We welcome PolitickerMA.com, to the Massachusetts blog roster. This new blog is modeled on the successful PolitickerNJ.com site and is will focus on Massachusetts local, city, state and national news.  PolitickerMA promises "Inside politics for political insiders."  

PolitickerMA.com  ran a story about the latest  polling numbers on the Massachusetts Senate race.  New poll numbers on the race came out on July 1st and show Senator Kerry with a substantial lead over the presumptive Republican nominee:

The poll, conducted by Rasmussen Reports, shows Kerry leading Republican challenger Jeff Beatty 58 percent to 27 percent. Last month, Kerry led Beatty 63 percent to 25 percent. At the time that poll was taken, however, Jim Ogonowski appeared to be the front runner for the GOP nomination in the race.

The percentage of the respondents that have a favorable view of Kerry jumped from 54 percent at the end of May to 60 percent at the end of June. Twenty-five percent of respondents view Beatty favorably, but 44 percent of respondents had no impression of the candidate. 

 

DailyKos took notice of this same poll and had this brief account of the race: "John Kerry is cruising in the Bay State, 58% to 27%, over his Republican opponent Jeff Beatty."  The voters of Massachusetts know that Senator Kerry has been working hard for them in the US Senate. Polls like this show that the voters want John Kerry to keep fighting for them in the Senate. That was this campaign is all about.

 

June 7th, 2008

I love democracy, and there’s nothing like an arena filled with Democrats ready to have a convention.

We’re mere minutes away from the 2008 MA Democratic Convention here in the Paul F. Tsongas Arena in beautiful, revitalized Lowell, MA. The delegate events last night were great, and John Kerry fired up a crowd at a delegate breakfast event next to the river just under an hour ago.

We’ll have John Kerry’s full speech ready for viewing by Monday, but in the meantime, I’ll be updating with sights and sounds today.

update (10:05 am): The concourse around the rim of the arena is now packed with delegates making their way between the exhibitor tables, tables of people working for health care for all, Young Democrats, couple people running for local office (sheriff, for example), unions, and many others (including a Hillary for President table that was reserved months ago). I walk around with my John Kerry flair (far less than 15 pieces, though), get smiles from folks who notice … lots of folks working for great causes.

More to come …

update (10:35 am): Now we’re in the early part of the speaking program. We’ve moved through the Treasurer, and now we’re up to Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. Of course, at this early stage, you still have a lot of people walking around and talking (nice round of applause for Tsongas’s mention of Ted Kennedy). One problem with my standing on the concourse: because I’m wearing credentials on a lanyard that don’t look like delegate credentials, everyone seems to assume I’m an authority of some kind. So they stop and ask me all kinds of questions, some of which I actually know the answer to. Hey, glad to help …

One note on unity: every mention of Barack Obama gets big applause in this state the voted for Hillary Clinton, while the Clinton buttons are flying off the shelf.

update (11:00): Governor Patrick talking now, just after his Lt. Gov Tim Murray. Gov Patrick takes the stage to a standing ovation, a very warm welcome. He thanks Ted Kennedy and gives his strong support to John Kerry … thanks, Governor! I’ll just point out that I have a “D” Patrick button mixed in with my John Kerry flair.

update (12:15pm): The good Senator is being introduced right now by a special guest … RFK Jr. Ted Kennedy is, of course, not here as he recuperates from his surgery in North Carolina, so his nephew is on the stage and doing the honors. John Kerry should be taking the stage momentarily … and he takes the stage, to big applause and LOADS of signs, a sea of “John Kerry” on blue.

John Kerry raising the roof! Pledged to work against the racism and sexism that has been so apparent during this historic primary … Calls out against “Exxon greed and Enron corruption” … deserved praise for organized labor as the source of our labor rights, to a big ovation … “fight to give workers the right to strike and organize … we’re going to pass the Employee Free Choice Act in the Senate” …

“Democratic Party stands for health care for all Americans, or we don’t stand for anything at all” … when President Obama signs the bill that finally gives health care for all, “he’ll give that pen that signed that bill to America’s greatest champion for health care, Senator Ted Kennedy.”

“Patriotism belongs to those Americans that tell the truth and protect the Constitution” … “you don’t support the troops if you deny veteran’s health care” … “when veterans come home, you don’t just send them your thanks, you send them to college” with the new GI Bill that just passed the Senate …

“I’ve criss-crossed this state hundreds of times, and I’m always inspired and motivated by your stories” …

“Brave patriots should never die because of the stubborn pride or deception of mere politicians, that must end” … “what is right for us as Democrats, is also the right way to win” … “my country right or wrong, when it’s right, keep it right, when it’s wrong, make it right” …

And the voting begins …

final update: And John Kerry wins the endorsement of the MA Democratic Party! Thanks everyone, we’ll see you out on the trail!

June 6th, 2008

By John Kerry

One of the great privileges of growing up in Massachusetts politics has been the education I've received from legends - whether Rep. Joe Moakley, Sen. Paul Tsongas, or my partner these past twenty four years, Sen. Ted Kennedy.

But of all the political lessons seared into me, the one taught by the legendary Tip O'Neill was pure brilliance - and I wish I'd known it when I first came to the Senate. Tip spoke about the conversation he had with one of his neighbors the day after a close election. Tip remarked "at least I know you voted for me." To which the neighbor replied "Actually, Tip, I didn't. You never asked me to vote for you." Tip's first rule of politics: no matter how long you've been there or what the polls say, you have to ask people for their votes.

I take nothing for granted -- today, I am asking for you to vote for me at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention.

I have proudly served Massachusetts for 24 years in the U.S. Senate and I am determined to return to stay there because we've got unfinished business.

I want to continue fighting for you, your family and your community.

Since I am asking for your support in Lowell, I want to let you know why I think I am worthy of it.

* I was the first Senator to author and force a vote on legislation demanding the Bush Administration set a deadline to bring our troops home from Iraq. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't popular. When my legislation was first introduced in the Senate in early 2006, just 13 other Senators supported my plan. Today, my plan to withdraw our troops from Iraq has the support of more than 50 of my colleagues and with some Democratic gains in November, this Democratic plan will lead to what is long overdue-- the return of our troops to their families.

* I am proudly committed to ending this Administration's disastrous war in Iraq, but I am also glad that one of the lessons America learned after Vietnam has been applied - and that is to never confuse the war with the warriors. The Bush Administration-- which so easily sent thousands of brave men and women to fight and die in Iraq -- has neglected our veterans and denied them the care, support and services they earned. I have fought for my fellow veterans and I am proud to have secured $20 million for additional veterans centers, including one in Hyannis, the first new veterans center in the state since 1984. I also secured funding for service members suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (a sadly common aftermath of IED attacks), authored and passed legislation to protect veterans from home foreclosure and went toe-to-toe with President Bush and helped win the pay raise for our troops that this Administration opposed.

* As Chairman of the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee, I have led the fight to address the skyrocketing energy costs impacting Massachusetts' small businesses. I have also successfully increased funding to organizations which support women- and minority-owned businesses and authored legislation ensuring small business owners called to active military duty don't lose their business in order to serve their country.

*I represented the U.S. Senate at the recent global climate change hearings in Bali and am one of the Senate's most outspoken critics of the Bush Administration's destructive energy and environmental policies. I have sponsored and cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation to demand more from America's automakers, end our addiction to foreign oil and make clean and renewable energy an affordable option for all consumers.

* With our economy struggling, I have taken the lead in addressing the needs of Massachusetts' working families. Senator Kennedy and I fought the President over his refusal to tap emergency fuel reserves to help homeowners to heat their homes-- and we won that fight and also secured an additional $82 million in LIHEAP funding for the state. With thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure, I authored legislation to allow housing agencies to tap into a $10 billion bond program which would provide $211 million to Massachusetts homeowners in immediate threat of foreclosure. I want to return to the Senate this November to continue those fights and continue fighting for the people of Massachusetts. There is no other job I want, no other job I can imagine doing.

It has been my highest honor to serve you and I am asking for your support so I may continue to serve you for the next six years. Thank you.

June 5th, 2008

Ned Lamont penned the following message in support of Senator Kerry’s 2008 US Senate re-election bid. Lamont had successfully challenged Sen. Joe Lieberman for the Democratic Senate nomination in Connecticut in 2006. Senator Kerry actively supported Mr. Lamont’s general election campaign and appeared alongside Ned in Connecticut in October of that year at a rally. In addition, Senator Kerry challenged Joe Lieberman over his support for the Iraq War and asked for help from the online Kerry community to raise money for the Lamont campaign. Senator Kerry was lauded as a “rock star” by Lamont campaign staffers for his support of Ned in 2006.

Thank you Ned! We look forward to working with you on the challenges and issues that you raised in 2006 and continue to fight for today. It’s an honor to post this letter.

Dear Massachusetts Democrats:

Back in early 2006, it took real courage to step out from the pack in the Senate and demand a timeline to withdraw our combat troops from Iraq. But that summer, John Kerry joined with Russ Feingold to push for a vote in the Senate to do just that. Their legislation only got 13 votes out of 100, but it played a big part in beginning to change the debate around the war. John Kerry stood up for all of us.

At the time, I was running in the Democratic primary against one of the war’s biggest supporters, Joe Lieberman. So many grassroots Democrats I talked to wanted leadership on changing the disastrous Bush policy in Iraq.

And after Connecticut Democrats voted for change on a hot day in August, John Kerry was there for us once again.

John not only endorsed me, he had the courage to really step up and work hard for our victory that November. There are all sorts of unwritten “inside-the-Beltway” rules about working against another Senator in your caucus, but John Kerry did what he felt was right. He campaigned for me in Connecticut, raised money for me, and did everything he could to support me in my race against Joe Lieberman.

This year, John Kerry is running for re-election – and I hope you’ll do whatever you can to support him. And you can start this weekend.

If you can spare some time on Friday or Saturday, please consider volunteering for him at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in Lowell. It’s a wonderful chance to meet other Democrats and be a part of an active political convention, and John Kerry will be holding a party with all the volunteers.

If you’re interested, please email volunteer@johnkerry.com or call Amanda Bersak at (856) 906-9053.

Massachusetts is blessed to have two wonderful Senators, both with the clout to get things done and the progressive ideals to put that clout to work the right way. John Kerry has been a leader in getting our combat troops out of Iraq, he’s been a leader on combating global climate change, and he’s fought hard against the trickle-down economics of the Republicans.

And he’s fought hard for Democrats across the country. I saw it first hand in my race, but I also saw what he did for Jim Webb in Virginia, and Claire McCaskill in Missouri, and Jon Tester in Montana, and so many more. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that without John Kerry’s work, Democrats wouldn’t control the Senate today.

I know John will work just as hard this year to try to extend that Senate majority to a true working majority for progressive politics. With the closely-divided Senate we have now, it’s been too easy for the Republicans and my old opponent Joe Lieberman to block a new course in Iraq. With more and better Democratic Senators, we can finally bring the real change to our country that we all need.

So I hope you’ll not only support John Kerry’s re-election but also join me in the months ahead in supporting his efforts to elect Democrats around the country. Our country is ready for change, and we’re lucky to have John Kerry in position to help push the progressive change we need.

Sincerely,

Ned Lamont

May 30th, 2008

Last Monday was the seventh Memorial Day since the attacks of September 11, 2001; the seventh Memorial Day since American servicemen and servicewomen bravely undertook unbelievably dangerous missions in Afghanistan and Iraq; the seventh pointed reminder of the immeasurable sacrifice made by our troops in theaters of war halfway around the world.

To mark the occasion, Senator Kerry wrote to his mailing list to express his hope that “since Vietnam we really have learned a lesson of how to separate the war from the warrior.” It’s a theme the Senator has avowed for decades: that American citizens have the right, indeed bear the obligation, to disagree with a wrongheaded course of action, and to freely speak the truth, that fundamental value that Senator Kerry once called “the American bottom line.”

There is great wisdom in separating the war from the warrior when discussing strategy and evaluating policy. A critique of battlefield tactics is not a criticism of the soldiers carrying them out. Dissent is not un-American or supportive of our enemies. As citizens, we should not hesitate to openly weigh our options for war and peace, to debate new ideas in the public sphere. This year, we are seeing a presidential election serve as the catalyst for a great national discussion on what to do next in Iraq, prompting each of us to consider the war separately from the warriors.

But the aphorism runs both ways: we also have to consider the warriors separately from the war. Regardless of our individual feelings on the war in Iraq, we cannot fail to recognize that veterans are the segment of society to which we owe the most. We have repeatedly witnessed evidence of an incapable V.A. Department grasping at straws to provide care: confounded vets mired in paperwork, the hushed-up cluelessness of officials trying to deal with an epidemic of suicide attempts, the decay and neglect at Walter Reed.

Even for those who are able to resume civilian life, the hurdles of veteran status linger. The economy is weaker than when they left for Iraq, and demands a more competitive and better-educated workforce. For soldiers sent on three or four tours of duty, there’s a lot to catch up on here at home. Yet the skyrocketing costs of education keep a successful readjustment out of reach for many.

Just four days before Memorial Day, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed to include the text of Senator Jim Webb’s Post-9/11 G.I. Bill in the Iraq war spending bill. Senator Webb’s initiative is a masterstroke that embraces the philosophy of the World War II G.I. Bill—that every member of the Armed Services (including reserves and the National Guard) pursuing an education deserves the government’s generous help. The legislation will free up millions of dollars for financial aid, which veterans can use to pay for tuition, housing, and supplies.

Under Senator Webb’s plan, returning servicemen and servicewomen aiming to attend college in Massachusetts will be eligible for federal tuition assistance equivalent to the cost of attending the most expensive public university in the state. Such a large infusion of aid will be a boon both for the veterans and for the colleges and communities of the Commonwealth. And that’s not the only economic benefit we’re likely to see: a Congressional study in 1988 showed that funding the G.I. Bill of the 1940s generated a sevenfold return on the investment.

The White House’s response to Senator Webb’s new G.I. Bill has been a breathtaking affront to America’s veterans. President Bush and the G.O.P. establishment have rejected it outright, calling it “too generous” to our fighting men and women. How could anything be too generous to veterans? It’s an appalling assertion to hear from the Commander-in-Chief who has directed the military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq for the past seven years. It’s also painfully emblematic of the haphazard, shortsighted way in which the Bush White House has conducted those wars.

The twenty-five Republican senators who bucked the threats of the Bush Administration and voted to pass Senator Webb’s bill deserve praise for their conviction. They understand that returning veterans have to be just as much a priority as victory in combat. President Bush, Senator John McCain, and the others who oppose the new G.I. Bill want to preserve weaker educational assistance, which means fewer options for servicemen when they return home from war. Bush and McCain worry that encouraging veterans to enroll in college will deplete the military, and in doing so, they aren’t separating the warrior from the war.

—Michael DeRamo

Senator Kerry and Paul Knarr, the food drive coordinator for Branch 51 of the U.S. Postal Service, recently penned an editorial for the Fall River newspaper the Herald News about the dire straights many Massachusetts food pantries are in this year. The article mentions a food collection drive being run by local letter carriers at local post offices across the Commonwealth.

Although originally scheduled to run only through Sat May10th, the Post Office has extended their collection efforts through Saturday, May17th. The need is great this year, as the editorial pointed out: Call your local post office and see if they are participating in this food collection effort and, if so, please see if you can drop a few items off. It will make a big difference.

This is a section of the editorial that ran last Saturday:

Helping out our food pantries is more important this year than it’s been in a long time. To paraphrase an old saying, when grocery shoppers get a cold, food banks get the flu. And this year, things aren’t looking good. Rising food prices lead to increased demand, decreased donations and increased operating costs — a lethal threesome that makes tough times even tougher.

That’s where we find ourselves today. Groceries are increasingly expensive: According to The Greater Boston Food Bank, the price of spaghetti is up 63 percent from a year ago. Canned peaches are up 57 percent. Peanut butter is up 19 percent. Overall, the cost of food at home is up 18 percent since January 2003.

So it’s no surprise that more and more families struggling to make ends meet are turning to food banks when they can no longer afford their groceries. Food banks are preparing for a 30 percent increase in requests for help. The Greater Boston Food Bank found that more than 95 percent of the agencies it works with have seen an increase in demand.

Meanwhile, donations to food banks have declined by 9 percent, 52 percent of agencies have run out of food at some time in the past year, and 58 percent reported a drop in donations.

It’s also more expensive to operate food pantries. About 82 percent of agencies said they were having difficulty buying protein; 52 percent were struggling to buy vegetables. Consider this: Last year, food banks distributed more than 30,000 turkeys on Thanksgiving. But the wholesale price of a pound of turkey is up 38 percent, and pantries are being asked to help more people when the same dollar buys far less food than it did just one year ago. At the same time, food banks are struggling with the rising food and health costs that all of us face. To quote the president of the Greater Boston Food Bank, which offers 20 million meals to 320,000 people every year, “We’re in hard times.” That means millions of people, including hundreds of thousands here in Massachusetts, rely on food banks to survive. No one should go hungry because Washington fails to see the urgency of the problem.


Additionally, the editorial mentioned what kinds of items are, and are not, being collected:

"The kind of items they’re looking for are canned meats, fish, soup, juice, pasta, vegetables, cereal and rice. Unfortunately, they can’t accept items in glass containers or perishable items, like milk, eggs or anything that spoils quickly. "

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BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today announced that three bills that he introduced, along with Senator Edward Kennedy, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, and Congressmen Barney Frank and John Tierney, have been signed into law by President Bush.

“Massachusetts has always been front and center in shaping our country’s history. From the canal ways of Lowell to Taunton’s role protesting British control of the colonies to the historic treasures in the Northeastern part of our state, these new laws will ensure that everyone will be able to enjoy our states historical landmarks for years to come,” said Senator Kerry.

The first bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of creating a National Historical Park in Taunton.

The second bill provides $5 million in additional federal funding for the Essex National Heritage Area, which includes 34 towns in Northeastern Massachusetts. The funding will enable these communities to preserve and protect their cultural history.

The third bill, called the Lowell Park Boundary Expansion Act, allows the Lowell National Historical Park to adjust the park’s boundary by one acre, completing the city’s historic canal walkway.

###

It's spring in New England. That means that trees and flowers are in bloom, the Red Sox are playing again, the days are getting longer and towns in the Commonwealth are trying to finalize their budgets. Many towns have either already had their Annual Town Meetings or will have them before the end of this month. This careful process of preparing the budget requires funded departments and agencies to get their fiscal requests together for the coming year. These requests are adjusted and then sent on to the Town Meeting for approval.

This process depends on some stability in terms of what the costs are going to be. Schools are usually the major component of any town's budget and can consume more than 75% of the expenses for a community for the year. These are tight budgeting times for MA schools. Many are facing teacher layoffs and a decrease of course diversity because of a lack of funds. The last thing this process needs is uncertainty in federal funding or a sudden cutoff of funds targeted to specific services.

Last year, the Bush Administration sought to stop reimbursing certain local school expenses. Families USA, a health care organization that monitors federal spending, said the cuts would "prohibit federal funding for transportation and administrative costs related to Medicaid services that some children receive at school." This would have left local communities to shoulder these costs. The Congress was able to put a freeze on this funding cut for a year. That freeze is is due to expire soon.

The US House of Representatives recently passed a measure that would extend this reimbursement freeze until April of 2009. The US Senate has a similar measure on the legislative calendar that is scheduled to be voted on soon. Senator Kerry is a lead co-sponsor on this bill and strongly supports this measure. The cities and towns of Massachusetts need this to pass. They can't afford to pick up the pieces after the federal government bails out of a commitment again.

It is often said that the "devil is in the details" on legislation. In this case the details reveal an Administration that wants to solve it's reckless spending problems by 'nickel and diming' local school systems and local budgets. This effort not only is short-sighted it also forces fiscally strapped cities and towns to shell out more money for services the federal government wants to back out of funding. Senator Kerry understands the damage this does to children's health services and to the bottom line for school budgets in Massachusetts communities. The Senator supports a freeze on these cuts until next year.