To The Editor,
I am writing this letter because I believe Josh Maxwell will serve our community best as our next State Representative in the 74th State House District, and his opponent, candidate Harry Lewis, is a good man and a good person who is on the wrong side of history. I say this because I have known Harry all of his life. We grew up together in Carver Court, and along with many others, we are proud of his accomplishments as an educator, high school track coach, and community leader.
However, his political status is a very different situation. As a Republican Candidate for office, I see him not as an individual, but one among many who represent the aims of the Republican Party, the Tea Party, and the conservatives. They who are attempting to deprive working families, the poor, and minorities of a much needed helping hand for survival; such as: healthcare and food benefits for children, pensions, social security, Medicare and Medicaid for adults, and not to mention their unAmerican attempts at selective voter suppression.
Mr. Lewis says he chose to be a Republican after having met with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963. However, in 1958 Dr. King was reported to have said that he was neither Republican nor Democrat. Even so, Dr. King was more of a Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln Republican, and Dr King would not recognize the present day Republican Party that has departed from their original loftier ideals.
We have to remember, that was a different time and the Republicans then put nation first, and were more willing to be bi-partisan, when necessary, than they act today (witness the Civil Rights Act of 1965).
I understand that at a meeting of Chester County Republicans in January 2014, the Republicans forgot to announce the presence of Mr. Lewis. As the only Afro-American Republican candidate in the field, how could this happen? What does this say about the Republican mindset?
In conclusion, I will not support Mr. Lewis because I expect that he would only continue the flawed and failed policies of the Republican Party, the Tea Party, and the conservatives that support and pay for his campaign and negative attack ads.
Do not be fooled, Mr. Lewis is saying whatever he has to say to get Democrats to vote for him. Mr Lewis is NOT the Democrat, and many are trying to fool us all into believing we Democrats support him. We Democrats, and many reasonable Republicans, support Josh Maxwell for State Representative in the 74 th.
Elwood Dixon
Coatesville
