| This morning I jumped out of bed, grabbed my morning cup of coffee, and began my daily ritual of reading the morning newspapers. I didn't get that far today as I was stopped dead in my tracks by the the first paper I read, the Standard-Times of New Bedford.
Not unexpectedly, the Standard-Times has endorsed Martha Coakley in Tuesday's primary. You can read it at OUR VIEW: Coakley in the primary. Now, BIG FREAKIN' DEAL you'll say... a newspaper with a reputation for a liberal editorial page endorsing AG Coakley...that's hardly worth letting your coffee get cold. Well, okay - if this were the January 19 Special Election and the newspaper endorsed Coakley over Republican Candidate John Doe then I wouldn't get my feathers ruffled.
That said, re-read the title. The Standard-Times wrote "Coakley in the primary." The Standard-Times did NOT write "Coakley in the DEMOCRATIC primary." I'll also note that there was no endorsement letter on behalf of either Scott Brown or Jack E. Robinson. Indeed, there was absolutely zero recognition of the Republican primary until near the very bottom of the Coakley endorsement.
The sole MassGOP US Senate Special Election primary reference was 1 sentence that stated: "If she prevails on Tuesday, she will most likely face Republican State Sen. Scott Brown in the general election."
I'm sorry, I can shrug off most things but as the MassGOP State Committeeman I cannot & will not stand for my party to be simply ignored at such a crucial time. Whether the paper endorses Brown or Robinson - and yes, in the interest of full disclosure let me state once again that I'm siding with Scott Brown - is immaterial. That a media outlet so blatantly tried to avoid 1 side of the election is abhorrent.
As such, I sent off the following email to the Standard-Times editors (Editor Bob Unger & Opinion Page editor Jennette Barnes). If you're as angry & upset as I am then I'm sure you can find their contact info over at www.S-T.com and give them a piece of your mind as well as Massachusetts Republicans. I know that liberal S-T columnist Jack Spillane peruses RMG on occasion. Therefore Jack, while you may be a proud liberal I hope that you will lobby your bosses to do justice to the journalistic profession and not simply ignore or dismiss an entire party primary 2 days before the votes are to be cast!
Dear Standard-Times Editors,
I enjoyed reading the Standard-Times endorsement letter of Attorney General Martha Coakley in today's edition of the newspaper. However, I found the title to be a little confusing. The title of the piece was "OUR VIEW: Coakley in the Primary." Yet, there are two primaries occurring on this coming Tuesday, December 8. As such, the title should have noted that you were endorsing Martha Coakley in the Democratic primary. Who is the Standard-Times endorsing in the Republican primary?
Is the Standard-Times publishing a similar editorial for either State Senator Scott Brown or Jack E. Robinson? Your piece noted that "If she prevails on Tuesday, she will most likely face Republican State Sen. Scott Brown in the general election." Does that mean that in either Monday or Tuesdays edition of the paper that the Standard-Times will be issuing a similar endorsement letter for State Senator Scott Brown for US Senate?
I understand that it may be the Editorial Board's preference for Martha Coakley in the January 19 Special Election, but this Tuesday is both a Republican and Democratic primary. As such, I would ask that your newspaper please provide editorial coverage of both parties. Although I do have my own personal preference between the candidates of Scott Brown and Jack E. Robinson, I'm not asking you to choose one over the other. Rather, I'm asking the Standard-Times to please cover the MassGOP primary the same way that it did the MassDem primary in today's paper - which was your endorsement of Martha Coakley. As a Republican elected official, I find dispensing with the entire MassGOP primary with a single sentence to be insufficient.
Whether it be an endorsement of Scott Brown or Jack E. Robinson, I look forward to the Standard-Times' editorial concerning the Massachusetts Republican primary for the US Senate Special Election to be held this Tuesday, December 8. I respectfully ask that the Standard-Times give equal coverage to the Republican primary, and its eventual nominee, as you have done with the Democrats and Attorney General Coakley.
Sincerely,
Brock N. Cordeiro
Massachusetts Republican State Committeeman
Second Bristol & Plymouth District
MassGOP Regional Chairman |
