Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Baker’s appeal to the worst in us all

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State workers?  The 3000 positions eliminated by the Patrick administration isn’t enough for slash-and-burn Baker, who ran ads trumpeting his <a href="http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinion/x358496930/Holmes-Math-emotions-and-the-race-for-governor

“>plan to fire another 5000 state workers.

Immigrants?  Baker expressed support for Arizona’s “papers please” crackdown on undocumented immigrants and concerned advocacy groups like MIRA by <a href="http://www.ethnicnewz.org/en/mira-charlie-baker-candidate-ma-gov-makes-confusing-statement-about-legal-citizens

“>touting his desire to limit benefits to “legal citizens,” a locution that would bar benefits to legal, permanent taxpaying residents.

Poor people?  Count on candidate Baker to be out there <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1288235

“>whipping up concerns that welfare recipients may use the debit card system for delivering benefits (that Baker himself championed when in state government) to buy alcohol or cigarettes.

Baker’s unseemly appearance with turncoat Loscocco to accept his endorsement is just the latest example of Baker’s leadership for the lowest common denominator.  Baker seems to think there are votes in being the guy whose campaign engineered the unraveling of a rival’s team.  Wouldn’t everyone want to revel along with Baker in such a spectacular moment of schadenfreude?  

Well, no, not me.  And I’m counting on Deval Patrick being right, back on election night 2006, about Massachusetts.  Let’s answer Baker through volunteering for our candidate in the last two weeks of this campaign and in the voting booth on November 2nd.   We won’t be satisfied with a leader who exploits shared hates and fears and celebrates the misfortunes of others.  That is not what we are about.    

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  1. seems to be missing in action? We catch glimpses of him on the campaign trail only when there are debates and big events headlined by Obama. Obama has done more campaigning for Deval than Deval has done himself! Does he even want the job? It sure doesn’t seem like it. And I am not surprised – when there was a historic vote on casinos two years ago, where was Deval? Shopping a million-dollar book deal in another state!

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    p>http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

    <

    p>There is so much lost opportunity because of what he has chosen to focus on instead of the real issues – instead of putting more resources into direct services for the needy, he has been working to give cronies cushy, six-figure salary jobs in state government. That’s not “progressive”, guys – that’s the same old machine politics that you all claim you’re against. You call Baker the ultimate insider but take a look at your own candidate.  

    <

    p>As I wrote in another post, why should you give your time, money and energy to a guy who doesn’t seem to want this job anymore??? Where are any substantive proposals for what he’ll do in his second term? Why does he stake out the most unpopular positions on everything from casinos to benefits for illegals and support for a progressive income tax in the midst of the worst economy in our lifetime and a mid-term election cycle when the smart bet would be to run as a moderate? This governor is tone-deaf! And his campaign style speaks to the very same inflexibility he has shown in dealing with Terry Murray and the rest of the legislature.

    <

    p>And you know what, you deserve better than this – yeah, I know, I’m on the other side of the aisle so consider the source, but if I were in your shoes, I’d be pretty ticked off at my candidate for doing NOTHING to deserve all my hard work.  

    • Seriously, someone do an IP trace on “MiracleGirl.” Clearly a plant if I’ve ever seen one.

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      p>

      Obama has done more campaigning for Deval than Deval has done himself!

      <

      p>1. Clearly, you do not deal in facts. The Governor is out there, all across the state, every day.

      <

      p>2. Not only is he doing that, but he’s still working as Governor.

      <

      p>

      There is so much lost opportunity because of what he has chosen to focus on instead of the real issues

      <

      p>Seriously, the astro-turfing needs to stop. We know you’re with Baker and have zero interest in any of these issues. You don’t need to pretend to be a liberal to bash the Governor, when you aren’t a liberal at all and certainly aren’t interested in “the needy” or any other group that needs a lift. Do not take us for children, and inept one’s at that.

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      p>

      As I wrote in another post, why should you give your time, money and energy to a guy who doesn’t seem to want this job anymore???

      <

      p>Again, with the making-crap-up thing. Watch out for the sun or you may turn into stone, as trolls often do.

      <

      p>

      when the smart bet would be to run as a moderate

      <

      p>Why does Governor Patrick stick with positions you deem (without any evidence) “unpopular?”

      <

      p>Because, unlike Charlie Baker, who will do or say anything to get into office, Governor Patrick is only willing to do or say anything he believes in, is truthful and that he’d be willing to stand by — because he’s principled. Charlie Baker is none of those things, but then again, Republicans have never looked for any of those things in their candidates.  

    • I certainly don’t find that the Governor is not campaigning hard or is missing in action.  He’s been to my town many times over the last four years, most recently last Saturday when he stopped by the phonebank I was running to thank volunteers.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone to see the Governor in a small town hall setting where he has listened intently to every speaker and answered every question intelligently and well.  This year he even had a nice picnic for grassroots volunteers at his place in the Berkshires.

      <

      p>But I’m not in this to be thanked for volunteering.  

      <

      p>I support the Governor because he is leading on the reforms that matter for the future of Massachusetts.  This Governor got action on Beacon Hill on reforms that have only been talked about for  a generation: reforms to end pension abuses, tighten ethics and lobbying rules, open up the auto insurance market to new competition,  allow civilian flaggers at work sites, and reform the state’s transportation systems, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.  This Governor fought to preserve education funding, as he knows that we need to educate our kids to compete in a global economy, and won agreement with legislators, education reformers and teacher’s unions on education reforms that helped secure $250M for Massachusetts schools in the federal Race to the Top competition.  Massachusetts has taken big strides towards a clean energy future with the approval of Cape Wind, participation in the Regional Greenhouse gas initiative, and a tripling of employment in solar jobs.  This Governor helped make health insurance available to 98% of the people in the Commonwealth.  No other state even comes close.

      <

      p>I support the Governor because he’s NOT doing what other candidates seem to be trying to do: whip up fear and mistrust and divide people in a sorry attempt to get elected.  

  2. What is Deval Patrick’s proposal to do something, anything, about the rampant crime we’re seeing in our city streets?

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    p>At the Emerson debate on Friday, Charlie Baker rattled off a four-point strategy of some proposals that costs next to nothing to implement, to start dealing with what has to be the elephant in the room – gang violence and shootings in Mattapan, Roxbury, Dorchester, the Theater district, on and on.

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    p>I can totally understand why Emerson college kids might be scared to step outside their door. So how did your candidate Deval Patrick answer the question? Well, he went off on a tangent about how the school day needs to be lengthened, how this is not a farming society anymore, etc.

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    p>Is THAT what you call an effective proposal for addressing this serious issue? If so, maybe you’ve never had to work in places like Roxbury Crossing where you take your life in your hands in broad daylight…

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    p>Sorry guys, but your candidate just doesn’t get it, doesn’t get the sense of urgency among people who live and work in this state and are disgusted with the leadership void we have now.

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    p>Check out the video, see for yourself – the crime discussion is around the 40 minute mark–

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    p>http://www.bostonherald.com/ne…

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    p>

  3. A Democratic Run Legislature with a super majority, the Transgender Rights Bill in that legislature for THREE YEARS.  This past session it had majority support in the House AND in the Senate and the cowards in this a mid-term election struck a deal that it NOT be voted on because many of them did not want to go on record supporting this bill for fear of loss of votes.

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    p>MassEquality confirmed with me that it had no intention of actually pushing this bill this last session so therefore all the hype here to get the bill to be voted on was just one big Potemkin Village.

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    p>I think that Deval Patrick’s Press Conference back in July just a week and a half before end of session confirms that all were complicit in the fact that the Transgender Rights Bill was not to be voted on AND that Transgender People were once again being used as political tools.  See the articles in the Metro Daily West and the Boston Herald  Here you find Governor Deval Patrick with an ample opportunity…a bully pulpit so to speak, to send a message about the important bills that need to get voted on before the close of session.  As the “Savior” of Transgender Rights in the Commonwealth, as BMG and MassEquality would have him…he could have at least mentioned this bill (considering it had majority support in House and Senate) as one of the important ones…

    <

    p>But once again, Deval Patrick fails…

    • I get that you are frustrated and impatient about the status of the Transgender Rights Bill. I get that you are disappointed in the role that Deval Patrick played in getting it from where it was to where it is now.

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      p>Do think another candidate will do better?

      <

      p>In particular, since Charlie Baker is the only other candidate with even a remote chance of winning, do you think that Charlie Baker will do better than Deval Patrick on this issue?

      <

      p>If so, then you should vote for Charlie Baker.

      <

      p>If not, then why are you talking about Deval Patrick’s claimed “failure” two weeks before a neck-and-neck election?

    • Baker: I’ll veto the Bathroom bill if it gets to my desk.

      <

      p>Patrick: “it’s a very simple, straightforward bill that closes some gaps in our civil rights laws.”

      <

      p>”I feel very strongly that discrimination should not appear in our Constitution or in our laws,” Patrick said, “so I look forward to the bill passing and getting to my desk just as soon as possible.” (Boston Globe)

      <

      p>I guess discrimination in the Constitution and laws only matters to you when it affects you personally.  

      • I just want someone from the Democratic side to tell the truth about what was done to Transgender people.

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        p>Their rights were put on hold to help get Deval Patrick elected.  AND to help get themselves elected.  Just admit it.  No there is never any sort of ownership of anything rotten when a midterm is approaching…

        <

        p>”I guess discrimination in the Constitution and laws only matters to you when it affects you personally.”  How dare you.  

        • How dare you abandon the Governor who stood up and stands up for the unprotected, in favor of this clod Baker, who is willing to pander to any hateful interest if he thinks it will get him elected.

          • and I have seen too much.  Once MassEquality and Patrick put the elections in front of trans people AND used trans people as a political tool…

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            p>What does the Bible say?  “hypocrisy is 3 times the sin…”

            <

            p>And I think having a running mate who is a co-sponsor of this bill says much for Baker.

            <

            p>And I “abandoned” Patrick LONG before this, if truth be told.

            • who he ignored and was dismissive of as a gay man at the end of their convention? Tisei was chosen because of his legislative position, and party position. Who else was there, Loscocco? If I were him, I wouldn’t trust Baker to follow through on anything related to gay rights and protections.

            • I don’t care about political realities, about the ramifications of legislators who are generally on my side losing because of a single issue or vote, and I certainly don’t care about anybody else’s liberal issues, be they related to labor or women or the environment or the poor or whatever.

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              p>I’ve got a single bill, and I want it passed, to hell with the fallout.

              <

              p>

              <

              p>Your fourth grade teacher called.  She wants you back; she regrets passing you.

            • You destroyed yourself with this line:

              And I “abandoned” Patrick LONG before this, if truth be told.

              <

              p>I think you’re lying, and I think you’re trolling.

              <

              p>The Boston Globe has already reported where Charlie Baker stands on this issue that you claim to care so much about (emphasis mine):

              At one point before the balloting, Baker faced a revolt among social conservatives who flooded the delegations with a leaflet attacking a bill for transgender rights that Senator Richard Tisei has cosponsored with other lawmakers. Contending that it would allow men to enter women’s bathrooms, they demanded to know whether Baker supported the bill. The Baker campaign immediately circulated a leaflet saying he would veto the “bathroom bill” if he were elected.

              <

              p>I think you’re another sock-puppet concern-troll, claiming to support LGBT rights when — in fact — you are instead attempting (and failing) to score points for Charlie Baker.

              <

              p>Charlie Baker opposes the Transgender Rights Bill. He has promised to veto it if elected, and he has dubbed it the “bathroom bill”.

              <

              p>Deval Patrick supports the bill and has said he will enthusiastically sign it if passed.

              <

              p>That is all anybody who cares about this bill needs to know — about the candidates and about you.

              • who the LGBT community is supporting yet they did not want this Trans Bill voted on last session.  MassEquality and others have confirmed at leas “a dozen” who have not been named that “supported” the bill but refused to allow it to go to a vote.

                <

                p>Again, either Baker and the dozen Dem leges are wrong for deeming this “the bathroom bill” and using trans rights for political purposes OR they are all given a pass and allowed a learning/lobbying period in next session.

                <

                p>BUT you do not get to say that Baker is wrong and the Dems…well…we can look the other way this time until after elections.

                • That you are conveniently ignoring.

                  <

                  p>There’s a difference between someone who publicly says they support a bill and legal protections for a minority group, but for political reasons delays a vote, and someone who says they don’t and would veto such a bill if given the opportunity, and further, who states opposition using the terminology (“bathroom bill”) of its most ignorant opponents.

                  <

                  p>The former may not be advancing the desired outcome right now, but he or she is not, as is someone who behaved as Baker did, playing to prejudice, whipping up prejudice, or setting an example for others that prejudice is acceptable.

                  <

                  p>

                • that is the same as the Dems who “delayed” voting on it.  And fyi, the bill will be rewritten next session.

                  <

                  p>And very convenient of you to say Baker would veto “such a bill.”  Very good!  Great spin on that.  “Veto such a bill” implies vetoing a bill on transgender rights NOT vetoing this particular bill.  I find it interesting also that I have not read any Globe interview with Baker or any Baywindows interview with Baker where ANYONE asked him if he would work with the MTPC or GLAD to rewrite the bill or what his opinions are of transgender people and discrimination.  Very convenient once again…

                  <

                  p>I have had a sit down conversation with Baker about only transgender rights?  Have you?  I certainly know that MassEquality has not had such a meeting, why would they?  MEQ had no intention of getting the bill voted on last session or working with Baker or most Republicans for that matter.

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