"From Brookline to Braintree to Boston, voters just don’t seem to know the Democrats and Republicans who are running for statewide office a week from today, sans one — governor. Talk to more than a dozen people; you get more than a dozen blank stares."
Campaign apathy: a political junkie’s lament
Most Mass. voters pick neither party when registering
What everyone is not talking about:
"The high anxiety of the Great Recession has shifted to a restive concern about the uneven recovery and growing income inequality. The fervent fight over universal health care has given way to the less glamorous, but still hugely important, struggle to contain rising health care costs. And the Democratic candidates for governor — Attorney General Martha Coakley, Treasurer Steve Grossman, and health care expert Donald Berwick — seem to fit the moment. They are capable, but not electrifying. Wonkish and driven. And they are remarkably unified about the state’s broad priorities. But whatever the overlap, the campaign has revealed some real differences in style, in tone, in approach."
Some "choice."
"Full of ideas, Don Berwick looks for traction" by Michael Levenson | Globe Staff September 03, 2014
This is Don Berwick’s challenge as he struggles to make the jump from rock star in the rarefied realm of health care quality improvement to credible contender for governor of Massachusetts.
His high-flying résumé — parts of which would fit comfortably on Bono’s list of global achievements — has not translated easily onto the ground in Lowell and Worcester.
Though his background is wider-ranging than any Democrat in the race, and though he has the most distinctive policy positions, Berwick is trailing far behind Martha Coakley and Steve Grossman. Polls show 65 percent of likely voters in Tuesday’s primary don’t even know who he is....
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Related: Berwick's Bullsh**
"Martha Coakley has much to showcase and something to surmount" by Nestor Ramos | Globe Staff September 04, 2014
For the better part of a year, Martha Coakley has come to places like this to convince people that this Martha Coakley — the one who will listen attentively to voters, who will share personal anecdotes that range from funny to heartbreaking, and who will shake 49 hands before she even starts speaking — is the real Martha Coakley.
And that candidate who ran the ill-conceived and ill-fated campaign for Senate in 2010? The one who rushed through public appearances, avoided contact with voters, and kept personal details private? Well, that wasn’t the real Martha Coakley — she just looked like her.
Related: Martha Coakley is still running against Scott Brown
The state’s attorney general for the last eight years, Coakley, 61, has one of the best-known names in Massachusetts politics and is one of the least-known people. Now, as she runs for governor four years after her upset loss to Scott Brown, Coakley says she is out to change the perception that she’s an aloof candidate unwilling to do the surprisingly hard work of meeting voters face to face.
“The criticisms of me, whatever they were in the Senate race, I own that,” Coakley said. “People didn’t see who I was.”
Whether all those handshakes are slowly unearthing the real Martha Coakley from under the rubble of 2010 is hard to know. Polls show her leading comfortably over Don Berwick and Steve Grossman in the race for the Democratic nomination. But she won the nomination easily last time, too, and some of the same polls show her slipping into a virtual tie with the likely Republican nominee, Charlie Baker. And unlike the primary race, in which Coakley and her closest opponent differ little on policy issues, a general election contest against Baker could hinge on specific plans for the state that Coakley so far has spent little time discussing in detail.
This year, her campaign is hoping to prove that the real Martha Coakley is not taking another race for granted, acting like an unenthusiastic guest at a party she’s supposed to be hosting. The real Martha Coakley, they say, isn’t that at all. She’s personable. She’s empathetic. She listens.
And so at Wardhurst Grille in Peabody, where the danish is piled on a table near the bar, the handshakes come first . . .
Meet the real Martha Coakley....
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"Hewing to serious mission, Steve Grossman finds the fun" by Andrew Ryan | Globe Staff September 05, 2014
This is the same man whose failed 2002 gubernatorial bid was encapsulated by Worcester Magazine with four words: “nice guy, dull candidate.” The same excruciatingly serious man who transformed his family’s century-old envelope business into a marketing juggernaut. The same man who rescued the national Democratic Party from crushing debt and turmoil, and who once shared conversation in the back of the presidential limousine that was so poignant it ended with him and Bill Clinton in tears.
He’s a Princeton man with a Harvard MBA. He’s a renowned fund-raiser, an influential behind-the-scenes rainmaker, an insider among political insiders. And now he’s standing on a sunny sidewalk in Methuen, mired in second place in the polls, and eating ice cream with a grin.
A newspaper columnist dubbed State Treasurer Steve Grossman an “ice cream savant” during his successful 2010 bid for treasurer and it became his thing. It’s a shtick, right?
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Nothing about his AIPAC ties, and his diet and environmental care sucks.
"I’m with Grossman, but is anyone else?" by Shirley Leung | Globe Staff September 02, 2014
Not me.
This self-described optimist revels in his underdog status, especially when he recalls what happened to Coakley in her 2010 US Senate race against Scott Brown. With less than two weeks to go, some polls showed her up by as much as 15 points. She lost by five.
There is a big difference this time. Coakley’s team has built a formidable grass-roots campaign and will have knocked on more than 100,000 doors by Tuesday compared with more than 33,000 for Grossman. Despite her Senate loss, she remains one of the most popular politicians around.
So what will it take for a Grossman upset? Coakley has to commit a major faux pas in the debates, like calling Dustin Pedroia a Yankee fan. Grossman has to hope for low turnout on Primary Day (pray for a hurricane) and that a new ad featuring his mom, Shirley Grossman, goes viral the way Carl Sciortino’s did . (The Medford Democrat lost the congressional race, but politicos still talk about his ad.)
Grossman may be a loser’s bet, but he’s the best Democrat for governor.
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"Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls turn up heat" by Joshua Miller | Globe Staff September 03, 2014
Trailing in the polls and with little time before Tuesday’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, the former Medicare and Medicaid chief sharply criticized opponents Martha Coakley and Steve Grossman as stale agents of the status quo. The attack came at a high-stakes televised debate before potentially one of the largest audiences of the race.
“If you want independence in the governor’s office,” said Berwick at the Boston Media Consortium forum, “then choose someone who owes no one any favors. My opponents are both professional politicians, and they have a long history of connection to the very structures of influence that are troubling our Commonwealth.”
Coakley, the attorney general, and Grossman, the treasurer, calmly parried the attacks.
Coakley portrayed herself as a defender of working people who will seek economic opportunity for residents from all walks of life. Grossman pitched himself as an experienced job creator who can help the state’s economy blossom.
Topics at the debate ranged from the candidates’ age (all are in their 60s but insisted they connect with younger generations) to money in politics (all aspire to reduce its influence) to the death penalty for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (all oppose it) to lighter fare. Only Coakley could name the Patriots’ new backup quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.
She has learned! Good job, Marty!
Recent polling has found Coakley leading her rivals by wide margins among likely Democratic voters. In four recent surveys, Coakley led Grossman by margins ranging from 12 percentage points to 32 percentage points, with Berwick trailing both in every poll. In one survey, Coakley led Berwick by 43 percentage points.
Throughout the debate, each of Coakley’s two opponents — Berwick, sharply; Grossman, politely — made the case for why voters should choose him over her.
Berwick, a former top Obama administration official who oversaw the country’s massive Medicare and Medicaid programs, touted his leadership chops and opposition to casino gambling in the state. He took repeated aim at Coakley over the course of the hourlong debate, aired live on WCVB-TV (Channel 5) and WHDH-TV (Channel 7). He recalled her 2010 US Senate loss to Republican Scott Brown and insinuated that, should she be the Democratic nominee, she could well lose again.
“After a year on the trail, all I’ve heard from you, in general, is boilerplate, talking points,” he said. “I want to ask what every single Democrat in Massachusetts is wondering: Why is it different this time?”
Coakley said she was putting together a more robust get-out-the-vote effort than she had time to do during the short runup to the 2010 special election, but she focused her response on what she has done as attorney general and what she would do as governor.
She cited her work fighting Wall Street to help people avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes and her office’s battle against the Defense of Marriage Act, part of which was subsequently declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court in a ruling celebrated by gay rights advocates. Coakley said she had an economic plan that would move Massachusetts forward.
Grossman’s most forceful attack — although still relatively restrained and polite — came during a discussion of a Coakley economic plan focused on boosting growth across the state, including regions outside the booming Boston metro area. He asked her to name three new specific examples of capital or infrastructure projects.
When she did not directly answer, he called her blueprint a “fake plan” and said it would not leave “a footprint on the beach.”
Throughout the debate, Grossman, a longtime owner of his family’s printing and marketing business, emphasized his job creation credentials in the private sector and as a statewide officeholder.
“I’m proud to have spent the bulk of my life running a fourth-generation family business,” Grossman said. “Being the jobs creator in this race, taking that into the state treasurer’s office.”
He mentioned a treasury program that took some of the state’s reserve deposits that were in foreign banks, brought them to Massachusetts banks, and encouraged them to be loaned to local small businesses.
Grossman and Berwick also criticized Coakley for giving the green light to Partners HealthCare System, the state’s largest network of hospitals and doctors, to acquire South Shore Hospital and Hallmark Health System. Both Berwick and Grossman said the agreement, which still needs a judge’s approval, would raise costs.
Coakley, again remaining cool, said she stood by the deal and argued it would level the playing field for competition and help reduce costs.
Related:
"Attorney General Martha Coakley is renegotiating a controversial settlement with Partners HealthCare after a state commission said Wednesday that a proposed takeover of two North Shore hospitals would raise costs and increase Partners’ already formidable market power. Coakley, a Democratic candidate for governor, has been criticized by political rivals, Partners’ competitors, and antitrust specialists for working out a deal with Massachusetts’ biggest health system instead of suing to block its bid to grow.... Spending at Massachusetts’ biggest health insurer and health care provider helped drive overall health care spending well above inflation last year, as the state’s efforts to control rising costs met mixed success, according to a report to be released Tuesday. The new report shows Massachusetts has made progress, with the rate of growth in health care spending slowing last year and finishing below the cap."
Coakley’s settlement with a lobbying firm led by a former state legislator was an early point of contention. The firm, accused of collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper fees from a hospital, did not admit any guilt but agreed to repay $100,000.
I know I could go find links and stuff, but why bother?
Grossman said that the settlement showed “bad judgment” and that it represented “the worst of what Beacon Hill is all about.” The attorney general stood by the agreement, implying it was the best settlement possible.
Wednesday’s debate was held in Boston at the studios of WHDH-TV. The other members of the sponsoring consortium were WCVB-TV, WBUR, and Bloomberg Radio.
All three Democrats will have time to make another live TV pitch to voters: They are scheduled to meet again on Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. on New England Cable News.
The winner of the Sept. 9 Democratic primary will face four other candidates in the Nov. 4 general election: either Republican Charlie Baker or Mark Fisher, and three independent candidates, former businessman Evan Falchuk, venture capital investor Jeff McCormick, and Christian pastor Scott Lively.
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"Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls battle in final TV debate" by Travis Andersen | Globe Staff September 05, 2014
For the second consecutive night, the three Democratic gubernatorial candidates clashed in a debate on Thursday that included a few testy exchanges between the front-runner, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and her opponents.
Speaking during their final televised debate, held on New England Cable News, before Tuesday’s primary, state Treasurer Steve Grossman noted that he had labeled Coakley’s job growth plan as “fake” when the candidates squared off the night before.
“It’s just as fake tonight,” Grossman, who is running second in recent polling, said after Coakley discussed her jobs strategy, which includes investing in infrastructure and reducing health care and energy costs.
The attorney general fired back. “At least it’s a plan, which you do not have,” Coakley said, despite Grossman’s earlier remarks about the need to provide better training to workers and close a skills gap in the state’s older, industrial cities.
The candidates engaged in some additional jabs during the hour-long debate, which moderator Jim Braude kept at a clipped pace, frequently stopping the hopefuls when they went over their allotted time.
The final Globe poll before Tuesday’s primary shows Martha Coakley maintaining a strong lead over her opponents.
See: Coakley maintains wide lead in primary race
The candidate running third in most polls, Donald Berwick, a pediatrician who formerly led the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, continued his effort to set himself apart as the antidote to his rivals, whom he described as “classical, traditional politicians.”
He reiterated his status as the only candidate who expressly supports repealing the state casino law and bringing a single-payer health care system to Massachusetts.
“Steve’s math [on jobs and revenue from casinos] is wrong, and Martha’s leadership is wrong,” Berwick said.
Early in the debate, Braude mentioned the conviction of John O’Brien, the former probation commissioner, on corruption charges and asked the candidates if they felt that Democratic hegemony on Beacon Hill was problematic.
Coakley touted her work in her office’s public integrity section, which she said has brought more than 70 cases during her tenure, including against fellow Democrats.
But Grossman pounced, saying that record “doesn’t wash with what she did with Jack Brennan,” a lobbyist and former state legislator whose firm was accused of collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper fees from a hospital.
Coakley’s office reached a settlement with Brennan’s firm, whereby it did not admit any guilt but agreed to repay the hospital $100,000. Critics of the settlement contend that it was too lenient.
The attorney general pushed back on Thursday night.
“Steve has made up facts,” Coakley said, adding that the settlement brought money back to the hospital and insisting the deal “was a good result.”
Berwick said his status as an outsider would shield him from playing favorites as governor.
“I owe nothing to any lobbyist,” he said. “I have patted no one on the back.”
The Republican candidates, Charlie Baker and Mark Fisher, are scheduled to debate on NECN on Friday at 6 p.m.
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"Candidates’ final push becomes a chess match; Campaigns scrambling to turn limited time, resources into votes" by Frank Phillips | Globe Staff September 06, 2014
State election officials are predicting a very low overall turnout....
I will be showing up and voting.
Now I'm told a modest turnout is expected!
“If you are at this stage of a campaign hoping for a miracle, you are in big trouble,’’ said Dan Payne, a Democratic campaign media consultant, pointing to Coakley’s consistently wide lead in the polls over Grossman and Berwick.
“The campaign is in fast-drying cement,’’ he said.
But Grossman’s advisers said the Globe editorial board’s endorsement of his candidacy, and what they believe were strong debate performances this past week, have given his candidacy new energy.
He is also launching a new television ad this weekend that touts both the Globe endorsement and his convention victory, convinced they will resonate with primary voters and help him cut into Coakley’s lead.
“She’s polling above her weight,’’ said one Grossman adviser, describing the campaign’s conviction that it has a shot to overtake her....
The FIX is IN!
And where is the outrage about calling Marty Coakley fat, huh?
I guess it's okay if a certain chosen people says things (he was being excused all over the sports talk yesterday).
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As usual, I will be voting against someone rather than for someone.
Also see:
Primary voters to choose candidates in number of races
Across the state, primary candidates make one last pitch
McCormick loses key staffer as Joe Malone resigns
A guide to Tuesday’s Massachusetts primary
The Democrats can’t neglect reform
Two very different GOP campaigns for governor
Governor Patrick backs Warren Tolman for AG
Attorney General race remains a tight affair
In attorney general race, it’s down to the wire
"In the race to succeed Coakley as attorney general, Maura Healey has surged out of a dead heat with Warren Tolman to claim a 15-point lead."
I can't take the mixed messages and contradictions anymore.
Middlesex DA foes slug it out
Host of Tisei fund-raiser cleared of criminal charges
See: Rosenthal's Road Rage
AmeriKan ju$tice!
Tierney, Moulton trade barbs on final day of campaigning
Rhode Island Democratic hopefuls make final push in before primary
Money pours into ballot question campaigns
Casinos may offer lessons about protecting privacy
Other lessons they are offering:
"Inauspicious timing of Atlantic City’s woes for Mass. casino supporters" by Mark Arsenault | Globe Staff September 01, 2014
ATLANTIC CITY — Cash vouchers in hand, Edna Kozakas poked around the gambling floor at the Showboat casino last week, looking for the last bits of luck among the penny slots.
“My last hurrah here,” she said, in a sad little obituary for a casino that brought her many hurrahs.
The Mardi Gras-themed hotel and gambling hall — as tacky as flypaper to some, but lovable to many — was the place Kozakas and her gal-pals often visited from New York, a bus ride of more than two hours.
But that was before New York’s Resorts World casino opened three years ago, offering the convenience of thousands of slot machines close to home.
With revenue down due to competition from around the region, Showboat closed on Sunday, the first of two casinos that will shut its doors this week along Atlantic City’s famous boardwalk. Another casino closed earlier this year. Still another will shut down in two weeks, which will leave Atlantic City with eight.
The contraction and painful layoffs in New Jersey — amid disappointing revenues in the casino industry elsewhere in the United States — come at an inauspicious time for casino supporters in Massachusetts, a little more than two months before voters will decide whether to repeal the state’s casino law in a ballot referendum.
The ballot will be rigged so it fails.
The revenues are disappointing because there are no longer home equity loans or jobs whereby people can blow a bunch of cash at the casino. The American people simply have no more money. Corrupt state and religious officials can only gamble so much.
Casino opponents in Massachusetts have seized upon Atlantic City’s troubles as a campaign issue, arguing that the Northeast cannot support the abundance of casinos that already exist, so why build more?
“Atlantic City is just the latest example in an ongoing trend brought by oversaturation and broken promises,” said David Guarino, spokesman for the casino repeal campaign.
The industry’s supporters argue that Massachusetts’ casino marketplace would be a much different animal — but while the Massachusetts model may look nothing like the boardwalk, the state is not immune to the same competitive pressures that are squeezing Atlantic City, specialists say.
Competition has shrunk casino markets, and new jurisdictions should look soberly on how much tax revenue casinos can produce, said Israel Posner, an expert on Atlantic City and director of the Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey....
Sigh.
Vote out casinos before you become a “ghost town,” (according to Brachfeld!).
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Related: Celebrating Casinos
Also see:
Martha Coakley is hedging her bets on casinos
Markey will vote to keep casino law on books
With Mass. deal, Mohegan could promote Conn. casino
Panel to vote on Boston-area casino this week
Gambling panel weighs Wynn, Mohegan Sun proposals
Wynn casino bid fulfills gambling law’s goals better than Suffolk Downs
Patricia Campatelli unfit even for arcane register of probate office
She should be happy Warren did not endorse her!
Well, time for me to go vote. Totally unenthused about it.
