One of the oldest, and lamest campaign gimmicks is to find some provision of a large, comprehensive omnibus bill; and hold it against a legislator as if that were their own preference. As is happening right now in the Massachusetts House, amendments get added or dropped; but at the end of the day, you vote for the whole bill.
In case you haven’t seen, Joe and his pals are bashing Ed Markey for one such provision, which kept a certain number of immigration detention beds (instead of decreasing). It was in a DHS omnibus bill in 2013. (Markey was one of only 25 Democrats to vote for it, which, to be fair, is not his usual pattern.)
Final Vote Results for Roll Call 211
But — that’s an oopsie for Joe. He voted for an identical provision in 2014, as did most Democrats. What changed?
Final Vote Results for Roll Call 21
This is why they call campaigns the “silly season”: A candidate will try to take what little daylight exists between them, and pry it into a scandalous gap. (I’ve talked at length about the difference between Markey and Kennedy on climate, and I stand behind that.) Here, in the full context … not much to see.
Why does this come out just now? Does the Kennedy campaign have internal polling that shows their grip slipping away? Are they surprised that people actively like and prefer Ed Markey? That it’s awfully late to come up with a real campaign theme, a reason-for-being?
The more important point here: Ed Markey has a consistent, strong, and passionate pro-immigrant record. Howie Carr readers will be grievously disappointed if they think Ed is with them. Even if you really hate this vote, it’s one vote on one provision on one bill; compared to a lifetime of action. For example, I’d point to Ed’s early advocacy on behalf of Syrian refugees, even when it wasn’t popular; even when Charlie Baker and Marty Walsh were exhibiting cowardice before bigotry and xenophobia. This was followed up in 2019 with legislation to provide a refugee resettlement floor.
Senator Markey, and Reps. Lofgren and Neguse Introduce Legislation to Welcome Refugees to the U.S.
Ed’s campaign is smart and on top of things, and they’ve got a full context of Ed’s relentlessly pro-immigration career. From the press release:
ED MARKEY’S IMMIGRATION RECORD:
In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Ed Markey was the first Senator to call on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to immediately halt needless deportations and release from detention all immigrants who pose no public safety threat, and introduced the Immigration Enforcement Moratorium Act to halt the Trump administration’s harmful immigration enforcement activities.
Ed Markey is also a co-sponsor of Senator Cory Booker’s Federal Immigrant Release for Safety and Security Together Act (FIRST Act), which would release from immigration detention people who are particularly vulnerable to experiencing health complications if they acquire COVID-19.
In an effort to dismantle our immigration detention machinery, in June 2019, Ed Markey joined Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in introducing The Alternatives to Detention Act of 2019. This legislation would create a presumption in favor of the use of alternatives to detention for asylum seekers, migrant children and families, and other vulnerable groups. It would also require the Department of Homeland Security to establish alternatives to detention programs, including community-based supervision and community support, so that immigrants can remain in their communities as they await the outcome of their immigration cases.
Ed Markey is a cosponsor of Senator Cory Booker’s Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which prevents the detention of a primary caregiver, ends the use of private prisons and country jails for immigration detention, and ensures all immigrants receive individualized and fair bond hearings.
Ed Markey is a cosponsor of Senator Kamala Harris’ REUNITE Act, legislation that would ensure that families are not incarcerated in indefinite detention by requiring the Secretary to use more cost effective and humane alternatives to detention.
Ed Markey introduced the New Deal for New Americans Act, legislation that promotes immigrant and refugee inclusion, as well as coordinates the efforts of federal, state, and local governments to support the social, economic, and civic integration of immigrants and refugees.
Honestly the quibbling from both sides over policy minutiae is the most frustrating part of this race. Kennedy should have had the courage to say why he would be a better Senator than Markey and lay out an affirmative case for his candidacy. Since he has failed to do this, I will stick with the incumbent who has clarified what he has done, but more importantly what he will do.
Can Kennedy’s star power and ability to attract media attention outweigh Markey’s seniority and ability to advance legislation? Especially if there is a Democratic majority? His campaign should focus on this issue, and I do think there’s a good argument they could make in that direction but have chosen not to.
Instead it’s a whack a mole effort. Markey a closet conservative on choice, foreign policy, and now immigration but meanwhile the GND-which I also support-is unrealistic and a pipe dream. No consistency here. It’s a campaign about nothing.
I think of it as a campaign about mobilizing activists versus mobilizing a fan base.
It seems like a campaign about wasting activists’ time more than anything to me.
It’s certainly mobilized climate activists, even if its for a defensive campaign, it gives them practice for future primaries. Leland Cheungs unsuccessful primary against Pat Jehlen from the right definitely provided coattails to Mike Connollys successful challenge to Tim Toomey from the left. I am hoping Markey’s coattails can similarly help my similarly Sunrise endorsed friend Joe Gravellese in his race for state rep in his Chelsea, Revere, Saugus district. The former two towns saw a lot of Markey and Kennedy during this crisis.
Not a big fan of Kennedy but your constant one-sidedness regarding these two creatures of the swamp, is unbecoming of the intellectual honesty I always felt was behind your commentary. As you know, there are several “weathervane” positions that Markey takes to makes me more inclined to support Kennedy. None is more profound to me than turning his back on his “people’s pledge” not to take PAC money against Scott Brown, but welcomes it in this race. Simple political calculations drove this decision making as does pretty much everything else Ed does. For example, you are either equally cynical or got just plan duped, in admiring Ed’s embrace of AOC and the “Green New Deal”. Ignoring the fact he had more than 40 years in DC to proposed such an aspirational plan, but seems to only get around to it when it became clear that Ed was out of step with emerging leaders in the party. So go ahead and continue sinking the sweat equity you put into making BMG an interesting place to visit and continue your huckstering for Markey.
In other words “I disagree with you” — cloaked in the language of a concern troll: “Sinking the sweat equity you put into making BMG an interesting place to visit”.
Charley continually writes one-sided apologist stuff, I everyone in a while respond.
BMG has always been a blog of progressive Democrats. Charley is an editor of BMG. Of course he writes “one-sided apologist stuff”.
I much prefer that to the two-faced nonsense that is so easy to find among some “Democrats”.
Markey has always led on environmental issues, and count me among those who wish every elected official could be like either him or Kennedy. I love races where we can choose between the better of the good rather than the lesser of the evils. I don’t understand the need for this particular primary nor like that they’ve started to snipe at each other, but they both make me proud to be a Massachusetts Democrat.
You have Markey’s history on climate change completely backwards.
That is all.
Actually, that’s not all. Here’s Ed’s speech to the Democratic National Convention in 1980, talking about the possibilities of solar energy; the dangers of the fossil fuel industry; and how nuclear power is an un-economic boondoggle. “Only got around to it” 40 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upoHftwn7T8
I know this isn’t going to “persuade” you, pogo, because we’ve been around the block on this, and for some reason you’re inalterably opposed to Markey. But maybe other folks will find this informative. He doesn’t get everything right — he’s not clairvoyant — but it would have been nice if there were more smart folks like Ed Markey all this time.
A nice précis from Environment Massachusetts on Markey’s decades-long record:
What has Ed Markey done to earn such praise?
Providing vision and foresight
Champion of safe and renewable energy since the 1970s. In 1980, Ed Markey risked his political career by helping to lead the successful effort, over the objection of President Carter, to commit the Democratic Party to support solar and wind power and oppose new nuclear power plants until they could be made safe.
Early warnings on climate change. In 1990, Ed Markey supported the Global Change Research Program Act of 1990, which required the preparation of a “National Assessment of the Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.”
Chaired first Congressional committee focused on global warming:Starting in 2007, Ed Markey convened the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which held more than 50 hearings that contributed to the advancement of smarter energy and climate policies.
Developing innovative policies
The Green New Deal: In 2019, Ed Markey worked with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to draft the ground-breaking, comprehensive proposal to tackle climate change.
Hazardous waste cleanup: Driven by the tragic hazardous waste leaks in Woburn, Ed Markey helped write and pass the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, which aims to clean up thousands of toxic dumps throughout the country.
Pushing the energy policy envelope. The Waxman-Markey bill of 2009 introduced to the national stage many of today’s widely-praised energy policies, including a renewable energy standard, emission cuts, investments in energy technology, restrictions on coal-fired power plants, energy efficiency standards, job retraining, and requirements for energy-smart cars and power grids.
Winning effective legislation
Fuel efficiency standards: Ed Markey led the bipartisan effort that passed the best federal anti-climate pollution policy we have on the books today: the 2007 fuel economy law that would effectively double miles per gallon in cars and light trucks.
Appliance efficiency standards: Ed Markey was the co-author of the Appliance Efficiency Act of 1987, signed by President Reagan, which has eliminated the need for hundreds of coal-fired power plants.
Funding for Renewable Energy and Efficiency programs: Ed Markey has been a leading advocate for federal funding of clean energy research and development, which has helped spark massive reductions in the cost for solar, wind, and energy efficiency technologies.
Pushing regulators to do the right thing
BP oil spill: Ed Markey’s investigation of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico forced the company to reveal the true size of the spill’s flow rate, which helped guide cleanup efforts and led to the Department of Justice filing charges against BP. The company pled guilty to Obstruction of Congress for making false and misleading statements and withholding information and documents.
Nuclear power safety: Ed Markey’s strong oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has led to many safety improvements in the country’s nuclear power plants and the closure of those which couldn’t meet those standards, including the Yankee Rowe and Pilgrim plants in Massachusetts.
Toxic chemicals in schools: Ed Markey’s 2016 report on widespread presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of man-made chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems, in school buildings across the country put pressure on the EPA to develop new methods for reducing emissions.
I half uprate this since I think the attack on Markey from the left is fair, I also think that there is no candidate in this race making that attack. Kennedy had an opportunity and choose to attack Markey from the center instead. It could be a politically viable strategy, since Biden and Baker show moderates win statewide here more often than progressives, but it was definitely a missed opportunity to run the campaign us Markey skeptics wanted. Better to stick with the incumbent who’s now committed to working with AOC on a GND in an increasingly likely Democratic Senate.
Hopefully after we pass ranked choice voting, candidates like Steve Pemberton and Shannon Liss-Riordan can get a fairer shake.
Just saw the debate between the two, and while the candidates I think did their best the format was horrible. They couldn’t clear their throats before time was called. Also, both whiffed on whether Baker should be re-elected.
Agree with all of that. How hard is it to say “I’ll support the nominee of the party” in a Democratic primary?
That’s my overall point–I just assign more responsibility to Markey–the political class in the US is, for the most part, feckless and cowardly. You could see the wheels turning in both heads, doing the political calculus. Sorry for my cynicism, but that was very symbolic of what is wrong with our politics and I no longer have patience for it.
I can’t find it now, but earlier today I ran across an article indicating Baker’s approval numbers were higher among Dems than among Republicans. Not sure why the question was asked anyway as it’s hardly relevant to the Senate race.
There’s been recent talk he could be in the Biden cabinet or run as a post-Trump Republican candidate for president or the Senate. I have a sneaking suspicion he’ll waltz to a third term and cash in to some think tank when it’s done, but we’ll see. In 2016 I had access to internal polling showing him winning a Senate race against either Warren or Markey, but obviously neither campaign materialized.
His Massachusetts Majority PAC giving money to Democrats is interesting and could indicate that he would either go independent or switch parties if the MAGOP continues to oppose him. It’ll be fascinating to see how many Democratic critics begin praising him when the letter next to his name changes.