What exactly are commissioner candidate’s ‘moderate’ credentials?
What is a so-called “moderate” Democrat? It is a Democrat who seeks to avoid guilt-by-association with the Democratic Party by splitting hairs. It is a Democrat who would have people believe there is a difference between local Democrats and state and national Democrats. It is a Democrat wearing sheep’s clothing.
Steve Tuttle, a candidate for St. Mary’s County commissioner, claims to be a socalled “moderate” Democrat. If true, then he should state publicly the specific provisions in the 2020 Democratic Party platform with which he disagrees. Otherwise, if he supports the party’s radical platform and policies, he cannot pretend to be a moderate.
For example, is he opposed to socialism; prohibitions on the lawful ownership and use of firearms; voter ID and other anti-voting fraud measures; late-term/ at-birth abortions; eliminating cash bail; defunding the police; divisive identity politics; teaching school children to be race conscious; and school choice?
At the local level, does he support or oppose changing the commissioner form of county government; unionizing county agencies; permanently replacing volunteer fire and rescue squads with county employees; increasing taxes; expanding the role, size and costs of government; changing from at-large to by-district voting; repealing the county’s open meetings act; and rubber-stamping school budget requests?
At the April 27, 2021, county budget hearing, Tuttle spoke in favor of fully funding budget requests simply because “the money is there,” which is consistent with the mindset of a tax-and-spend Democrat.
While he may want to appear moderate and benign, Tuttle is not a run-of-the-mill Democrat. In July 2019 he was appointed to the St. Mary’s County Democratic Central Committee, which is hardly a bastion of moderation.
It is disingenuous for Tuttle to attempt to politically characterize himself as something less than a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. We do not need any more two-faced county commissioners of either political party, who say one thing to get elected and do another.
Mark Broadhurst, California