Blue Mass Group

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Galvin for AG?

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If Martha Coakley wins the Senate race, the legislature will fill the vacancy at the AG’s office until the 2010 election.  They vote in joint session, and since there are 160 Representatives to only 40 Senators, the House pretty much gets to decide who gets the job.  Conventional wisdom says it goes to someone in the House, but Secretary of State Bill Galvin is said to be interested, and Adrian Walker likes the idea:

Bill Galvin is by far the best-qualified contender to be the state’s next attorney general … Galvin has his critics and I have occasionally been one of them…. But as an investigator, he has been inspired. He has zealously pursued securities fraud, both in connection to the Bernard Madoff scandal and before. He has cracked down on lobbyists and white-collar crime. In the process, his office has won millions of dollars for ripped-off consumers. If the AG’s office is essentially a civil law firm, he has shown a zeal for those cases. Zeal in a prosecutor should be an asset, not a liability.

Apparently, Galvin is openly interested in taking over the AG’s office.  Walker says that “Galvin hints that if he is not selected for attorney general he will run for the office next year.”  I don’t put much stock in that; Galvin “hints” at running for something other than Secretary of State every four years, but never actually does it.  Nonetheless, with Martha Coakley expected to leave the office barring an unexpected catastrophe on January 19, the question of the next Attorney General is an interesting and pressing one.

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  1. …when the last time was all four downballot statewide races were open at once?  It looks like we’re headed that way.  Of course, if Galvin does get AG via the General Court, they will then have to elect a Secretary as well.  Let the games begin!

  2. Why else would we coincidentally be seeing multiple tv ads about the Secretary of State’s office conspicuously featuring Bill Galvin now that Coakley won her primary race?

  3. I believe Secretary of State Galvin would an excellent interim Democratic appointment for the AG office by the state legislature.

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    p>Galvin has been an aggressive fighter for consumers on securities fraud, including being out front to protect and gain restitution for nonprofit and individual victims of the Madoff fraud, and has clashed with state legislators and the governor when he has asserted that their actions violated consumer public interests. I also believe he has done a credible job managing and overseeing state and local elections in Massachusetts.

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    p>However, I believe Galvin’s independence has strained his relationship with some Democratic House and Senate leaders to the point where he is unlikely to be appointed to the position by the Legislature.

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    p>Finally, I would ask that U.S. Senate Democratic nominee, Martha Coakley, consider resigning on or about January 1, 2010 to limit the interval for legislative jockeying and horsetrading likely to occur before and after her probable election to the U.S. Senate on January 19, 2010.

    • Finally, I would ask that U.S. Senate Democratic nominee, Martha Coakley, consider resigning on or about January 1, 2010 to limit the interval for legislative jockeying and horsetrading likely to occur before and after her probable election to the U.S. Senate on January 19, 2010.

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      p>That’s hilarious!  A few other suggestions along those lines:

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      p>I would ask that U.S. Senate Republican nominee, Scott Brown, consider resigning on or about January 1, 2010 to limit the interval for legislative jockeying and horse-trading likely to occur before and after his probable election to the U.S. Senate on January 19, 2010.

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      p>I would ask that House Ways and Means chair Charles Murphy consider resigning from his Chairmanship of that important Committee on or about January 1, 2010 to limit the interval for legislative jockeying and horse-trading likely to occur before and after his probable appointment to the Attorney General’s seat.

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      p>I would ask that Steve Grossman consider resigning as President of Grossman Marketing Group on or about January 1, 2010 to limit the interval for the internal jockeying and horse-trading likely to occur within Grossman Marketing Group before and after his probable election as State Treasurer.

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      p>I would ask that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin consider resigning… oh, wait forget that one.

  4. One seeming irony from the Adrian Walker article is the following:

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    p>

    But in the Byzantine process that would decide Coakley’s replacement, the campaign will remain a private matter. The next attorney general will probably be elected by a secret ballot by lawmakers, which is how it’s long been done on Beacon Hill.

    That isn’t just anachronistic, it’s outrageous. “It’s one thing for voters to have a secret ballot, but public officials shouldn’t have one,” said Galvin.

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    p>Galvin may be right about it being outrageous that the vote for AG would be by secret ballot, but the irony is that this makes it far more likely that Galvin could be the choice. If the ballot wasn’t secret, DeLeo would ensure that members vote for his favorite for the position (nearly certain to be a House member). If Galvin really is the most qualified person for the job, as Walker argues, the secret ballot really works to his advantage.

  5. When I read this story in today’s Globe, I thought, “Why would he want to do that?”…but on second thought, “Why not?”

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    p>When Martha Coakley leaves the AG’s office on Jan. 20th…Speaker DeLeo will be in a fine mess…if he were smart, he would name one of the District Attorneys (Blodgett or Leone) to fill the post they are qualified for and avoid playing favorites in the House and creating feuds over who gets the shifting deck chairs and the public perception that he is just advancing hackdom from the House.

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    p>But, in lieu of making the smart move, he will probably appoint one of his favored few and reap the consequences. I doubt that he would appoint Galvin because that would leave yet another appointment to make to get an interim Secretary of State…too, too many bank shots….

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    p>BUT, Galvin could take on any appointment DeLeo made by announcing his candidacy for AG in the 2010 election. Blodgett and Leone have said they will not seek the AG post unless they are appointed by the legislature to fill the term. (That is not going to happen.)  DA Keating is more hack pol than respected prosecutor so the criminal justice community would not line up for him as they would have for Blodgett or Leone….So why not Galvin? Galvin has the record, the experience and most of all the war chest to wage a strong campaign from the get-go…he is smart, he knows state govt. inside out…he knows where all the bodies are buried and hasn’t been shy about exposing them from time to time…,he has already shown tenacity in going after those security outfits and staring down menino when they were destroying public records…maybe having a prince of darkness as AG is just what MA could use in the years ahead to flush out corruption and to take on the corporate gougers and scam artists that victimize taxpayers.  I think he would be a strong candidate.

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    p>Then Secretary of State would be an open seat, too. What a political year that would be!  

  6. Word on the street is the the SP is not crazy about a joint session that lets DeLeo calls ths shots.  Does the SP decide whether a joint session is called?  Is there any legal requirement that an appointment be made?

    • Although the SP said (on Tuesday night ath the Coakley election party) that she has no interest in delaying an appointment by refusing to agree to call a session…because the opening comes in January, you are talking about a whole year appointment…that’s a long time to have an Assistant AG fill in and an ADA as Acting AG would not have the gravitas of the full title.

        • Hilarious — the notion that the legislature cares about whether the Constitution says “shall” rather than “may”!  Oh goodness — please stop, you’re killing me! *wipes tears of laughter from eyes*

          • I know it can’t be judicially enforced because of separation of powers, but yes, in my mind the General Court had better darn well follow the Constitution.

            • whether you were around a couple of years ago for the brouhaha over the marriage and health care constitutional amendments.  The notion that “the General Court had better darn well follow the Constitution” may be in your mind, but, to judge from their actions during that time, it’s not in theirs.

              • I remember looking at the Constitution then too and defending the GC’s actions in that regard.  I don’t have time to look it up again right this second, but as I recall they actually DID satisfy at least the letter if not the spirit of the constitutional requirement in my mind.

                • They voted on the marriage amendment after being shamed into doing so by the SJC (who told them what the language meant but couldn’t enforce it due to separation of powers).  They then promptly buried the health care amendment, directly contrary to what the SJC had said in its opinion.  Same constitutional language at issue, same procedural posture of the two amendments, different outcomes.  It was appalling.  I could dig up some links, but there are far too many on BMG to cite individually.  Just search around the archives for a bit — you’ll see what I mean.

                • As I recall my argument was that the Constitution only required that a proposed amendment be “laid before” the joint session, without specifying that it actually HAD to be voted up or down.  Yes, it’s legal hairsplitting, but given the nature of the amendment I was a little more tolerant than usual of parliamentary manipulation.  I agree though that any constitutional duties applying to one amendment apply equally to the other.

  7. I will say I like Galvin better than when he was my state rep. That Dark Prince thing had some credibility. He has fought some good fights. When was the last time, if ever, that he did some lawyering? Ran a law practice? Any experience in a courtroom or managing courtroom lawyers? I’d prefer more experience in these capacities.

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    p>My choice …

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    p>No way he gets the interim appointment, but I like Bill Keating, the Norfolk County DA. He had the guts to take on Billy Bulger and paid the price. Got himself elected Norfolk DA and has done a good job.

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    p>

    • Do we want our AG to be a litigator, in other words a prosecutor, or someone who can manage the Commonwealth’s legal affairs? I prefer the latter.  

  8. or, at any rate, the one we elect in November, should be a real consumer advocate in the mold of Harshbarger or Bellotti. Not just a prosecutor–not just a county DA writ large.

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    p>The attorney general has tremendous responsibility in this area and others, but the race is invariably discussed exclusively in terms of locking up bad guys.

    • The skill set is not necessarily the same, and the ideology needed to be a strong DA may be totally at odds with the one that may make a great AG.  

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      p>That was one of my major problems with Coakley – much too “law and order” for my taste, as exemplified in her response to the marijuana decriminalization.  

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      p>A solidly progressive candidate from almost any legal background for AG is much more attractive to me than a moderate DA.

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      p>I suspect the Essex County DA will run, but he will have a hard time shaking the story of Amber Abreu among liberal primary voters.

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      p>http://www.boston.com/news/glo…

      • It has already been reported in North Shore papers that the Essex DA will not seek AG spot.  The case you site would probably not have been a stumbling block. The choice that woman made was cruel and needless given that she could have ended her pregnancy legally long before she took that action. I am a liberal, pro-choice primary voter and I must admit the Abreu case is one of those horrible events that make even pro-choice people cringe.

        • I think that would have been a bad news story for Blodgett that would have turned off many liberal voters. The office was attacked by NARAL, PPL, and other women’s health groups because of that decision.  

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          p>Calling Abreu’s action “cruel and needless” is ridiculous.  

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          p>I am pro-choice and the only reason that story makes me cringe was due to the response of the Essex DA.  The DA used a law from the 1840s that was still on the books, but would likely not pass muster under current abortion law jurisprudence.  

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          p>What was really “cruel and needless” was charging a poor, young, immigrant woman with a bullshit crime. What was also “cruel and needless” is the inability of women like this to get health coverage and access to reproductive health services.  You say that she “could have ended her pregnancy legally long before,” but COULD she really have done so?

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          p>Getting a safer, legal abortion ONE week earlier was not a viable option, and it is not for many women.  Trying to induce a miscarriage using a commonly-used abortofacient should not be a crime punishable by up to 7 years in prison; it should be something we as a society try to avoid by giving people the support they need.  If the fetus was in the 25th week, she could have been charged with murder.  

          • Please check out the facts of the case and the aftermath. There was never any intent to jail this woman. She was a young woman with no resources who had had previous abortions using this dangerous self-induced method which endangered her own life. The charge was made as leverage to get her linked to appropriate legal health care resources and away from a dangerous cycle of self-abortion that would ultimately destroy her.  It was a strategic charge.

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            p> This woman’s child was actually born at 6 months and one week of pregnancy and died sometime later (yes, needless and cruel). If the woman did not want to have a child perhaps she could have been helped by legitimate health providers months earlier or even had the health education to prevent the unwanted pregnancy in the first place.   Perhaps, had she known those resources were available to her, she would not have waited six months to abort by this dangerous method.  In this case, the Essex County DA’s office used a strategy that probably saved this woman’s life. Now she knows.

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            p>DA Blodgett is pro-choice. Often DA’s use a charge as leverage to get drug users into rehabilitation…rather than go to trial and jail, they opt for rehabilitation and therapy…I don’t see this case as different.

            • Your interpretation of events does not fit with any published story I’ve seen.  

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              p>http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

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              p>http://www.eagletribune.com/pu…

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              p>http://www.indypendent.org/200…

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              p>http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

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              p>http://www.internationalist.or…

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              p>Even if the DA was trying to just push her toward health services, the method he used was incredibly stupid.  

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              p>

              She was a young woman with no resources who had had previous abortions using this dangerous self-induced method which endangered her own life. The charge was made as leverage to get her linked to appropriate legal health care resources and away from a dangerous cycle of self-abortion that would ultimately destroy her.

              <

              p>The lack of resources was the problem, and this action by the DA would have done nothing – except made things worse as she attempted to pay for legal services.  I have also not read that she had previous self-induced abortions.  I’ve read about a previous legal abortion, and the knowledge of those costs was helped determine her action in this case.  

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              p>

              If the woman did not want to have a child perhaps she could have been helped by legitimate health providers months earlier or even had the health education to prevent the unwanted pregnancy in the first place.

              <

              p>I agree, but the simple truth is that this is not possible for a huge number of less-affluent people, especially undocumented workers in this country.  Trying to “scare them straight” after the fact is an incredibly poor and insensitive strategy.  (Women’s Health orgs and immigrant rights organizations also seem to agree.)  

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              p>There is pro-choice and there is pro-choice.  Blodgett (and you, it seems) is not pro-choice in the way that I am.

              <

              p>The only needless and cruel part of this case is what Amber Abreu has gone through.  

  9. Apparently, Methuen State Senator Steve Baddour, Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, is also thinking about running for AG.  I don’t know if he’d get an appointment though.

  11. Where does Galvin Stand on Gay Marriage? Abortion? Civil Rights? Without knowing the answer to any of these questions, I would be hard pressed to say I think he would be a good candidate.

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    p>Does it matter?

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    p>Would Bill Galvin have done this?

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    p>

    Martha has stood as a national leader in defending same-sex couples and their right to marriage. Martha is the only Attorney General in the country to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, which unfairly excludes married same-sex couples and their families from critically important rights and protections.

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    p>Bill Galvin has a reputation (in my circle of politically active friends at least) as a more conservative, religious member of the Democratic party. Is that the type of Attorney General we want?

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    p>I believe Bill Galvin has been a good if not excellent Secretary of the Commonwealth, but not without his own set of issues that Cam Kerry partially ran on in 2006. Same day registration, early voting/vote by mail, are a few initiatives that have not gained traction partially due to Galvin not fully embracing them.

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    p>We need to learn much more about Bill Galvin before we call him the best candidate in the race.

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    p>Having said all of that, it is my opinion that if were to run for AG, he would be the odds on favorite with his name recognition, favorable ratings, and bank account balance as the main reasons.

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    p>

    • There are any number of qualified women who would be great candidates for Secretary of State. Trying to change the gender balance of government one woman at a time hasn’t worked that well. We need to get women running for all constitutional and legislative offices…at the same time, not one at a time…so that the odds of reaching gender balance increase. AG, Auditor, Treasurer and maybe Secretary of State…open contests…now is the time to take a leap, not a step forward. They may not all win (and I’m not imagining they would), but in the running you get voters used to voting for women for top positions…which is part of progress.

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      p>As for the legislature…women constitute 26% of the legislature…hmmmm …imagine what you could accomplish in any organization if you had a solid block of 26% who stood together to move an agenda forward and used that solidarity to bargain with others to be supportive. it has been a missed opportunity as the women legislators sometimes spend more time undercutting each other instead of working together on key issues.  We can do better.

      • I think I remember hearing something about Eileen Donahue, former Lowell mayor who gave Niki Tsongas a run for her money in the D primary two years ago for the MA-5 special, being interested in an open AG seat. If she ran I think she’d be a pretty strong candidate.

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        p>Do you have anyone specific who you’d like to see step up?

        • Eileen Donahue from Lowell…had not thought of her, but, you are right she would be a good candidate…Kim Driscoll Mayor of Salem is extraordinary but the people in Salem would revolt if they lost her…Katherine Clark, Rep of Melrose would be good candidate, too. Sen. Jen Flanagan from Central MA and Rep Ann-Margaret Ferrante are up and comers, too. I wish Shannon O’Brien would come back and go for Treasurer again (she was outstanding in that job) or go for Secretary of State.

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          p>The Secretary of State’s office today deals with so many legal issues, it is helpful to have an attorney in that role or someone with government experience.  It think it is the best job in state government.

          • State Senate seat, if she’s ready to move up. After all, she nearly won that seat before becoming Rep a few years back, giving Tisei the strongest challenge of his career.

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            p>There’s a whole cadre of very talented women in the senate right now who I think could be very viable statewide candidates. Sens. Tucker, Spilka, Creem and Menard I think all fit the bill. I really like Sen. Walsh and Jehlan too, but I think Walsh is probably still a little too fresh in people’s minds re: Patrick appointment fiasco, and Jehlan might be too easy to paint as a dyed-in-the-wool lefty, as much as I’d like to see her in statewide office.

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            p>I don’t know much about Sen. Chandler, and Sens. Flanagan, Chang-Diaz and Candares all only arrived in the last couple of cycles. They’d probably want to establish themselves more before giving a shot at moving up.

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            p>All in all though, I think we have a pretty strong farm team  for awesome female Democratic electeds on the state level here in MA.

  13. 2010 could be exciting on paper, in practice the down-ballot races will sadly be quite boring-the SoC (we are a Commonwealth not a State people!) will stay in place, the Treasurer and Auditor races are already decided, and the AG incumbent appointed by the leg will cruise to re-election. So as usual the only close race will be for Governor and what a snooze-fest that will be.

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