As readers of MassPoliticsProfs have known for eight years now, Massachusetts voters are not what the rest of the country thinks they are. They are not the tip of the progressive spear in America. They are not politics-hating Puritanical moralists ready and willing to punish corrupt politicians at a moments notice. They are highly individualistic…
Category: Massachusetts Politics
True or False, Allegations Against Alex Morse Should be Ignored by Primary Voters
You don’t have to be Nostradamus to know that Alex Morse never had a realistic chance of beating Richie Neal. On the other hand, you don’t need to be Perry Mason to know that UMass College Democrats’ allegations of misconduct against Alex Morse, irrespective of the merits, are an attempt to ensure that Morse’s margin…
Battenfeld swings and misses in swipe at Healey
I haven’t read a Joe Battenfeld column in years, but yesterday’s effort to throw shade at the likely 2022 Democratic nominee for governor caught my eye. According to Joe, “[p]artisan politics has permeated the office of the state’s top cop to an unprecedented level – whether it’s the scores of lawsuits she’s filed against Trump…
Polito’s Gubernatorial Prospects are Out of Her Control
Shira Schoenberg’s excellent CW piece about Karyn Polito’s political future is thorough and fair. Lt. Governor Polito has been a good Lt. Governor to Charlie Baker. Under different circumstances, and despite her former profile as an aggressively conservative Republican legislator, Karen Polito could have been an excellent candidate for the Corner Office in 2022. Unfortunately…
Running in Massachusetts During COVID-19: Public Health vs. Appearing on the Ballot
Citizens of Wisconsin risked their lives to vote last week. Because of actions by their state legislature, upheld by a 5-4 a Supreme Court decision, Wisconsin residents were forced to choose between exercising their right to cast a ballot and protecting their health – as well as the health of all with whom they come…
Mass Pols for President Have the Right Training & Temperament
Deval Patrick’s decision to join the race late looks to me like an expression of determination that I share. Patrick, a two-term governor of Massachusetts, understands American politics, which is to say, he understands the necessity of practical, non-ideological, political leadership. I think Governor Patrick, Senator Warren, and even Governor Weld are determined to take…
“A Tale of Two Bills” or “Wingnut Trolling is a Bitch to Tackle”
Thanks to my Facebook friends I was alerted to two bills filed in the state legislature that have drawn some very counter-productive attention. The first one is a bill that would make verbally assaulting someone using the term “bitch” a finable offense in Massachusetts. The second would ban organized tackle football for children not yet…
Debbie Downer: Women in #MaPoli Style
Elizabeth Warren. Ayanna Pressley. Katherine Clark. Karen Polito. Maura Healey. Did you hear the news? Massachusetts, we are in the midst of a women and politics renaissance! After a span from 1983-2006 where no women served in the MA Congressional delegation, 36% of those currently serving now are — and they are among the highest…
Be Grateful: In Massachusetts politics we can still have nice things
I’m on all the mailing lists, electronic and otherwise. The communications from the MassGOP have never been particularly impressive, but under its current leadership the MassGOP has become a laughingstock. The MassGOP, perennially ineffectual, has understandably employed snark and disingenuousness as a regular feature of its rhetorical portfolio for a long time, but the strategic…
Charlie Baker, Independent?
Adrian Walker gave Republicans of the Charlie Baker vein something to consider this week by suggesting the Governor leave the party of Donald Trump.