HEADLINE: MASSterList: More
Spotlight for Setti – VEEP hits Boston ‘friend-er’ – Census numbers due
– Muni-health in Saugus – Trouble in Lawrence for poverty agency head
TOP STORIES:
SENSATIONAL
SETTI: Newton Mayor Setti Warren finds himself in the spotlight as he
explores a potential bid to unseat U.S. Senator Scott Brown. After <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2011/03/potential_senat_1.html”>suggesting
that current CA senator <span
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”>Dianne<a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2011/03/potential_senat_1.html”>
Feinstein
was assassinated in 1978 (and getting a good laugh out of Ed Harding,)
Warren finds himself the subject of a <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/03/22/in_mass_senate_race_spotlight_shifts_to_suburban_mayor_109305.html”>RealClearPolitics<a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/03/22/in_mass_senate_race_spotlight_shifts_to_suburban_mayor_109305.html”>
profile this
morning.
‘DONOR
MAINTENANCE’ : Vice President Joe Biden was in town yesterday for what
Governor Patrick called a “friend-raiser,” and attempted to rally Obama
supporters ahead of the 2012 campaign season. <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/22/biden_in_hub_to_rally_top_donors/”>The
Globe and <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1728493801/What-local-lawmakers-are-saying-about-Laverriere”>Herald<span
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”> have accounts of
Biden’s comments.<br
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”>
AWOL IN
LAWRENCE: The Eagle Tribune is staying on top of Lawrence’s 85-year-old
anti-poverty chief’s ongoing troubles. <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1728493801/What-local-lawmakers-are-saying-about-Laverriere”>Niki
Tsongas and <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1728493803/Tsongas-calls-for-AWOL-agency-head-to-quit-but-he-says-hes-staying”>local
legislators pile <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1728493803/Tsongas-calls-for-AWOL-agency-head-to-quit-but-he-says-hes-staying”>on<span
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”>.<br
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”>
MUNI-HEALTH: The
Globe’s Kathy McCabe examines how the GIC has worked for the town of
Saugus: <a style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"
href=”http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2011/03/20/a_brake_on_costs_but_hardly_a_panacea/”>A
brake on costs, but hardly a panacea – The Boston Globe<br
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”>
GET READY FOR
THE NUMBERS: Census data <a
style=”font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;”
href=”http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20110322mass_redistricting_panel_to_get_key_census_data/srvc=news%26position=also”>is
due today.
MASSterList.com has ALL of today’s
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href=”http://458abase.com/signup.htm”>Sign up to get them delivered to
your inbox EVERY weekday.
hoyapaul says
BMG usually has regular open threads as it is, and a regular feature like this would be a good opportunity to get and discuss the day’s news in an open-thread sort of way.
<
p>By the way, the Setti Warren flub was humorous, but my question: why do people in the media ask gotcha trivia questions like “who was assassinated along with Harvey Milk” in the first place?
<
p>Also, humorous, from the Globe story:
<
p>
stomv says
I don’t like the question either, but Mr. Warren [and other politicos] ought simply pushaw it away and request that the reporter ask questions which are important to modern day Americans, not questions suitable for Jeopardy!.
jimc says
david says
This is what always happens when a national outfit with no local insights jumps in.
<
p>
<
p>Yeah … emphasis on the “somewhat.” Frankly, when Brown announced, nobody outside his district (and probably not all that many people inside it) had any clue who he was, except that they might have known about his Cosmo spread. He won because (among other things) he ran an excellent campaign, not because he entered the race as any sort of known quantity. I mean, “extensive tenure in town government”? Please.
<
p>
<
p>LOL We have a registration advantage, but it sure isn’t 8-1. If memory serves, it’s about 3-1, with slightly over 50% unenrolled.
eaboclipper says
In Newton it just may be…
peter-porcupine says
Selectman, Rep and Senator is still a longer resume than Warren.
<
p>As far as being known outside the district, Scott sort of ‘ran’ for Lt Gov. but Healey chose Hillman. He had attended the various local groups and kissed the many requisite rings, but when Hillman was the candidate, he did a smart thing – he didn’t vanish like so many others that court party regulars. He STILL came to the pancake breakfasts and candidate forums, often as a speaker at campaign kickoffs. He earned a huge bank of favors and good will, and he was able to call upon it quickly when the special election came up.
<
p>So he actually WAS quite well-known outside his district – just not in your circles.
eaboclipper says
would go to a letter opening in Williamstown if asked by a local RTC years before he ran for the Senate. He was gearing up to take on Martha for AG before the Senate opportunity arose.
david says
that active Republicans – the RTC crowd, those who attend the conventions, etc. – knew who Brown was. But I’m talking about normal people. đŸ˜‰
eaboclipper says
Tell me any “normal person” outside of Berkshire County who knows who John Olver is.
<
p>Or any “normal person” outside of Suffolk and lower middlesex counties who knows who Mike Capuano is.
christopher says
I’d expect more people to know a member of Congress not their own than a state Senator not their own, especially in the case of Capuano who ran for Senate last time.
eaboclipper says
had a man on the street ask who our two US Senators are and someone answered “Mayor Menino”. Average people just don’t care about politics. We are all decidedly NOT AVERAGE in that regard.
christopher says
Cue the tangent I could go off on about needing civics education, or my half-serious wishes that voters should have to pass a citizenship test or be able to name the incumbent in any office for which they want to vote. IMO, unless you’re brand new to the area, there’s no excuse not to know the names of your elected officials. Not everyone has to be as involved as many on BMG are, but for representative democracy to work, voters have to have a basic knowledge of the players.
jimc says
Oh wait …
tyler-oday says
jconway says
A year and a half as Mayor of Newton really prepares you for a run for Senate? What’s next the Mayor of Wasilia Alaska running for Vice President? Please
stomv says
Newton is about 20 times bigger than Wasilla was when Palin was mayor, and US Senate is 1/x as important as Vice President, where x > 1.
david says
Seriously, you seem to think that nobody other than Tim Murray, or maybe Mike Capuano, is fit to be a U.S. Senator. Get over it. Tim’s not running, and Mike got smoked by Martha Coakley. Plus, frankly, the Senate is full of people with less “experience” than Setti Warren – who, in addition to being Mayor of Newton, was the New England Director of FEMA and a White House staffer in the Clinton administration, and also was deputy state director for Senator Kerry. Plus, he’s an Iraq war vet. The late Paul Wellstone, a great Senator, was a college professor before being elected – no prior elected office at all. Did that “prepare him” for a run for Senate?
patricklong says
Somehow as a Senate staffer he didn’t learn that Dianne Feinstein is still alive. He could have 20 years as a Congressman and I’d still say he’s not ready. Clearly he hasn’t learned much from the experience he’s had.
<
p>He’s an empty suit.