Pure Masshole self-indulgence, for a slow Sunday evening. I was talking about the primary with my Spousal Unit, a lefty-liberal who faithfully donates and votes and even does GOTV work sometimes, but not a political junkie. And he said, “Not that I won’t vote for her, but I’m still a little pissed at Coakley for losing to Scott Brown… ”
I’m sure he’s not the only Democratic voter with that bias, but watch the video above, and remember that Shannon O’Brien knows better than most how hard it is for a female politician to get ahead in Massachusetts. “Elizabeth Warren!,” say the spectators, but let’s be honest: Warren was an outside candidate — nothing to do with the permanent MA-Dem establishment. When she ran in 2012, she had just drawn lots of national progressive attention by being passed over for a big political job, and none of the men who were plausible Democratic Senate candidates felt like taking the risk of running against Centerfold Brown and all his out-of-state money/muscle. Warren, much as I love her and hard as I campaigned for her, was no threat to the state’s Permanent Party. If she won (as she did!), they could take the credit, and if she lost, it was no skin off Steve Grossman’s future plans. (The same is true of Governor Patrick; he ran in 2006 as an “outsider”, winning a three-way primary where his opponents bloodied each other badly, and running in the general election against a Republican woman and an unusually deep- pocketed “independent”. This is not at all a coincidence. Ours is a progressive Commonwealth, but the political machinery remains firmly in the hands of old-school urban traditionalists.)
Video by way of D.R. Tucker at the Washington Monthly, who adds:
… In order to win the general election, Coakley will have to rip the moderate mask off of Baker, who has been trying to position himself as a non-reactionary Republican in the tradition of former Massachusetts Governor William Weld. Coakley must point out that Baker clearly plans to pull a switcheroo—run as nice-guy centrist, then govern as a radical Scott Walker clone. She must mention—early and often—Baker’s controversial ties to New Jersey’s Koch-approved Governor, Chris Christie…
Hey, there are plenty of moderate Republicans out there—go to your local cemetery, and you’ll find moderate Republicans all over the place. Baker is not one of them; if he was, then why did he run for governor in 2010 as a climate-change-denying Tea Partier?
This will not be an election, but a trial, with prosecutor Coakley trying to put away an identity thief and con artist falsely representing himself as a reasonable Republican. I’m confident that she will present a compelling case, and that the Bay State’s jury will give Baker a harsh sentence.
And that, I think, is the pro-Coakley argument for progressives: Come November, it’s gonna be Charlie “smiling, centrist, independence-loving independent” Baker running on the (stealth) Repub ticket. Dr. Donald Berwick is the True Progressive’s Choice (and, I’m told, a very nice man) but that’s not going raise his primary share much above the single digits. When the low-info voters catch a mid-October thirty-second political spot, the main difference between Baker and Steve “lifer in the Dem machine” Grossman would be how Baker looks like the TV ideal of a classy upscale candidate, and Grossman… does not. Which is shallow, but that’s the waters in which we are fishing.
True, I have a sentimental attachment to the idea of bringing Massachusetts forward into feminist parity with such progressive states as Arizona. But given the race we’re running as of this point in time, I think that Martha Coakley is also the best Democratic candidate we have. By all means, vote for Berwick this Tuesday, but when your fellow primary voters once again fail you, don’t take it out on Coakley in November, okay?
gene108
Would like to thank Poopyman and PurpleGirl for suggesting a fan / cooling pad for my lap-top, because it runs hot. Seems to have solved the problem and not very expensive.
EDIT: From this morning’s open thread
EDIT2: FIRST!!! SUCK IT LOSERS!!!
different-church-lady
If your husband is still pissed at her for losing to Brown, imagine how he’s going to be when she loses to Baker.
I have zero faith. Coakley is the kind of candidate who wins with the kind that vote in primaries and turns off everyone else.
Anne Laurie
@different-church-lady: You really are BJ’s stealth Republican “handler”, aren’t you?
You get paid to do this, or does love for your party force you to spend so much effort among those you obviously find uncongenial?
Starfish
Coakley was a terrible candidate. Her ads were also terrible. If she could not watch them and understand that they were terrible, then she should not be running.
Cacti
@different-church-lady:
If Terry McAuliffe can win a governor’s race, anything’s possible.
Anne Laurie
@Starfish: Just promise me you won’t vote for Baker out of aesthetic spite, okay?
Violet
Speaking of elections, isn’t this special:
lola
i’m a relatively new voter to ma politics and i can’t make sense of the lt gov position. what gives???
Cacti
@Violet:
Jay Nixon never would have made it to the governor’s chair without strong African American support in St. Louis and Kansas City.
But he still takes every opportunity he can to spit in their faces.
Phoebe
I’m sorry, but I think you’re whistling past the graveyard with Coakley. She’s a terrible candidate. I’ll vote for her if she’s the nominee, just like I voted for her after she won the primary against Mike Capuano back in 2010. But I think she’s going to lose to Baker for the same reasons she lost to Brown: the general electorate isn’t the primary electorate, and it doesn’t matter how hard she’s willing to work if she waffles whenever she’s asked a question and can’t inspire a room when she speaks. Have you seen her debate performances this cycle? Did you catch her worst-of-five presentation at the convention, with its painful cutesy line about high heels?
. . . yes, I’m being harsh. It’s because the prospect of her victory on Tuesday fills me with dread about the general election. If she had Maura Healey’s presence it would be different, but she doesn’t, and it’s not. I’m going with Don Berwick, and praying to the Flying Spaghetti Monster and anyone else who’s listening; whatever the odds against his winning on Tuesday, at least I believe that if he does, he can beat Charlie Baker. And I’ll sleep better at night.
Baud
How does Coakley keep winning the Mass. AG race if she’s such a terrible candidate?
srv
@Baud: Whenever I go to vote straight ticket, I’m always thinking about the AG’s race.
A ham sammich could win an AG race.
henqiguai
Yeah, I’m a Massachusetts resident and I’ll be voting Tuesday – for Berwick. Out here in the sticks where I live (north central MA), I have seen exactly one set of campaign posters; for Grossman. Coakley has not been out in these areas as far as I have seen and doesn’t seem to even acknowledge Massachusetts exists beyond Rte. 128. I’ve at least seen a Berwick campaign office in Waltham (midway between me and Boston). Grossman just seems, to me, to be a wannabe Lieberman-lite; but I admit to not knowing anything about him.
lola at 8 – you mean that the Lt. Gov runs and campaigns separately? Massachusetts is not the only state to do so; VA comes to mind. Entertainingly, after responding to a phone poll, the Leland Cheung campaign hit me with an email. Got even funnier when I went to his website and found (and reported) a problem (QAer, had time on my hands; never a good mix), and both a staffer and he emailed back saying they followed up and fixed the thing. Looked through his bio; seems like a hardworking Progressive (councilman for Cambridge); I’ll probably vote for him as well.
different-church-lady
@Anne Laurie: I must be expressing myself very poorly, as you always seem to conclude I’m on the opposite side.
For what it’s worth, I got out there and campaigned for Coakley when it because obvious she was going to fumble Kennedy’s seat away. The idea of Governor Baker makes me want to punch something in the neck.
Mnemosyne
Well, I was hoping to have my new blog post up, but for some reason YouTube keeps uploading the clip I have with the 2nd (audio commentary) track instead of the original audio. It plays normally in QuickTime, but YouTube’s audio insists on being the 2nd audio track. Anyone have any clue how to fix this short of re-ripping the original digital file?
chopper
@Phoebe:
Stealth republican! ADMIT IT
chopper
@different-church-lady:
Clearly a GOP plant. You’re a wily one, I’ll give you that.
Baud
@Cacti:
It’s been almost a year, and he hasn’t made any news I’ve seen for doing something stupid or crazy or slimy. So good for him, if that’s in fact the case.
rikyrah
Foreign Powers Buy Influence at Think Tanks
By ERIC LIPTON, BROOKE WILLIAMS and NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
WASHINGTON — The agreement signed last year by the Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs was explicit: For $5 million, Norway’s partner in Washington would push top officials at the White House, at the Treasury Department and in Congress to double spending on a United States foreign aid program.
But the recipient of the cash was not one of the many Beltway lobbying firms that work every year on behalf of foreign governments.
It was the Center for Global Development, a nonprofit research organization, or think tank, one of many such groups in Washington that lawmakers, government officials and the news media have long relied on to provide independent policy analysis and scholarship.
More than a dozen prominent Washington research groups have received tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments in recent years while pushing United States government officials to adopt policies that often reflect the donors’ priorities, an investigation by The New York Times has found.
The money is increasingly transforming the once-staid think-tank world into a muscular arm of foreign governments’ lobbying in Washington. And it has set off troubling questions about intellectual freedom: Some scholars say they have been pressured to reach conclusions friendly to the government financing the research.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/us/politics/foreign-powers-buy-influence-at-think-tanks.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0
Phoebe
@Baud: It’s a different position, with different requirements (and with a different kind of competition, too). Being an effective candidate for AG doesn’t automatically translate into being an effective gubernatorial (or senatorial) candidate; one job only requires that voters see you as a decent person who’s also a highly-qualified professional, and the other requires that voters see you as a leader.
different-church-lady
@Phoebe: If it weren’t for Gubernatorial or Senatorial elections, the AG race would be counted by vote totals in the hundreds.
Baud
@Phoebe:
@different-church-lady:
Interesting. I think in many other states, the AG election is actually considered a pretty big deal — a close second to the governor’s race.
NotMax
IIRC, the final nail in the coffin for Coakley’s senatorial campaign was her trotting off on vacation shortly before the election.
Hal
Am I missing something? Coakley has been multiple points ahead in every poll but one. I’m not a MA voter, but why would she lose?
Mnemosyne
@Mnemosyne:
Finally got it to work — I had to use Handbrake to convert it to mp4. Oy!
The Divorcee (1930)
different-church-lady
@Hal: Because in spite of 2004, the ball always dribbles through Buckner’s legs.
Mike in NC
I haven’t lived in MA since 1986, but the electorate there has a regrettable habit of voting in “moderate” Republican governors who promise jobs, jobs, jobs! Clowns like Ed King, John Volpe, Frank Sargent, and the odious Willard M. Romney.
Phoebe
@chopper: Okay, okay! I admit it.
At least,I am to the extent that I’m already selling Berwick to my Republican-leaning friends, in an excess of optimism (or possibly, attempted sympathetic magic). Which I can do with more success than you might think, because his policies make sound fiscal sense when you get down in the weeds and look at them.
rikyrah
and the right wing weeps:
……………
Obama Outperforms Reagan on Jobs, Growth and Investing
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today issued America’s latest jobs report covering August. And it’s a disappointment. The economy created an additional 142,000 jobs last month. After 6 consecutive months over 200,000, most pundits expected the string to continue, including ADP which just yesterday said 204,000 jobs were created in August.
One month variation does not change a trend
Even though the plus-200k monthly string was broken (unless revised
upward at a future date,) unemployment did continue to decline and is now reported at only 6.1%. Jobless claims were just over 300k; lowest since 2007. Despite the lower than expected August jobs number, America will create about 2.5 million new jobs in 2014.
And that is great news.
Back in May, 2013 (15 months ago) the Dow was out of its recession doldrums and hitting new highs. I asked readers if Obama could, economically, be the best modern President?
Through discussion of that question, the #1 issue raised by readers waswhether the stock market was a good economic barometer for judging “best.” Many complained that the measure they were watching was jobs – and that too many people were still looking for work.
To put this week’s jobs report in economic perspective I reached out to Bob Deitrick, CEO of Polaris Financial Partners and author of “Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box” (which I profiled in October, 2012
just before the election) for some explanation. Since then Polaris’
investor newsletters have consistently been the best predictor of
economic performance. Better than all the major investment houses.
This is the best private sector jobs creation performance in American history.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2014/09/05/obama-outperforms-reagan-on-jobs-growth-and-investing/
Mike J
@Starfish:
If you can’t come up with some sort of pro-forma “I love the Red Sox” statement to make, you deserve to lose. You don’t have to be a super fan, but you have to understand what’s important to the voters.
Cervantes
@Mike in NC: Ed King was a Democratic governor, having defeated a more liberal Republican for the job. He later switched parties.
Phoebe
@Hal: Her lead over Baker has been slipping, and Baker hasn’t even really begun campaigning against her. But also, this is one of those places where the memory of 2010 is strong. The polling then gave her a double-digit lead over Brown until surprisingly late in the campaign.
This wouldn’t make me twitchy if I thought that the only reason she lost in 2010 was that she got complacent; I’m sure she’ll work her heart out this time. But I don’t think it was the only reason. As Anne Laurie said, voters can make choices for some shallow reasons, and a candidate’s simple lack of charisma can be expensive at the polls.
danielx
@Anne Laurie:
From what I recall Coakley was a lousy campaigner in the 2010 Massachusetts special election, as witness her distaste for “….standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?….” Which is more or less a direct quote, as in Martha talking about something she really didn’t care to do.
My thought at the time was well, yes, Martha, that’s one of the (many) things that someone running for Teddy Kennedy’s seat should plan on doing. It’s a small state, and you really ought to meet as many people as you can. Scott Brown is doing it. What, are you too good for it? No great wonder she got her ass handed to her.
I have no doubt her heart is in the right place and so would her policies be, but I truly hope she’s learned better and does better.
If my recollection is off base, shame on me, that’s just how I remember it.
Violet
@rikyrah:
No, the right wing doesn’t weep. The right wing ignores and says its not true. Unless and until they can’t and at that point they find some tiny point where it actually isn’t true and tout that until the next blonde girl goes missing.
Cervantes
@danielx: My recollection is as much off-base as yours is.
Howard Beale IV
There be an upheaval in the Tiger Beat on the Potomac.
SiubhanDuinne
Are we still on for a BJ Boston-area meetup next Saturday 13th)? Do we have a location yet? I know there were a couple of suggestions in or near Waltham, but I don’t remember whether a final choice was made.
Conley’s in Watertown is one suggestion, as is Donahue’s. My hosts have also mentioned Solea, a tapas restaurant in Waltham.
Am SO looking forward to meeting everyone who can show up next week!
PurpleGirl
@henqiguai: New York also elects the Lt. Governor separately. In fact we have a situation this year where it might be possible that Andrew Cuomo’s Lt.G. could lose to the challenger. Don’t know how real the chances are but some pundits and strategists have suggested that Prof. Wu could beat Rep. Hochul. Now that’s a split ticket…
ETA: To be clearer: Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul vs Zephyr Teachout and Professor Wu. The split could be Cuomo and Wu.
p.a.
Does Coakley generate any enthusiasm? I haven’t heard anyone say she’s a good debater (if that matters). She seems to be a lifelong ‘It’s my turn’ pol.
Cervantes
@p.a.: If I were being flip, I’d say she’s John Kerry without the blue blood, the rich wife, and the charisma.
danielx
@p.a.:
Hey, yer saying that like it’s a bad thing! It worked for He Who Must Not Be Named (cough**W**cough), even if not for Grandpa McCain.
lola
@henqiguai: Thanks, henqiguai. It’s just weird to me. What if a the winning candidates for Gov and Lt. Gov don’t like each other? that’d be nuts (or a sitcom).
I read through progressive mass’s candidate questionnaire for the Lt. Gov candidates, and i liked Cheung and Lake.
Phoebe
@different-church-lady: Too true. I bet a good third of those few hundred votes would be accidental, too.
Just this afternoon I spent a good 20 minutes explaining the difference between the AG’s race and the DA race to one of our good voters — somebody who makes an effort, and is usually reasonably well-informed about candidates and issues by the time I get to her door. And she was probably only different from a dozen others I’ve talked to in that she knew she was confused. It speaks to how comparatively low-profile the AG race is in Massachusetts, that people don’t necessarily even realize that it’s not one of the local downballot offices.
KG
@Phoebe:
Ask presidents Mondale, Dukakis, Dole, Kerry, and Romney what bad charisma or impressions can do for a candidate that is otherwise competent and qualified.
gogol's wife
@Mnemosyne:
Interesting. I still wish she were a better actress — Irene Dunne or Stanwyck would have made it more powerful for me. I can’t get past her histrionics.
I’m looking forward to more posts!
GregB
Is there a time for the Juicer meet up in Mass
yet?
gogol's wife
@Mnemosyne:
Everyone should read Mnemosyne’s blog — this is great stuff.
different-church-lady
@Mike J: It’s like the woman doesn’t even know how to pander correctly!
KG
@lola: depends on the Lt Gov’s responsibilities. Here in California beyond calling to ask if the governor woke up each morning, the LG sits on a lot of boards for statewide stuff, like the UC board of regents. But the separate elections date back to the progressive era in the early twentieth century. It was seen as a means of weakening the parties stranglehold
Mike J
@gogol’s wife:
Norma Shearer was a great actress. Just a different style that was popular at the time. Complaining that Shearer doesn’t act in the same style Stanwick does is like complaining that Baz Luhrmann doesn’t direct the way Scorsese does.
PurpleGirl
@gene108: Your welcome.
rikyrah
Coakley gives off the Alex Sink vibe…let’s hope for better results this time.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
I’m getting frustrated. I’ve pursued four different lines to try to find someone who can help me with my Kickstarter, especially with the promotional video: ruemara here; a member of my fantasy baseball league who does marketing for Chicago theater groups; the jobs office at the Minneapolis College of Art Design; and two different people who have been recommended to me as knowing how to do this. None of them have returned my emails.
I really don’t know what to try next.
grillo
@SiubhanDuinne: Though I am but a humble lurker I would rather enjoy the opportunity to delurk and meet you and everyone else. I have been reading this blog since cudlips roamed the earth and I would love to put faces to diatribes.
I lurkers don’t get votes, but if I had one I’d vote for Donahue’s. But anywhere would be a delight.
Joel
Coakley really fucked up that senate race and rightfully gets a lot of criticism for it.
henqiguai
@gogol’s wife (#47):
What if you’re neither a film buff nor overly interested in that social period, in general?
rikyrah
@Mnemosyne:
thanks for the link
Belafon
Wasn’t it also close for Warren? I think a lot of you in MA – I did some college time there – try to be “reasonable” Democrats, not driven by ideology.
Which, viewing from Texas, drives me absolutely batty.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): People are busy and e-mail doesn’t work for everyone – especially around weekends.
Hang in there and try again early in the week.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Scott.
Mnemosyne
@gogol’s wife:
I think Shearer is a really good actress within the context of the time. A lot of silent stars had a hard time adapting to sound, and I think she did it better than a lot of others did (with the caveats I have about the mannerisms she carried over, which a stronger director would have stopped her from doing). If you catch Riptide at some point, she plays a similar character but (IMO) her performance is better because she’d had four years to figure out sound acting. Stanwyck cut her teeth on sound — she only has one known silent appearance, and that was as a dancer.
Southern Beale
@Mnemosyne:
Funny I just saw Norma Shearer in The Divorcee on TCM the other day. I was surprised at how risque a 1930 film would be but the TCM announcer dude explained that in order to convince movie houses to install more expensive sound equipment the movies were produced with more sensational and risque plots and dialogue.
That got me wondering if Hollywood did the same thing with all of the special effects films that cropped up in recent years, trying to get theaters to install expensive digital equipment.
A Humble Lurker
@grillo:
No, that’s me.
……;P
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Cacti: McAuliffe worked hard, paid his dues in the state and in the party, and ran a good campaign. He’s doing a good job.
As is AG Mark Herring, after the absolute disaster that was Ken Cuccinelli.
At least in Virginia, the AG office is extremely important. People out there shouldn’t assume an office isn’t important just because it doesn’t get a lot of press from the press and the political classes.
Cheers,
Scott.
Phoebe
@Belafon: Depends on your definition of “close.” I’m not sure I’d call it a blowout, but iirc Warren won by a solid eight points.
currants
Berwick for the primary, Dem for guv. Not a spite voter here, but Berwick just gets the poor/health care issues in a way that (EVEN) MA still very much needs. Coakley doesn’t, or won’t. And he was a very good administrator for Medicare, so I’m ok with him as guv even if his first strength isn’t visible politics. And C is a cold fish, but a far sight better than Baker, so no question for me in the general, when we get there.
We’ve had all kinds of political phone calls the last week–including Repubs: too bad they were all robo calls, because I’d have enjoyed giving them an earful.
Mnemosyne
@Southern Beale:
Honestly, I have NOT been impressed with Robert Osborne’s and Alec Baldwin’s commentary so far — it’s been really shallow and ahistorical. It almost seems like they feel protective of Production Code films.
I have a post from last year along those lines: “What the Heck Is ‘Pre-Code’?”
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Anne Laurie: Coakley is not only a terrible candidate, she’s a terrible person. Go ahead an call me a Republican if it helps you sleep at night. You are really unhinged on this issue.
I’m thinking about the people whose lives she ruined on her way to the top as DA. Fuck. Her. No way does somebody like that have any business having power (again).
grillo
@A Humble Lurker: Well actually I am kind of an arrogant irritating lurker. But that doesn’t sound as good.
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@srv: Bingo.
A Humble Lurker
@Anne Laurie:
Anne, don’t you think you could maybe accuse people of that less often and less readily?
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Phoebe: Or more to the point, being a “lock ’em up and hit ’em hard” DA appeals to both the fearful middle-aged lady who lives alone set and the Howie Carr-listening, tax-avoiding, exurban sexist/racist/whateverist males who also form the GOP base, such as it is, for the governor’s race in MA. While progressives quietly die gagging. She thought she had an easy majority, but Brown peeled off the exurban males while the progressives she needed in a senatorial race (Kennedy voters) sat on their hands. I know in my family’s case their hatred of her is very, very personal. For others, it might have been a matter of principle.
The way that other state’s AG’s get in office on the GOP ticket, being conspicuous pious god-botherers with a desperate need to get their wands up women’s vaginas, doesn’t really play that well in Mass. so the Democratic (Southie) machine can pretty much throw up whoever they want. Harshbarger* fucked them tho’ so they took care of him** and put GOPers in executive office for a while. That’s how we ended up with such #winners as Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift.
*-he committed the cardinal sin of investigating his own party members for corruption
**proving that the Mass electorate is every bit as shitty and stupid as the voting public everywhere
Mnemosyne
Quick silent movie alert for people interested in African-American films — TCM is showing one of Oscar Micheaux’s films tonight:
Oscar Micheaux (from Wikipedia)
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Mike in NC: Two things: one, the governor isn’t all that powerful, although Romney DID rename some departments and have all the trash barrels on the Esplanade spraypainted with new initials, that showed everybody didn’t it, kind of like peeing on each corner of the park but this way even somebody with no sense of smell wouldn’t miss the message, and two, everybody knows that the machine in Boston IS CORRUPT AS FUCK and to stupid people and sometimes even the resigned or just realizing there’s no practical alternative, it seems like a good idea to put an opposition party member in the executive office to try to put some brakes on. Usually these GOP candidates will swear up and down to support the same social issues that the Commonwealth electorate does–access to abortion, comprehensive sex ed, GLBT rights, while promising their base of tax refusers, rich and shiftless heirs, hate radio listeners, and dumbshits that they’ll take on the public sector unions. A lot of middle class swing voters will even support this seeing that the unions help get machine candidates in office so obviously they’re part of the problem although in all my years I’ve never heard that union leaders in Boston were profiting off the politicians’ corruption (and where do we start in Boston, between bribes and the liquor licensing board to shady connections in the Boston FBI office and framing political opponents to our speaker whose brother was using a connection inside the Boston FBI office to evade capture for his previous hits and get the FBI to take out his rival drug lords without him having to get his hands dirty) like I’ve heard about, say, Jacksonville, FL. But who knows? The unions, at least their white, male, Catholic leadership, luuuuuurved them some Stephen Lynch. Thankfully the college++ educated professionals in the ‘burbs truncated his ambitions. Lying cheating sexist motherfucker.
I do believe William Weld became governor of Massachusetts because the Dem party put up an anti-choice misogynist who was loud and proud about it. The unions were furious as Weld was a union buster and privatizer to the core. A lot of working class people lost their livelihoods. It was ugly.
I hope that the massive break with the Catholic church will lessen the Protestant middle class versus Catholic working class food fight that ends up hurting everyone. I also like the signs of progressive coalition building that led to the victory of Walsh in Boston. What a change. A decade ago frustrated progressives voted Green but I think topped out at about 13% of the vote. It’s just not enough. You need 27% to run everything (lol). That’s probably about what the machine controls.
gogol's wife
@Mike J:
Wow. Please give me an example of Norma Shearer being a great actress. I’m sincere. I haven’t seen that many of her films. The one I know best is The Women, and it seems to me she’s by far the weakest link in the whole film.
gogol's wife
@Mnemosyne:
I agree with you about Baldwin and Osborne. They almost sound moronic. I was surprised.
Yatsuno
In a laundromat in Fresno wishing every single annoying rugrat here would shut the buck up!
FlyingToaster
@Another Holocene Human (now with new computer): Around here, we call her “Prosecutorial Misconduct”.
From Fells Acres to the various Nannies she’s prosecuted, to some very weird prosecutions right here in my neighborhood, I will not vote for her. I did once (after she beat Capuano in the special), but this time I’ll fucking vote Green.
Coakley has two machines behind her: the MassDems and Berkshire County Dems. She doesn’t have the Boston machine (Menino couldn’t stand her, and I doubt Walsh does either).
Governor is not a high-powered job in MA; otherwise, Senator Centerfold would have stuck around and run for it. The Speaker of the House (soon again to be indicted, I suspect, that’ll be 5 for 6, right?) and Senate President have a lot more juice in our local gubmint.
Mnemosyne
@gogol’s wife:
The Women is probably one of Shearer’s worst films (I’m afraid the laurel for the worst has to be her version of Romeo & Juliet). They’re going to be showing A Free Soul this month, which you may like. Her version of Coward’s Private Lives may work for you since the whole point is that they’re both brittle, snappy people.
Anne Laurie
@SiubhanDuinne:
I was gonna email you — been waiting for feedback from your hosts! All three places look good to me. I was thinking around 4pm (5pm? 6pm?) as a starting time, late enough so that people can finish their weekend errands first, early enough that we beat the Saturday-dinner crowd. But I’m open to other opinions!
I’ll be putting up an early-warning post tomorrow afternoon, we can take it from there…
divF
@Yatsuno: Things could be worse – it is only three weeks. A friend of ours managed to make the cut to be appointed an Administrative Law Judge. The bad news is that her first assignment is Indianapolis, minimum two years, leaving home and husband in the Bay Area. After that, she feels she would be doing well to get as close as Fresno.
different-church-lady
@efgoldman:
Hindsight. 20-20. All that all that.
(Not that I don’t agree — much rather have Warren.)
Anne Laurie
@Belafon:
Yup, and yes. Also plenty unreasonable Democrats, who pick every potential candidate to pieces and then sulk afterwards when the fiends still fail to win in the general.
If so much of the money/power in this state wasn’t in “progressive” industries — education, finance, high tech — we’d be Texas.
different-church-lady
@Belafon:
Not unless you consider 7.5% close.
Coakley lost to Brown by almost 5%, so it’s a more than 12 point swing.
different-church-lady
@A Humble Lurker: Oh. So I can stop thinking about this as being personal then?
Mandalay
@Anne Laurie:
WTF??? You pulled this same ugly tone on me the other day for criticizing Warren’s comments on Israel.
People are going to sincerely disagree with you sometimes. Can’t you deal with that without adopting a condescending manner all the time? Or do you only want comments from posters who agree with you?
different-church-lady
@SiubhanDuinne:
Solea is excellent.
No, you won’t be seeing me — I don’t do meetups.
divF
@different-church-lady:
I’ll give Warren her due – a 7.5% margin by an outsider in a state with internecine politics that make Renaissance Italy look like a high school Model U.N. is no mean feat. That having been said, comparing Warren in the 2012 presidential year with Coakley in an off-year, off-season special election is a bit of comparing apples to oranges.
FlyingToaster
@different-church-lady:
I’d do a meetup, but it’s the night before WarriorGirl’s 7th Birthday Party. Theme: Frozen. Since she can sing the vocals from the soundtrack in both English and Spanish, it will certainly be a
horrifyinginteresting experience.I will be in the basement filling helium ballons and coming upstairs to pack the non-cake items into the car. And possibly putting the cake toppers on (though hopefully I’ll be able to pick up the cake Sunday and do it them).
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@different-church-lady:
Well, you also have made clear the your current default stance is that everyone on the blog is full of shit, so why would you want to meet any of us?
Tenar Darell
@currants: Huh, I’ve gotten at least two or three calls from real people this time. A poll or two, one from Coakley GOTV. But I’ve kept my landline, maybe that’s why…
Michael Bloom
Bless me father for I have sinned: yeah, I voted for Weld. My excuse is that the Dems nominated that autocrat from BU, plus Weld had very publicly told Ed Meese to go piss up a rope.
Weld was the first (and least incompetent) of four Repub governors whose real job, in retrospect, was to prevent any scrutiny of the Big Dig until Bechtel was through looting the treasury.
But don’t forget that nobody ever voted for Jane Swift.
EriktheRed
@Another Holocene Human (now with new computer):
There’s apparently a movie out there based on a case she prosecuted which was overturned. Doesn’t paint a flattering picture of her as a prosecutor.
SFAW
@SiubhanDuinne:
NPR listeners, no doubt.
Although I don’t usually try to do meetups – well, not until I drop another 40 lb., at least – I would have tried for this one, just to meet you, kid. (And a few others, of course.)
However, my kid turns 16 that day, and it might be considered poor form for me to duck out on the festivities, especially if I’m going to meet some babe. (For some reason, Mrs. SFAW might not think highly of that idea, not quite sure why.) So, hoist one on my behalf, and enjoy the rest of your stay in the PRM.
Just watch out for that efgoldman guy. Anybody who would leave luverly MA for RI – well, I don’t know …
Cervantes
@Michael Bloom: I agree with your comments re Silber and Weld.
Cervantes
@Anne Laurie:
Are you saying that Coakley is a machine pol but hitherto unsuccessful because she’s female?
I agree that Warren was not a creature of the machine.
Yes, comparing Berwick and Coakley, he is by far the better human being.
Kropadope
@Cervantes: If Berwick doesn’t win tomorrow, there will be a legitimate competition for my vote in the general.
Dec
I’ve met Martha Coakley twice on this campaign, and she seems like a very nice person, but it was clear that all of her answers to questions were mealy mouthed, canned, scripted to be inoffensive to everyone soundbites. There was no real engagement there. Most politicians are this way, but when berwick answers a question, he thinks about it, and gives a thoughtful answer, even if it may not go down easy for everyone. I think Martha can beat Baker–this is MA and Charlie Baker is no Brown–but I see her more as a manager than someone who can bring in fresh ideas for MA that the national democrats can follow. So I’m going for berwick tomorrow, but will enthusiastically vote for Coakley if in Nivember if she wins.
Downpuppy
I like Berwick, but there’s the Brandon Weeden rule : Don’t bet the team on a 68 year old rookie.
deep
GOD DAMMIT. NOT COAKLEY.
She is so reactionary, she’s clumsy, she’s forgetful. I’m still pissed at her for throwing the book at those teens for the ATHF “bomb” scare back in 2007.
Grossman would be 10,000x better than Coakley.
Cervantes
@Kropadope:
Last time I looked at a poll, the numbers were roughly Coakley at 50%,
AIPACGrossman at 25%, and Berwick at 5%. Much as I like Berwick, he does not have a snowball’s chance in hell tomorrow. Will that put an end to his political prospects? We shall see.I also saw the following recently:
And she’s obviously not the only person to feel that way about Coakley. Why in the name of all that is good and holy can the state Democratic Party not find better candidates? The level of corruption is absurd. Sometimes I think they deserve all the opprobrium they get from Massachusetts Republicans and associated loudmouths.
Deval Patrick and Elizabeth Warren succeeded in spite of the state party. Others will, too — but for progressives in Massachusetts, it’s an uphill trek every day.
Matt McIrvin
@different-church-lady: Warren broke away in the fall after running even or slightly behind Brown through most of 2012. I remember all the articles about how much of a political naif she was, and how impossible it was for women to get elected in Massachusetts. The debates may have been what made the difference, though from HuffPo’s aggregation it looks to me as if things started to move a week or two before the first one:
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2012-massachusetts-senate-brown-vs-warren#!
Kropadope
@Cervantes: Hey, I can see myself maybe voting for Coakley or Grossman in the general. They’ve been doing a little better at giving me reasons to lately.
But honestly, Baker seems like he may potentially be a reasonable guy and there is nothing in the issues to majorly distinguish him from Coakley or Grossman. I think as an equally qualified member of a not-well-represented group in our state government (Republicans), he would make a perfect affirmative action choice.
Matt McIrvin
@Cervantes: Pollster’s average has Coakley 44, Grossman 24.2, Berwick 8.7. Which isn’t much different in a practical sense. I’m voting for Berwick, but it doesn’t appear that Coakley could be beaten even if her opposition were united, which was one thing I was wondering.
Matt McIrvin
@Kropadope: I’ve sworn off voting for Republicans under any circumstances. Nothing good ever comes of it, and it doesn’t really matter how bad the Democrat is. If the guy has national ambitions he’ll swing hard right eventually, because he has to.
If you absolutely can’t vote for Coakley in the general, I’d at least leave it blank or vote third-party or something.
SFAW
@Kropadope:
Which means that white Demon-rats and blahs will vote for him for Prez, because that’s the only reason those groups vote for an affirmative-action candidate, i.e., white guilt or diversity cred, and blahs only voting for one of their own. (Of course, Baker might blow it if he sings “De Camptown Races,” attempting to play to the perceived crowd. Although jumping around like a Kansas City faggot might get him points.)
At least, that’s what I’m told by Tea Baggers and Karl Rove and Jonah and so forth.
Cervantes
@Matt McIrvin:
I agree. These days, a vote for a Republican is a vote for mayhem immediately or somewhere down the line.
Cervantes
@Matt McIrvin: I agree; Coakley will win tomorrow even if today either Grossman endorses Berwick or vice versa.
SFAW
@Matt McIrvin:
Not especially different from the Coakley-Capuano-Khazei results in 2010. And of course, she treated that as a coronation, and the rest is history.
I’ll still vote for her, and I think Charlie Baker only plays a moderate – the way Mitt did, and the way Bob McDonnell did – as a means to get elected here. Whether he really IS a moderate, or a winger, or just a political whore, remains to be seen. We knew the answer on Mittens, even before he was elected, but that didn’t help much.
I’m just hoping that she doesn’t fuck this one up. If she does, she should exile herself to Alabama or Mississippi for about 20 years.
SFAW
@Cervantes:
It’s getting to the point where I almost believe they can do it retroactively.
Kropadope
@Matt McIrvin:
The thing of that is that if he tries anything too outlandish, our government will be run from the legislature for the duration of his term.
SFAW
@Kropadope:
Bakercare?
cekman
I’m embarrassed to ask this, but where do you folks turn to for Massachusetts political blogging? I’ve always paid attention to national politics, but not much to my home state, and I haven’t really known where to turn since the Phoenix folded.
Mnemosyne
@SFAW:
What in the wild, wild world of sports is a-goin’ on here?!
deep
Don’t forget it was Baker who four years ago promised to respond to the recession by making thousands of workers unemployed as his first act as governor. Coakley is awful but she would STILL be the lesser of two evils.
And let’s not overlook the obvious: someone who isn’t ashamed to still be a Republican after the direction that party has taken since 2006 has very questionable judgment. Y’know I’m not really a Democrat? I only vote Democrat because the GOP gives me no choice! I’ll hold my nose and vote for Coakley in Novemeber even if I’m voting against her now.
SFAW
@Mnemosyne:
Well, gee, Mr. Taggart …
I can’t believe it’s 40 years old.
SFAW
@deep:
Both sides do it.
Steeplejack
Test: Can I comment on any threads?