A very sharp set of observations from UMass Professor Maurice Cunnningham over at CommonWealth. The table is set for November 2012 and not all is hopeless for a party that barely represents 13% of the electorate.
The Democrats dependably serve up a generous helping of scandals, and there is some turmoil in the House, as shown by Speaker Robert DeLeo's recent removal of Rep. Charles Murphy from his leadership post. Labor was reeling in the most recent legislative session, with even Democrats accepting the need for stronger managerial controls in public employment. There are intellectual engines for conservatives from the Pioneer Institute and the Beacon Hill Institute. Redmassgroup.com provides a punchy daily blog on conservative, libertarian, and party politics.
Barney Frank is leaving. Bill Keating is moving. Richard Tisei is in against John Tierney. These are all opportunities for Republicans to compete and win congressional seats. And as state legislators and other elected officials attempt to move to Congress, they leave behind open seats. Whereas incumbents win at least 95 percent of the time, an open seat is much easier to capture for the out party. If Mitt Romney gets the Republican nomination for president, that puts our former governor and Scott Brown atop the GOP ticket. They could even build a coordinated campaign that would help down ballot candidates here.
But getting back to reality, Professor Cunningham notes that all could come apart easily with the nomination of Newt Gingrich, the antithesis of Massachusetts Republicanism and a sure-bet train wreck. Gingrich will destroy not only the top of the ticket where Brown needs every lucky break but also the down ballot where the GOP is trying to hold on to the seats it captured in 2010.
Read the whole article. There's very little to disagree with.
(I cannot stress enough the importance of documenting union thuggery. Take video. I'll get it up on the web. Mass AFLCIO we are watching you. - promoted by Rob "EaBo Clipper" Eno)
2. Take the Red Line to JFK/UMASS. Don't waste your time driving because the parking will be a nightmare and cops will be issuing tickets like it's their job. (HEH)
3. Bring a camera because these guys will be there.
4. Tweet what you're seeing and use the hashtag #MASEN. Post pictures from your phone if possible, too.
I know there are numerous UMass alumni on this site that will not be the least bit surprised by this. Kill a cop. Try to kill a couple more. Oh yeah, and bomb a courthouse. Then get invited to speak to loony lefties at a major university.
What exactly is the message here? Even Coupe DeVal is offended by this invitation. For that matter, how is this guy even out on parole?
Levasseur, now under federal parole in a Maine halfway house, was the radical leader of United Freedom Front, a violent anti-government group linked to some 20 bombings, including one at the Suffolk County Courthouse in 1976.
"It's truly unbelievable," said Rick Brown, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, who added that cops from around the nation are prepared to protest the event.
Frankly, I'm still a little unclear about these so-called anti-censorship rules. Come again? Apparently I was mistaken when I thought that the school could control who is allowed on campus.
You have a funny way of showing that you "deplore the example" this guy sets for your students, Jack.
As an alumnus of both UMass Dartmouth (Class of 2001, BA - History) & UMass Boston (Class of 2004, MA - History), I thought I'd pass along some good news. Gifts to the University have increased "beyond expectations."
Across the five campuses, donations through the first three quarters of the fiscal year have risen $10 million over the same period last year, the highest mark in the past five years. After welcoming new chancellors, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell has already raised $2 million more than it did all of last year, and the University of Massachusetts at Boston is markedly ahead of last year's pace.
