At Oct. 20, 2012 campaign rally in Melrose, MA

With Senator Scott Brown and Sixth District Congressional candidate Richard Tisei both locked in heated battles heading into the Nov. 6 election, war hero and Arizona Senator John McCain spoke at a rally for both candidates Saturday morning in Melrose, Massachusetts.

Addressing a sign-waving crowd that packed Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall, the 2008 Republican Party candidate for president focused on the importance of re-electing his senate colleague.

“This man is the one I want most in the United States Senate,” McCain declared as he shared the stage with Brown. “I have seen that he stands first and foremost for the ideals and principals he believes in and for the people of Massachusetts.”

McCain praised Brown for his 32 years of service in the National Guard. He said that the current administration was not doing enough for veterans and stressed the importance of electing candidates like Brown in order to reverse that trend.

Addressing the nation’s fiscal crisis, McCain noted that the national debt has “gone from 10 trillion to 16 trillion” under the Obama administration.

“The greatness of America is that each generation of Americans has passed to the next generation a better nation than they inherited,” McCain told the crowd. “I can’t tell you that under this president that will be the case. We have mortgaged our children’s future and our grandchildren’s future.

“Scott Brown understands what it’s like to balance a budget and get our fiscal house in order,” McCain insisted. “Senator Brown will be one of the key players as we avoid the fiscal catastrophe that’s overtaking our country.”

McCain also praised Brown for his bipartisanship and his independent voting record. “We need people with that kind of independence,” McCain said, asserting that “the people of this country are tired of gridlock.”

Brown called McCain “a national treasure,” and “a hero of mine.”

Brown asked his supporters to pull out all the stops in the last weeks of the campaign.

“Do not go to bed on Nov. 6 wishing you had done more,” Brown exhorted.

Brown blasted Washington’s propensity to “spend and spend and spend.” He said that his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren “wants to raise taxes on you 3.4 trillion dollars.” Brown called that “a job destroying message,” maintaining that it would result in over 17,000 jobs lost in Massachusetts and 700,000 nationwide.

“If you want someone who’s going to spend your money, you know who that candidate is,” Brown said. “If you want somebody who’s going to protect your money and give you a chance to expand and hire and get out of this economic mess, then I’m your guy.”

Brown decried the gridlock in Washington, insisting that he posed a threat to the “extremes on both sides.” He cited his own record as “the second most bipartisan senator, working to find a balance with that moderate group in the middle, trying to push our country forward and solve problems.”

Brown called for a balanced budget amendment to force Washington to “actually spend the money that they’re given and not ask for another penny out of your pockets.”

Preceding Brown and McCain on stage was longtime state legislator Richard Tisei who is currently challenging Congressman John Tierney for the Sixth District seat. Tisei was introduced by Massachusetts House Minority Leader Rep. Bradley Jones.

Jones said that Tisei “knows how to work across the aisle to make a meaningful difference on behalf of the people he represents. That’s why he was successful in the House. That’s why he was successful in the State Senate and that’s why he’ll be successful in Congress.”

Tisei said that he was proud to have represented the community for 20 years in the State Senate. He insisted that the Nov. 6 election would determine the future of the country.

“Are we going to be a country where hard work and success are encouraged,” Tisei asked, “or are we going to be a country where it’s attacked and vilified?”

Tisei maintained that current Congressman John Tierney “thinks that higher taxes are good for our country.” Tisei drew cheers when he said that higher taxes and more spending were the worst things that could happen to the country and to the economy.

He told the crowd that Tierney believed that the government creates jobs. “He doesn’t understand that small businessmen and businesswomen all across this district and state are the real job creators,” Tisei maintained, “and those are the people we have to help.”

Tisei asked the crowd to elect him in order to give Scott Brown “some help in Washington” and bring “some balance to our delegation.”

Opening the rally, Brown’s daughter Ayla Brown sang the National Anthem and State Rep. Donald Wong led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Brown’s wife Gail Huff and daughters Ayla and Arianna joined Brown, McCain and Tisei on stage for a closing scene of unity.

Before and after the rally, sign-holders for Brown and Tisei lined Main Street even as supporters of Elizabeth Warren attempted to move in with signs to counter Brown’s.

[This story originally appeared in the October 22, 2012 Wakefield Daily Item.]

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