Jeremy Jacobs at PolitickerMA reports:
U.S. Sen. John Kerry agreed Friday to debate primary challenger Ed O’Reilly, according the Kerry campaign.
There will be one debate, set to take place on WBZ-TV and it will be hosted the station’s political analyst, Jon Keller Further details are still be finalized.
O’Reilly has made his debate proposal a major part of his campaign, repeatedly charging that Kerry was ducking his debate challenge. The final agreement falls well short of O’Reilly’s original proposal, which called on the candidates to meet in each of the state’s 14 counties, each University of Massachusetts campus and on four television networks.
Tags: John Kerry, Jon Keller
August 22nd, 2008
This guest blog entry was authored by Reed Hillman, candidate for Lt. Governor of Massachusetts.
This election presents a clear choice for voters. Massachusetts has the opportunity to move forward and change for the better, or move back to the days of one-party rule, closed-door meetings and perpetual tax hikes.
I am honored to run for Lt. Governor alongside Kerry Healey. She has demonstrated a vital understanding of the criminal justice system. Over her term as Lt. Governor, Kerry has successfully worked with the legislature to toughen our sex offender and drunk driving laws. Her passion for the protection of victims makes her an ideal candidate to be chief executive of the Commonwealth.
Over the next four years, the governor will be the last barrier to a legislature that has shown a bottomless appetite to raise taxes and spend your money. Deval Patrick has proposed over $8 billion in new spending for the special interest groups. He has snubbed his nose at the voters of this state by refusing to support the rollback of the income tax. He refuses to sign the ‘no new taxes’ pledge and has even said that tax hikes would be “on the table” in his administration. We should not risk our state’s future on intentions like those.
Although Deval normally refuses to give specifics on his plans, fortunately he has given us a few. He says he wants to subsidize higher education for illegal aliens by giving them in-state tuition breaks, paid for by you. He wants to give them drivers licenses and public housing, which would encourage even more illegal immigration to this state. Deval may be a principled advocate for those who break our laws, but he has the wrong priorities for the job of governor.
Kerry and I want to reform our pension system to eliminate pension abuse and save $200 million a year for local cities and towns. We will reform our auto insurance system, allowing for more competition and lower rates. Most importantly, we will lead the fight to roll back the income tax which the people overwhelmingly voted for and the hardworking taxpayers deserve.
When you go to the polling booth on Tuesday, think of these choices and vote your future.
Tags: Reed Hillman
November 7th, 2006
This guest blog entry was authored by Kenneth J. Procaccianti, candidate for State Representative for Third Suffolk.
I’m Ken Procaccianti and I’m running for State Representative in Boston (North End, South End, Beacon Hill, Bay Village and Chinatown). My opponent in this David v. Goliath battle is Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi.
Why run? It has been a question I have been asked countless times over the course of my campaign. And, when you run against Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi, who has constructed a seemingly omnipresent political machine in Boston, that question is a fair one. But, you heard it here first, the
machine is not what it once was.
There is a new generation evolving in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. And, when I say generation, despite my youthful 24 years, I don’t mean in terms of age. Citizens are tired of the old school of politicians who develop a sense of entitlement to their seats. Citizens are tired of politicians who answer only to the good ol’boy network they have built around them and ignore the concerns of their constituents. It is easy to take cheap shots or “go negative” when running against such politicians and someone as seemingly powerful as Sal DiMasi. But, the emerging generation I speak of rises above that with class, passion, energy, ideas, and substance. And, our philosophy stands in stark contrast to the old-fashioned, bully politics of Sal DiMasi and his cronies.
From the front lines, I can tell you that my message is being received far better than anyone ever could have imagined. So, why run, after all? Three reasons…
First, we need to send a message that we will not be afraid to take on politicians like Sal DiMasi no matter how entrenched they are, no matter how long they have been in offce, and no matter how powerful they may appear.
Second, without challenges, politicians like DiMasi feel as though they have a divine right to their seat and there is no incentive to be accessible and accountable to their constituents. Democracy and our communities suffers as a result. My race has brought the issues affecting us back to the surface.
Finally, I am running because we can win. We will win either by triumphing at the polls on Election Day. Or, we will win with the message we send and the statement we make.
Tags: Kenneth Procaccianti, Sal DiMasi
November 6th, 2006
