PETERSHAM — A fire blazed in the woodstove of the Petersham Country Store Saturday as a decidedly friendly crowd gathered in the dining area with U.S. Rep. James McGovern, who was holding his first constituent meet-and-greet of 2020. The Worcester Democrat, now in the midst of his 11th term in Congress, answered questions on issues ranging from climate change, to impeachment, to the lack of civility in American politics.
In a short interview prior to speaking with those gathered for the event, McGovern said, “I make it a point on most weekends to go to a coffee shop and invite people to come and tell me what’s on their minds, what they’re thinking about what’s happening in Washington, what are the challenges locally and (to) discuss ways I can be helpful. I pride myself on my accessibility. I learn a lot and sometimes people come and tell me they like me, and sometimes they come and tell me they hate me, but it’s important for me to hear what’s on peoples’ minds.”
Questions posed at Saturday’s meet-and-greet ranged the gamut from national to local topics.
“They talk about impeachment. They talk about the prospect of going to war with Iran, but they also talk about everyday issues that are local,” McGovern said.
In terms of his own priorities for 2020, McGovern said, “One of the things I hope we can do this year is actually enact an infrastructure bill. Massachusetts is an old state. We have bridges that are older than most of the other states in this country. We have water and sewer systems. We need to make sure all communities have broadband. The repairs in our infrastructure and expanding broadband are not going to happen unless the federal government steps up and provides some resources to the states and local communities.”
The congressman also said he feels, at the moment, like he’s fighting to defend the Constitution.
“We had a debate on the War Powers resolution (Friday),” he said. “Congress, according to the Constitution, is the branch of government that has the authority to declare war. So, if the president wants to go to war with Iran, or anybody else, it needs to come to congress and we need to debate it. I think a war with Iran would be a grievous mistake.”
McGovern took issue with recent comments made on “Fox News” by Rep. Doug Collins, of Georgia, earlier in the week, claiming Democrats “mourn (Iranian Gen. Qassem) Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families who are the ones who suffered under Soleimani.” The Georgia Republican later apologized for his comments.
“I found it offensive,” said McGovern. “Look, reasonable, good people can disagree on issues, and even on issues of war and peace. Just because I don’t want to go war with Iran doesn’t mean that I’m sympathetic to terrorists or bad people. It’s just offensive. If every time we disagree, I call you a name and you call me a name, we’re not going to ever find common ground.
“One of the things we need to bring back to Washington is civility and decency. I think this president has done a lot to eliminate both civility and decency in Washington, and that bothers me greatly.”
A woman who identified herself as a scout leader from Hubbardston also expressed concern about the political tone in Washington.
“Look,” McGovern responded, “I was first elected in 1996, when Newt Gingrich was Speaker. I’m actually nostalgic for Newt Gingrich; that’s how bad things are right now. There was more collegiality. When we disagreed, we disagreed respectfully.
“At the end of the day, in addition to the big fights, we have to make sure other things happen, like the government is funded, that we provide money for our roads and our bridges and our schools, and money for our farmers.
“I don’t think this is going to be resolved,” McGovern continued, “until after this election. Donald Trump tweets things and says things that, if anyone of my kids did, they’d have a time out. I would not tolerate that. I was not raised that way. You were not raised that way. And I think what he has done is given license to people to behave similarly.”
McGovern is seeking re-election to his 12th term in the House in this year’s state election. Currently, no Republican, alternative party or independent candidates have announced plans to challenge McGovern.