Noho-missives

Awake just to participate in some fun

2006-10-24T16:31:00.000-04:00

Explanation for this post.--AZ-Sen: Jon Kyl--AZ-01: Rick Renzi--AZ-05: J.D. Hayworth--CA-04: John Doolittle--CA-11: Richard Pombo--CA-50: Brian Bilbray--CO-04: Marilyn Musgrave--CO-05: Doug Lamborn--CO-07: Rick O'Donnell--CT-04: Christopher Shays--FL-13: Vernon Buchanan--FL-16: Joe Negron--FL-22: Clay Shaw--ID-01: Bill Sali--IL-06: Peter Roskam--IL-10: Mark Kirk--IL-14: Dennis Hastert--IN-02:

Vickery at my polling place

2005-11-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

From his press releaseGovernor's Councilor Peter Vickery will gather signatures Tuesday for the Common Cause Massachusetts Fair Districts for Fair Elections ballot petition. Vickery, a dedicated election reform advocate, will talk to voters casting their ballots at the Walter Salvo House, 81 Conz Street in Northampton, from 1 – 2 p.m., asking them to support the initiative.More information on

GOP Culture of Corruption hits Chicopee

2005-11-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

The GOP Culture of Corruption invades the Chicopee race for Mayor:Chicopee's mayor was arrested Tuesday, a week before Election Day, after federal agents allegedly caught him on videotape taking $10,000 in cash from two business owners seeking favors from the city.Richard Goyette, 36, a Republican running for a second term, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with extortion. He did not enter

Fair Districts

2005-10-05T11:48:00.000-04:00

From the State House News Service:A bipartisan group of political heavyweights yesterday threw their support behind a proposed ballot initiative that would strip the Legislature of its constitutional power to redraw district lines.The group, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick, current Republican Party executive director Tim O'Brien, and former governor Michael Dukakis,

Vickery v. Miers

2005-10-04T13:25:00.000-04:00

From a Vickery Press release:President George W. Bush today announced his nomination of Harriet Miers for a position on the United States Supreme Court. This nomination is troubling for me, and it brings to mind issues we face here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.A Bush Loyalist:With the nomination of Miers, the President has nominated an unswerving Bush loyalist. This calls into question

Electability Proven

2005-10-04T13:21:00.000-04:00

Michael has the Zogby poll.Says Zogby, "Romney is trailing his potential Democratic challengers. His Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey polls even worse." He then shows three matchups, showing Tom Reilly ahead by 57.9% to 34.1%, Galvin leading by 55.1% to 35%, and Patrick beating the current guv by 53.8% to 35.2%.Ok, Reilly, now your only piece of lit needs updating.

Deval Patrick Blog

2005-09-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

The campaign started a blog.

Romney's Flood Control Credentials

2005-09-22T16:31:00.000-04:00

All the talk of Romney being named Flood Czar to reconstruct New Orleans has brought Romney is Fraud back with a devastating story about Mitt's past accomplishments in this area. Has to be read to be believed.

Advocate on PDM and Patrick

2005-09-22T14:20:00.000-04:00

The Advocate has a piece on PDM and its endorsement of Deval PatrickPatrick is, by all accounts, a bright and accomplished man, with a resume that includes two Harvard degrees, high-profile, high-paying corporate law jobs and positions with the Clinton Justice Department and the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund. He's got an appealing up-by-his-bootstraps bio (raised on welfare by a single mom on

PDM Endorses Deval Patrick

2005-09-21T12:31:00.000-04:00

From this Press ReleaseGroup started by Reich supporters is connecting with Patrick’s stance on health care, jobs, and educationSeptember 21, 2005: Proving that his focus on the issues that matter to voters is connecting with grassroots activists, Deval Patrick has today been endorsed by The Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts. A unanimous vote of the PDM coordinating committee, representing

Northampton Preliminary Elections

2005-09-21T07:40:00.000-04:00

Pathetic turnout (< 10%). Marjorie Hess made the next round on Forbes Library Trustee. As expected, Mayor Higgins and Rick Feldman will face off in November. Phyllis Rodin, a 91 year old Northampton institution missed the cut. The Republican reports:Rodin, 91, ran primarily on national and international issues such as global warming and nuclear power. Rodin, who uses a wheelchair, also faulted

A Healthcare Story

2005-09-21T07:14:00.000-04:00

In the eighties, my mom was working for a very small, but well-known, company a few blocks from where I grew up. She loved working there and there were some nice perks, including being able to walk to work.When I was about eighteen, one of her coworkers got cancer. I didn't know her -- and I'm sure that it was devastating to her and her family, but that is not my story. Luckily, her cancer was

Live Reports from Boston

2005-09-14T14:44:00.000-04:00

Kelsey Flynn is calling in blog entries to The Fray:We just heard a very compelling speech by Rep. Byron Rushing (D-Boston), who called this "a great day, a day of justice" because we're striking down this anti-gay marriage amendment. He addressed some earlier comments that were made about religion and noted that in Massachusetts, you can violate all ten Commandments and still get married.He

Vickery Goes After Reilly

2005-09-14T08:50:00.000-04:00

Was at the vigil last night. It was a moving event -- songs, speeches, stories, etc. A great moment was when Peter Vickery took out his copy of the Massachusetts constitution -- a document, he said, that trumped Reilly's -- and read the section on citizen-initiated constitutional ammendments, The Republican says Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, a Democratic candidate for governor next year,

Marjorie Hess for Forbes Library Trustee

2005-09-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

One week from today, on September 20th, we have a preliminary election in Northampton to reduce the number of candidates for election day. I want to take this time to endorse Marjorie Hess for Forbes Library Trustee. I am not alone.Rita Bleiman, outgoing Ward 4 City Councilor released this endorsement:I would also like to wholeheartedly endorse Marjorie Hess for the Forbes Library Trustee

Marriage Equality Vigil Tonight

2005-09-13T08:57:00.000-04:00

Vigil in Northampton today to support marriage equality. Bring yourfriends and family members.Tuesday, September 13thCandlelight Vigil7:00 PM to 8:30 PMNorthampton City Hall, 210 Main St

Vigils for Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

Vigils in support of Cindy SheehanWednesday, 17 Aug 2005, 7:30 PMCity Hall Steps, Northampton210 Main StreetIn Amherst, across from the Bank of America at Main and Pleasant

Welcome to the Bloggerhood

2005-08-07T12:12:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Massachusetts Wes.

Hiroshima and the Role of Conservatives

2005-08-06T16:22:00.000-04:00

On the 60th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, Leo Maley, a PDM leader and Peter Vickery's campaign manager, has some interesting thoughts on Conservatives and their role in atoning for Hiroshima:Our failure to grapple fully with the ethical questions stemming from our use of mass violence against civilians has meant that we unwittingly endorse an act that some would consider state

Globe on Judicial Dust Up

2005-08-05T17:20:00.000-04:00

Here's the Globe piece:'I think the nomination will not be confirmed," said Peter Vickery, one of two councilors urging the Romney administration to withdraw the nomination. ''I think it would be far better from [Rigali's] point of view to withdraw now rather than be rejected."The rejection would deal a significant setback to Romney, who has touted his reform of the judicial-selection process as

Labor and Progressives

2005-08-05T11:56:00.000-04:00

This important post on the House of Labor blog hilights the growing disconnect between organized labor and the progressive movement:There are myriad reasons for labor's weakness, and many of these reasons have been cited here and elsewhere. But one of the reasons that is rarely discussed is that many in the non-union portion of the liberal left decided years ago to simply give up on organized

Fred on the Showdown

2005-08-05T09:06:00.000-04:00

Fred Clarkson has more on the judicial showdown set for next week:Does a controversial nomination for a juvenile court judge position in Springfield, Massachusetts have anything to do with Governor Mitt Romney's presidential ambitions? Who knows? But since grandstanding controversial judicial appointments is what presidents do these days, if you want to look presidential in a kind of red-meat

More on Possible Judicial Rejection

2005-08-04T22:49:00.000-04:00

Here's the official Governor's Council list. One thing I haven't seen in news reports, but learned today, is that Romney is right that there is an urgent need, but that there are at least two qualified candidates that have already been approved by the JNC for this position. He has, for some crazy reason, decided to just name someone else. According to this article, he is coming back from his

Valley Free Radio

2005-08-04T13:18:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, Aug 7th at 2pm, Valley Free Radio goes on the air. WXOJ-LP/103.3 FM.

Romney vs. the Governor's Council

2005-08-03T11:36:00.000-04:00

There is a mini-showdown between Romney and the Governor's council brewing. Normally, Romney uses the Judicial Nominating Committee as a shield against the politics of nominating judges where he has to go through an 8-1 Dem over GOP Governor's Council (the "one" being the Lt. Gov). This story got some play last week (originally from the Globe):Governor Mitt Romney, who touts his conservative

MassDems is back

2005-08-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

The MassDems blog is back. Lynne is teaching them about linking in the comments, so it's not long before they have a blogroll (cough! cough!).

wonkNOT's Patrick Interview

2005-08-02T13:00:00.000-04:00

Michael (wonkNOT) interviewed Deval Patrick. This was interesting to me:Deval astutely pointed out that while he often starts out his stump speeches talking about "why" – the values behind his stances and beliefs, people often say "yah, yah" get to the "how". He said that many people in the audiences he speaks to want to know the details, the wonky, policy stuff; not why he would do something but

Keep-a-knockin'

2005-08-02T12:41:00.000-04:00

Patrick from Cape Ann Dem is making me smile:Last Sunday’s Boston Globe North regional section contained an article talking about a project that I’ve been involved with in Gloucester for a couple of years now. The Democratic City Committee has been going door-to-door to talk with unenrolled voters about becoming Democrats.Read the rest.

Northampton November (and September) Ballot

2005-08-01T08:26:00.000-04:00

Kristen at the Fray points to an article that summarizes the expected Northampton 2005 ballot. This list does not include the contested Ward 7 council race (they only report on the open seats) and the expected Northampton CPA ballot question. The pro-CPA group, Northampton for the CPA, campaign kickoff is Monday August 8, 7pm at the Florence Civic Center.I should have more to say on these races

Northampton's Own

2005-08-01T08:21:00.000-04:00

On the topic of Lt. Governor, Sco at .08 has a bit about Kerry Healey, and includes this great anecdote from former Northampton Mayor (and MA Lt. Governor), Calvin Coolidge:Once, at an official dinner in Massachusetts, a woman sitting next to Calvin Coolidge asked him what he did for a living."I'm the lieutenant governor," the future 30th president said."That's wonderful," the woman said. "Tell

Lt. Governor

2005-07-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

Does any one have any thoughts on the Lt. Governor race? I've met all four candidates briefly and talked to a lot of people -- haven't heard anything like a concensus. Anyway, I'm going to stay out of it volunteer-wise, but I wonder what people are doing. The activists and groups I most closely associate with seem split on Andrea Silbert and Deborah Goldberg. Since the last Lt. Gov became

Deval Patrick in the Berkshires

2005-07-28T11:48:00.000-04:00

Michael has information about a Deval Patrick fundraiser in Great Barrington on August 7th.That reminds me -- I went to Pittsfield last week to see the Democratic State Committee meeting, Tom Reilly and to do visibility and outreach for Deval Patrick. Not much to report other than the buzz was clearly with Deval -- many volunteers showed up (including myself) and there was an active table,

Blogger, errr -- scroll down

2005-07-28T09:39:00.000-04:00

Something's up with Blogger -- until I figure it out, it's messing up the HTML and causing the entries to start below the left nav.Update: ok found a good workaround here -- I chose this one:In case anyone else runs into this problem -- just put this in the section of your template.

Back

2005-07-28T09:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, after a month or so of non-posting, I'm ready to start up again. Thanks to everyone who sent me links.You can see the NECN Deval Patrick interview here (scroll down the page).The Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts has endorsed Pat Jehlen.Representative Pat Jehlen of Somerville was one of the stalwart members of the progressive caucus in the State House through the Finneran era. Pat is

Globe Attacks Lynch, Capuano, and Tierney

2005-06-01T09:57:00.000-04:00

Whoa -- I don't know what the hell our congressmen out East have done to piss off Scot Lehigh, but he tears them apart today in a column about their possible gubernatorial runs:IS THERE something in the water over on the House side of the US Capitol, an ego additive that makes a member imagine he's morphed into a modern Napoleon?After detailing each representative's transgressions, he ends withSo

Deval Patrick Fundraising

2005-05-31T08:03:00.000-04:00

The Globe reports on Deval Patrick's fundraising:"This suggests that he has become a very serious and credible candidate for governor," said Philip Johnston, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, who is neutral in the race. "The big question about Deval had been whether he could raise sufficient money to run a strong campaign. It appears he has answered that question."Update: fixed

Hey Lege! Repeal 1913 Law Already

2005-05-27T11:48:00.000-04:00

The Jim Crow era law that Romney used to limit same-sex marriages is in the news again. It's putting Reilly into a corner, as he tries to run for Governor and be the Attorney General at the same time:Reilly, who is vying for the Democratic Party's nomination for governor next year, once opposed same-sex marriage and the November 2003 Supreme Judicial Court ruling that legalized such marriages.

Old News, but Worth a Look

2005-05-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

For all of the griping we bloggers can do about media coverage, this article from The Beacon about the MA Convention is actually responsible, accurate (as far as I know) and well-researched. I wish that the next-day coverage had been as good.Among the changes that some found objectionable was new language requiring organizations calling themselves "Democratic" to be approved by the Democratic

Advocate on Deval Patrick

2005-05-26T15:34:00.000-04:00

The Advocate has a cover story on Deval Patrick:The political playing field that Deval Patrick steps out onto is in many ways very different than it was four years ago when Mitt Romney was elected governor. In just the past year, the state has pulled to the left, against the general run of the country. Gay marriage is the law of the land, over Romney's objections, and there has been no political

Media Coverage of Deval Patrick's WMA Visits

2005-05-23T14:08:00.000-04:00

Some outlets do their duty -- North Adams Transcript:Meeting with about 30 people at the Holiday Inn, Patrick said he wanted to create a "Renaissance in public education," bolstering teaching institutes in the state with ideas like longer school years, broader access to early education and less emphasis on MCAS scores to evaluate learning.Though he was admittedly no education expert, he said he

Deval Patrick's Western Mass Swing

2005-05-23T12:47:00.000-04:00

I attended the Northampton event -- hopefully, Michael will write about the ones he went to.It was a large turnout (60+) on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Bright yellow t-shirts from the convention were worn by a few local delegates supporting Patrick. I've now seen him so many times, that you'd think I wouldn't see to much new -- there were a couple of interesting highlights.A questioner lamented

Fred Clarkson on Fresh Air Wednesday

2005-05-17T21:57:00.000-04:00

Fred will be on Fresh Air with Terry Gross tomorrow, May 18th. On WFCR (88.5) it starts at 7pm. Check here for your station.

Video of Deval Patrick at MA Dem Convention

2005-05-17T10:21:00.000-04:00

The Politics of Hope, delivered to the MA Democratic State Convention on May 14, 2005.WindowsMedia 17 mbQuicktime 49 mbListen to the MP3 3.3 mbUpdate: Deval Patrick Video Gallery

Still Work to Do

2005-05-17T09:44:00.000-04:00

This Kos diary reminds us that there is still work to do to ensure gay marriage remains legal in Massachusetts.I've been getting worried appeals from MassEquality, the political umbrella organization working at the State House to defend equal marriage rights in Massachusetts. Funding for our side has dried up.Why? Because the media has been completely misleading, making it sound like equality is

Happy Anniversary

2005-05-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

Today is the anniversary of gay marriage in Massachusetts. Kristen has a round up of opinion pieces.

Deval Patrick in Northampton

2005-05-16T10:07:00.000-04:00

Deval Patrick is making a Western Mass swing on May 21st (this Saturday). He'll be in North Adams, Pittsfield, Northampton, and Greenfield.

More Convention Coverage

2005-05-15T22:48:00.000-04:00

Jesse Gordon's comment on the new Cape Ann Dem blog has the best explanation of what happened at the end of the convention. Michael Wilcox has some thoughts on Deval in Amherst and at the Convention. I need to add these two and Left in Lowell to my ever growing MA Politcal Blogroll soon.Update: Done + fixed Michael Wilcox link above (check him out).

State Dem Convention

2005-05-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

Finally getting around to a MA State Democratic Convention post, Fred is keeping track of others.I'm biased, but I think the story of the convention is the emergence of Deval Patrick as a genuine star in the Massachusetts Democratic party. I was helping with floor activities and was visibly a supporter (wearing the neon t-shirt that was visible from any part of the arena) -- after he spoke, many

Framing Healthcare

2005-05-12T07:09:00.000-04:00

wonkNOT, a blog concentrating on framing, has had a couple of entries about healthcare framing:What progressives of all stripes believe (so I think), is that people deserve to be healthy and supported in being as healthy as they can be. Furthermore that healthy people make a strong and vibrant society - contributing to a good economy, healthy families, good education, etc. This clear and

Deval Patrick in Amherst

2005-05-10T09:13:00.000-04:00

The Amherst town committee hosted Deval Patrick last night at the Jones Library. I've decided to support and volunteer for him (just so you know my biases). This is now the third time I've seen him in front of a crowd -- each one was different -- this was the first one that was public and attended by press.His stump speech is starting to gel -- he is leading with education, economic development

Kerry is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

2005-05-06T15:49:00.000-04:00

Kristen, .08, BlueMass all have more. I have a little more to add.Kerry is wrong on the policy, wrong on the politics and wrong morally.As a policy, I have not heard a policy argument against gay marriage. Other religiously banned marriages are legal (Catholics can legally divorce and remarry, inter-faith marriages are legal, and I bet even Priests can legally marry). Some church-sanctioned

Senator Kerry Needs to Hear from Us

2005-05-06T11:43:00.000-04:00

We were his base in the election, let him know how you feel about his latest:US Senator John F. Kerry said yesterday that he believes it's a mistake for the Massachusetts Democratic Party to include a plank in its official platform in support of same-sex marriage, saying that such a statement does not conform with the broad views of party members.Write to him. Especially rich, is this statement:

Deval Patrick in Amherst

2005-05-04T08:32:00.000-04:00

Jones Library in Amherst Monday, May 9th @ 7pm (enter in the back)

YES!

2005-04-26T15:58:00.000-04:00

Kos uncorks this gemDemocrats are the party for people who work for a living

MassDems Blog

2005-04-20T14:34:00.000-04:00

Just went to massdems.org to sign up for the MassDems Credit Card, and I see that they started a blog. They said that would and DCA Day, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Latest entry is a call for convention volunteersWith our huge (thousands of people) annual state convention fast approaching we need a lot of volunteers over the next few weeks.We really need volunteers in the state

Reilly Tests Deval Patrick's Response Team

2005-04-20T11:05:00.000-04:00

Globe reports:Deval Patrick, who is vowing to fight for the underdog as he begins his run for the Democratic nomination for governor, last fall joined the board of directors of a large national mortgage company that has been criticized by state regulators and advocates for the poor for what they say are unfair lending practices aimed at low-income people and members of minority groups.The company

Romney IS The National GOP

2005-04-11T13:25:00.000-04:00

.08 is talking about Romney's very own payola scandal. I point it out because it's another way to tie Romney to the national party, which I discussed here.

DFA Amherst

2005-04-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

Looks like a DFA Amherst group is starting up again. Meeting tomorrow at 7pm at Amherst Brewing Company -- sign up here.Also, tomorrow is election day. Locally, Hadley has selectboard and school committee elections.In Pittsfield, Chris Speranzo should run away with it, but send your good thoughts and help if you're able.The Moran race will be an interesting one. He's up against an Independent

Vickery Supporting Deval Patrick

2005-04-04T21:12:00.000-04:00

Fred Clarkson is reporting that Peter Vickery is supporting DevalA few weeks ago, Peter Vickery, the elected Governor's Councilor from western, MA [the Governors Council ratifies judicial nominations in MA) convened a group of about 20 progressive democratic activists and leaders. He reports that "the people who were in the room, were enthusiastic about Deval's candidacy and agreed that they

Vickery Politics Forum

2005-04-03T14:32:00.000-04:00

From Peter Vickery's e-mail newsletterPeter ran an issues-focused campaign, and that's how we mean to continue. So the Vote Vickery website has a new feature--a discussion board for exchanging opinions about politics and policy. Politics is not about personalities. It is policy that matters most. In election after election we see that positioning, packaging, trimming, And appeasing just do not

Amherst Charter Change Did Not Pass

2005-03-30T12:09:00.000-05:00

Again, a squeaker:Amherst voters again said no to a proposal to end Town Meeting, this time by a more decisive vote of 2,950-2,697.Two years ago, voters turned down the same charter proposal by just 14 votes.The rejected proposal called for replacing the five member Select Board and 240-member Representative Town Meeting with a mayor and nine-member town council.

Bob Reich London speech

2005-03-22T21:37:00.000-05:00

Here's a Kos Diary from an attendee to Bob's speech at the London School of Economics this evening.What came next was quite an interesting idea. Reich described four narratives that every successful campaign must have. They are:HOPEFUL narrativesRags-to-richesPeople coming together (think Frank Capra)FEARFUL narrativesMob at the gatesRot at the topThere's also a link to this TNR piece by Bob.

Deval Patrick Creeps Closer

2005-03-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

Is an announcement coming? The Globe seems to think so:Deval Patrick edged closer to a run for governor yesterday, saying his family has given him the green light to plunge into the race as he continues to assemble a staff and campaign organization.Blah blah blah -- cut to the chase:Another major issue for Patrick is raising campaign funds.[...]He has said reports in the financial press about

MA Blog Roundup

2005-03-18T13:08:00.000-05:00

Got nothing to say, but others sure do.Bob at Blue Mass is calling on Moran to censure McCauley about the BU Student disenfranchisement in the 18th Suffolk District Special Election:The Ward 22 Democratic Committee, led by newly prominent member Mike Moran, should censure McCauley and remove him from the Ward Committee to demonstrate its opposition to voter intimidation. Moran has his first test

3rd Berkshire Commentary from The Eagle

2005-03-17T16:28:00.000-05:00

The Eagle has an insightful editorial summing up the election:The short election cycle made it tough for any competitor, even one as talented as Rhonda Serre, to break out and establish themselves in the public consciousness. More time for a discussion on the issues may have brought out significant differences between the candidates, but with the candidates in general agreement on key issues, the

Use The Primary to Build the Base

2005-03-17T12:27:00.000-05:00

.08 has a link to an op-ed in the Globe from "another crank" (former Democratic state senator and gubernatorial candidate George Bachrach) who is against the new party rules -- he says:We need just the opposite. We need open and spirited campaigns that support bold, independent candidates. We need Democratic nominees who offer a progressive vision and an alternative plan, not an echo of the

Election Recap

2005-03-16T08:46:00.000-05:00

Fred Clarkson provides an analysis of the election results:It's the first day of the post-Finneran era. Tom Finneran who served for twenty-six years in the Massachusetts House, including eight as speaker, has finally been replaced in one of the three Democratic special election primaries to fill recent House vacancies.Finneran's successor, Linda Dorcena Forry, the daughter of Haitian immigrants,

Speranzo Wins

2005-03-15T22:07:00.000-05:00

Capital 9 is calling it for Speranzo. Stunningly low turnout even considering expectations. The other news is that in the GOP primary, Kinnas won by 10 votes. Thought Kerwood would kill him, but apparently Republicans don't like voting for Democrats. Based on this race, Speranzo starts with at least a 5:1 advantage.

3rd Berkshire Returns

2005-03-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

Can't find on the Boston Globe -- NY Capital News 9 has it.

Thanks Mitt

2005-03-15T19:45:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney failed to secure a positon on the base closing board for Massachusetts. This despite his personally lobbying W.Gov. Mitt Romney on Friday asked President Bush to appoint a Northeast representative to the panel charged with recommending military base closings. "I note with serious concern that each of the six people recommended by the Senate and House leaders hails from west of the

GOTV

2005-03-15T09:07:00.000-05:00

Last message from D4MARhonda Serre - 3rd Berkshire (Pittsfield)Email volunteer@rhondaserre.com for more information.Campaign website: http://www.rhondaserre.com/

Rhonda Serre's Economic Development Plan

2005-03-14T17:57:00.000-05:00

Rhonda Serre has a released an economic development plan for PittsfieldPITTSFIELD -- Rhonda Serre, who is running for the Democratic nomination for the state House seat for the 3rd Berkshire District, has put forward her plan for encouraging growth and promoting new jobs in the state, particularly in Pittsfield."I propose a shift in the direction of economic development in Massachusetts,"

Article 8 Hit Job

2005-03-14T15:49:00.000-05:00

Fred breaks some news on the 12th Suffolk race:Typically, these groups issue distorted attacks on anything to do with homosexuality, but especially efforts by the public schools to try to teach about it and to promote tolerance and understanding. These distortions become further magnified in the heat of an election campaign.Now, the PRC/Article 8 Alliance has issued a campaign flyer -- a

Tomorrow, Tomorrow ...

2005-03-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

GOTV info from D4MA.

The Revolution Will Be Blogged

2005-03-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Fred Clarkson has a round-up of the MA blogger activity on the special elections. I haven't been following the other races as much as the Pittsfield race, so it was good to see what was up in them. It's the final stretch -- so all Democrats should get out, work and get ready for the general elections.Update: Fred cross-posted to DailyKos, where there is some interesting discussion around this

Night at the Roxbury

2005-03-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

.08 takes on The Man in a story of intrigue, deception, fact-finding, and chutzpah. Also, I get the word "cranks" linked to me -- as if the google search terms in my referral logs weren't weird enough :)Earlier today, I was in Roxbury at the Democratic Committee Activists Day, sponsored by the state Democrats. Phil Johnston gave the opening remarks praising the Massachusetts Democratic grassroots

Peter Vickery's Letter Supporting Rhonda Serre

2005-03-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

Peter Vickery wrote a letter to The Eagle supporting Rhonda Serre. This shout-out is one of the reasons why Peter is such a favorite among grassroots activists:You can learn a lot about candidates from the way they run their campaigns. Rhonda is running the kind of grassroots, issues-focused campaign that is helping re-energize the Democratic Party. Many of the people who supported Bob Reich and

Will It Ever End?

2005-03-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Kudos to Blue Mass

2005-03-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

The unanimous vote and the Dukakis-McGovern endorsement kind of took the wind out of my sails on this rule change vote. David at Blue Mass has got it all figured out, though:The rule changes that the party adopted yesterday are all designed to restrict access both to the convention and to the ballot: they reduce the number of delegates, and they make it harder to clear the 15% rule. And it's

Insert "Hill" or "Boss" Pun Here

2005-03-11T14:06:00.000-05:00

Hill Boss has dropped out of the Hadley Selectboard race. Personal politics seems to be at play here:Boss said that some people had suggested that "if both Kate Nugent and I run, a candidate (whom he did not name) could be elected that would be inappropriate for Hadley."Former Selectman John S. Mieczkowski and newcomer Ellen C. Zion are also running for the seat. Mieczkowski said that one of the

Even More 3rd Berkshire Debate

2005-03-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

The Eagle continues its coverage of the debates. Minimum wage is a personal interest of mine -- here are some strong Democratic answers to Kinnas's charge that raising minimum wage hurts teenagers looking for after-school jobs:Kinnas faced some rebukes from the other candidates, who criticized his portrayal of the minimum wage as something that only applies to teenage workers."There are, in fact

Democracy For MA Special Election Events

2005-03-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

D4MA is getting out the vote for the March 15 primary. In 3rd BerkshireRhonda Serre, in 3rd Berkshire (Pittsfield)Thursday, March 10th, 6:30pm and 7pm -- Chamber and WMEC debate at the Berkshire Music Hall at 30 Union St. off North St. in downtown Pittsfield. Volunteers are needed for visibility and stand outs.Friday, March 11th, 4pm -- Stand out at St. Luke's Square on the corner of East and

More on the Debates

2005-03-10T16:49:00.000-05:00

The Eagle has another report on the DebatesThroughout the session, Serre repeated what has become her campaign slogan, "Don't send City Hall politics to Boston," as she tried to distinguish herself from Malumphy, who is an at-large city councilor, and Speranzo, who is the former city solicitor. Del Gallo called the three "leftists" and urged "people of faith" to vote for him as the only candidate

Unanimous Votes

2005-03-10T16:48:00.000-05:00

.08 reports that the rules changes vote was unanimous. Well, it's not as if they took the time to solicit feedback.Romney's veto of retroactive pay raises was overridden. At The Fray, Greg says:Romney's complete lack of support among even Republican legislators is telling, I think. As he continues to play to a national stage by disparaging the state he supposedly governs, he's going to have

Phil Johnston Should Resign

2005-03-09T17:01:00.000-05:00

Kristen wants reactions to Phil Johnston's latest outrage:It is absurd to have that many delegates. It is extremely difficult to manage a convention with that many.If you can't manage it, Phil, resign and let someone else take over.I just went to DCA Day in Amherst this weekend, a party-sponsored event to embrace all of the new active Democrats that Election2004 brought in. We spent most of the

Final Stretch

2005-03-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

Fred Clarkson has some Special Election updates on his Kos Diary. His report on what Article8 wants is very funny:Now you may have been wondering what is the far right thinking about these races. No? Well I was. So I checked back at the web site of the Article 8 Alliance -- which has posted a handy detailed round-up of the three races. The Article 8 Alliance, the virulently anti-marriage

Blog Changes

2005-03-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

Felt guilty adding trackbacks to various MA blogs without having a way for any of them to trackback from me -- so I'm now using Haloscan to provide them. I personally use this page to send my Trackback Ping to other blogs. If you want to add a Trackback, click the "Trackback" link at the bottom of a post, then copy the Trackback URL from the popup to the Trackback Pinger and fill in the rest of

Framing One-Party Rule

2005-03-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

.08 is continuing the discussion on electability. At the end of the post, sco writes:Most importantly, they have to make the case to the electorate that it is worth having a Democratic governor, despite the fact that it would throw the state into one-party rule.There are two strategies for running for Governor as a Democrat in MA. The one we use all of the time is run as an outsider against the

3rd Berkshire Debate

2005-03-08T12:27:00.000-05:00

Last night's debate is covered in The Eagle and Capital News 9. The Eagle's article is especially good -- titled Case of priorities for 3 Democrats, it highlights the differences between the three Democratic contenders. I think the article mostly speaks for itself, but one thing struck me:All the public safety and educational programs ever devised couldn't operate without funding, Malumphy

Stem Cell Bill Will Survive Romney Veto

2005-03-04T13:11:00.000-05:00

So says Travaglini (see Blue Mass for more). This bill should be written to be vetoed, for reasons I wrote about earlier.

"Electability"

2005-03-04T12:14:00.000-05:00

Left Center Left responds to my comment on electability. I was specifically commenting on this from a previous post:1) I'm not against a primary race per se, I just fear that progressives rallying behind Patrick are doing so for the wrong reasons, in an attempt to secure a progressive as gubernatorial candidate - full stop. David says a primary run could only strengthen Reilly as a candidate:

March Surprise

2005-03-04T09:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, Only two weeks left, and this resurfaces:PITTSFIELD -- A plan for a strip club on the city's western edge is rekindling the contentious debate over the city's adult entertainment ordinance and threatening to be-come an unexpected issue in the race for state representative.Read the story for the detail, but the gist is that two of the Democratic contenders, plus one of the Republicans were in

Gubernatorial Discussion

2005-03-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

More Gubernatorial Discussion over at Left-Center-Left. David from Blue Mass Group sums up a decade's worth of Democratic futility withAm I putting too much weight on the charisma factor? Maybe. But just for laughs, let's look back over the last four Gov elections. 1990: cranky, scary, mean-to-Natalie-Jacobson John Silber loses to affable, happy-go-lucky, incumbent Bill Weld. 1994: sacrificial

Political State Report Covers 3rd Berkshire

2005-03-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

Jamie VW at PolState MA has a post up about 3rd Berkshire.As I said in the comments to his post, I agree with Jamie that there's not much to distinguish the candidates on issues. To me the difference is depth of understanding of the issues, knowledge of the legislature and relationships. Rhonda has the best statewide/regionwide political network and experience and will use that for Pittsfield in

Blogging Mass

2005-03-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

Fred Clarkson did a round-up of some local blogs (and cross-posted to DailyKos). I appreciate the mention, Fred. Anyway, I gathered up the links from there and others in the comments and added all to a new blogroll section -- MA Political Blogs -- I was linking to most of them already, but there are some new ones. Hope all the others mentioned feel compelled to do the same (cough cough).

Supermajority Politics

2005-03-02T09:41:00.000-05:00

Romney failed to break the Democratic Supermajority in the MA legislature. This is supposed to render his veto useless, but that only works if enough Dems are on board.I think there's a lot to gain from passing legislation through Romney's veto. This means finding popular legislation that Romney needs to veto because of the national Republican base that he's courting for his presidential run. I

Progressives Back Serre

2005-03-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Eagle reports that MA progressives are backing Serre. In a race of three progressives, you have to wonder why. The reason is because these groups are made up of activists, who have a long standing tradition of picking a candidate and working for them--usually very early in the race.She has staked positions that are closely aligned with progressives: She is in favor of single-payer health

Controlling the Debate

2005-03-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

Short article about the first Pittsfield Special Election Debate. Only observation is that most of the article deals with the heroin issue. Rhonda Serre got out ahead of this a couple of weeks ago, and as a result she owns this issue and the article reflects it:"Heroin has taken over this city and anybody who doesn't know that hasn't been paying attention," declared Serre, a Pittsfield resident

Jesse Gordon for Cambridge

2005-02-28T12:43:00.000-05:00

This is kind of exciting news. Jesse Gordon, a fellow MA for Deaner, is running for Cambridge City Council -- Jesse was very generous with his time and energy to me personally and also to Northampton4Dean (and really, the whole state). I am sure his energy, experience, and enthusiam will be a huge boon to Cambridge. Good luck Jesse!

How Goes Milton...

2005-02-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

Nice piece in the Globe about Deval Patrick and his ties to Milton:Raised by a single mother, Patrick was recruited by A Better Chance, a Boston-based program that helps match talented inner-city students with prep schools willing to help them. In 1970, Patrick set off for Milton Academy. "I remember coming down Centre Street and there was the campus spread out. I had never seen so much privately