Blue Mass Group

Kerry you have been taking a lot of heat lately because there have been less police on the streets, less people working and less money spent on education during the Romney/Healey administration. Fortunately for you, we at DemsForHealey understand your plan. Why should you increase the number of police on the street and spend more money on education when under your administration people have been leaving Massachusetts in droves. We can’t even keep the governor in the state more than one out of every three days. Democrats just don’t get it. Less citizens = less need for services = smaller government. It only makes sense. It’s called growth through attrition. Kerry, you’re so very … clever!

“It wasn’t even close.”

We have seen where the politics of division and vilification can lead us in Washington. We surely do not need more of it here. In fact, it has been deeply affirming to see voters reject the political tone set by the Republicans in this campaign, at least so far. Healey’s lurid attack ads and her dismissive attitude toward opposing views have turned against her — a healthy portent for the state.

Yesterday’s Saint Kermit session in Worcester is available on podcast here. Two bloggers and a Green-Rainbow rep analyzed the final lap to the general election.

Jim Henderson moderated the roundtable of Ryan Adams of Ryan’s Take, Mike Ball of Marry in Massachusetts, and Green-Rainbow state co-chair Luc Schuster. They are progressives all, but with differing views of the impacts of the third-party and independent candidates up and down ticket.

The discussion looked what may happen with a Deval Patrick-led administration. Even these lefties are unsure he’ll be able to get clean-elections legislation in the short run.

News Editor Richard K. Lodge at the Metro West Daily News published a compelling piece yesterday (see http://www.metrowest…) noting that the Green-Rainbow Party, in fielding twice as many candidates for state-wide office than Republicans are worth keeping an eye on.  He notes Jill Stein’s comments that Rebpublicans are a “place holder” party, keeping the right flank held down in MA. Because the Democratic party holds a veto proof majority in the General Court, who is there to hold them accountable? Certainly not a governor of any party. Certainly not the powerless Republican caucus.  There have been a few posts recently here on BMG about a progressive Democratic caucus bringing together various interests to fight for common legislative agendas on health care, democratic reforms, and social justice concerns, and as some have pointed out, there are already some coalitions out there fulfilling this need. There is also a political entity fulfilling this need: The Green-Rainbow Party.  With GRP candidates continuing to run for office and keep the Democrats feet to the fire on clean elections, instant runoff voting, universal health care, fair taxation, fair districts, real education (say good-bye MCAS), equal marriage rights, environmental issues, clean and sustainable energy, and other [...]

For information on Jimmy Tingle’s live performances and the shows now playing at Jimmy Tingle’s OFF BROADWAY Theater  in Davis Sq, Somerville please go to JimmyTingle.com.

An interesting report originally published in May by the Pew Research Center, “The Iraq-Vietnam Difference: This time, the opposition runs strongly along party lines,” highlights the degree to which opinion on the initial decision to invade Iraq splits along party lies. The report also analyzes the bifurcation in Republican views about the decision to attack compared to management of the occupation. The piece may be known to many of you, but I had not seen it before. “Iraq divides America along partisan lines in a way that Vietnam never did. The latest Pew survey finds that 73% of Democrats believe that military action in Iraq was the wrong decision, compared with just 14% of Republicans – a gap roughly three times as great as the largest partisan gap in opinions about Vietnam,” Pew reports. “Republicans have remained steadfast in their belief that the war was the right decision; 82% say that today, almost no change from February 2005. Just 22% of Democrats agree – again, little changed from last year. … The proportion of Republicans who believe the US will succeed in Iraq has fallen from 83% to 74% over the past year, and the share who believes the war [...]

There are 163 school systems in Massachusetts that received more state aid in the 2002-03 school year, the last year of the Jane Swift administration, then they are receiving today.  The Romney-Healey administration prevailed over the biggest disinvestment in public education in the nation. Here are the numbers compiled from spreadsheets posted by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. By the way, Beverly (home to the $1.2 million Sean Healey tax break) is tenth on the list with a $1,021,552 state aid deficit.

In a press release dated October 27, 2006 (nothing like sending out important releases on a Friday), Sec. Galvin finally admits that Massachusetts will indeed have Diebold’s AccuVote TSx touch-screen machines at select polling locations on November 7. In all, there will be 28 communities “testing” three types of machines. (I have a PDF of the release, but not sure how to link the file here, sorry.) The release states: In several municipalities throughout the Commonwealth, additional accessible voting equipment will be available during the November 7, 2006 State Election for voters with disabilities as well as any other voter who chooses to use it … Each voting system will provide a voter verifiable paper trail. This is the first I’ve heard that the machines are not just for voters with disabilities. Also, the paper trail Galvin alludes to on the TSx machines is this lovely item, which has a litany of problems discussed here. Here is a photo of the TSx with printer. See the “arm” on the right? That’s where the paper trail of your vote will scroll, with the magnifying lens (can’t make this stuff up) under the open black door for you to verify. Which begs [...]

Ivana Moore-Enmoore

Grand Fromage de Boston

Loyal To Big Oil

Invites you

to join Loyal to Big Oil and

The Boston Coal Party

for a Texas Tea (and Coal) Party

Boston Common

Brewer Fountain near Park Street T Station)

1:00 pm

Saturday, November 4th

Sporting their most impressive evening wear, Loyal to Big Oil and The Boston Coal Party, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of Billionaires for Bush, will unite to celebrate global warming with a Texas Tea (and Coal) party next Saturday on Boston Common. American patriots have pledged to ‘duke it out’ with them over the impact of fossil fuel use on global climate change (‘global warming’). The patriots have even threatened to ‘dump’ the energy plutocrats coal and oil just as Colonial rebels dumped British tea.

“Why would they threaten us?” asked Ivana Moore-Enmoore, Grand Fromage of Boston’s division of Loyal to Big Oil. “Exxon-Mobil has just posted the second highest quarterly profit of any corporation ever – $10.49 Billion. This should be a time of celebration, not conflict!”

“Greed is not just good; it is everything,” remarked Liza Tooyou, head of the Boston Coal Party. “Sure, fossil fuel use is…

The Patrick campaign wants a HUGE turnout for its final rally before the election in Lowell on Sunday, November 5, from 2pm-3pm.