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Talking Politics - February, 2007


Wednesday, February 28, 2007


New in the Phoenix


In tomorrow's issue, I look at Mitt Romney in a tough spot on his road to the White House. He's been forced to work much harder than he anticipated to convince social conservatives that his ideological transformation is sincere -- and that's got him playing far away from his strengths as a candidate.

Also, I do a quick round-up of the right's dead-ender resistance to climate change, in the face of the IPCC report and Al Gore's Oscar. 

And, sorry for the slow posting the last few days -- how have you managed through the budget roll-out without my help? I'll try to make up for it....


2/28/2007 8:01:57 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  




Friday, February 23, 2007


The Patrick Friday-Afternoon News Drop


Seriously, do they just do it now to irk me? Today's buried-to-the-weekend special is an executive order clamping down on state contractors' use of undocumented immigrants. Oh, also, A&F chief Leslie Kirwan gave some reporters (I must have missed the call) an on-the-record briefing about the budget. Questions about either story can be directed to Washington DC, where the Governor will be hanging out for the next few days with his gubernatorial peers.


2/23/2007 5:45:43 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [5] |  


Mooninite Hearing Scheduled


Boston's City Council will hold a hearing "to determine what methods can be used to prevent the negative impact of guerilla marketing," according to a press release today from council president Maureen Feeney.

Initially sparked by the Mooninite fiasco, Feeney now also cites this week's Dr. Pepper treasure hunt as a factor.

The hearing will be March 6th at 1:00pm, in the Iannella Chamber at City Hall.

Two questions:

1) What cleverly ironic guerilla marketing ploy will someone plant in the Iannella Chamber that day?

2) Will the "methods" the council considers specifically target multi-billion-dollar mega-corporations like Cadbury Schweppes (maker of Dr. Pepper) and Time Warner (parent company of Cartoon Network)? Or small-time artists who have never caused any harm?


2/23/2007 3:05:21 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  


Vilsack Out


The reports are flying that former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is dropping out of the Presidential race. The sense has been that he's having the toughest time fundraising of the major Democratic candidates, so it's not a huge surprise -- although awfully quick.

His endorsement, should he decide to make one at some point, now becomes gold. He'll be wined and dined by the other candidates like nobody's business.


2/23/2007 11:20:13 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  




Thursday, February 22, 2007


Patrick Plan Gets Quick Boost


Today at 2:07pm (according to my email system), Deval Patrick sent out a press release announcing his "Property Tax Relief Plan." Said plan is a tax credit for some home owners with limited income.

To pay for it, the release goes on, Patrick will file a bill to close corporate-tax "loopholes," to the tune of roughly $300 million. A large chunk of that comes from "combined reporting," which is meant to tax income that corporations try to shift to its subsidiaries in lower-tax states.

At 2:32pm, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center sent out a press release announcing two new reports about corporate taxation, one finding that Massachusetts's businesses are currently under-taxed compared to other states, and the second explaining the purpose and benefits to a state of combined reporting.


2/22/2007 3:07:43 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  


Nikki Forms Committee


The Lowell Sun reports that Nicola Tsongas has formed a congressional exploratory committee, joining Rep. James Eldridge in making the move toward running to replace Marty Meehan -- if indeed Meehan leaves to take the UMass-Lowell job.

A lot of folks want this seat to go to a woman, and some are concerned that if several get in the race (Eileen Donaghue is almost definite, Sen. Susan Tucker is likely), they will split the vote.

Others suggest (as I have here) that there is ultimately room for one Lowell-area candidate, one Lawrence/Andover candidate, and one candidate from the lower half of the district. Regardless of Tsongas's actual current address, she's a Lowell candidate.





2/22/2007 11:00:48 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [2] |  


Davis States the Obvious


It's way too early to say whether Ed Davis is doing a good job as Boston police commissioner, but God bless 'im for his willingness to speak the occasional truth about his department. As reported in today's Herald (and Globe, which clearly got wind of the Herald scoop and rushed a story to press last night), Davis has decided that his officers will never again use the pepper-pellet guns that killed Victoria Snellgrove in October 2004. Stating the obvious, he said that it maybe isn't a good idea to fire potentially deadly projectiles into crowds of people as a means to control them.

Obvious, but never said publicly by the city before. And shame on Mayor Menino, for his bland statement to the Herald in support of Davis's decision. Menino has publicly criticized the crowd, the bars, the manufacturer... everyone he could find except his police department for the tragedy.

A little more honesty, and willingness to recognize and admit mistakes and bad decisions, will go a long way toward restoring the public trust. Good for Davis for his efforts so far on that front.


2/22/2007 9:15:48 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  




Wednesday, February 21, 2007


Romney's Abortion Dance, Circa 2005


The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus had a column on Mitt Romney's abortion position(s) yesterday -- a popular topic these days -- but the real eye-opener is this extended exerpt from her interview with the Mittster in February 2005. That's a few months after his supposed eiphany on the issue. Check out this snippet from Mr. Leadership:
Sean [his aide] came up to me today and said there's a new bill coming up with regards to a particular matter and I said don't tell me what it does, I will veto it. it relates to choice and abortion. I said I don't know whether it's pro-life or pro-choice, I said I would not support any change in the law as governor, whether it's one that conforms with my own personal views or whether it conforms with someone else's views


2/21/2007 3:11:23 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Richardson in El Planeta


The new issue of Boston's El Planeta weekly newspaper scores an exclusive, if brief, Q&A interview with Presidential candidate Bill Richardson, "de sangre latina y con raices en Massachusetts," which I believe means "of Latin heritage and with roots in Massachusetts." The interview is en espanol, and doesn't seem to be up on the paper's web site yet, but grab the paper -- and a Spanish/English dictionary if you're linguistically challenged like me -- and check it out.


2/21/2007 11:38:25 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Dems in Carson City


The Democratic candidates for President will all appear at a forum in Carson City, Nevada today -- all except Barack Obama, that is -- beginning at 3:00 eastern time. George Stephanopoulos moderates, and the candidates appear sequentially, not in debate format. AFSCME hosts, so the crowd will be jam-packed with union folks; the crowd responses might be the most interesting element of the event. You can watch on ABC News's subscriber-based online service, or free on C-SPAN (www.c-span.org).


2/21/2007 9:18:15 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  




Tuesday, February 20, 2007


Patrick Cries Uncle


Deval Patrick will personally pay the difference in the lease price between his snazzy Cadillac and Romney's old Ford, and will also pick up the $27,387 tab for re-furnishing the Governor's office -- which I can only assume was about to be tomorrow's Herald scandal du jour. (Update: It was the Globe who had it.)

In a statement, Patrick says that he cannot in good conscience ask agencies to make tough budget choices "without being willing to make them myself."

But of course, he's not making that sort of tough choice -- the kind where you have to give up something that you want. He's keeping the car and the furniture, after all.





2/20/2007 5:19:43 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  


The Meehan Replacement Scrum Begins


Massachusetts state rep. James Eldridge has formed a congressional "exploratory" committee and, more importantly, hired three staffers for the theoretical campaign to replace Marty Meehan, should Meehan leave to become chancellor of UMass-Lowell as rumored.

Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, has just put out a press release announcing the moves. He's the first to jump in so officially.

I've previously suggested that one candidate from the southern part of the district will emerge. With Pam Resor apparently choosing not to run, Eldridge (whose house district is almost entirely within Resor's senate district) is well poised for that role.





2/20/2007 2:11:22 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Romney's First Ad


Mitt Romney, "business legend," goes up tomorrow in early-voting states with this ad. Instead of the resume-type intro of the candidate to voters, it's more of a stump speech edited into sound bites. Pretty good, I think -- but more appealing to moderates than conservatives, I suspect. There aren't any bones thrown out about stopping abortion and stem-cell research, for instance. Judge for yourself.


2/20/2007 11:13:50 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Tsongas denial


As you may have heard, Mitt Romney now claims that his 1992 Presidential Primary vote for Democrat Paul Tsongas was a calculated strategic vote, to help put an easier-to-beat candidate on the ticket against George Bush the elder. Just one more slap at Massachusetts on his way out the door, I suppose.

Romney's explanation of his vote is obviously nonsense, and it just shows how far away from the mainstream Republican Presidential candidates feel they have to go to get the nomination. Look at McCain's new abortion position, among other pandering to the right, along with Giuliani's attempt to distance himself from his own successful gun-control policies.

As the GOP candidates try to sell themselves to the hard right, they will alienate more and more independents and moderate Republicans, ensuring that fewer of them participate in the GOP primaries, making the nomination even more dependent upon ultra-conservatives, which will make the candidates pander even more to the right, and on and on. By the time one of these guys gets the nomination, he'll be somewhere to the right of Attilla the Hun.

It seems to me that Romney's 1990s persona, had he kept it, would be a pretty formidable national general-election candidate -- and the Tsongas vote would be a point of pride. It shows a rejection of partisanship, a streak of independence, and a belief in fiscal responsibility. (Balancing the national budget was Tsongas's central theme in '92.) That, along with Romney's then-moderate beliefs on social issues, along with his political heritage and business success, would make him awfully attractive to the great swath of mainstream Americans, I would think. But not to GOP primary voters, apparently.

Back in the 90s, a group of "moderate" Republican governors tried to open their party to the "big tent." They all looked like potentially strong Presidential candidates: Bill Weld, Christine Todd Whitman, Pete Wilson, and George Pataki. The national party has rejected them all. Romney learned that lesson, and has tried to adapt to the party's demands. His transformation is so transparently phony it will likely fail -- and if it's successful, it's hard to see how he can win a general election with his new positions.


2/20/2007 9:25:27 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  




Wednesday, February 14, 2007


New in The Phoenix: Clinton & Obama


In this week's issue I watch Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on their first campaign visits to New Hampshire and wonder, will their rock-star schedules leave them enough time to shmooze the Democratic "influencers" in the state?

Check it out: "Rocky Stars: Clinton, Obama, and the people who really make or break Presidential dreams in the Granite State"


2/14/2007 3:35:21 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  


Obama Casting Too Wide A Net


Barack Obama's campaign has ads on the Margolis boys' HubPolitics and DevalPatrickWatch blogs.

Although the names might suggest these are good sites to go trolling for potential Obama supporters, in fact they are rabid right-wing liberal-bashing sites, as the briefest of glimpses would reveal.

Plus, as far as I've ever known, this is the first time anyone has placed an ad on either site (not counting ads for their own sites or those ubiquitous little google ads).


2/14/2007 11:09:48 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  




Tuesday, February 13, 2007


State senators to endorse Rudy?


Hotline OnCall says that Massachusetts senate minority leader Richard Tisei will endorse Rudy Giuliani for President this week, along with either one or two other GOP state senators -- out of the five total.

This would be a huge embarrassment to Romney, although not a big deal in practical terms. Then again, Hotline spelled Tisei's name wrong, so maybe their sources aren't perfect.


2/13/2007 6:44:30 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  


Birds Avoid Slaughter


A $15 million Danish study says that birds avoid getting sliced up by energy-producing offshore windmills, according to the new issue of MIT's Technology Review. Another boost for the Cape Wind crowd.


2/13/2007 6:40:57 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Mitt's Announcement


Mitt Romney's prepared announcement speech, delivered today at the Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan, can be read here at his web site.

Apparently Romney wants to bring innovation and transformation to government, because "We are weary of the bickering and bombast, fatigued by the posturing and self-promotion" of politics.

I leave it to y'all to comment.


2/13/2007 11:25:17 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [2] |  




Monday, February 12, 2007


Hillary: Be In It For Something More, Please


I'll have more to say in this week's Phoenix about Hillary Clinton's first foray into New Hampshire as a Presidential candidate, but for now one quick observation after watching her in action: Making a campaign slogan out of the throw-away line "I'm In It To Win It" -- putting it on pins, etc. -- strikes me as the lamest thing possible. 

That's exactly the line that the last female Presidential candidate, Carole Mosley-Braun, said to everyone who asked her why she was really running for office. Is that really the comparison Hillary wants to be making? More importantly, doesn't that slogan just emphasize the sense that Clinton is running out of ambition (wanting the office) rather than purpose (what she wants to do with the office)?


2/12/2007 12:49:47 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [2] |  




Friday, February 09, 2007


Deval: Stop Burying News


Once again, Deval Patrick releases major news about his administration in such a way as to avoid questions, attention, and coverage. At 5:01pm today -- a Friday -- he put out a release announcing legislation he's just filed to reorganize the cabinet.

Much of the change has been known, but we've been awaiting the details to come in this legislation. Releasing it like this is bogus, and absolutely antithetical to the openness and transparency he purports to champion.

Enough said.


2/9/2007 5:17:10 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [3] |  


"The era of carrots has got to end"


So says Hillary Clinton, and I for one think it's a great campaign slogan. (She said it Tuesday during a Senate hearing; if you want meaning and context, knock yourself out.)

The senior Senator from New York brings her message of carrot liberation to New Hampshire this weekend, for a series of "Conversations with Granite Staters." Some of these will be "Town-Hall Style," according to the campaign, while others will be "House Party-Style." (Odd, inconsistent hyphenation taken from press release.)

Clinton wraps up and leaves the state Sunday evening, and Barack Obama -- who has yet to state his position on a carrot-era exit strategy -- flies in Monday afternoon as part of his "announcement tour," as his web site calls it. He'll be doing one house party, a sold-out Town Hall Meeting at UNH, and, I'm told, one "unplanned, off-the-route" event still being finalized. Can you feel the spontaneity?

Another likely soft-on-carrots candidate, Bill Richardson, campaigns in NH on the 16th and 17th.






2/9/2007 5:02:00 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  


Mooninites Cause Heads To Roll


Well, one head anyway -- that of Cartoon Network GM/VP Jim Samples, who resigned today in shame over his role in terrorizing the good people of Boston.

Here is Samples's statement this afternoon, as quoted on CNN.com:

"I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign. As general manager of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch."
And here is Hizzoner Menino's official statement released moments after the announcement:
“I applaud Turner Broadcasting for taking full responsibility for the marketing campaign that caused major disruption in our city last week.  I am pleased to know they have taken the incident seriously and action has been taken against the people who authorized it.  The resignation of their top Cartoon Network executive should serve as a message to all that these types of marketing tactics will not and should not be tolerated.”
Now, here's my question: Did Sample resign because Turner Broadcasting execs A) felt that the marketing campaign was irresponsible and dangerous; B) were mad about the $2 million they had to shell out; or C) couldn't believe that despite all that publicity, viewership for Aqua Teen's latest airing was only up 1.5 percent over its average?


2/9/2007 4:31:54 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Nevada Without Vegas?


OK, so the Democratic Presidential candidates have decided to take Nevada’s early caucus seriously. All but Obama will participate in a Feb. 21 “forum” in Carson City, and Obama will visit the state a few days later. Problem: Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, the Presidential campaigns don’t know where to go, who to talk to, where to hold events, which diner to “drop in for a slice of pie” at, what spots make a good backdrop for TV, and so on. So the state’s Democratic Party has put together and distributed a 48-page guide for the candidates. The Las Vegas Sun notes that the guide strenuously avoids mention of anything that makes Nevada, say, different from Iowa or New Hampshire -- most blatantly, the Vegas strip:
It lists seven "Clark County Hot Spots." The Palms, Pure, Cirque du Soleil?

Try Harrie's Bagelmania, Hash House A Go Go, Omelet House, the Coffee Pub, Paymons Mediterranean Cafe, Triple George and Bagel Cafe.
Because when I think Vegas hot spots, I'm picturing bagels.

Sure, many of the folks you meet in the casinos are vacationers, not potential caucus voters. But the Las Vegas Gleaner blog points out that they're also chock-full of union employees. Also:
...if the wannabees wanna connect with frequent and very likely voters who also have enough time on their hands that they might actually go to a caucus thingy, that is, if the candidates want to find the geezers, they're eventually going to have to belly up to a video poker machine at a neighborhood megaresort, don't ya think?





2/9/2007 10:27:09 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  




Thursday, February 08, 2007


Governor's radio hour


Deval Patrick just wrapped a one-hour appearance with Eagan and Braude on 96.9, taking questions from callers -- he'll be doing this once a month with them.

I thought he did a very good job on the superficial level of handling calls and sounding good on radio, but also on speaking intelligently on the issues. Of course, he's always talked a good game.

I'm not the media critic around here, but I thought the show's hosts and producers did a great job with a very difficult format -- the questions covered a wide range of topics (not just an endless barrage about police details); few of the callers rambled on too obnoxiously; and Eagan and Braude mostly stayed on the sidelines and let Patrick talk, while doing just enough to keep the show moving and light.

Patrick's still not revealing much about his upcoming budget, although he did say that on the 1000 new cops promise, the new budget will probably expend for roughly 200 or 250 as a starter. (He has previously said the full 1000 in year 1 is unrealistic, but I haven't heard him give a range before.) Patrick also didn't exactly make it sound as though Spence's job at DSS is safe in the wake of this most recent horror show.


2/8/2007 2:12:41 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


New in this week's Phoenix


I dig into a scandal involving one of the most powerful politicians in Massachusetts -- and the likely next senate president:

"Terry Murray handed $11 million to a contractor the state auditor had previously chastised. now the guy won’t account for the money. Is anyone willing to call her on it?"



2/8/2007 10:57:22 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [2] |  


Mass Repubs To Dis Mitt?


It's no big secret that many GOP activists in the state have become openly contemptious toward Mitt Romney. Now Hotline On Call says that some of those Bay Staters might embarrass the Barnstormin' Mormon by endorsing John McCain.

Although Hotline doesn't specifically say, it would make sense for McCain to announce those endorsements on or around next Tuesday's official announcement of the Barnstormin' Mormon's Presidential candidacy.

Of course, few if any of those names will mean anything south of Barnstable County or west of the Berkshires, since the state's high elected officials are pretty much void of Republicans. (Which is one of the reasons people in the party are so disgruntled with the Mittster.)

If the biggest defector is party treasurer Brent Andersen, then the list will have to be pretty lengthy to really embarrass Romney. So the question is, will there be any prominent names, in or out of office, to top the list?


2/8/2007 9:36:04 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [3] |  




Wednesday, February 07, 2007


Bloggers On the Payroll, the Next Chapter


Let's start with the obvious: in any battle between the Catholic League's Bill Donahue and the bloggers from Pandagon and Shakespeare's Sister, the forces of good almost certainly lie with the latter. So, as a matter of principal, I can't help but hope that Donahue is unsuccessful at pressuring the John Edwards campaign to fire Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwen.

That said, when you start working for a campaign, particularly such a high-profile one as Edwards', you take care not to say smart-ass things that will embarass the candidate. That means checking your natural impulse toward phrases like “wingnut Christofascist base.”

If you can't or won't do that, you don't belong on a campaign staff. One more lesson that bloggers and candidates need to discuss before landing in this situation.


2/7/2007 10:25:17 AM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [2] |  




Tuesday, February 06, 2007


Congressmen for Romney


Romney announced 22 US Representatives supporting him today; a few were previously announced. John McCain has been wrapping up the lion's share, particularly in the South -- note the absence on Romney's list of anyone from the key early-primary state of South Carolina; he also has just two from Florida, despite the rumored support of Jeb Bush. More curious, he's got neither of Utah's Republican congressmen. Here's the full list:

Governor Romney's Congressional Whip Team:

- Representative Jim McCrery (R-LA), House Congressional Liaison
- Representative Dave Camp (R-MI), House Co-Congressional Liaison
- Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-CA), House Co-Congressional Liaison
- Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
- Representative Bill Shuster (R-PA)
- Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KY)
- Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)
- Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY)
- Representative Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
- Representative John Campbell (R-CA)
- Representative John Duncan (R-TN)
- Representative John Linder (R-GA)
- Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
- Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL)
- Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID)
- Representative Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)
- Representative Phil Gingrey (R-GA)
- Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH)
- Representative Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
- Representative Ron Lewis (R-KY)
- Representative Tom Feeney (R-FL)
- Representative Tom Price (R-GA)


2/6/2007 6:02:58 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  


And Clark Makes 10?


Wes Clark has hemmed and he's hawed about running for President again, but all of a sudden he sure looks like a go. He spoke at the DNC "winter meeting" the other day, and now he is scheduled to participate in the first "candidate forum" of the year, coming up February 21 in Carson City, Nevada.

That 2/21 event is key for Nevada to show that its Democratic caucus -- specially scheduled between Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primaries next year -- will fly, unlike some other unsuccessful early caucus attempts. So far, so good: Hillary Clinton just signed on, making her the first of the "big three" candidates (Clinton, Obama, Edwards) to do so; the rest of the field are all planning to be there.

Clark would be the 10th candidate on the Democratic side to announce and/or form an exploratory committee.


2/6/2007 4:55:56 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Romney to announce in Michigan


Mitt Romney will officially announce his Presidential candidacy on February 13th, in front of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, according to the Associated Press.

After visiting Iowa and South Carolina, he'll come "home" to Boston for a Feb. 15th fundraiser.

According to Hotline On Call, Romney's buzzwords in his announcement speech will be: "innovation" and "change." And:

Romney will introduce himself as the president who can see around the next corner, who will equip Americans to meet the competitive challenges of the 21st century, who will bring innovation and reform to government.


2/6/2007 4:16:47 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  




Monday, February 05, 2007


Congressional Oversight Hearings


The oversight committee I wrote about recently kicks off its hearings tomorrow with former Coalition Provisional Authority administrator Paul Bremer, who will be testifying for the first time since leaving that position. According to the committee:
He will answer questions about an audit report issued in 2005 by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction that concluded that more than $8.8 billion in cash was disbursed without adequate financial controls. Ambassador Bremer will also be asked to respond to allegations that the CPA filled positions with unqualified staff who were politically connected.
And then, that Special Inspector General himself, Stuart Bowen, will testify.

The current Coordinator for Economic Transition in Iraq was also invited, but the State Department is refusing to allow him to testify.





2/5/2007 4:58:22 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Facebook Mitt


Yes, Mitt Romney has launched his official Facebook site, where under "Interests" you can learn that "Besides my family, I have great interest in strengthening this country and our economy.... and, most importantly, winning the war against the jihadists." And his favorite book is Huckleberry Finn, and his favorite music is Roy Orbison.




2/5/2007 3:05:12 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


The Meehan Rumor


So, if -- and it's still a big if -- if Marty Meehan really does leave Congress for UMass Lowell, who wins that seat?

I think that over time we would end up with one Lowell-area candidate, one Lawrence/Andover/Haverhill candidate, and one northern-Middlesex candidate.

If Niki Tsongas really runs, she becomes the de facto Lowell candidate I think, dooming the candidacies of several strong contenders like Eileen Donoghue.

Steve Baddour, sitting on a quarter-million dollars in his campaign kitty, is my pick to emerge in the north from among a host of others.

The wild card is the southern section of the district. Names being thrown around include state reps Cory Atkins, James Eldridge, and Richard Howe. But I'll throw out a name I haven't seen yet: state senator Pamela Resor of Acton.

I think that if Resor gets her ducks in a row early (and gets Atkins, Eldridge et al out of the race), she could benefit from split votes among Lowell- and Lawrence-area candidates, and emerge on top. Keep your eye on her!





2/5/2007 2:48:31 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [2] |  




Thursday, February 01, 2007


Al Franken will run


...for US Senate in Minnesota. So says the Minneapolis Star Tribune. No surprise -- he's been publicly "considering" this for an awfully long time.

The incumbent, republican Norm Coleman, is beatable. I think Franken could be a more formidable general-election candidate than some think -- but he needs a vigorous primary challenge, to hone his campaigning skills and to convince people that he's a serious person. (Call this the Kerry Healey lesson.) There are good Democrats in the state who could run, but unfortunately it's likely that Franken's star power and deep pockets will scare them off.





2/1/2007 4:51:34 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [0] |  


Is Menino's anger misdirected?


Tom Menino is right to say that Turner Broadcasting bears some culpability for the cost and stress of yesterday’s Mooninite-induced bomb scare. But is that corporation really deserving of the fury that he’s unleashing at them?

            Consider that when the city has screwed up in the past, Menino has frequently reacted with misdirected vitriol. He publicly condemned college hooligans and Fenway bar owners after his police shot Victoria Snellgrove to death. When the city’s murder-arrest rate plummeted, he crusaded against makers of “Stop Snitchin’” shirts.

            Judging by Menino’s tirades against Turner Broadcasting yesterday afternoon, I’d have to say that somebody really botched yesterday’s investigation something awful.

            The first call about a suspicious device came in at 8 a.m. By 10, the bomb squad blew the first one up. Surely sometime in between -- and earlier rather than later -- a large criminal investigation was launched to find out who was responsible.

            And yet, it was not until between 2 and 3 p.m. that a Boston police analyst recognized the image, according to a Globe source (the Boston Police Department and other local law enforcement are not officially answering these sorts of questions yet). And that was after “they happened to move one of the signs into a darker area” and it lit up.

            I know it’s easy to play Monday-morning quarterback, but what the hell were the criminal investigators doing for the five or six hours to that point -- while they thought that thousands of lives might be depend on how fast they discovered the source of the device?

            To put it another way: Jack Bauer would not be six episodes into a season of 24 before figuring out what the image on the front of the bomb meant.

            That’s going to be the subject of considerable inquiry now, and it should be. It seems -- again with the benefit of hindsight -- that photos must have been taken of the thing before they blew it up; that circulating that image would have triggered a recognition very quickly; and that a police phone call to the Cartoon Network would have revealed the truth almost immediately.

            Not to mention that had they shared what they knew with the public -- rather than leave the media craning for their first sneak peaks at the device sometime around 4:00 -- they almost certainly would have solved it within an hour.

            Perhaps Menino -- and Attorney General Martha Coakley, US Attorney Michael Sullivan, and Governor Deval Patrick -- are asking questions internally about the investigation. But publicly, Menino immediately waxed indignant, blaming everybody else -- long before having any facts at his disposal to do so.

            Indeed, not long after the “hoax” was revealed, Menino was willing to claim, on Greater Boston, that phone calls alerting the police to the devices that morning were part of the marketing campaign. As far as we know, there is nothing to support that.

            Menino always prefers a vague or faceless object of blame. Before the culprits had a name, he was publicly talking about penalties of up to five years per device. By this morning, they were actual individuals, and Menino was saying that they should not be punished harshly, because the fault really lay with the companies that hired the men.

            Certainly the city had to react as it did initially: as though the unknown items with wires and circuitry attached to overpasses and other public surfaces might be dangerous. That happens, just like sometimes you’ve got to blow up backpacks left on subway platforms. Even if they had recognized the character, that would make no difference -- bombs can come in pretty packages. And because that’s true, anybody who attaches that sort of thing to a public surface without permission or notification is an idiot who should pay for the consequences.

            But that’s not the issue we need to address. The issue is this: if next time they really are bombs, we need to solve the case faster.


2/1/2007 3:21:40 PM by David S. Bernstein | Comments [1] |  



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