I'm no longer listening to the current one.
"Democrats running for governor have 1st forum; All polite as they introduce themselves" by Joshua Miller | Globe Staff, January 17, 2014
LEXINGTON — State Treasurer Steven Grossman asked his competitors whether they would join him in supporting a bill in the Legislature that would grant the lower in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants who had gone to high school for at least three years in the state and either graduated or received an equivalency certificate.
All said they would.
What part of "illegal" are you not understanding?
“I am the daughter of a Lebanese immigrant family and I have a strong passion for this issue,” Juliette Kayyem, a former state and federal homeland security official, said.
Currently Massachusetts students who were in the United States illegally but obtained work permits through a federal program instituted in 2012 can receive in-state tuition. But that program did not cover every student here illegally, a gap some lawmakers are trying to close.
They work harder four illegals than they do for citizens or their student debt enslavement., and I am so sick of the endless agenda-pushing of politics at all levels.
The audience politely applauded after a number of a different candidates’ statements on issues. But a few comments drew a louder response.
Attorney General Martha Coakley, a former county district attorney [and] one of two women running for governor, made a glancing reference to her gender when describing how the state’s chief executive could best work with the Legislature.
“This is how I look at it, the governor has a job to do when she is in charge —” Coakley said, pausing briefly as she was interrupted by applause.
Related: Coakley Campaign in Crisis
Yeah, it ain't going to be you, Marty.
Donald M. Berwick, a former Obama administration official, who has worked to position himself to the left of his opponents during his campaign, did the same Thursday.
At one point, discussing health care, he said, “I am the only candidate for governor that has put single-payer on the table” for the state, referring to a single-payer health care system. The audience broke into their loudest applause of the evening.
It's not going to be enough to get my vote.
The forum was moderated by state Representative Jay Kaufman, a Lexington Democrat, who ended the event by inviting one of the five people on the stage — “we don’t yet know who,” he said — back to the historic hall in September for a forum with the GOP nominee.
The two Republicans currently vying for the nomination are Charlie Baker, who was his party’s 2010 nominee for governor, and Mark R. Fisher, a political novice from Shrewsbury who aligns himself with the Tea Party.
Two independent candidates are running for governor. They are Evan Falchuk, an attorney and former business executive, and evangelical Christian pastor Scott Lively.
Venture capital investor Jeffrey S. McCormick, an independent, is seriously considering a run as well.
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And in the interests of fair time:
"At state GOP’s convention, being heard has a price; Party to charge candidates up to $25,000 to speak" by Stephanie Ebbert | Globe Staff, January 31, 2014
The Massachusetts Republican Party, which often struggles to field strong challengers to Democratic incumbents, has added a new hurdle — it is charging candidates for governor $25,000 to speak at its upcoming state convention.
That cost, double what it was in 2010, is among several increases the party imposed on candidates this year to recoup the expenses of running the state convention, an event that the executive director says traditionally loses money.
That's Massachusetts for you! Where the tax-and-spend Republicans are!
Among the new fees: a $10,000 surcharge for candidates vying for contested seats.
I gue$$ I won't be running for anything this year.
That’s right: For this Republican event, competition increases the cost.
Though the fees are causing some grumbling among party members, the state GOP says it is not trying to discourage upstart campaigns within its ranks....
State GOP shut down Ron Paul delegates. One reason among many I'm a registered Independent now.
Massachusetts GOP fees are steep by some comparisons. Spokesmen for Republican state committees in New York, New Hampshire, and Connecticut all said their candidates campaign at conventions for free.
“Couldn’t that money be better used for the Republican Party?” said Debbie McCarthy, a spokeswoman for Mark Fisher, the longshot Republican candidate challenging gubernatorial candidate Charles D. Baker. “You’re asking candidates to pay the party that’s supposed to be supporting candidates.”
That does seem f***ed up to me.
******************************
The hefty fees have frustrated Fisher’s supporters. A political unknown and member of the Tea Party, Fisher hails from the wing of the state GOP that has long been skeptical of the Republican establishment.
When the Shrewsbury resident questioned state party officials about the fee this week, he said he was told, “ ‘You don’t have to pay the fee. But we’re going to turn off the speaker and sound system [during your floor speech].’ ”
“Could I bring a bullhorn?” Fisher said he asked.
He was told that he could....
Who does he think he is, Alex Jones?
Baker spent $6.7 million in his failed 2010 bid....
In Boston, the convention is costing both the party and the delegates more....
Don't get caught in the Briar hack.
The conventions provide partisan voters one means of winnowing down their choices of candidates, but to get on the ballot candidates also must demonstrate their viability by collecting signatures from thousands of voters on nominating papers; a major-party candidate for governor must submit 10,000 signatures by May.
This year, Fisher noted, the Republican convention will take place well before those signatures are due — a reversal of tradition....
Looks like the fix is in for Baker.
Roughly 3,000 Republican delegates typically attend the convention, and despite its unifying, celebratory feel, it does not always produce a consensus candidate....
Twenty-four years ago....
How long ago?
For years, the state GOP establishment has been criticized for focusing its resources on its heavyweight candidate rather than building up more potential successors. Rank-and-file Republican activists often feel their party has little to show for the ambitions of individual leaders such as Weld and Mitt Romney.
Because we do.
Fisher, a first-time candidate and political unknown, has barely raised any money yet, instead running his campaign mostly on $165,000 in personal loans. His candidacy is predicated on making it through the convention with at least 15 percent of delegate support.
As a result, he said, he will pay the $25,000 fee.
“I don’t like it. I’m a business guy. We usually send out for quotes and get the best price,” he said. “But it is what it is.”
That's the way I feel about a certain morning paper.
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Also see: Charlie Baker, Richard Tisei face the Tea Party smear
Baker Faces Backlash For Picking Polito
The Lite and Dark Side of the Massachusetts Governor's Race
Looks all dark to me.
Tisei to mount a second challenge to Rep. Tierney
Tisei pulls in big bucks in run against Tierney
Would it surprise you that I'm for the gay guy?
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
"Howard Dean to endorse Grossman for governor
Former governor Howard Dean of Vermont plans to endorse state Treasurer Steve Grossman’s campaign for governor Monday, calling him “a bold progressive leader,” according to Grossman’s campaign. The endorsement could help Grossman appeal to Democrats who fondly recall Dean’s presidential campaign in 2004, when he rose to prominence on a wave of antiwar fervor before losing traction and dropping out of the race. Dean will make the announcement in a conference call with reporters. Both he and Grossman share deep roots in the Democratic Party as former chairmen of the Democratic National Committee. Grossman is one of five Democrats running for governor this year (AP)."
Then I will have to vote Baker. As for the antiwar candidacy and all that, in retrospect it is nothing but the same $hit-fooley politics I describe today. I just didn't know it then. War Media sabotaged his campaign over a yell, remember?
Related: The Iranian Fringe (and Friends)
Goodbye, Howard Dean.
The "left-wing" Ron Paul?
