the Republican primary dismissed these issues as baseless.  Granted, these voters in large measure were likely more familiar with the man, his accomplishments, and the impressive track record of Jeff Perry at the State House, but by a 2-1 margin the primary voters saw in Jeff Perry the character of a man they want to represent them in Washington.

In the general election, Democrats by-and-large will likely vote for Keating because he presumably represents their views; Republicans on the whole will similarly reflexively support Perry based on ideology.  So, what about that big block in the middle, those without a party affiliation? These folks may have the question of who to believe.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Who do you believe? ... One who is being accused of questionable conduct (surrounding despicable actions of a guilty police officer) over 20 years ago when he was a young man – wrong-doing which, incidentally,  he denies, and for which he was never charged nor disciplined; or one who is making those accusations as a slight-of-hand campaign centerpiece.  These attacks are a political calculation … a maneuvering.  They are merely an effort to distract the electorate from the issues.  So, what are the central issues that are meaningful to this race and how you will be represented in Washington in January?

Jeff Perry believes in a smaller, more restrained federal government to ensure personal liberties. He has been a consistent champion for fiscal responsibility in government, and he has fought hard against tax increases.  He believes that lower taxation promotes greater opportunity and economic growth.  Lasting jobs growth will not come from government spending, but rather from an environment friendlier to small business.  On the National Debt, the solution is found in a variety of ways for cutting government spending – by a balanced budget amendment, line item veto powers, and tempered, responsible changes to the entitlement programs, as well as limiting discretionary spending and raining in ear-marks.  Jeff Perry voted against mandated health insurance in Massachusetts.  Since then, out of concern for rising costs, Jeff Perry has worked with other members to push for tort reform and electronic record-keeping to lower health care costs and improve health services for Massachusetts residents.  On Health Insurance Reform, the central concern needs to focus on ways to minimize escalating costs, not government control.  Perry is well known as having taken a stand against illegal immigration, and has a voting record to deny illegal immigrants state benefits that cost Massachusetts legal residents millions of dollars annually.  He is for meaningful immigration reform that starts with enforcement.  Having served in the military and as a police officer, Jeff has long been a supporter of law enforcement agencies and our military services members.  Whether it be for his record for excellent constituency service, or on issues like job creation, reforming government, state’s rights, or social values issues, I think most will agree that Jeff Perry has a common sense approach that is appealing to a broad base of voters.

As for the character question that Mr. Keating’s campaign keeps trying to raise, consider what the people who know Jeff Perry have to say.  Besides having a veritable who’s who of political endorsements from just about every highly regarded Massachusetts Republican political figure like Sen. Scott Brown and former Gov. Mitt Romney, the people who know Jeff Perry best (particularly his neighbors in the community of Sandwich) repeatedly express the view that the accusations Mr. Keating’s campaign would have you believe contradicts the character of the man they truly know.  As for myself, I’ve come to know Jeff Perry over the past four or five years, and I consider him a personal friend.  Jeff Perry is a genuine, hard working, self-made, ordinary man who has moved into the realm of politics out of a true sense of service to the needs of his family and community. He is a man of faith and character reflecting high ethical standards.  If the voters of the 10th Congressional District did not see fit to elect Jeff Perry, it would be a great loss, not only because of a missed opportunity to have outstanding representation in Washington, but also because it will likely discourage other highly qualified candidates from running for office if dirty politics wins.  I hope the voters of the U.S. 10th Congressional District will vote, along with me, for Jeff Perry.

J. Christopher Boyd
Mashpee, MA