LYNNFIELD — One month after U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton ended his failed candidacy for president, fewer than a dozen residents attended a Town Meeting he held at the Summer Street Elementary School on Saturday.
The intimate setting allowed voters to ask Moulton questions, leading to discussions about climate change, his short presidential campaign and the current government leadership. One attendee asked him about Rep. Joe Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) Saturday morning announcement to run against Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) in the 2020 Democratic Primary.
“No comment,” he said.
Shortly after, Wakefield resident Randy Brown asked Moulton how he felt about President Donald Trump’s Friday announcement, which, according to Associated Press, was the deployment of additional troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to beef up security in response to the attack on the Saudi oil industry.
“The secretary of state said the stakes of national security have never been higher,” Moulton said. “It would be a complete change of policy for the United States to attack Iran for attacking Saudi Arabia. I could think of a thousand different ways the stakes for national security could be higher … There are a lot of fundamental problems with that announcement. This administration doesn’t hesitate to escalate.”
Brown also asked Moulton a question about the various perceptions of the Green New Deal, a proposed piece of legislation introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Markey.
“A lot of people are throwing the baby out with the bathwater in saying climate change is socialism,” said Moulton. “We need to get back into an international climate agreement.”
Lynnfield resident Mary Beth Beatrice asked Moulton how he “functions in such a dysfunctional government.” With a laugh, Moulton replied that he “works out six days a week” to keep himself calm. Another way he gets through it, he added, is by spending time with his almost-1-year-old daughter.
He also has an incredible team behind him, he said, and they know that every single day they are helping people.
After Moulton addressed his short presidential run, Wally McKenzie of Lynnfield asked Moulton what the most important lesson that he learned during the campaign. “Don’t get in late,” Moulton started off with a laugh.
“One of the most valuable parts of being in the race for a few months and elevating issues, like mental health, was going out and talking to people,” Moulton added. “There are a lot of challenges we face all over the country that bring us together. The most important thing in politics is being able to relate to different people with different backgrounds and this campaign helped me with that.”
