Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

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Markey is a movement leader; Kennedy fails the Mudd test

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I’m just getting to writing up the Senate debate last night. (This is school vacation week and my schedule is not my own.)

And right from the outset, Ed Markey dominated. Joe Kennedy got his licks in — some of them legitimate. But never did Kennedy make an affirmative case for himself, rather than Markey, as the Democratic standard-bearer, or a movement leader, or a preferable alternative in any way.

He failed the Roger Mudd test; he failed the BMG Coakley test, when she told me in late 2009 that the important thing about the “Kennedy seat” was “how much he loved the job.” Yes, I’m sure that Joe Kennedy would love the job. But he hasn’t earned it.

When asked why he wants the seat, Kennedy gives no inspiring answer; apparently it’s because of TRUMP and to be a movement leader. When asked why him instead of Markey, the answer is even more insubstantial. While Kennedy talks about being a movement leader — someday, maybe, if you vote for him — Markey is actually leading a movement, with young climate activists of the Sunrise Movement affectionately calling the author of the Green New Deal “Dad”. Mr. Kennedy: Show, don’t tell.

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Laurence Tribe on Pardongate

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“Pardongate is meant to normalize white collar crime, bribery and corruption — and to anesthetize the public to Trump’s emergence as a full-blown autocrat in the style of Putin.”     Laurence Tribe

Only, we the people, can save this democratic republic now.

RESIST!

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Can Democrats Afford to Tell the Truth?

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It was many years ago when I was a salesman at a car dealership that sold Pontiac, Peugeot, and Jaguar cars.  My niche was the two imports.  One day, a customer was keenly interested in the 1981 Peugeot 505 STI that we had on the showroom floor.  I really liked this car.  I was a terrific car for highway cruises.  He asked a lot of the typical questions and I answered them all, truthfully.  Yes, parts can be expensive but that is true with all vehicles in this category.   No, we have not had any problems getting parts and yes, our service department is fully equipped to maintain this car.  Then he asked me about trade in value, “will this car hold its value a few years from now?”  I lied.  I said yes.  Then he got me painted into a corner with his next question, “Okay, I am interested in purchasing this Peugeot and I have a trade….and it’s a 1976 Peugeot 504.”

My heart sank.  His trade was virtually worthless.  I tried to have it both ways and I got caught.

Democrats are caught in this trap today when they try to attack the “Trump Economy” and praise the “Obama Economy” when in truth, the former is just an extension of the latter, with a few added insults added to the injuries previously meted out  upon the working class.

We told American voters during the 2016 election that the economy was freakin fabulous even though  44% of U.S. workers were employed in low-wage jobs and nearly 80 percent of American workers (78 percent) said they’re living paycheck to paycheck.   And all of this happened during Obama’s eight years in the White House.

I watched an interview today where the reporter asked the Democrat running for president how he was going to attack the Trump economy while polls show that 70% of Americans think that the economy is doing well.  The Democrat sounded like me trying to explain to the Peugeot owner why his trade is of no real value but the new one will be different.

Democrats should not be surprised that  70% of Americans think this crappy economy is “great”.  After all, we told them it was for eight years.

Can we afford to tell them the truth?

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MassDems caucuses – with implications for Senate primary

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The MA Democratic Party is holding its caucuses over the next few weeks, to choose up delegates for the state convention on 5/30. The delegates often will declare their support for one candidate or another, if there’s a contested primary. The Ed Markey campaign in particular is putting high priority on the caucuses, as a show of organizational strength going forward. If you can see John Walsh’s fingerprints on this, good for you — back in 2006 this very site was the reporting spot for caucus results that showed Deval Patrick was for real.

The list of caucuses and dates are listed on the MassDems website. 

Anyway, the Markey campaign is claiming victory in the following places:

SOME FINAL RETURNS AVAILABLE AS OF 4 PM:

BOSTON WARD 20—MARKEY WINS

MALDEN—MARKEY WINS

LYNNFIELD—MARKEY WINS

BRIDGEWATER—MARKEY WINS

ROCKLAND—MARKEY WINS

FITCHBURG WARDS 2, 5, 6—MARKEY WINS

SUNDERLAND—MARKEY WINS

PROVINCETOWN—MARKEY WINS

BOURNE—MARKEY WINS

CHATHAM—MARKEY WINS

BELMONT—MARKEY WINS

CONWAY—MARKEY WINS

LOWELL WARDS 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10—-MARKEY WINS

BARRE—MARKEY WINS

WESTMINSTER—MARKEY WINS

YARMOUTH—MARKEY WINS

Sounds good for him — I don’t know how the other places went, either for Joe Kennedy or not reporting yet. If you know something hold forth in the comments!

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Nathan Phillips hunger strike is ended; pressure is still on MassDEP; call “Ask the Governor” Thursday 2/13

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Yesterday Prof. Nathan Phillips ended his hunger strike, intended at calling attention to MassDEP’s neglect of safety precautions at the Weymouth compressor construction site.

Phillips, who has been a fierce critic of the compressor station for years, began his hunger strike on Jan. 29 with three demands: That the contractor building the compressor station do more to decontaminate trucks leaving the site with potentially toxic dirt; That the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) test old burner bricks on the property for asbestos; and that the  state install a permanent air monitor near the site.

Of the three, only one has been met, Phillips said; DEP announced last month that it had put a temporary air monitor in place and was planning to install a permanent one in the future.

Again, amazingly after all that, we still need pressure on MassDEP to simply do its job: make sure that toxic dirt is washed off the trucks, and test the bricks for asbestos. I will never get over the idea that a man had to starve himself to get our Commonwealth to even notice.

Fortunately, there’s an opportunity to talk to the Governor personally: He’ll be on WGBH’s Boston Public Radio tomorrow Thursday 2/13 11am, with Margery Eagan and Jim Braude, who — whenever I’ve heard them — tend to give him deferential, chummy treatment. The number is 877-301-8970. Call up and ask:

  1. When will MassDEP test the bricks?
  2. Why aren’t the trucks decontaminated before they leave the site?
  3. How does the Weymouth compressor, creating the equivalent of 1.1 million cars worth of pollution, fit in with Governor Baker’s vaunted climate policy?
  4. Why did it take a dude starving himself; and endless, mailbox-jamming phone calls from constituents, to get the Governor’s and MassDEP’s attention? Is this the kind of constituent service we can expect from your administration?
  5. Will there be a statement from MassDEP or Energy and Environment Secretary Theoharides regarding the hunger strike and Phillips’s ongoing demands?
  6. Do you have nothing to say to your constituents, Governor, given how brutal they are to you?

(Ok, that last one is a rhetorical question.)

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To all the wannabe Nostradamus monday morning armchair quarterbacks

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Slow down, boys and girls!

It’s a long marathon road ahead to the 1991 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination and here’s where we stand today :

Pete     23

Bernie  21

Liz           8

Amy        7

Joe          6

Oh, ye of little faith.

It’ll all work itself out and a nominee will emerge eventually.

I’m just chillin for now and resting my weary bones for round 2.

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More Posts from this Category

What’s the deal with Bernie?

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So it looks like Bernie could perhaps win a plurality of delegates, and yet lose the nomination.  Reading between the lines, the other candidates would be happy to facilitate this.  This would cause a huge rift within the party.  Whether … [Read more...]

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