In an editorial endorsement that exhausts the vitae of Deval Patrick, the Globe failed to make any mention of the candidates connection to Ameriquest, the notorious mortgage company saddled with countless allegations of discriminatory and predatory lending practices; and specifically his association with Roland Arnall, who with his wife, is principal owner of Ameriquest. Your glaring omission further surprises this reader, who remembers that the Globe, with thorough investigative reporting by Frank Phillips, extensively covered the Patrick-Arnall-Ameriquest connection in 2005. As the Globe pointed out less than a year ago, Deval Patrick lobbied to have Roland Arnall named as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands.
In past endorsements, the Globe has openly identified the untidiness in a resume, the flaws in a position, the missteps in a campaign. On all of these counts, Patricks connection to Arnall, chief fundraiser for Republicans, co-chair of Bushs inaugural committee, and the spouse of a 5 million dollar contributor to the Swift Boat character assassination of John Kerry warrant scrutiny and exposure.
The Democratic National Committee and the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) opposed Arnalls nomination, as did Senator Kerry. Although Patricks slogan promises no ordinary leader, his support of the candidacy of Roland Arnall, the single largest contributor to the Bush re-election, reflects support of the kind of cronyism that has pervaded the Bush administration, a cronyism all too disturbing.
The Globes history of delivering sunlight, objectivity, and completeness has fallen far short with this endorsement. In Phillips 11/17/05 piece, Patrick is quoted as calling Arnall a good man. What kind of good man would sanction his familys five million dollar donation to smear John Kerry and derail the candidacy of a decorated Vietnam veteran? Democrats and independents ought to regard with suspicion any gubernatorial candidate who considers Roland Arnall a good man.
and a free lawn sign..
In response to handle:TooLeftForMe, I would just say this; it seems unfair to condemn a man based on one relation. Although I am no fan of Arnall, his true character did not become clear to the public and arguably to Deval until long after Deval’s support for him as ambassador. Further, in your condemnation of the Globe for not pointing out Patrick’s connection to Americaquest in their endorsement, I would say that from your own account, you know full well that the Globe has extensively covered the connection, and I would challenge you to find an endorsement from any newspaper for any candidate that highlights the candidates shortcomings. Deval is not perfect. We all know that. But he does have ideas that many of us support, and I certainly don’t see a better candidate. Nor, apparently, do the Globe, the Herald, a number of unions, 20,000+ active contributors, or thousands of volunteers.
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I would also point out that judging solely by your handle, your political affiliations are far to the right of Deval Patrick, if not the entire democratic party, and centrism has been causing our party to fall for too long. It is time we embraced a candidate that stood for something other than the opposite of what his opponents say.
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Matt Wilding
http://www.thefutureofprogress.com
Stop misstating the facts, and do some damn research instead of hurling baseless accusations.
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Look, I’m no Arnall apologist, but nobody was bitching about him when he was donating loads of money to Democrats. What Arnall’s contributions the the Bush campaign have to do with Deval Patrick is exactly nothing.
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Are we so hyper-partisan now that even knowing Republicans is grounds for harassment? That’s ridiculous.
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For the last time, Dawn Arnall never contributed to SBVFT.
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If this user post was ratable it would fall somewhere between useless and down right flame bait.
Of…Sour grapes. Chuck some vodka in your Gabby-Aid, perhaps that’ll make you feel better.
If this is a recommendable post, then there’s nothing too absurd, factually inaccurate, or over the top to land on the recommended list.
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Perhaps I’ll write up my views on the ten-headed baby found driving a ’62 Beetle over the Khyber Pass while penning a Sanskrit translation of Joyce’s Ulysses.
how Deval Patrick is in one moment “too left for me,” and in the next moment supporting the Bush Administration’s right-wing cronyism?
Precisely because the Glob did do the original pieces on Arnall, and Ameriquest, etc. The fact that they did more research than any other paper on anything and everything related to Deval Patrick AND THEN ENDORSED HIM, has got to be viewed as very strong evidence that there’s nothing to your histrionics.
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To continue to try to besmirch a candidate with inaccuracies is what most people deplore about campaigns. It’s kind of like being lied to. I actually encourage you to continue the effort. It makes Deval’s message resonate that much more clearly.