Today’s mail included a 6” x 11” glossy, full color, obviously expensive piece of campaign literature portraying three, heavily tattooed purportedly Hispanic men (obviously not teen-agers) and asserting that, if Laura Curran were to win election as Nassau County executive she would “roll out the welcome mat for violent gangs like MS-13!”
In my more than five decades as a registered voter (full disclosure: Democratic) in Nassau County, I have never seen such a scurrilous defamation of a respected candidate.
Jack Martins clearly, and legitimately as a long-time Republican official, has definable differences with Ms. Curran with regard to political philosophy and the role of government in our society.
In the series of public debates between the candidates, he was consistently civil and respectful, as well he should be.
After all, it must be recognized that she has run successfully for office in her community and apparently served her constituents well enough to have won a resounding victory in the Democratic Party primary.
It is an outrageous case of dirty politics at its worst for the candidate for a major party to mount such a blatantly racist appeal to the (hopefully) small portion of the electorate that might fall for it.
If Mr. Martins wishes to assure voters — Republican, Democratic, or independent — that he is a serious candidate who warrants their trust, he will promptly and publicly disavow that document and anyone and everyone connected with its production, whether or not associated with his campaign.
If he doesn’t, he will effectively be admitting to complicity and, effectively, to be willing to accept it no matter how despicable it may be, for the simple reason that it might help him win the election.
In my opinion, all voters of whatever political persuasion should hope that he makes his objection clear.
If he fails to do so, he will have abdicated the right to serve as a leader in Nassau County.
Robert I. Adler
Port Washington
(Full disclosure: I am a minimally active member of the Nassau County
Democratic Committee.)
