Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

It has been eleven days – – –

By

– – since Republican Charles Baker first said he’s running for governor.  And it has been eleven days since he has refused to answer five basic questions about his deep involvement with the troubled Big Dig when he was our state’s chief financial officer while the project spiraled out of control (1994 – 1998).  I posted the questions here eleven days ago.  On the theory that Mr. Baker doesn’t spend much time here at BMG (although I thought EaBo might have mentioned it to him), we’ve established a new web site with the five questions and would urge anyone who gets to talk with the new candidate to try and get him to answer the five questions.  If you get an answer, tell us in the comments below.

What do you think his answers would be?  And don’t you think he should answer the Five Questions?

John Walsh, Chair

Massachusetts Democratic Party

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Comments

  1. I know Charley mentioned it earlier.  

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    p>Baker’s own Pioneer Institute:

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    We cannot afford another repeat of the 1998 carmen’s union contract with 20 percent increases.  The key point is that the T currently doesn’t have the tools to control its operating costs.  In 1980, the legislature passed so-called management rights legislation that preserved the T’s right to subcontract, prohibited the T from bargaining away the right to hire part-time employees, and increased management’s control over employee assignments.

    The T itself found that over the 1980s, it saved $15 million annually due to the management rights legislation. An expert from the Kennedy School concluded the legislation saved even more than that.

    Today, however, all that remains of the legislation is the right to hire part-timers. Passage in 1993 of the Pacheco Law-the most restrictive anti-privatization legislation in the nation-essentially eliminated the right to subcontract, and any faint hope of being able to do that was extinguished with language in the 1998 carmen’s contract.

  2. This could send a message that we’re more afraid of Baker than Mihos as a GOP nominee in terms of our own chances of winning.  This in turn could be used by Baker as an argument for his nomination and we could end up with stronger opposition than we bargained for.

    •  Charlie Butcher is your designated opponent. Mr. Candlestickmaker has yet to appear at a Republican Party function. Meanwhile, I see Christy Mihos campaigning almost daily. You folks really don’t need a democratic Watergate. But I see the reverse psychology. It ain’t workin’.

      • He’s on to us!  There must have been a little birdie on the lam ratting on us the whole time to bring us down from the inside!  We’re turned boys, fly the coop because the deal is bust!

  3. Man, 11 days and he hasn’t personally responded to questions on a website where he’s going to spend the next year (hopefully 5) getting everything from his character, his experience, to his favorite juice getting ripped apart by the groundswell support of his opponent!  Shocking!  He also hasn’t responded to the same questions when they were posted up on a separate attack website!  Un-freakin-believable.  

    • It seems as $15K of the $20K was for all you know legal.  Since there is a Union exemption allowing for $15K in donations to state parties from Unions.  That’s some ethics reform the Governor is pushing for. No wonder you guys won’t touch prevailing wage with a 10 foot pole.  

      <

      p>Since I’ve admitted I’m wrong will Doug Rubin do the same regarding his bogus talking points this sunday?

    • …was link to your own blog?  The block quote in that post makes it sound like people didn’t know and once brought to their attention it was resolved.  Also, our chairman’s questions were about a policy, not a campaign finance technicality.  I’d be willing to bet which the voters are more likely to care about.

  5. ChuckBaker Government Solutions Group

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    p>Re: Claim # http://vps28478.inmotionhosting.com/~bluema24/d…

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    p>Disposition: CLAIM DENIED

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    p>Reason for denial of claim: 04 Out of network
                                         06 Procedure not covered by plan
                                         12 Pre-existing condition
                                         01 We don’t want to

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    p>If you have questions concerning this disposition, please call our Customer Care Office. You must use a touch-tone telephone for this call, since at no point will you reach an actual human. Your concerns are very important to us – life and death, even – so don’t hesitate to call and spend the rest of your time exercising our Automated Moebius Service System.

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