Blue Mass Group

[Cross-posted from the ProgressMass blog.  Like ProgressMass on Facebook and follow on Twitter.] Our nation’s 236th birthday occurring on Wednesday meant an abbreviated political week, but that didn’t stop Republican Scott Brown from accruing some notable lowlights. Republican Scott Brown won the Barclays Primary in a landslide.  Barclays is the most recent financial giant with deep fundraising ties to Brown to face major scandal, following Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. ProgressMass filed an ethics complaint against Senator Brown for what appears to be a violation of the U.S. Senate’s ethics policy regarding gifts to U.S. Senators. Republican Scott Brown is rapidly becoming defined as a single-issue candidate, seeking solely to take away the benefits of health care reform from Massachusetts’ families.  Clive McFarlane, columnist for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, has difficulty figuring out “just what does Brown stand for” besides denying Massachusetts’ families the benefits of health care reform.  Meanwhile, a coalition of grassroots organizations is urging Brown to abandon his crusade to take these benefits away from Massachusetts’ families.  Republican Scott Brown may find himself politically boxed in, though.  On one hand, Brown has made his opposition to health care reform a centerpiece of his campaign.  On the [...]

In what has clearly become a trend, Massachusetts constituents who tried to visit Scott Brown’s office today were met with a locked door and no answers. They had gathered outside Brown’s campaign office on Summer St in Boston to urge their Senator to drop his effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Even after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law, Brown is supporting his party’s effort to repeal the historic health care reform act. The U.S. House of Representatives has already scheduled a vote to repeal the law for Wednesday, July 11. A wide range of Massachusetts organizations representing families, women, seniors, young adults, and small business owners joined together in a letter to Brown, which was left taped on the office door. Check out this video from the action:

We know Scott Brown participates in the triathlon on the Island but did you wonder who he pals around with while he vacations there(fairly frequently I might add).  It is not that this is a crime or even a matter of right and wrong but when he states “He’s for us!”  a little insight is in order to ferret out just who this “us” is he is talking about.  He is usually pretty shy about letting people know who his potential donors are but a flyer handed out at a July 4th gathering of the Nantucket Republican Party invited supporters to a fundraising reception.  I took a copy to see what I could learn.  The guest list reads like a who’s who of the Financial, Real Estate, and Investment world.  Again this is no denigration of Scott Brown but the company he keeps does show where his heart lies. He has espoused trickle down economics before but this cadre of  contributors defines the mechanics of how it is done.  These are all successful people and some well known for philanthropy but their business interests and money are being used to influence the election in their favor usually unaligned with true public interest.   They have [...]

What is causing the current crop of Republican candidates for federal office in Massachusetts to falter from the high expectations of this past Spring ?   Pundits have expressed surprise that Sen.Scott Brown finds himself not only not sledding to re-election but in the fight of his political life. Meanwhile, the local GOP’s other great hope for the Fall, career politician Richard Tisei, who is challenging Congressman John Tierney in the 6th district has muddled his message and run a innuendo-ridden, personal attack campaign against Tierney, whose family vulnerabilities are an addictive temptation to a relative unknown like Tisei.  But Tisei’s campaign looks to be in danger of being sunk by this singular negativity tied to an empty vessel of policy proposals. That absence of ideas reveals most who these candidates are and may also be the key to what has spiked their campaigns’ wheels. Some of us older fogies remember when the Republican Party was competitive in New England. There was a reason for this. In the 20th century, Republicans in this region still reflected the progressive values that had animated the national GOP since the Civil War : equality of opportunity, good government, and civil rights. It seems that [...]

Elizabeth Warren as a guest columnist for the MetroWest Daily News; (follow link to read more) The fight is on — again. Mitt Romney, Scott Brown, and Republicans across this country are doubling down against President Obama’s health care reform law. Now that the Supreme Court has said that most of the new law passes constitutional muster, the Republicans are running for office pledging to repeal every aspect of the health care reforms. For millions of people this isn’t a political issue, it’s a personal one. Their health depends on it. Massachusetts has led the country in health care reform. Most of us — 98 percent — have health care coverage, and our state leads the country in tackling head-on the ever-growing costs of health care. That is why President Obama used our law as a model for health care reform. But the national Affordable Care Act adds some important elements that improve care even here in Massachusetts. For seniors, health care reform means expanding Medicare coverage to pick up the costs of prescription drugs. As the donut hole closes, the average Massachusetts senior has so far saved about $650. But Mitt Romney, Scott Brown, and their fellow Republicans want [...]

Last week I posted some information about Amberpaw. In order to help pay medical bill, her friends have put together a fundraiser. The fundraiser features a number of performers, including BMG’s own Charley. Here’s some general information on the event and the reason for the fundraiser. You can RSVP here. If you simply want to donate but can’t attend, click here. Benefit Fundraiser for Marc Butler Sunday, July 8 2012 from 3:00 – 6:00 pm The Regent Theatre 7 Medford Street, Arlington Suggested donation: $5.00 Performers and Program: Iveria – Georgian traditional music Todd and Lynn – Renaissance folk singers Charley Blandey Singers from Marc’s church Since I somehow inadvertently deleted my post, I am including some of the text here… Most, if not all, regular BMG readers know Amberpaw. She is a prolific and long time poster here. She is Deborah Sirotkin Bulter in the real world. I first met Deb on BMG and got to know her when she was elected to the DSC. While Deb and I don’t always agree, I admire her passion. BMG is one of her many communities. She has supported BMG and been part of our community in countless ways. She attended several [...]