Blogger Conference Call with Jeff Beatty

by Aaron Margolis, August 3rd, 2008 at 11:57pm

Earlier today I had the opportunity for an interview/conference call with Republican Senate candidate Jeff Beatty. Below is a synopsis of my brief 15 minutes with Mr. Beatty.

I first asked him why he has his eyes set on Capitol Hill as opposed to Beacon Hill. Beatty explained that he’s not a professional politician, and it is his experience that dictates why he is running for the Senate.

I spoke with Mr. Beatty about his voter reach out strategies, particularly those involving the new media,like his Facebook Group, MySpace and Twitter–but he stressed that his campaign is going back to build an old-style grassroots campaign. Since the campaign started a year ago in April the campaign has brought in over $1,300,000 in donations.

I asked Jeff what kind of feeling he was getting from Democrats he’s talked to, and he likes where the campaign is with them and is getting a great vibe from the Democrats and the unenrolled.

Since the number of elected Republicans in Massachusetts is dwindling, I asked what makes him feel that this is the best chance to unseat John Kerry. Mr. Beatty believes that Senator Kerry is the least popular senator in Washington; he’s aloof, arrogant and disconnected; feels that he has an entitlement, not a job. Mr. Beatty feels that Barack Obama’s being the Democratic nominee for president and Deval Patrick being in the corner office as helping his chances, and noted that 4 of the last 5 gubernatorial elections went for Republicans. He believes John McCain will carry Massachusetts.

My next question was about support for the Beatty Campaign from the Massachusetts Republican Party. While the Massachusetts GOP headquarters is located on Merrimac Street in Boston, Mr. Beatty sees the Massachusetts GOP as being all over the state. While the Massachusetts GOP is a low point, he see it as on the up, and while the state party isn’t capable helping him a lot, Beatty’s campaign for Senate is helping the party. The Republican Party is usually defined by who is on the top of the ticket, and the Beatty campaign is doing its best.

With only a little time left, I veered away from politics to ask Jeff something that has been on the minds of many in Massachusetts the past few days…the Manny Ramirez trade. “I hate to see Manny go, but Manny has to realize what the word ‘team’ means.” It’s all about team, not about individuals. It’s about who you represent.

That concluded the interview with Jeff Beatty.

Tags: Barack Obama, Deval Patrick, Jeff Beatty, John Kerry, John McCain, Massachusetts Republican Party

Entry Filed under: Election 2008, Interviews, Jeff Beatty

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