It Was Probably Not a Great Idea, Anyway, for Morse to Take on Neal

There's an aphorism often attributed (erroneously) to Sun Tzu, a Chinese general in the 5th Century B.C. who wrote a still popular book called "The Art of War." It goes like this, "If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by."

I think Springfield's Richie Neal, chairman of Ways & Means in the U.S. House of Representatives, just had a body-of-his-enemy-floating-by moment.

Neal's opponent in the western Massachusetts congressional district Democratic primary on September 1, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse, was accused in a recent letter from the College Democrats of Massachusetts of using his position as a part-time, visiting UMass faculty member "for romantic or sexual gain."

The letter, and an article on the letter, were published this past Friday, August 7, in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, a student-run publication.  The allegedly inappropriate behavior by Morse centered on three issues, the article stated:

"The first issue alleges that Morse regularly matched with students on dating apps, including Tinder and Grindr, who were as young as 18 years old.  These students included members of the College Democrats of Massachusetts, UMass Amherst Democrats and other groups in the state.

"The second issue, 'Using Democrats' events to meet college students and add them on Instagram, adding them to his 'Close Friends' story and DMing them, both of which have made young college students uncomfortable.' 

"The third issue, 'Having sexual contact with college students, including at UMass Amherst, where he teaches, and the greater Five College Consortium.' " (Consortium members are UMass, Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Smith Colleges.)

Morse, in a statement to the Daily Collegian, reportedly admitted to having "consensual adult relationships, including some with college students" and "apologized to anyone I have made feel uncomfortable..."

This past Monday, a campaign spokesperson for Neal denied that Neal's campaign was involved in the publication of the allegations against Morse.

Morse said in a later radio interview that he believes Neal's campaign was involved.  "I think this is what happens when you go against power," he told the interviewer on public radio station WAMC.

If Neal or anyone affiliated with his re-election effort were involved, that fact will almost certainly come to light, sooner or later.  There are too many persons in the College Democrats of Massachusetts for them all to keep that secret for long.  That's why I don't believe that Neal, et al., were involved: it would be too risky, it could blow up in his face, he could end up looking scared or like a bully.  

Neal is obviously the favorite in the primary, despite all of the energy and money progressive Democrats have poured into the Morse campaign, as they did into the (successful) congressional campaigns of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley.  

(I respect progressives as much as the next guy from Massachusetts. But, even if these accusations against Morse had never been hurled, I can't see how his candidacy gets over the fact that a Morse victory would take Neal out of D.C. when, after 31 years in Congress, he is at the height of his powers and most able to deliver the goods to his district and state.)

Neal has been a student of political warfare long enough to know that, as in most human endeavors, the most grievous wounds in politics are self-inflicted, and that patience and restraint tend to be rewarded.  It would surprise me not if Neal long ago committed to memory these words: 

"If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by."