Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

  • Shop
  • Subscribe to BMG
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Front Page
  • All Posts
  • About
  • Rules
  • Events
  • Register on BMG

Front Page Posts

A valedictory

December 5, 2022 By the-editors

UPDATE: A slight reprieve. The new date for shutdown will be 12/31/22.

Plans are afoot for the site to be thoroughly crawled and archived. It won’t just disappear. The site will stay up, at least for a while, but for the purpose of archiving, commenting and posting will be disabled on 12/31/22.


Hello friends —

Last call.

Sadly, for those who are remaining on this site, I am taking the site down on December 6, 2022. That is the day that the LLC that gives me some legal protections is dissolved by the Secretary of State; the cost of keeping the LLC ($525/year) for a mostly-moribund site is prohibitive for me right now. It’s a shame that the archive of content will come down; it’s an illuminating history of an era. But such is the way of things; most state-level political blogs of our vintage have vanished. I’ll keep a copy of the archive, of course.

I hope that our readers and participants have long since found satisfactory outlets for their political thoughts and activities. It seems that what constitutes “political activity” will be radically re-shaped in the next 24 months, in any event. All best of luck and good courage to all.

Merrick Garland nails the coffin of the rule of law

November 18, 2022 By SomervilleTom

Merrick Garland announced today that he is appointing a “Special Counsel”.

He’s decided to run out the clock rather than fight to save the rule of law. Two years after widespread evidence of a long list of crimes, Mr. Garland chooses to do nothing.

The rule of law in America is dead.

 

Election Day Open Thread

November 8, 2022 By SomervilleTom

For perhaps the last time, here is the traditional election day open thread.

I invite you to share whatever you like about your vote and polling place.

I’m particularly interested in our collective response to the ballot questions.

 

Primary Day is Upon Us!

September 5, 2022 By Christopher

It wouldn’t be BMG without a primary day open thread so I figured I would start.  One of my favorite political websites has taken a nothing-to-see-here attitude, but there are other contested races.  For the statewide races my votes were for Chang-Diaz, Gouveia, Galvin, Palfrey, and DiZoglio.  I’m also supporting Tara Hong’s primary challenge to my State Representative and helping my friend Eunice Zeigler in her race to succeed Diana DiZoglio in the Senate.  I invite others to weigh in with their preferences, predictions, and observations.

Eric Lesser for Lieutenant Governor

August 28, 2022 By Mark L. Bail

I support candidates first based on what they do or will do.

Who they are comes after.

What Eric has accomplished as state senator is nothing short of amazing. You can look up his record on Wikipedia or his website. Those sources, however, can’t tell you what kind of person Eric is.

I think I can.

Eric was literally a kid when I first met him. He was a high school debater for Longmeadow when I was president of the high school debate league. My East Longmeadow team shared a bus with them. I got to know him talking about school and politics on the bus.

One day, I was reviewing judges’ ballots when Eric and his debate partner Amos came to see me in the judges’ room. Debate judges varied in quality. Some actually understood the stock issues of debate. Others qualified because they had a pulse. Eric and Amos had one of the pulse judges and were handed a loss to a team that had no idea what it was doing.

As a senior, Eric Lesser and his partner won the Connecticut Valley Debate League championship. (Left to Right, Amos Shemesh, Mark Bail, and Eric Lesser)

They told me the story. I looked at the ballot. I knew it was a bad beat. What I still remember was Eric’s gratefulness. They had reason to be angry. Other kids would have lost it. I remember the parent of one irate debater threatening to tell Dan York, a local talk show host, about the unfairness of a debate lost. Eric was thankful that I looked at their ballot, confirmed that they were right, and had been unjustly dealt a loss. Eric excelled at debate, but even then, he stuck out for his appreciation of the situation.

I followed Eric’s post-high school career in the Springfield Republican. He famously joined the Obama campaign, managed the luggage for a dozen people on dozens of airplane flights. (He never lost a bag). He graduated from the campaign to the White House and worked for the President’s advisor David Axelrod and on the Council of Economic Advisors. Read More…

Progressive Mass Shouldn’t Back Stupid Primaries

August 12, 2022 By jconway

Our own Tommy Vitolo (stomv) was a long time climate activist, systems engineer, and wonk blogger right here at BMG before he got into the state house. Since that time he has accumulated a lot of legislative accomplishments on housing, climate, and LGBT issues by working with House leadership and his more moderate colleagues to get things done. This seems to me to be the mark of a reality based approach to progressive lawmaking.

That record of pragmatic progressivism has apparently invited a primary challenge to his left from Raul Fernandez who, like Tommy, is a Brookline selectman and fellow policy wonk (in this case education policy at my graduate alma mater BU Wheelock). This is the rare primary where I happen to know and like both candidates on a personal level, so by no means is this post a dig against Fernandez. I just question the wisdom, timing, and target of his primary challenge.

To Raul’s credit his critique is mostly substantive and wonky hitting Tommy for specific votes around improving transparency on Beacon Hill. I’ve long been on the record here bemoaning our lax rate of permanent incumbency and uncompetitive elections for the legislature. I’ve even been critical of Tommy for votes I disagreed with him on including voting for DeLeo’s last re-election, yet these are not the disqualifying votes begging for a  primary challenger Raul makes them out to be. Particularly one as well financed and staffed as Raul’s.

Tommy does not have a 100% rating from Progressive Mass, which is apparently the main reason the organization is backing this primary which has attracted a lot of outside funding and campaign energy that could be better spent on the Fair Share amendment, protecting undocumented immigrants, and electing a Democrat to the Corner Office. There are also critical elections for Suffolk DA, Auditor, Attorney General, and Lieutenant Governor. Not to mention critical competitive congressional elections in NH, CT, and RI. Any of these efforts would be a better use of time.

At a time when outright anti-democracy candidates are on the ballot in neighboring states and avowed election deniers will win the Republican nominations for constitutional offices in our own state, I question the wisdom of targeting a reliable progressive just because he voted for Ron Mariano. Using that logic previous PM endorsed candidates like Mike Connolly should also be challenged by the organization.

If anything this primary gives truth to the reality that too many progressives cluster in the blue bubbles even within our own state. My own state representative in purple Wakefield is a relatively conservative Republican who is not even getting opposed. His office has yet to get back to me with his abortion stance, although I know from digging he voted against the Roe Act multiple times. I have no idea if PM has even bothered trying to create chapters in districts that routinely send conservative Democrats or Republicans to the statehouse, but this seems like an effort where we are eating one of our own. No offense to PM organizers who are doing important work I largely no longer have time to do, and no offense to Raul Fernandez who is a dedicated educator and activist who should be in the statehouse, but this primary seems really dumb.

More Posts from this Category

Ways and Means Chair Stepping Down

July 13, 2017 By JimC

Commonwealth Magazine, via email. Dempsey's decision to leave the House indicates he was tired of waiting around for DeLeo to retire so he could move up. Several sources said they believe DeLeo, who pushed through the elimination of an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editor, User

GOP hypocrisy and cowardice — the whole world is watching

July 12, 2017 By SomervilleTom

NY Daily News front page GOP hypocrites impeached president Bill Clinton in December of 1998, charging "perjury" and "obstruction of justice": ARTICLE 1: On August 17, 1998, William Jefferson Clinton swore to tell the truth, the whole … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editor, User

Paying the defenders of the vulnerable

July 11, 2017 By Charley on the MTA

Speaking of a statement of values -- it looks like the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Independent lawyers who represent the indigent -- like AmberPaw -- had been getting stiffed by the state, waiting to be paid for months. She posted here … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editor

Time for Democrats to Play Offense

July 11, 2017 By johntmay

Sure, Trump is a bad man, a very bad man.  Yeah, women's rights!  Gay Rights!  Black Lives Matter!   How's that working out for us?   How about actually attacking the Republicans, taking control of the lexicon, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User

A budget is a statement of values

July 11, 2017 By Jamie Eldridge

Last week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives and State Senate passed a final $40.202 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2018. I voted for the budget because it increased funding for K-12 public education, affordable housing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editor, User

Junior is in deep doo – doo

July 11, 2017 By fredrichlariccia

Donald Trump Jr.  just released his emails that prove he colluded with Russian agents by corrupting our democracy to get 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton back in June 2016. This only confirms what I, and others, have been arguing here for more … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User

Charlie Baker just appointed an NRA leader to run a state agency

July 10, 2017 By Setti Warren

Last year, the Massachusetts NRA accused me of signing on to a "campaign of intimidation, confusion and fear." The pro-gun group was talking about a letter I signed with 18 other mayors in support of Attorney General Maura Healey's work … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editor, User

JALSA Leadership Transition Indicates Next Chapter in Jewish Social Justice Advocacy

July 10, 2017 By JALSA

BOSTON, July 10, 2017- Sheila Decter, Founder and Executive Director of the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), and a tireless advocate for social and economic justice, civil rights and constitutional liberties in a career … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: bmg, boston, immigration, law-and-lawyers, ma, ma-gov, ma-sen, massachusetts

State’s system of paying guardians and attorneys for the developmentally disabled appears secretive and poorly overseen

July 10, 2017 By dave-from-hvad

(Cross-posted from The COFAR Blogsite) State payments to attorneys and corporate providers to serve as guardians of developmentally disabled clients are rising rapidly, yet the payment system appears to be secretive and subject to spotty … [Read more...]

Filed Under: User Tagged With: developmental-disabilities, guardianship

Fear of the “T” word

July 10, 2017 By Charley on the MTA

We now have a smoking gun on the Trump campaign's collusion with Russia. Don Jr. admitted to being interested in oppo research from a Russian lawyer. A person with an ounce of integrity or smarts would have never agreed to any such meeting. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editor

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 248
  • 249
  • 250
  • 251
  • 252
  • …
  • 3419
  • Next Page »

Recommended Posts

  • No posts liked yet.

Recent User Posts

Predictions Open Thread

December 22, 2022 By jconway

This is why I love Joe Biden

December 21, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Garland’s Word

December 19, 2022 By terrymcginty

Some Parting Thoughts

December 19, 2022 By jconway

Beware the latest grift

December 16, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Thank you, Blue Mass Group!

December 15, 2022 By methuenprogressive

Recent Comments

  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftSo where to, then??
  • Christopher on Some Parting ThoughtsI've enjoyed our discussions as well (but we have yet to…
  • Christopher on Beware the latest griftI can't imagine anyone of our ilk not already on Twitter…
  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftI will miss this site. Where are people going? Twitter?…
  • chrismatth on A valedictoryI joined BMG late - 13 years ago next month and three da…
  • SomervilleTom on Geopolitics of FusionEVERY un-designed, un-built, and un-tested technology is…
  • Charley on the MTA on A valedictoryThat’s a great idea, and I’ll be there on Sunday. It’s a…

Archive

@bluemassgroup on Twitter

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

From our sponsors




Google Calendar







Search

Archives

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter




Copyright © 2025 Owned and operated by BMG Media Empire LLC. Read the terms of use. Some rights reserved.