Tomorrow’s Boston Sunday Globe features an endorsement of Suzanne Bump in the Democratic Primary for State Auditor. Here is the Globe’s reasoning:
Of the three candidates for the Democratic nomination for auditor, former state labor secretary Suzanne Bump is best positioned to look out for the interest of citizens. She argues that, as a believer in the power of government to improve people’s lives, she feels an obligation to make sure it runs well.
Bump has a clearer fix than her opponents on how the auditor’s office might be used for the public good. She promises to zero in on the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth, as a way of ensuring that parties involved in health care reform are doing their jobs at maximum efficiency; it’s a shrewd allocation of resources, a cardinal example of where a state auditor can do the most good.
Guy Glodis, currently the Worcester County sheriff, promises to promote economic development, but some of his proposals – such as investigating the use of out-of-state labor on local projects – lie at some distance from the essential duties of the auditor. Mike Lake, a whiz kid who worked at the White House at the end of the Clinton administration, seems genuinely interested in holding public agencies accountable, but his lack of experience at the state or local level could hamper his ability to carry out the nuts-and-bolts aspects of the job.
In a state dominated by Democratic elected officials, the Democratic nominee for auditor has a special burden to demonstrate independence from the party’s establishment and its most powerful constituencies. Perhaps because she has DeNucci’s support, Bump appears loath to criticize the raises he ordered. Still, she’s displayed significant spine in other ways. As a state legislator, Bump earned the ire of trial lawyers, and lost her seat to a primary challenger, in part because of her efforts to bring down out-of-control worker-compensation costs.
Her Democratic opponents for auditor also tout their independence: Lake has the best claim to outsider status, and Glodis won his current job by challenging an incumbent. But Bump has a clear edge. She’s committed to finding ways to improve government – and knowledgeable enough about government to know where to look.
Hope this gives some kind of a bump to the Bump Campaign.
Seeing the Globe endorsement made me wonder what other newspapers are doing, and here is the quick list that I put together:
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p>The Newton TAB came out for Bump:
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p>As did the Brookline TAB:
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p>And the Somerville Journal:
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p>Along with the Cambridge Chronicle:
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p>And the Needham Times.
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p>I haven’t seen it online, but Bump’s Facebook page indicates that she was also endorsed by the West Roxbury Transcript.
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p>Now, these are all newspapers in the same chain, running almost the same endorsement, but they are an indication of something. How about other newspapers? Any other candidate getting endorsements? Certainly looks like Suzanne Bump is getting them all.
…that all of the Wicked Local endorsements were actually a word-for-word copy-pasted endorsement?
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p>You list them all as though there’s a widespread show of support for Bump, but I really only see one endorsement there, not the seven you’ve made this out to be (two endorsements, once you include the Globe).
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p>It’s pretty clear that the Wicked Local endorsement reflects only one editorial board’s position, printed in all of that board’s local papers, as they very obviously came from the same source.
Six, plus the Globe (not seven plus the Globe).
kiss of death. There are many people who vote just the opposite of the Globe’s fawnings just to spite the liberal slant of the editorial board. She can be happy about the other newspaper endorsements, however.
Possibly our overwhelming Republican house delegation?
The knee-jerk “3’s” here reflect wishful thinking and not reality. We shall see who is correct about Globe endorsements on September 14th, my friends.
You are making an assertion about causes not results, but you are pointing to results. But results are not sufficient evidence of causes. Are you really saying that the Globe endorsement caused Coakley to lose?
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p>Really?
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p>Well, Mr. Scott Brown owes someone a thank you letter.
Given the rather Democratic nature of our state, an arguments from results loses: more Globe endorsed candidates win than lose, and thus, the reverse of your proposition is true.
cause of continual defeats for “progressives.” But to deny the antipathy which they cause most normal people, you’d have to be pretty naive to think that they do not have some effect. Just read the comments sections after Globe articles on line and you will see the negative reactions which they provoke. And, yes, Lynch owes the Globe a thank you letter after today’s fawning endorsement of loser D’Alessandro. If you think for one moment that this endorsement is not going to energize Lynch supporters, then I think that you and your fellow-travelers on this site are in need of a serious reality check….”and thus, the reverse of your proposition is true.” Please, KBusch, you can do better than this pseudo-logic. đŸ™‚
You first tell us that a Globe endorsement is a kiss of death.
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p>People downrate you.
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p>You complain about being downrated. (“Knee-jerk”)
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p>When pressed, you say you didn’t really mean what you wrote.
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p>Hm. Maybe you might be having the knee-jerk reaction? Maybe?
If I read your contributions to this thread, I get the impression you think the progressive wing of the party should sit on its hands.
make a candidate a loser, only that it can be a kiss of death to those so chosen–nothing more, nothing less; and given the Globe’s record of supporting”progressive” losers I think that the statement is, indeed,logical.
I am not complaining about ratings. The ratings, especially from some of the regulars, are humorously predictable. That is why they are knee-jerk. Let’s see how knee-jerk they are next Tuesday night.
On the contrary, I admire the progressive community for its concern for others and it consistent belief in the goodness of human nature. What bothers me is that when the left has had its way results have been catastrophic for the rest of humanity. I am thinking specifically of Soviet Russia and Castro Cuba.
In conclusion I am not backing off of what I wrote, and Lynch has to be a very happy man this evening because the Globe has endorsed his opponent. The word will be getting around on the street and his voters will be energized for primary day. I should actually praise the Globe–they continue to increase and strengthen the ranks of us common folk.
he’d be — what? — depressed?
in despair. A lot of his voters would feel totally betrayed. Remember, he is not a congressman from Brookline, Newton and the western suburbs. He is a lunch-bucket, pro traditional labor union, working class stiff like …..? :):)
The Globe actually endorsed two candidates for Auditor, one each in the Democratic and Republican primaries.
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p>Given their praise of the Republican candidate, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that Glodis wins the Primary, it sure sounds to me like they will endorse the Republican.
All of the papers that are part of the Wicked Local newspaper group have independent editors who make their own independent judgments with respect to endorsements. While they can pick up the editorial of the Newton Tab, they don’t have to. The fact that when they decide to endorse, they tend to run the same editorial as the Tab reflects more on their staffing levels than their independence. Clearly Bump was the choice of these newspapers.
You have to admit that it would be logical to have someone perform a job for which they were trained to do. The only candidate that is qualified for the position is Mary Z. Connaughton.
How well did Mary Z. Connaughton do as Chief Financial Officer of Joe Malone’s scandal-plagued Lottery? I have to admit that her performance there doing the job she was trained to do would influence my vote.
She has my vote….
The triumph of hope over experience.
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p>Bully for you.