Wow! I couldn’t believe what I was reading in the Globe today. Before I get to it let me point out a sidelight I gleaned from it.
Say what you want about Marty Walsh but he knows how to surround himself with talent. One reason is say this is I suspect Walsh consultant Michael Goldman was the force behind this story.
Front page below the fold today the Globe outlined a negative push-poll against Marty Walsh conducted the past few days. The story then followed to the money and it lead back to the Connolly campaign.
Okay, what a jerk. But let’s sprinkle on some smarm, shall we?
Get a load of this:
Connolly would not comment Thursday on whether his campaign had anything to do with the calls. The telephone number that one recipient said appeared on his phone corresponds to a number for Braun Research of Princeton, N.J., a market research firm. The Better Business Bureau lists BR Interviewing as an alternate name for Braun Research. Connolly’s campaign finance documents show Braun was paid more than $18,000 in July for polling as a subcontractor for Connolly’s campaign.
Braun Research officials did not respond to messages left Thursday.
While refusing comment on the matter Thursday, Connolly instead told the Globe: “We are not running a negative campaign. We are not going to run a negative campaign. And I will never run a negative campaign.”
Asked if his team could categorically deny involvement with the calls, Connolly replied: “I don’t know anything about the particular phone call you’re talking about.”
See what he did there? he didn’t deny he’s behind it. he simply denied knowing anything about “the particular call”.
How Clitonesque of him. Then the Globe regurgitated some more Connolly smarm. (yeah, I know it’s not a word, but it is now) and wrote
Despite his repeated insistence that he does not favor negative campaigning, Connolly has engaged in negative attacks in the past. While seeking a seat on the City Council in 2007, his campaign sent two rounds of fliers attacking Stephen J. Murphy. Both candidates were running for at-large seats; Murphy had beaten him in the race two years earlier.
The fliers did not indicate who had sent them. But Connolly later admitted to being behind them, prompting Murphy to call him “a documented sneak and a liar.” Both won at-large seats, and Murphy is now the body’s president.
Johnny Fraud Connolly v. Marty Open Book Walsh. Connolly thinks we are all stupid. I don’t think Walsh knows how to lie. What you see is what you get. I think. I could be wrong.
This former teacher phony baloney finds it too easy to deceive.
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Connolly supporters are the same people who could not understand how some people in inner city New Orleans couldn’t evacuate for Hurricane Katrina.
Walsh supporters have walked through Maverick Square or Codman Square or Andrew Square and know if the same thing happened here some of the people God put on this earth need help because they’re incapable of figuring out what to do.
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So this Maura Healy Martha Coakley groupie is running for Attorney General. Here is her BMG announcement along with condescending non-answer answers in the comment section.
And Hank Naughton is running on his JAG and state house record.
I don’t know who else.
One issue. If you win will you release the state police reports on the Todoshev killing?
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Speaking of Todoshev it’s appearing more and more like the marathon bombing was the result of an FBI screw-up somewhere. And now a typical FBI cover-up.
Hey folks, who were the first people to tell the King of England to go to hell and then did something about it? Bostonians, that’s who.
And who were the first people to take on the Catholic Church and tell them to quit diddling our kids? Bostonians, that’s who.
And who were the first people to ignore traffic signs and make their own road rules? Bostonians, that’s who.
So who should be the first people not sit back while the FBI talks to us like we are imbeciles? Bostonians, that’s who.
Now get out there and show me you have what it takes.
Boston Strong is just a catch phrase now. Very pink hattish.
BOSTON WRONGED!
hlpeary says
EB3 says: “Johnny Fraud Connolly v. Marty Open Book Walsh. Connolly thinks we are all stupid. I don’t think Walsh knows how to lie. What you see is what you get. I think. I could be wrong.”
This mayoral race in Boston seems to have EB3’s bowels in such an uproar that he has abandoned his usual astute assessment of candidates in favor of Carr-esque nicknaming. Problem is, neither nickname in these cases is truly accurate. Neither candidate corners the market on being a “fraud” or an “open book”… Both can qualify for either moniker given the particular issue because they are human, because they have learned the essential political skill: how to stretch the truth, omit the truth, and hide the truth when it serves their purposes. I know them both and like them both…either one will be a good mayor. No need to demonize or canonize them.
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
and Connolly came in a fraud. That’s been my thing. He wants voters to think he was a professional teacher while in fact he’s a corporate lawyer.
Nothing wrong with either but he is deceptive which makes him a fraud.
I’ve been calling out frauds with Carr-esque nicknames since I started posted here almost ten years ago. Kevin “The Malden Kid” Cullen, George “half-man” Regan.
How about the Sox Owners and Martha Coakley and Suzanne Bump and Eric Ferhnstram and Dan Rea and….
HL obviously you are a Connolly supporter. I’m sorry. He has a record of smarminess. The last thing we want in a big city mayor.
“Johnny Fraud Connolly”. It fits, just like “half-man” fits for Regan.
hlpeary says
EB3, I have no horse in this race and do not vote in Boston…actually couldn’t care less who wins…but, am weary of the mud wrestling that substitutes for debate. I don’t canonize or demonize candidates I support or oppose. No one is perfect…that includes both Connolly and Walsh. Connolly’s resume should include that he was a teacher for a specific time, a lawyer for a specific time and a City Councillor for a specific time. Walsh’s resume should include that he was Director of the Building Trades Unions for a specific time and a State Rep. for a specific time. ( I am not interested in who hawked peanuts at Fenway, or who was raised by an Irish washwoman) But, if I were living in Charlestown or Roxbury, I would be more interested in what they plan to do as mayor. All this negative campaigning, name-calling politics does little to enlighten anyone about that…when all of the outsiders (who are flooding the city with money and “supporters” to influence this race) take down the tents and move the circus to another town, the people of Boston will be stuck with the results…they deserve a better campaign.
pogo says
…”frauds is my thing”
HR's Kevin says
it is not like Marty Walsh has been especially upfront about the fact that he was drawing a very large salary as a union leader at the same time he was serving in the Legislature. If you go to Connolly’s site and read his bio, it is very clear that he was only a very junior teacher for a couple of years. If you go to Walsh’s site, you won’t see anything that clarifies his dual roles.
So if you are going to use that strong “fraud” language, I would say you could just as well direct that to Walsh as well. However, let’s not. Maybe we can just talk about issues without resorting to childish name calling.
I am not especially happy with either candidate, but I am going to vote for one or the other, and if anything is going to push me over to Connolly side for good, it will be the continued obnoxiousness of Walsh’s supporters on this site.
ryepower12 says
has been hushed hushed? Seriously?
Maybe the source of the “obnoxiousness” can be found in your posts like this. Completely divorced from reality. I would have to be Mother Theresa to not want to be banging my head on the wall now, or respond without any snark.
Support him or not, few people have ever had so transparent a record and campaign as Marty. When it comes to transparency, the two candidates aren’t even on the same planet.
HR's Kevin says
The Walsh supporters are endlessly whining about Connolly “hiding” the fact that he was not a professional teacher, when I think it was pretty clear from the start. He was never hiding anything, as far as I can tell. Of course, I could care less how long he was a teacher in his 20s.
“Hushed” is 100% your words. I said absolutely no such thing. You are putting words in my mouth there. Nor did I really accuse Walsh of “fraud”. I just consider his behavior not much different from Connolly. So if you are going to through around such extreme rhetoric, it would only be fair to apply it to Walsh as well. Personally, I would apply it to neither man.
I also have to say that Walsh really has avoided answering any questions about his dual role as union leader/legislator. In the last debate I saw, when the issue came up, Walsh pretty much clammed up on the issue.
As I said, their websites tell a story. Connolly’s bio is much, much more clear than Walsh’s. I know that is just one data point, but there is no denying it.
And once again, let me say that I am not really a shill for Connolly. I am not really happy with either candidate. I am very much against the casino, and both candidates appear to be in favor of it and are also too cowardly to actually say so when asked directly. Neither candidate has much clue about what the start-up and technology communities need from the cities (bars staying open later, really?). There are still things I like about each man, but I am not enthusiastic about either.
demeter11 says
Connolly’s campaign site doesn’t not mention Ropes & Gray, Hannify & King or Schofield, Campbell & Connolly, the three law firms he has worked at, or been a partner at, since 2001. When anyone asks him directly about being an attorney he has only mentioned pro-bono clients until last week when he said he helped small businesses create jobs. Yet that firms list of clients is packed with developers.
He sent nasty mailers out during the 2007 campaign, denied it, then admitted it. Now he’s doing nasty push-polling and trying to squirm out of any responsibility.
In my book, that’s obnoxiousness.
HR's Kevin says
While it is clear that this is message testing polling, as I said above, it pretty much has the same effect as a push poll. The difference is that only 500 people actually got the message.
The anti-Connolly mailers, on the other hand, were sent much, much more widely.
So shame on Connolly for letting his polling firm do this poll. But shame even more on the unions for sending out the attack mailers.
fenway49 says
Some people seem to think the only thing that matters is whether the campaign paid for things themselves or it was an outside group. This suggests that the issue is how many people something reaches. In my book even a million mailers saying, “John Connolly’s from a privileged background don’t trump entirely disingenuous allegations of racism and homophobia.
HR's Kevin says
I don’t know about “allegations of racism and homophobia”, but in any case, I didn’t get such a call or see any ad or mailer that suggested any such thing.
As I said, I don’t like either tactic from either candidate or their polling firms or supporters. Arguments about who is deeper in the mud aren’t likely to make me feel happier about either candidate.