Warren's strategy: nationalize the race

I don't quite see BMG this way (5.00 / 1)

Some of them are certainly behind unions 100% of the time and some are even union members.

Most of the people I know are opposed to public sector unions and see them as a barrier to putting local government on sounder fiscal footing and fixing various problems like education.

As far as taxes and spending go I think the majority want to see taxes at a level exactly what they can pay because of their needs being lower or having more money. They have certain preferences like MBTA over roads and green energy subsidies over tax breaks for business. They are totally okay with government being all up in business' grill.

They don't see taxes like I do, which is the $250 increase the town gets each year from me is $250 I don't have to spend, and I miss it, and that business regulation has costs and that paying businesses to hire people is dumb.

What I do see over there is a lot of what the sports radio folks call "homer" mentality. They are totally behind the home (Democratic) team. The routine (except those who are the contrarians) posters would never vote for Tisei for example, because they want a Democratic House. Ditto for Brown.

They also have no issue with complete Democratic control of this state- in their mind it just becomes a battle between factions of their party. So to perpetuate that they continue their big tent which keeps ultra-liberals and minorities in the same party as DiMasi and DeLeo. They know that if enough Republicans got in they would not be able to hold together as a group.

Both Warren and Brown have one goal- They are currently tied and there are about 10% of the electorate left undecided and they have to get them to break (60-40, say) their way. It's a shame that we're going to have to watch $20M in TV ads trying to get to those folks.

I could post more on this but we'll see if this draws any comments first.

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by: tomasek1000 @ Thu Jul 19, 2012 at 17:22:55 PM UTC

You just described Reading, MA to a T (0.00 / 0)

As far as taxes and spending go I think the majority want to see taxes at a level exactly what they can pay because of their needs being lower or having more money. They have certain preferences like MBTA over roads and green energy subsidies over tax breaks for business. They are totally okay with government being all up in business' grill.

They don't see taxes like I do, which is the $250 increase the town gets each year from me is $250 I don't have to spend, and I miss it, and that business regulation has costs and that paying businesses to hire people is dumb.

This was why I fought the local meals tax. An increase in taxes takes money out of my pocket, and I miss it. That's why there were members of my RTC that supported the local meals tax. Because they were comfortable enough not to miss the money, and to hell with principles.

It still astounds me that there are very Liberal people in town who will fight a $25 increase in the resident parking sticker because they (Selectman Ben Tafoya* specifically) say the resident sticker already costs $5600 (average property tax). They advocate for reducing regulation on development and business locally. Yet they will vote for Katherine Clark for state senate, Deval for governor, Warren for US senate and Obama for president, thereby guaranteeing vastly more than $25 being stripped from them. The breakdown in logic boggles the mind.

*Tafoya ran against Brad Jones, worked hard for Clark and is working for the Warren campaign.

G.O.P. Growth. Opportunity. Prosperity. For all Americans.

Karl (TLC)Weld

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by: TLCWeld @ Thu Jul 19, 2012 at 17:54:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Andover has been wrestling with replacing the town yard for years (0.00 / 0)

It comes down to the fact that they need about $20 million to do it and when push comes to shove, they balk.

The debt override would cost an extra $200 for me, for 20 years.

Plus they'll want their $250 annual increase on top of that.

So now that's $450 I won't have to spend.

And that's just the town. As you mentioned, everyone has their hand out.  

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by: tomasek1000 @ Thu Jul 19, 2012 at 18:25:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Boston schools (0.00 / 0)

The discussions I have had over there about Boston schools for instance are completely one-sided, perhaps because I am the only one on that board who has a kid at BPS, but mainly because few of the participants have a strong belief in the teachers union or even the idea of Boston itself as an old-time Democratic city that deserves lots of money.

I think you might have more of a point on the MBTA, which I used to use a lot before I had places I needed to be.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is the way a loudmouth liberal like Elizabeth Warren can get away with spouting off on big national issues while not really addressing the way the old-time Democratic money conduit is barely keeping pace even under Obama and Deval Patrick.  

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by: seascraper @ Thu Jul 19, 2012 at 18:28:58 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I have followed the Boston schools for a while (0.00 / 0)

and I can't believe that they have not resolved the "my kids can't go to the local school" issue. Everyone I know who lived in Boston left for the suburbs once they had kids.

I don't think anyone would have a problem with teachers' unions if they worked towards a solution and weren't just about protecting members's interests. Andover has just settled a two year contract dispute that went all the way to a state facting finding report (which is "all the way" under MA law) and a contract was techinically agreed upon, but if it hadn't the SC contract would have been imposed on the union. The HS teachers were insisting on keeping their 3/2 schedule, which meant that every other semester they only taught two classes.

By Globe reports it seems the school administration in Boston is no day at the beach as well. I read the NYT as well and seems like they have similar leadership problems. I haven't actually looked at results- I know Bloomberg has been given credit for improving the schools, whatever that means.

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by: tomasek1000 @ Fri Jul 20, 2012 at 13:55:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

BMG = (0.00 / 0)

   Big Moron Gathering!
  They're hilarious!
  In a post from July 9th, "progressmass" begins a post with: "He embellishes things that sometimes get him into trouble"
  Yo Stupid: Do you realize you could substitute Ldub's name on your post to make absolutely true?
  I stand by my description of BMG.

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by: billxi @ Fri Jul 20, 2012 at 00:49:21 AM UTC

Brown's strategy: talk about anything but the issues/his votes (0.00 / 0)

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by: eury13 @ Fri Jul 20, 2012 at 12:39:00 PM UTC