Good Grief, Charlie Baker

Charlie Baker is going to have to do some serious spin on this on…

As Republican Charles Baker seeks to capture the independent vote that bolstered U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s win, a Herald review shows Harvard Pilgrim tripled the former CEO’s annual salary as it hit consumers with a 150 percent increase in premiums.

Brown rode to victory as an independent voice on health care, a position critics say Baker will have a tough time following with those numbers.

Baker defends his record and argues that Gov. Deval Patrick is late to the health-care discussion. He said he’s been “shouting from the rooftops” about the need for hospitals and medical providers to make the cost of health care more transparent, and pushing for legislation that would control costs.

“My salary’s been a matter of public record for 20 years, and I’m probably the only candidate,” for whom that’s the case, Baker said. Baker’s salary as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim surged from $548,351 in 1999 to a high of $1.7 million in 2008. He earned $1.3 million in seven months in 2009 before he resigned to run for governor last summer, filings with the state Attorney General show.

Over the same period, premiums at Harvard Pilgrim went up by 100 to 200 percent.

When Baker took the reins in 1999, rates on Harvard Pilgrim’s most popular plans ranged from about $166 to $187 a month per member. Those rates soared to $425 to $483 a month, as of April, according to filings with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.

Two months ago, the Commonwealth elected a Republican to the Senate due in part to his promise to be the 41st vote against the health care bill. With health care being at the front line of today’s political battleground, will those same voters ignore the fact that Charlie Baker was “part of the problem” with the health care industry?

“You have to look at him as the incumbent in terms of health-care costs,” said Democratic operative Michael P. Shea. “If you look at his salary and the increases that people are paying now, how can he say he did a good job? It’s absolutely fair to pin this on him. He hasn’t shown he’s part of the solution, he’s part of the problem.”

Patrick is expected to keep the focus on health care – and keep the heat on Baker – as he proposes a so-called soft cap on premium increases. His plan pits him squarely against health insurers in an intensifying three-way race that also features unenrolled candidate Tim Cahill, the state treasurer.

Baker said Patrick is trying to shift the focus.

“This probably beats talking about spending and taxes and unemployment if you’re him,” Baker said. “I’ve supported a lot of things that would put my organization and my industry at risk. I have no idea if it’s going to be good or bad for my company or my industry, but it’s the right thing to do for the people of Massachusetts. I got a lot of grief from people for doing that.”

Sooner or later, he will have to address the real issue, rather than playing the “I’m rubber and you’re glue” argument, just Deval Patrick will have to answer to his criticisms too. A guy making nearly $2 million a year, while us regular people are paying painfully high health care premiums…maybe, according to Harvard Pilgrim, he did deserve the salary bump…but anyone who didn’t see their salaries triple may think differently.

Delahunt Bowing Out?

Could Bill Delahunt be the next Democrat from Massachusetts to be replaced by a Republican?

US Representative William Delahunt said yesterday that he is considering retiring from his congressional seat representing the South Shore and Cape Cod, although he portrayed his deliberations as routine and said they are not related to challenges from Republicans who are energized by Scott Brown’s upset victory in last month’s special Senate election.

“Every election cycle, I take my time, I think it through, and I think, not about whether I can win or lose, but: ‘Am I in a position to make a difference?’ ’’ Delahunt, a Quincy Dem ocrat, said in a telephone interview. “Can I achieve what I want to achieve outside of public life?’’

Delahunt, who has not faced a serious challenge since he was elected in 1996, has a campaign war chest of more than $600,000 but has not been aggressively raising money this year, according to federal records. He said he will announce in March whether he will seek reelection.

If he departs, it would signal a continued shift in New England’s political landscape after the Republican Brown stunned Democrats when he won the seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy. Kennedy’s son, Patrick, said yesterday that he will be quitting his US House seat in Rhode Island.

“I have held elected office for almost 40 years,’’ said Delahunt, a former prosecutor. “I understand that there is always an ebb and flow. Today you are up and tomorrow you are down. That is the rhythm of political life.’’

Delahunt has held office so long that Democratic strategists said it is not clear who in his party might seek the seat if he were to retire. Some have floated the name of Therese Murray, president of the Massachusetts State Senate, who is from Plymouth. But she has recently indicated that she believes Delahunt will run and win.

Still, several Republicans see a chance to recapture one of the state’s conservative districts, where Brown received some of his highest margins of victory on Jan. 19. And they have seized on an unlikely issue: Venezuela. Or, more specifically, Delahunt’s good relations with Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela, who once called President Bush “the devil’’ in a speech at the United Nations.

One of those Republicans is State Rep. Jeff Perry, who recently announced his candidacy. Obviously, the dynamics of this years elections changed  when Scott Brown won his election. Every seat is in play now. If Delahunt does retire this offers even more hope for the Republican Party since taking an open seat is easier than defeating an incumbent. In a district handily won by Scott Brown, it is safe to say that the Democrats’ one-party stranglehold on the state is weakening.

Governor Cellucci signs on to Dahlberg Campaign Steering Committee

I’m pleased to share the following news clip – from yesterday’s Chelmsford Independent:

Dahlberg adds another familiar face to campaign

GateHouse News Service, Posted Jan 25, 2010 @ 10:22 AM

Chelmsford — The ‘Eric Dahlberg for State Senate’ campaign announced that former Gov. Paul Cellucci has signed on to the campaign’s Steering Committee as honorary co-chairman. Gov. Cellucci joins Honorary Chairman Lucile “Cile” Hicks, who represented the 3rd Middlesex District in the state Senate from 1990 to 1996.

“I am pleased to sign on as Honorary Co-Chair of the Dahlberg campaign’s steering committee,” said Cellucci. “Eric is the right candidate for the Third Middlesex District: an independent, fiscally conservative, reform-minded public servant who will bring some badly needed commonsense back to Beacon Hill.”

“I am honored that Governor Cellucci has joined the team,” said Dahlberg. “His fiscally conservative views match my own.”

Dahlberg is a member of the Chelmsford Board of Selectmen. He earned a bachelor’s in history from Dartmouth College in 2000 and a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University in 2002. His professional background is in health care policy. He is a member of several area civic and charitable organizations. He and his wife Suzanne reside in Chelmsford.

Link to story is here.

Did Hudak’s Campaign Fake An Endorsement from Scott Brown?

Yesterday, we received a press release from Bill Hudak’s campaign that Scott Brown had endorsed him. Before we even had a chance to blog about this, his campaign’s official Twitter account alerted both Hub Politics and Red Mass Group about the endorsement. We reported it, as did Red Mass Group and local media.

Well’ it appears now that endorsement was not legitimate.

Dan Kennedy reports that Scott Brown’s campaign informed him that Brown did not endorse Hudak.

Interestingly enough, the Hudak campaign’s Twitter account appears to have been deleted.

The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room has more:

The Hudak campaign released a statement last night touting Brown’s endorsement and even quoting the newly elected Senator. But Brown’s campaign says they did not approve the release, and won’t comment on whether Brown has actually endorsed Hudak.

“Neither Scott Brown or anyone connected with his campaign approved that press release before its release or the quote that was attributed to Scott,” said Felix Browne, a spokesman for Brown. “Bill Hudak is an energetic candidate who has been working hard as a candidate for Congress. Right now, Scott Brown is focused on the job that people elected him to do. That’s his number one priority.”

Hudak’s campaign says Brown gave a private, verbal endorsement to Hudak, and blasted Brown’s staff for reneging.

“Scott Brown gave his endorsement to Bill Hudak and it’s unforuante that the people Scott Brown surrounds himself with are backing dowm from a commitment that their boss already made,” said Tyler Harber, a spokesman for Hudak.

Harber added that Hudak and Brown are friends and that Hudak worked tirelessly for Brown during his Senate bid.

“If you went to Bill’s office right now you’d probably still find Brown’s people packing their stuff up,” he said.

UPDATE: As of 10 AM on January 22, our emails to the Hudak campaign have gone unanswered.

UPDATE: Hudak’s campaign issues a retraction.

The People’s House

Scott Brown’s victory has given hope to those frustrated by one-party rule in Massachusetts. So, naturally, we have to look at other races where we can make Massachusetts’ delegation to Washington more representative of the state.

SamaBlog has looked in the results of Tuesday’s election to determine who won each congressional district.

Make no mistake, Scott Brown’s victory has Massachusetts congressmen worried.

Scott Brown’s Senate victory Tuesday sent shock waves through the Massachusetts congressional delegation, many members of which saw key communities in their districts vote overwhelmingly Republican.

More Senate coverage Democrats and Republicans said the results foretell a surge of two-party competition in districts that haven’t seen serious challenges in years, as the state’s exclusively Democratic roster of 10 representatives faces its 2010 reelection amid rising anger over the battered economy and the prolonged battle over the health care overhaul.

“I think that they’re all going to have challengers, and they all are going to have to take their challengers seriously this time,’’ said Matthew Sisk, a member of the Republican State Committee.

Let’s win. It’s time to make it the People’s House once again!