Marty Meehan is a true public servant who has been a hard-charging asset to the 5th District day-after-day for the last two decades as our Congressman and, before that, as a top-flight prosecutor. I’ve had the great privilege of working with Congressman Meehan on issues important to the district while I was Senator Kennedy’s political director and when I was chief of staff to Attorney General Tom Reilly.
It was an honor to be with him today in Lowell as UMASS President Jack Wilson announced to the crowd that our own Marty Meehan was confirmed as the next chancellor of UMASS Lowell.
What I always saw in Congressman Meehan was his compassion and interest in the people of the 5th – no matter what part of the district they were from. The 5th is a special place because it has such a broad range of people – whether it’s in ethnic background, political persuasions or economic status -and Marty Meehan served each and every one of them.
It is because of the outstanding work by Congressman Meehan, and the important work left to be done for the people of the Fifth District and this nation, that I am considering running for this office. I look forward to an invigorating and substantive campaign about our vision and qualifications to
serve the people of the Fifth District.
But this day should be a day to honor the work done by Congressman Meehan, and to thank him for his outstanding service.
Thank you Marty Meehan.
I plan on being a Blue Mass Group regular. I will comment on the race and let you know where I stand on the issues being discussed and ones I don’t think are being mentioned at all.
I look forward to hearing from all of you and from being part of the BMG community. You have provided an important voice for so many who had none and you should be commended for that.
I hope to talk with/chat with/blog with many of you soon.
Best,
Steve Kerrigan
I commend Steve for taking this day to give Congressman, excuse me…Chancellor Meehan his due credit. As the race moves forward, I am confident that Steve Kerrigan will emerge as the true choice for progressives, and the candidate with the most experience and the best vision for the 5th district. That having been said, I think it is appropriate to take this day to thank Chancellor Meehan for his years of service to the Commonwealth and to the country.
The true choice for progressives? Back this up before you make this claim, especially since Rep. Eldridge is running and he actually IS a progressive (which I know because he’s actually held office and lived up to the term).
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Kerrigan one of the people on the killer coke attacks on Deval? Did this stellar progressive Kerrigan object to this tactic? Maybe Kerrigan can explain what his role was in it, since the globe reported he was in on the emails planning it.
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So you got Kerrigan plotting dirty tricks against Deval on Tom Reilly’s behalf in comparison to Eldridge who was actually organizing for Deval at the same time (which, recent screw-ups notwithstanding, is what actual progressives were doing at the time).
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I’m pretty skeptical of people who create usernames 15 minutes before they begin shilling for a candidate, but normally I won’t comment. That really annoyed me though.
Maybe you should do a little fact checking. Steve Kerrigan has in fact held elected office, and has a resume that is fatter than anyone’s in this race, including Eldridge.
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As for Killer Coke, since when do BMG-folk trust the Boston Globe as a source? If you want to refight a primary from last year, go ahead. I’m confidant that the Kerrigan campaign is far more interested in the future.
What office did he hold? Don’t criticize me for not knowing, inform me.
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And, um, that’s your answer about the killer coke thing? That you wouldn’t think I would trust the boston globe as a source? Work out a better answer. To me, it sounds like guilty as charged, but I’d much rather you provide me with these facts you say you know.
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To explain, it’s not about refighting a primary, if he was engaged in slimey tactics, it tells people something about what kind of person he is.
Were actually very good – and one of the reasons why I really respect Vennochi even to this day.
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She had emails. That’s kind of hard to refute.
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That said, I’m willing and interested to read whatever Kerrigan has to say. Hopefully, his elected record will back it up. I’m curious to know more about his credentials, positions and what 2-3 issues in Congress would be his priority.
From the Globe archives, Vennochi’s Aug 12, 2006 column:
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All that shows is that the Globe claims that Kerrigan was involved in the chain of e-mails. That article does not include the text of any responses by Kerrigan, if any even exist. This has zero relevance in the current congressional race.
Given that you just started posting a couple of days ago when Kerrigan’s name first surfaced and your only dairy or comments have to do with Kerrigan, it is so blatantly obvious you are only here to spin for Kerrigan. You have NO credibility.
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And given that people are sick and tired of political tricks, I think Kerrigan’s political behavior in the last year is pretty damn relevant and we’ll let other BMG readers decide for themselves. (If fact, your appearance a day before Kerrigan first posted and your posts about Kerrigan are exactly the BS people can’t stand.)
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And given how this original post was written by Mr. Kerrigan, maybe he should be the one addressing the issue and not you? So here are a couple of questions I’d like to know:
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Mr. Kerrigan did you receive the email that Joan Vennochi reported? (If not, why did you not seek a correction?)
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When you read the emails did you object to the strategies outlined? (If so, will you produced your email responses?)
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Even if you were not directly involved, how do you feel about the astro-turf “Killer Coke” attempts to damage the Patrick campaign?
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Is the “Killer Coke” efforts the type of public discourse you approve of? And if not, what did you do to stop it?
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Ok that’s enough for me, although I’m wondering to myself why I’m wasting my time on some third tier candidate that represents about 800 votes out of about 80,000 votes that may be cast? I do need a life.
I started posting a couple of days ago because it was clear that there was going to be a heated race in my district, the outcome of which is important to me. I’ve been a regular reader of BMG for several months, and this seemed like the perfect time to put my foot in the ring.
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After having taken a look at all the candidates, it is plainly obvious to me that the one with the most experience is Steve Kerrigan. I also happened to think that it is important that we elect more members of the GLBT community to Congress, and seeing as that opportunity does not come up very often, I would like us to seize the opportunity while we can.
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One of the reasons I joined BMG is because blogs like this are a great way for everyday citizens to get involved in the political process. We should be encouraging as many people as possibly to take part, not attacking people’s credibility because they don’t support the same candidate as you.
…and not a shill for a candidate. So far you only care about pumping one candidate. Until you start commenting on other issues on BMG, you will be nothing but a sock puppet to me.
Steve,
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Welcome as a candidate to BMG. I recommended your post because from what I know about you, I think you’re the kind of candidate many here would be interested in supporting.
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For those happening by this thread, I’ve met Steve on a few occasions in his various capacities and they don’t make ’em more professional or committed than he. I think that you’ll find him intelligent and honest, with an encyclopedic knowledge of Washington and how it works. More than that, I think you’ll see he is prepared to fight to change how parts of Washington work, honoring the standard that Congressman Meehan set on issues such as campaign finance reform.
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I can’t speak to the qualifications of other candidates, or Steve’s specific stands on various issues, but I can say that Steve Kerrigan is the kind of person anyone would be proud to have represent them in the US House.
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The people of the 5th district and the activists, bloggers, and organizers on BMG would do well to consider him.
…(I’m in Barney’s) but I will ask you one question. If elected, would you push as hard for his Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell repeal bill as Marty appeared to have been willing to push it?
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If so, why?
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If not, why not?
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Pardon my ignorance, but, since I am not in your district, I am not aware of any of your political stances. That is why I ask.
First I want to thank you for the question and commend Marty for his incredibly hard work on behalf of the GLBT community on so many important issues. I WILL continue his efforts to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It is a policy that has only led to the weakening of our armed forces.
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Thanks again for the question — you are lucky to have Barney as your Congressman — he is a great role model and remarkable public servant.
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Keep the questions coming.
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Steve Kerrigan
…if I were in your district, I’d probably vote for you. Unfortunately, I won’t have that option.
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I’ll tell you a little secret. Probably not much of a secret. Barney has gotten where he has probably largely because he was willing to communicate with his constituents individually. I’ve mentioned the Friday evening phone call that he made in 1989 to my spouse here previously. I don’t agree with a lot of Barney’s policies, but the fact that he, personally, was willing to call us to discuss a substantive matter was quite remarkable.
I loved your work with Michael Jordan’s Bulls, hitting those three-pointers!
Steve, I am afraid I can’t vote for anyone who believes “Marty Meehan is a true public servant who has been a hard-charging asset to the 5th District day-after-day for the last two decades as our Congressman.”
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For several terms, Marty Meehan has been immersed in advancing an unconstitutional campaign finance reform law “the McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan” that has only served to protect the political interests of Congressional incumbents and done absolutely nothing to reduce the influence of big $$$$ interests in Congressional campaigns. When Marty wasn’t appearing on the Sunday talk shows to bloviate about his successful efforts at “campaign finance law,” he was spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on Congressional junkets to Iraq and Afghanistan to report the “STOP THE PRESSES” bews that the American military political efforts in these two nations were “going badly.” For those of us who have had friends or family injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, we could have been spared the televised press conferences starring Congressman Meehan, dressed in his best Banana Republic camouflage outfits, educating us on his first-hand observations of the debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Steve, if you are seeking to pattern your candidacy and Congressinonal service on a 5th District predecessor, Paul Tsongas would be a more appropriate choice. Congressman and subsequently Sen. Tsongas continuously worked to create self-supporting private sector jobs in his District by sponsoring legislation that spurred critical economic growth and development in the District. Moreover, Rep./Sen. Tsongas managed to keep the economic interests of his 5th District constituents in the forefront of his work on behalf of Massachusetts while simultaneously advancing his efforts to promote sustainable economic development around the world. Marty Meehan was an unworthy successor to the Tsongas legacy in the 5th District. His departure from Congress should not be lamented by 5th District residents who deserve a full-time Congressman who will work tirelessly to advance their significant economic and social interests.
I give you this from the debate on economics from the 2002 congressional race
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When confronted with his lack of work in the District Marty just plain made stuff up…
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