Watching the Valley Patriot debate it was evident that the two key candidates in the race had clearly different styles and approaches.
Kirsten Hughes' background as a trained lawyer, MassGOP staffer, campaign leader and city council woman are solid credentials to take a leadership role in a campaign. Just the way she did during Scott Brown's losing campaign for Senator.
Rick Green's background as a trained business person, entrepreneur and founder of a PAC are solid credentials to lead and build an organization. Drawn to politics through Scott Brown's special election win, Green won a State Committee race, but evidently Green is relatively new to organized politics.
The candidates' backgrounds foretold two different approaches and styles during the debate as well. Hughes appeared more as a politician, while Green more of a problem solver. Both are talented. But who is best to lead the Mass GOP?
Seeing and hearing Hughes recant party platitudes of "family values" and "limited government" can remind one of Debbie Wasserman Shultz. And this is not criticism. Like or loathe Shultz's politics, she is an effective leader of the DNC. Shultz appears to represent and embody a common thread among the liberal nucleus of the Democratic party. And beyond this, she exudes the politics of her constituency and thus is able to display such politics well in public and private settings, as well as among the Democratic grass roots. Enough so to inspire a crusty old union worker or an impressionable, young college student during a campaign to hold signs and chant policies they themselves don't fully understand.
So, then, the questions are can Hughes effectively represent the MAGOP this way? But, moreover, should this be the type of leader the MAGOP seeks?
Judging from the fractures in the MAGOP already, it is evident Hughes' inspiring and galvanizing the party would be a very tall order. Doing so would require a far different skill set than the inside party politico Hughes has exhibited thus far. Republicans are inspired more by trust, evidence, reason and proof, and less by rousing speeches and flamboyance. And as we saw in 2012, by 2,000,000 fewer Republicans voting for Romney than for McCain (in 2008), Republicans' votes and active participation must be often painstakingly earned. However, and more important, is an enthusiastic and pleasant public face what the MAGOP needs the most now?
Since based on the track record over the past several decades none of us are experts to answer this question, we should turn to things we know better. As consumers, we all are expert shoppers. As Massachusetts residents and activists we are also excellent citizens. Elsewhere in the US, the battle between the Democrats and Republicans is akin to Schick vs Gillette. Advertising, special deals, promotions - all techniques of industry experts - are what determine who wins their battles.
We must wake up and recognize in Massachusetts the Republican party is not a Schick nor a Gillette. Rick Green's debate reminder of the perpetual start up nature of Republican campaigns should remind us that more accurately Democrats are the PhDs and Republicans are the Kindergarteners. They are Stop and Shop and we are the hot dog vendor at the town fair. John Walsh represents a Fortune 500 machine, while our winning candidate would start with a volunteer bake sale.
So, while Kirsten Hughes may be a true Republican party trooper and a good candidate perhaps for a elected political office, such credentials are not what the MAGOP presently needs if the party wants to grow up. A party on the verge of extinction in Massachusetts requires a leader, like Rick Green, who has the ability to recognize the present dilemma for what it truly is, and who also has the tools and motivation to make the party what it should be.
• Here is the first salvo being fired that is designed to seal the 2014 election for the Democrat Party, and here is the biggest challenge conservatives have for restraint and sensible planning.
If we respond as we have in the past two gubernatorial cycles, a draconian (in the eyes of the liberals and media) tax referendum will find its way off Carla Howell's desk and onto the ballot, with the assistance of diligent, hard working and well meaning conservative activists. That referendum will then be used, by the far Left (incarnated as Neighbor 2 Neighbor, the new ACORN, and SEIU), to mobilize the urban blue collar union base, and the folks who rely on government benefits, to landslide an election against conservative values and conservative candidates. This strategy has defeated us in the last two gubernatorial cycles.
This year (and next) INSTEAD, we need to keep constant and withering pressure on the leadership of MassGOP, whether that be Kirsten Hughes or Rick Green, to quickly develop a Republican Party infrastructure that mimics a political campaign and then to use that infrastructure to appeal to the same urban communities that have been used against us, yet this time to appeal to them with a message of economic hope for their families and greater access to success.
This needs to be done face to face and in cooperation with the RTC/RCC's, led by strong management, and avoiding "quick-fix" solutions. Hard work begets great results; quick fixes beg for unforeseen crises. After two successive unforeseen crises, it's our own fault if we rush headlong into another.
Big swing states like Ohio, Virginia and Florida have been attracting the most concern about voter fraud and voter suppression, but Massachusetts is not immune.
From incorrect information about rules at the polls for both voters and observers, to objections to people voting absentee, to reports of robocalls telling people to vote on the wrong day--despite Hurricane Sandy, the election is still Tuesday--there are already reports in Massachusetts about problems that could interfere with people exercising their right to vote in this year's election, Tuesday, Nov. 6.
One of the most enduring paradoxes in the American ethos is the way that Americans simultaneously regard higher education with reverence while viewing intellectuals with suspicion. American anti-intellectualism is based in the notion that the universities in which our greatest thinkers thrive are singularly free from the practical tests of real-world viability that are needed in order for great thoughts to become good policy. One such great thought that has received remarkably little attention in the campaign for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts is Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren's plan to radically transform the public school system in America into a voucher system that abolishes local control of public schools.
If women were convinced in large numbers, after the first debate, to switch their fragile allegiance from Obama to Romney, if Romney was able, in just those ninety minutes, to convey the "man behind the candidate," then probably those women suspected already that there might be a special man hiding in there.
Read more of my new column at The American Thinker.
We work with a lot of youth doing education organizing, so they were pretty fired up about the discussion of MA and education. Thought some might be interested in their response:
It's important to note that there's not a lot of daylight between the two on education. What these youth are asking for is more say as a whole on what works for them.
The town hall style of Tuesday's upcoming Presidential debate has features which will work to Mitt Romney's advantage, but overall it is a potential field of landmines for the Republican candidate. Romney will no doubt be on top of his game, as he always is, but with a little anticipation he might be able to turn on some of the curve balls he's inevitably going to be thrown and knock them out of the park, because, in the end, he will be speaking for the majority of the American people.
(You can stop a repeat, Knock on Doors and make calls. - promoted by Rob "EaBo Clipper" Eno)
In 2010, the MASS GOP felt like it had momentum going into the statewide elections. In places like Worcester and Plymouth Counties, where the GOP field volunteers were strong and had excellent "Get Out the Vote efforts" our candidates did great. Statewide... different story.
On the eve of 2012 elections, the environment is strikingly similiar to 2010. If you recall, In late September, October of 2010, the Statewide Democrat Candidates went silent. They avoided the press, started pulling from debates and forums. The Reason: Internal Polls showed they had all taken substantial leads over GOP candidates.
Warren has now followed same approach... Deja Vu?
How did the lead occur -
#1) Our Candidates began to waffle on the issues which make us Republicans... and started losing their own base.
Pander to Emily's list.. distance yourself from the National GOP... deny our National Republican Platform... Deja Vu?
#2) Folks underestimated one man : John Walsh.
Do not underestimate the brilliance of this man.
He is tactical and a master of identifying who their supporters are, logging them in a database and making sure each and every one of the supporters shows up on election day.
Their phone banks are busy, they are literally checking off every voter in the commonwealth. They know who will be showing up to vote, they know who is voting for Brown and who is voting for Warren. And have no doubt - he will get them out to the polls and their poll checkers will call in every hour with who has voted - and who has not. And they will drive them to the polls if they have to.
Remember, Standouts don't win elections, lawn signs don't vote. Our State GOP needs to have a very disciplined Get Out The Vote effort.
I hope there is a master list of every voter in the commonwealth that the State GOP is maintaining. I hope every voter has been called and been identified as either Warren or Brown or Undecided. I hope they are doing more than the Democrats.
In 2010 the State GOP stated they were doing this... in actuality, they did not.
Im hearing that once again we are doing this... but once again... Deja Vu?
And for goodness sake - This party needs to stand for something soon - otherwise we will hit single digit % registered Republicans -
Are We Republicans - or Democrat Lite!
Stand for something! Insanity!
Get out and vote! There are GOP races across the state today! Here's a rundown, and how I think things will work out.
US House of Representatives
Third District- Jonathan Golnik (R-Carlisle) vs. Tom Weaver (R-Westford) This is a re-match of sorts from 2010, when businessman Jon Golnik and Engineer/Veteran Tom Weaver faced off for the 5th District GOP Nomination. Golnik won that race, while Weaver came in a distant third amidst a slightly larger field. This time it's just the two of them, but I expect a similar result. Golnik ran a decent campaign for a first-time candidate in 2010, but came up short in the November match-up with Tsongas. However, in the process he built up a good name recognition and base of support. Thus, if you drive around the district, there are many Golnik sides back out on the side of the road. Weaver will certainly do better in his second go-around, but I think Golnik has the advantage. The winner will again face incumbent Democrat Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell).
Fourth District-
Sean Bielat (R-Norfolk) vs. Elizabeth Childs (R-Brookline) vs. David Steinhof (R-Fall River) In 2010, businessman/Veteran Sean Bielat faced off against frequent candidate, and GOP State Committeeman Earl Sholley, and won decisively. After raising over two million dollars in his last go around, he narrowly lost to Barney Frank (D-Newton) in the General Election. However, his efforts were strong enough to scare away Barney Frank from seeking re-election in what is now a more conservative district. I fully expect that Bielat's name recognition from his 2010 run will carry him over the line against Dr. Elizabeth Childs, MD and Dr. David Steinhof, DMD, who are good candidates themselves, but are from the heavily Democratic ends of the district with little exposure. However, whoever emerges as the winner here will have a tough go of it with likely Democratic nominee Joseph Kennedy III (D-Brookline).
Our next stop in our jolly around the state takes us south and west to Bristol and Norfolk Counties. Unlike Greater Boston, this is a highly competitive area. Bristol County seemingly overnight has gone blue to red, with four new Republican representatives. All of them, though, will have to prove their staying power against their Democrat opponents (including one rematch in the third district). Norfolk County has a GOP representative in Dan Winslow, but Republicans will be looking to give him two new allies in the caucus in November. Add a State Senate race that could be very competitive, plus an open Congressional race, and this is easily the most competitive part of Massachusetts.
The fourth installment of our journey around the state takes us to the North Shore, encompassing Essex, Northern Middlesex, and Northern Suffolk counties. This is a rather blue area thanks to the cities of Gloucester and Lynn, but also has the red areas of Ipswitch, Rowley, Boxford, and Andover. It is also home to one of the most competitive Congressional districts in the country, so this will be a vibrant area for state politicos, and even national ones.
In the third installment of our look at the local electoral landscape, we ride the NH border as we look at the Merrimack Valley, spanning northern Essex and Middlesex counties, and including the cities of Lawrence, Lowell, Haverill, and Chelmsford. This rather purple area of Massachusetts sent four Republicans to Beacon Hill in 2010, and three are running unopposed, including Minority House Whip Brad Hill. Will he get more representatives for his vote counts? Let's take a look:
The next part of our election series takes us to Worcester County, an area that has been a real battleground in recent years. It was also here that four Republicans won seats from Democrats, bringing the total of House Republicans to eight, including the tie in the 6th Worcester District that required a run-off.
A dismal June employment report has sent the markets downhill today, as the economy was only able to add 80,000 jobs in the month. This also includes the May employment figures that were revised upwards to 77,000 jobs created, but it wasn't enough to move the unemployment rate past 8.2%.
My name is Jack from Winchester, and I wanted to let you all know about a new election process tool out there called TurboVote. Their tagline is that they make voting as easy as renting a DVD from Netflix.
What TurboVote does is streamline the voter registration and absentee ballot request process using the Internet and good old US Mail.
If someone goes to their website and wants to register to vote, they send that person a pre-completed registration form in the mail along with a pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelope so they can put that form right back in the mail and get it to their local town clerk's office. The same goes for absentee ballot request forms as well. Plus, they send email and text reminders about upcoming deadlines and elections even if people are not voting by mail.
All in all, it's a pretty handy tool that uses the Internet to make our complicated voting process easier. I would love to hear RedMassGroup's thoughts on the tool, and if any of you have ideas about good groups to reach out to about TurboVote in our state.
Mayor Menino was on WBZ this morning and it looks like the Mayor is not sure who he will support for the US Senate race this fall. I'm pretty sure the Mayor is going to be in big trouble with his Democratic friends as this race is crucial for control of the US Senate. It will be interesting to see if the Mayor has to backtrack and endorse Warren now. While he gave no indication he was going to endorse Brown, it looks for now that he's staying out of the race because of his trust in and friendship with Sen. Brown, and may even vote for him with the "secret ballot". This could be a huge boon to Brown in the City of Boston, where Brown lost overwhelmingly to Coakley in 2010, and where Democrats where planning to utilize Menino's organization to increase turnout and help Warren fare better than Coakley at the ballot box. What say you?
Ask Elections 617 727-2828 for your Sample Ballot to be sent to you by email. Putting Sample Ballots on the web makes it easier for folks to plan their voting.
For social justice reasons, and simply as one of the tens of thousands of registered voters and citizens of this Commonwealth, I am writing to openly, respectfully and impartially call upon Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, State Senator Dan Wolf, as well as all federal, state, county & municipal public office incumbents and candidates in Massachusetts to sign the Citizens for Limited Taxation, "Taxpayer Protection Pledge."
Bearing in mind the ongoing tough economic times that we all face, the aforementioned pledge provides a measure of good faith by said office holders and candidates to the taxpayers and constituents of their respective geographical areas and to all people within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Furthermore, it clearly indicates that they shall oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes during their tenure in office, if elected.
Cape Codders, along with the other citizens of this state, need to be reassured that their interests are going to be looked after and protected by the individuals they vote into public office. They do not need to have any further economic burdens thrust upon them in the form of increased taxes of whatever type for at least the next several years at a minimum.
WEST BARNSTABLE, MA - January 16, 2012 - While continuing to research the process of obtaining a presidential pardon, and still essentially only contemplating a run for Barnstable County Commissioner later this year, Cape Cod citizen activist, Ron Beaty, Jr. declared today that he staunchly believes that all federal, state, county & municipal public office incumbents and candidates in Massachusetts should sign the Citizens for Limited Taxation, "Taxpayer Protection Pledge." Bearing in mind the ongoing tough economic times that we all face, the aforementioned pledge provides a measure of good faith by said office holders and candidates to the taxpayers of their respective local geographical areas and to all people within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Furthermore, it clearly indicates that they shall oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes during their tenure in office, if elected. Cape Codders, along with the other citizens of this state, need to be reassured that their interests are going to be looked after and protected by the individuals they vote into public office. They do not need to have any further economic burdens thrust upon them in the form of increased taxes of whatever type for at least the next several years at a minimum.
On January 9th of this year, Ron Beaty also signed the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" which in turn was witnessed by 2010 (Cape Cod) Red Cross Hero, Nancy L. Johnson.
Mr. Beaty stated that nomination papers to run for Massachusetts public office are going to be made available by the Secretary of State's Office, Elections Division at some point during the middle of next month. Beaty ought to come to a final decision by that time regarding whether or not he will definitely run for Barnstable County Commissioner later this year.
It's almost like Presidential Candidate Buddy Roemer directs his criticism toward those in the shadows around the top tier of the MA GOP. Roemer raises striking parallels and similarities. Substitute his use of the terms "special interests", "K Street", "something sticks", et al., with terms that define the top rung of our state Republican Party.
Remember, the election for our GOP chairman is tonight. Unfortunately, the process will likely lack transparency. Further, the usual suspects will try to stifle debate. We'll be able to determine early in the program, how "Democratic" the voting process actually is.
From the liberal establishment and political elite, please note the "lies, and damned lies", pushing their candidate on us - top down method once again - with future promises and misinformation.
Therefore, keep an eye on your "representative" Republican state committeemen and women. Oh, what will they do? Those of them who are overly ambitious will tend to do the wrong thing, and as a result, vote the wrong way.
Hold your state committee people accountable. And most importantly, please do NOT support them for higher office or with their initiatives, especially if they speak with forked tongue.
Are we having fun yet? I am. Hope to see you tonight in Newton!
