Candidate for US Senate from MA Jim King is not in the slightest discouraged. Today on Left Ahead, he told us that he’s in for the state Democratic Party convention in June, and will have the signatures and delegates to get on the primary ballot three month later.
He makes it plain he thinks his platform is the best in the field and the one to beat incumbent Sen. Scott Brown come November. He told us plainly why he was in the race. “Number one is to beat Scott Brown,” he said. He believes the incumbent’s victory in the special election following Sen. Ted Kennedy’s death was an anomaly. He feels Kennedy “gave us a tremendous legacy,” one Brown has not done well by. He added that this position may not be Kennedy’s seat, “but he showed us how to use it.”
King does not accept being an afterthought candidate in the race for the Dem nomination to challenge US Sen. Scott Brown this fall. He figures, he’ll have enough money to compete, and he’ll get the 10,000 signatures and 15% of party delegates for the June convention. He intends to get on the September ballot, at the very least.
He takes strong positions, which he tends to back up with detailed historical and economic reasoning. Some, like energy independence and employment, he has particular passions for as well.
Click below to listen to King’s positions including:
- Jobs — we need WPA/TVA-style public works projects as well as developing and expanding high-tech here
- Casinos — no economic panacea
- Corporate taxes — eliminate outdated subsidies like petroleum depletion and exploration credits, and make U.S. companies pay taxes on foreign holdings
- Immigration — For non-violent/non-drug crime illegal immigrants, have them pay fines, make them follow the path to citizenship, and forget expensive, counterproductive long jail terms or deportation, all the while working to keep real criminals from becoming illegal immigrants here
- Regressive politics — Brown among other GOP legislators are too often atavistic in promoting states-rights positions on health-care and more. He sees Brown as among those wanting to take the nation back to the 1870 and calls for these positions to be exposed. He thinks voters will get it.
King also believes that there is enough money to fund important development, like tidal power plants and wind turbines, without tapping the military budget. He acknowledges that self-interested Congress members might prefer to send money to pet projects, but he says, “Then let’s have a fight about it.”
For the race to June, he does not believe that donated money will be the deciding factor. Brown and popular Dem Elizabeth Warren may have millions to his tens of thousands. He says that enough money will flow to those who advance to the primary after the convention.
Series note: Left Ahead had several Dem candidates for this seat on Left Ahead. Two still in the running are Elizabeth Warren (mid-October) and Marisa DeFranco (end of January). We figure to have DeFranco on again before June. We’d also like to refresh the Warren show. She’s told me face to face she’d love to do that, but her staff hasn’t responded. She also told me she holds no grudges for the elite hick mishigas.
didn’t even have anyone speaking on behalf of the candidate at the Framingham Democratic caucuses — Marisa DeFranco showed up — nor did he have a single delegate running. I’m not sure how you completely blow off the largest town in Massachusetts (and a heavily Democratic one at that) and say you’ve got a serious state-wide campaign.
I’m not involved with his campaign in any way and can’t speak to F’ham. However, I’ve been to numerous candidate forums and King’s been there. He and DeFranco seemed tireless in doing their day lawyering and getting to these debate-like-events.
Warren doesn’t seem to like these and prefers appearing where she is the only candidate speaking. She’s a powerful debater, seemingly the best in the field from either party, so it’s a bit odd.
Does she want voters to perceive she has only Scott Brown ahead, and to avoid legitimizing other Dems running? That could be a smart tactic, particularly if its effect it to limit how many if any get the 15% at the convention and go on the primary ballot.
Meanwhile, all three may only appear together once before the convention. I’m sure King will be there and likely had law-firm work keeping him from Framingham.
Agree with his positions or not, you should know he’s been at a devil of a lot of these events as well as his solo ones.
According to Masslive.com, King has dropped out of the race and endorsed Warren.
So, does that make our show a collector’s item?