Your humble editors are looking forward to sitting down with MA-Sen candidate Setti Warren tomorrow over lunch, and we’re wondering what you’d like to know. Drop your questions in the comments, and we’ll bring back as many answers as we can.
Also, here’s a general question about events like this: if we post audio of relevant parts of the conversation, would you listen? Or is a write-up better?
Please share widely!
JimC says
Or both if possible.
My main question(s) would be — What do you bring, how will you make government work, what are your priorities?
Christopher says
…but my vote would be a write-up that I could skim quickly.
I would ask Mayor Warren if he would be willing to fight customary Senate procedures, so that it stops being a body of minority rule.
AmberPaw says
Sometimes I think those who run for election, then walk away early in their terms because a juicier opportunity comes along should reimburse their towns and cities for the costs of the special election from their campaign accounts.
Trickle up says
Not just the generic stuff that is on his web page, which is fluff really. I want to know if he understands how urgent this problem is and that we can’t solve it and keep all the traditional players happy at the same time.
hlpeary says
1. Why did you run for Mayor of Newton if you weren’t prepared to commit to doing the job for the whole term?
2. Why do you think you are the most qualified to be the Democratic nominee considering that you have so little experience in any arena?
3. Why did you give the city contract for computer work to a company owned by your former campaign chair…when that company was rated #3 by the search/evaluation committee? (see story in today’s Globe on-line)?
Do, you think you owe Ruth Balser an apology?
Ryan says
A lengthy period as a staffer in Kerry’s office, which is pretty direct experience running for US Senate. Military experience, and it’s always nice to elect people who’ve actually been shipped overseas and (hopefully) may not be so eager to put our troops in danger. And a couple years of experience as a Mayor.
So little experience? I wouldn’t exactly sneeze at his record, he certainly has more experience than a great many others who’ve been elected to that chamber. He has a similar amount of relevant experience to our current Governor, when our current Governor was running for office. He probably has a similar amount of experience as Kerry, when Kerry first ran. Certainly more experience than Ted Kennedy, when Ted was first in the Senate — and I think we can all agree that things worked out well there, right?
Is it tons and tons of experience? No, but he’s a young guy, and voters care little about how much experience a candidate has, and more about what they want to do in office. We don’t know much about his plans yet — that’s what a campaign is for — but I certainly don’t think Warren’s past resume should disqualify him from any possible future attention for the position. He seems to fit in pretty squarely with any of the other candidates in terms of what experience they have to offer.
PS. People should remember that US Senators are elected for a long time, and if they win a reelection or two, are there for an entire generation and possibly several. There’s nothing wrong with electing someone to the Senate who has to “learn on the job,” if you think that person has the most potential. It’s probably better than just voting for the milquetoast candidate who you may think most ready, but not with a lot of potential. I’m pretty damn happy with our Governor, even if he’s had to “learn on the job” after some early gaffes.
I don’t know where Setti Warren fits in that dynamic, whether he has all the experience he needs, whether he’d have a learning curve, or even whether or not he is the milquetoast candidate, but whatever perceived lack of experience he’s been pegged with by many won’t be a contributing factor in whether or not I vote for him. That’s all up to Setti and his primary opponents and what they make of themselves in this race.
Mark L. Bail says
Who are you?
seascraper says
How much yearly income do you think it takes to be a middle class American.
Charley on the MTA says
Sorry folks. David might, but I’m not going to ask. Bigger fish to fry, my friends.
mski011 says
I don’t believe a successful candidate needs to have WMass ties. They do need to be sensitive to our concerns and address our problems appropriately. So, Mayor Warren, in your travels in WMass what have you learned about the 413, as we call it sometimes. How is different from Eastern Mass? How is it alike? How would address the problems we experience out here as opposed to the ones Eastern Mass beyond the problems we share with all Bay Staters (and Americans) e.g. unemployment, environment, etc.
stomv says
Which of the following are you willing to *work* for:
* Improving Acela DC-Bos by spending significant sums to straighten track, expand right of ways, improve catenary wires, or any other infrastructure changes which reduce minutes and increase reliability?
* Getting tUSA to fund some MBTA capital infrastructure projects, specifically ones which are required money losers such as handicapped upgrades, The Ride, and the Green Line extension.
* Investing in an Acela South — DC to Atlanta or somesuch. By expanding quality rail to states which are less likely to elect Dems, it might increase the total number of congresscritters who support rail in the first place
* Getting the Feds to expand the MBTA commuter rail to New Bedford and Fall River
* Fed money to build the North South Rail Link
I could go on and on… bottom line: which federal rail infrastructure projects will you bring to Massachusetts, the Northeast, or the East Coast?
JimC says
I don’t recall that point being made about Mike Capuano or Scott Brown, so I think it’s a little unfair to make that point to Setti Warren. Senate elections don’t come around often.
That said, people springing immediately toward the next office does get tiresome. But it worked out for Senator Brown, who hadn’t been a State Senator for very long.
jconway says
I’ll see what he has to offer before passing judgment, I’ve already asked the experience questions before when he was on here, they were unanswered; and unlike Charley, I do think his commitment to his local community does matter, especially his record there as well as the promise he made to that community to serve its needs for a full term. So far what I have seen does seem to mark him as the milquetoast candidate, he is running as Deval Patrick with military service, and I am not sure if that same old strategy of running new faces with vague promises is going to cut it again this year when so many are hurting, out of work, and so much in our country still appears, in spite of all the hope (and I say this genuinely) that Obama’s election brought, is in dysfunction. I want to see a candidate campaign on meat and not toast, so lets see if he is able to do that.