I have heard and just received confirmation that Sen. Ken Donnelly and Rep. Jay Kaufman will announce their endorsement of Congressman Mike Capuano for the US Senate today, 3:00PM, at the Minuteman Statue on Lexington Green. If you are in the area, feel free to attend.
(Also, I’m now off the fence and supporting Capuano.)
Please share widely!
In terms of resources, sure. These legislators will probably offer their own contact database to their endorsee, but not to other candidates.
I don’t think legislator endorsements move more than a tiny handful of votes. Contact database? What would that be, other than voters in the district, which the candidate already undoubtedly has? Union endorsements may actually put volunteers on the ground, and that can be more useful.
I don’t have the answer, David, but I do see endorsements work on a lower level. There were Board of Selectmen members present today from Lexington (2), Arlington (2), and Lincoln (1), and these are the sorts of people that, at least in my experience, people do listen to. Heck, even as far down as I am on the political food chain, I’ve already had someone ask, “So who are we supporting in the Senate race?”
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p>Maybe it works better on the local level because it is more likely there are actual personal relationships involved. Some of us know our state reps and senators. Fewer know their US Congressmen and probably fewer know their US Senators.
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p>A long-winded “I don’t know”, I know…
What I said here is still valid. On top of that, as I was discussing with someone earlier today, I’ve taken a lot on faith in the last two big elections with mixed results and with Capuano I don’t have to do that – he’s already a legislator doing the sorts of things I want our next Senator to do.
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p>If Cap wasn’t in the race, I’d be backing Coakley. It came down to picking between multiple good choices for me.
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p>I know this is uncharted territory for us – I’ve been with the same candidates as both you and Bean have for as long as I’ve known you. Fear not – if the primary voters pick Martha, I’m there to help in the general.
And to see you go with Capuano as well.
Q: What is Coakley’s position on Afghanistan?
A: We need to carefully consider what we should do in Afghanistan. But we need a woman in the senate.
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p>Q: What is Coakley’s position on global warming?
A: She’s against global warming. But we need a woman in the senate.
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p>Q: What is Coakley’s position on education?
A: She is in favor of education. And we still need a woman in the senate.
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p>Q: What’s Coakley’s position on the recession?
A: She is against the recession. And a woman understands how to run a family budget.
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p>Q: Capuano has more legislative experience.
A: Capuano’s not a woman. We need a woman.
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p>NOTE: Sarah Palin, Kerry Healey, and Jane Swift are women.
creating more gender balance in the Senate (17 of 100 Senators are women), does not mean that all Coakley supporters weight this as heavily.
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p>But as a feminist, I find Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation discouraging and something out of the 1970’s- white men and one woman, the widow of a previous member of the delegation. I would think, Dottie, as a woman (you are Dottie, aren’t you?) that you would also want to see that kind of imbalance in our representation addressed.
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p>And in answer to your questions:
Coakley does not believe a clear mission has been established or the case made for increasing our troops in Afghanistan.
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p>Coakley is committed to strong action on climate change. She took the Bush EPA to court (and won) to establish the obligation of the EPA to regulate green house gases under the Clean Air Act.
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p>Coakley believes that we owe the current financial crisis in significant part to predatory and deceptive lending and irresponsible deregulation. She has published a detailed paper on establishing more robust consumer protection and responsible reregulation. She knows these issues intimately as she has taken on and won settlements assisting victims of these practices.
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p>Capuano has 10 years in Congress, and has been a liberal vote, but has no major legislative accomplishments. He voted for some lousy legislation deregulating financial instruments. He takes PAC money and had to return contributions from the same corrupt lobbyists that are involved in the scandals surrounding Jack Murtha. I don’t see anything in that record that makes me eager to promote him. Coakley on the other hand has been taking on large corporations in court on behalf of the citizens of Massachusetts and winning – she has the experience with financial and other abuses that we need as Congress looks to reestablish responsible regulation and stronger consumer protection.
I want qualified women to run for public office, get elected, produce professional/legislative records I can support, and move on up the ladder. The imbalance you note is noteworthy, but I have to say that there haven’t exactly been legions of women running for local, regional, and higher office in this state on a consistent basis. Women, like men, have to start at the bottom, do the grunt work (like school committee, selectboard, state rep, etc.), and move on up. That’s the way it works.
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p>Coakley is an attractive candidate in many respects. When looking at the field, however, I’m one of those middle-aged women who says no can do. I’m not alone. Gender just doesn’t carry the weight some want it to carry. I want a qualified individual with a legislative voting record I can evaluate. For Coakley, the only record I have is her prosecutorial record, and I don’t like it.
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p>So, as a woman, I find tokenism offensive. Let people look at the record and decide on the best candidate for themselves, irrespective of whether or not that candidate possesses ovaries or testicles.
To imply she hasn’t paid her dues or is supported out of tokenism is offensive.
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p>Her background isn’t legislative – fair enough. In this race, if that’s your bottom line, then you reject Coakley, Pagliuca and Khazei for the one guy who has been in legislative role for ten years and done nothing of note with the opportunity. Hey, maybe he’ll finally contribute if given another six years to get the hang of it.
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Well, what I can say about Coakley supporters, in general, on this site at least, is they are an angry and hostile bunch.
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p>I wasn’t trying to imply that Coakley hadn’t paid her dues to rise to the ranks of AG. If you reread my preceeding sentence I was talking about women in general not running for local elective offices in large numbers. Context is everything.
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p>As for the tokenism, you’re the one who raised the issue through your “as a woman” suggestion that women should be supporting Coakley because there is a historical imbalance in Massachusetts representation. That is the very definition of tokenism, and you’re supporting it.
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p>Take a vacation. You need one.
You always try to make it personal, usually, as here, to no good effect.
endorsed Mike Capuano too. It was posted on his website without fanfare. Marian’s reputation took a hit on the aborted appointment to the state finance agency but I’ll tell you this, she is the kind of progressive anyone here would be proud to have as a senator.
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p>US Rep. Stephen Lynch’s endorsement came tonight in person at Amrhein’s Restaurant in South Boston:
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p>With Lynch’s, Franks and McGovern’s endorsement, he has both the most conservative and the most progressive US congressmen in the Massachusetts delegation supporting his candidacy.
If MA loses a seat as expected after the next census, the incumbents would face the prospect of a game of musical chairs- two of them would have to duke it out for one seat. Getting Capuano into the Senate would certainly lower the reelection risks for the others – an interim rep in his seat would likely be less well-funded and formidable.
Now it’s “powerful self-interest” that’s motivating these endorsements from four US congressmen for Capuano instead of Coakley. I disagree.
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p>Here’s why: Figures from the 2010 Census determine redistricting for the 2012 campaign cycle. If Capuano wins the Senate race, there will be a special election to fill his seat and still one more congressman/woman than the number of districts.
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p>Moreover, the redistricting plan itself is more determinative of where the race pitting one incumbent Congressmen against another is contested than whether Capuano is still a Congressman.
The point I made isn’t that there will be one less Congressman.
Both legislators are strong progressives, and they have strong followings in two towns that are key in Democratic primaries – Arlington and Lexington.
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p>These endorsements will count for Capuano.
I would usually be with these legislators – but I really think they blew it this time.
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p>Nothing says progressive like the old boy network closing ranks.
You don’t offer one stitch of evidence that these endorsements are motivated by “old boy” loyalties rather than legitimate support of Capunao as the best candidate in the race.
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p>Yet that doesn’t keep you from making the claim.
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p>You can’t reconcile these endorsement with your own view of the race so you’ve decided they must be motivated out of sexist motives. Boo. Listen to what you yourself said, “I would usually be with these legislators…” Yeah.
You’re nuts if you don’t acknowledge personal factors are playing a role.
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p>And that ‘yeah’ at the end of your comment – I’ve campaigned extensively for one of these legislators. Not too happy with this particular decision, though.
Bean, one has six terms in the US Congress and the other has 2+ years as AG. On experience, they’re not even close.
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p>”I would usually be with these legislators…” So maybe it’s you that has it wrong, not the legislator who endorsed Capuano instead of Coakley.
One voted for the type of deregulation that’s gotten the country into the current mess, one has been fighting to protect consumers against the abuses. I’m comfortable with my decision that we will be better off with someone who has not become inured to the Washington “pay for play” mentality.
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p>Just not seeing anything in Capuano’s record that says he deserves a promotion.
do you consider not meaningful?
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p>111th Congress
110th Congress
109th Congress
More here.
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The proclamation for the Red Sox World Series Victory… The toothless ethics changes… The limitation of liability for service station owners for oil spills…
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p>What a record!
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p>You know there isn’t much to show for ten years when it took you this long to come up with any response, and the thing you chose to call out in all this wealth of legislative achievement is a not-yet enacted tunnel inspection amendment.
I brought up Capuano’s “Nationwide Highway Tunnel Inspection Program” as a counterpoint to Coakley’s handling of the tragic death of Milena Del Valle due to a falling ceiling panel and big dig construction litigation. You belittle it but I think it’s hard to argue that it’s unneeded and inconsequential. It wasn’t long ago people died in accidents on collapsing bridges in Greenwich CT and Minneapolis MN and South Boston MA for that matter. In all cases, better regulations for safety inspections would have saved lives.
We can debate whether it’s a small positive step or a real contribution. Until then, it’s not a significant legislative accomplishment.
Martha Coakley’s “leadership” in handling Big Dig corruption and the Milena Del Valle tragedy is almost as inspiring as Tom Reilly’s tireless pursuit of Cardinal Bernard Law as the sex scandal unfolded.
And the siege of Middlesex county moves apace. It seems to me that Capuano is going about folding all the local legislative and Congressional field organizations into his operation.
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p>If successful, this approach will leave Coakley isolated, even within her own base.
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“the siege of Middlesex county moves apace. It seems to me that Capuano is going about folding all the local legislative and Congressional field organizations into his operation. If successful, this approach will leave Coakley isolated, even within her own base.”
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p>On what basis do you reach this conclusion?
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p>Do Coakley’s existing Middlesex County endorsements (see list below) not outweigh Capuano’s?
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p>(Senator Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton); Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton); Senator Susan Fargo (D-Lincoln); Senator Karen Spilka (D-Ashland); Representative Charles Murphy (D-Burlington); Representative James Arciero (D-Westford); Representative Cory Atkins (D-Concord); Representative Katherine Clark (D-Melrose); Representative Paul Donato (D-Medford); Representative James Dwyer (D-Woburn); Representative Christopher Fallon (D-Malden); Representative Sean Garballey (D-Arlington); Representative Colleen Garry (D-Dracut); Representative William Greene (D-Billerica); Representative Kate Hogan (D-Stow); Representative Kay Khan (D-Newton); Representative Peter Koutoujian (D-Newton); Representative Jason Lewis (D-Winchester); Representative David Nangle (D-Lowell); Representative Pam Richardson (D-Framingham); Representative Carl Sciortino (D-Somerville); Representative Martha “Marty” Walz (D-Boston); Representative Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge)).
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p>Do Capuano’s Congressional endorsements – Barney Frank, Stephen Lynch, Jim McGovern, John Tierney – carry more clout than Middlesex County endorsements?
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p>The notion of a “base” in this race seems very interesting. Capuano would appear to have a geographic base – Somerville and to a lesser degree, the other 8th District communities. What is Coakley’s geographic base? Clearly, she is putting forth a demographic/gender base. Will she claim a regional or local one as well?
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p>For that matter, what will Khazei and Pagliuca put forth as their ‘base’ (assuming they would not claim a geographic base)?
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p>On a related note, does anybody have a schedule for debates?
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p>I’m in the 3rd Congressional District (McGovern) and the support for Capuano is fairly substantial among Dem activists out here. Jim McGovern endorsement carries quite a bit of weight among he faithful, so I don’t think it’s fair to suggest that Capuano enjoys only balkanized support.