Nice YouTube clip from the Stephen Lynch campaign. David, would you kindly promote this video like Bob did with the flash mob clip? No need to include my post or comments, just the video, I and others would appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Lynch grew up in public housing, Iron worker for 18 years. Most important, IMO, is that Lynch stood up to every unfair trade deals while in Washington, unlike Markey who supported NAFTA and GATT. Someone said this vote was 20 years ago but please don’t pass these two horrific votes as if they were a one time spending bill. We are feeling the impact of NAFTA and GATT today, and likely forever.
High paying jobs with benefits lost to NAFTA and GATT (thank you Ed Markey) in exchange for low paying service sector jobs with zilch bennies. No wonder why even running trillion dollar annual deficits for four years, the economy contracted last quarter. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s support a real man of the people, get some senators who put American workers first and not sell them out to foreign countries.
I couldn’t agree more with you on trade issues or the fact that it would be super helpful to have more people in elected office who actually understand what poverty is and who’ve lived in public housing, etc. You’re preaching to the choir, believe me.
However, and this is a big however, I refuse, as a woman, to be okay with having one of my US Senators be a Democrat and be anti-choice and anti-health care, both of which impact women most (ie women are more vulnerable than men to being uninsured).
These are not minor/insignificant issues. Abortion rights and even the right to contraception are under extreme threat right now. Women are a significant force among activists (ie volunteers) in the Democratic party in this state — our concerns cannot be casually dismissed. This is a huge weakness for Lynch, in my opinion. Asking women Democratic activists in this state like myself to put aside these concerns and doorknock our hearts out for an anti-choice candidate is asking way too much in this day and age.
So unless Congressman Lynch is going to do a 180 on choice and come out in favor of the ACA, I cannot see myself supporting him.
Voting against the Wall Street bailout is nice, but even Elizabeth Warren has said that she probably would have voted for it IF it had had much stronger controls and oversight, etc. So I guess I don’t see that as a huge plus at this point, especially in the primary.
I also can’t say I’m thrilled, as an activist, to be facing a compressed timeframe primary which will drain funds from whoever wins the primary and who will then have to face (presumably) Scott Brown’s unlimited funds in the general. All of us dug deep financially and otherwise to fund Elizabeth Warren’s campaign over the past year, and we will now have to, thanks to Congressman Lynch, fundraise for a primary and a general, all in the span of months in order to prevent this seat from being flipped to the GOP. I have no doubt that we will do it, but it is again asking an awful lot of the Democratic activist base — and it’s not terribly appreciated at least by me. Certainly it is Congressman Lynch’s right to run, but I gotta say it makes me feel even less positive toward him for forcing this set of circumstances on all of us.
Onward…
I respectfully disagree with your conclusions.
As you know, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pro-life. Sen Bob Casey of PA is pro-life. Nobody is saying to get rid of them, are they?
Abortion has survived decades of Republican and Democratic party rule, I simply disagree that electing a good man, a decent man in Stephen Lynch will overturn Roe vs Wade. It is a scare tactic, with all do respect. NAARL is to abortion what the NRA is to guns, every and all should be legal, no limits. When one gets a 100% voting record from any special interest like NAARL or NRA, then he/she isn’t doing much thinking, IMO. I would submit the Laci Peterson Bill stating there are two victims when a pregnant woman and her unborn child are murdered. Perhaps many don’t feel this way, but I do, hence not on the extreme end of the issue. I hope others don’t lash out and call me the next coming of Todd Akin.
Please note Lynch voted for the House version of the ACA, not the one that made all the insurance companies that much fatter and happier like the Senate version.
If the concern is limited funds for the primary, then Markey should step down because Lynch can attract unenrolled voters like myself, who did vote for Scott Brown the past two times. If Dems want the country to come together, then let’s do this and nominate Stephen Lynch. When asked about Brown’s truck, Lynch said “He owned a truck before, but his was a work truck”. Markey going to punch back with his million dollar home in D.C. as he ripped the heart out of millions of middle class workers by voting for those god-awful trade agreements?
Not because he’s prolife, but because he has little to no spine.
Filibuster reform was FIASCO of epic proportions!
The comparison between Leader Pelosi’s track record and Leader Reid’s track record is pretty stark….
(1) I’m not being asked to potentially vote for, donate, doorknock and bust my behind for Harry Reid or Bob Casey.
(2) Abortion rights are indeed hanging on by a thread for everyone except the wealthy. Access to abortion has been severely undermined over the past 40 years, especially for women who are poor or working class. The campaign of terrorism against abortion providers and their patients over the past 40 years, as well as an avalanche of anti-choice legislation, has had its intended effect. Over 80% of counties in this country have no access, and this affects poor/working class women especially harshly.
I would hope, given your clear concern for the working class, that this inequity of access would trouble you?
And for goodness sake, we’ve been debating for the past year or two whether women should have access to contraception! The Blunt Amendment was voted on inthe US Senate just recently. My guess is Lynch would have voted for it. Do you disagree? If President Obama nominated a pro-choice justice to the US Supreme Court, would Lynch vote “no”? I’m guessing he might. All of this matters, it is not trivial, and it’s not scare tactics, with all due respect.
Also comparing NARAL to the NRA — not your best argument. The NRA are a bunch of racist nuts. NARAL is a mainstream organization, whether you agree with their mission or not. There is no comparison.
I get that you think abortion is murder and that a fetus is a child — but the vast majority of the women (and men) in this state, and the vast majority of Democrats in this state disagree with you. That is simply reality. Not saying you have to like it or change your views, just pointing it out.
And I’m sorry but it is very extreme to force a woman to bear a child against her will based on the religious/moral beliefs of others.
(3) I disagree that Lynch is the only candidate of the two who can attract unenrolled voters — in the primary or general. Elizabeth Warren got plenty of unenrolled votes, as will Markey.
(4) I could care less about anyone’s truck. Seriously, that is not a good argument for any candidate. It is insulting to voters to think that should be an issue. And that truck didn’t get Scott Brown re-elected, did it?
(5) I could also care less how much Markey’s houses (in Malden and WDC) are worth. Again, a total non issue.
I agree with you on trade and probably on a host of other working class issues — like raising the minimum wage, etc.
But let’s be blunt: Scott Brown, the guy you voted for twice (!), he doesn’t care about trade or unions or a living wage or any of that. In fact he is openly hostile to all of that. So the notion that by voting for him, you were voting for someone who was going to support good jobs coming back to the US — sorry, no. Scott Brown is a Wall Street, corporate lackey. The only thing you definitely got by voting for Brown was a fairly anti-choice voting record, regardless of the moderate spin he likes to put on his abortion views. There’s a reason MA Pro-Life sent out fliers for him last November — they know his “moderate” stance on choice is a total lie and that when it serves him, like with the Blunt Amendment, he’ll throw women under the bus without hesitation. But believe me, he’ll throw working people under the bus every day of the week, 24/7, all year long — because that’s what his corporate paymasters demand.
I respect your opinions and I plead guilty to not knowing as much as you do on some of the important issues you raised.
Let me begin by saying I am not very comfortable talking about abortion, being a guy and all but I vehemently disagree with your comment about abortion hanging by a thread. IMO, thas is similar when Fenway suggested Lynch’s district will be under water in 50 years on a prior post of mine. Your figure about 80% of the counties having no access is likely true, but most of those counties are rural (I would guess, no?) and wouldn’t be economically feasible for the clinic to open there. Just b/c I believe that POS Scott Peterson killed both his wife and son (yes, unborn, I know) means I am against all abortions? Not really but IMO, once the fetus develops a heart beat and is pumping blood, or has a brain wave, I am not comfortable with NARAL who would support any all abortions. If most people disagree with me as you stated, that is fine. I hope this is my last comment on the subject.
I really don’t see how forcing private employers (religious organizations specifically) to offer contraception coverage as part of their health insurance, the same as “access to contraception”.
I didn’t know the NRA is racist. Do they want to disarm minorities and only allow white people to have them? I could be wrong but their spokes people seem to want everyone, including grandma, to conceal carry, especially in the urban areas for self defense.
EW was helped by a huge Obama vote (1.9 million), tough for any Rep to overcome, but she deserved it, a win is a win. Special election will likely be closer.
I am glad we agree on the critical issue of trade. I look at it like this. What good are all the other issues if one cannot provide for their family? If you don’t have a good job or even a secure job and/or need to work a 2nd to provide for your kids which tens of millions of families to today, I think the over-hyping of the other issues is more of a distraction by politicians. This is why we need Stephen Lynch.
Thanks again for your comments, if u respond, u get the last word. I look forward to speaking with you again.
Virtually ALL of your comments on BMG, including this one, demonstrate that you are an unenrolled Republican.
I get that Steve Lynch is more to your liking than Ed Markey. The fact that you, who voted for Scott Brown twice, feel that way is a good reason to vote for Ed Markey.
So lets go to your second comment. I was talking to a friend and he said “why are you supporting Lynch, Markey would be much easier for Scott Brown to defeat”. I simply said its not about Scott Brown, it’s about electing the best candidate (IMO of course). The last Dem primary I voted in was 2006 for Chris Gabrielli. Why? His business experience, of course.
Why do I feel you resent people like me voting for a Democrat, I was hoping you would embrace it. Thanks for commenting though.
As an “unenrolled” voter, you’ll be able to cast a vote in the Democratic primary election — apparently for Steve Lynch. Those are the rules, whether I like it or not. I will be astonished if you vote for a Democrat in the general election, especially if the Democratic nominee is Ed Markey.
I will, of course, celebrate your decision to vote for a Democrat in the general, if that’s what you choose do.
I am so sad today. I could just scream.
The guy has a right to run. There isn’t anything you or anyone else can do about it. I object to the same votes that offend you. It just isn’t the end of the world.
I can certainly see the rear end from here. Breathing…
One, Two, Three, Exhale.