To the Editor:
Senator Ed Markey is a rare type of politician. Having spent the past 50 years in Washington, with a strong legislative record of over 500 laws on the books — some of which were first-of-their-kind laws — he is still championing progressive solutions to the issues we face today, and in a race against a younger, up-and-coming politician, he has the overwhelming support of the youth. Almost across the board, youth organizations and activists strongly support Ed Markey over Joe Kennedy, showing he may be older, but his ideas are not.
In this age of turmoil in which we find ourselves, older politicians are losing primaries to a new generation of leaders (which is good), but to have someone who can bridge the divide between experience and these calls for change is a valuable quality in a leader. An experienced politician with forward-thinking ideas willing to work with the newly elected members is critical to the success of our country.
When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was elected in 2018, immediately Ed Markey approached her and others to co-author the Green New Deal Resolution, showing his tremendous courage to support a transformational idea that was not in mainstream thinking at the time. Now it is the standard by which climate-conscious policy is measured.
The Green New Deal was not Ed Markey’s first piece of climate legislation. He co-wrote the American Clean Energy and Security Act, also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill, that passed in the House and was narrowly defeated in the Senate during Obama’s first term. This was at that time the farthest-reaching piece of climate legislation to get that close to being enacted. But the Green New Deal goes further; it is much more advanced in its thinking, building in justice and equity, and this component is directly attributable to the new leaders he has helped lift up.
This election represents a crucial point in deciding the future of our climate, how we deal with healthcare, good-paying jobs, education, and creating a more equitable and just country. We will need to keep those experienced leaders we can count on in Congress, willing to work side-by-side with new members, who are inspiring the younger generations toward being active in politics, and ultimately voting.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Ed Markey has consistently stood up for the interests of the commonwealth and its people, and he deserves our vote to continue the work he is doing on so many important issues in the U.S. Senate.
Runar Finn Robinson, age 13, and Ben Robinson, age 43
Tisbury
