Posts with the tag 'Niki Tsongas'
How did your representative vote on the $700 billion bailout?
U.S. Reps. Barney Frank, Michael Capuano, Ed Markey, John Olver, Richard Neal, Jim McGovern and Niki Tsongas voted for the massive $700 billion plan that ultimately failed on a 228-205 vote.
Congressmen Stephen Lynch, William Delahunt and John Tierney bucked leadership by voting against the legislation.
All 10 of Massachusetts’ House members are Democrats.
The overall party breakdown on the bill was:
140 Democrats and 65 Republicans in favor.
95 Democrats and 133 Republicans against.
Tags: Barney Frank, Ed Markey, Jim McGovern, John Olver, John Tierney, Michael Capuano, Niki Tsongas, Richard Neal, Stephen Lynch, William Delahunt
September 30th, 2008
I just sent out this press release:
WHERE WILL NIKI VOTE?
Boston, MA – MassGOP Executive Director Rob Willington today issued the following release regarding Niki Tsongas’ Election Day activities:
“While Jim Ogonowski continues to reach out to voters of the Fifth District, Niki Tsongas is undoubtedly having a hard enough time figuring out where to vote. With two out of the three polling locations for Niki closed today, the only question is – will she pick the right one?”
In 2001, Niki “Had No Plans To Leave” Lowell:
2001: “Today, Niki lives alone in the seven-bedroom manse. She has no plans to leave. ‘It’s home,’ she says during an interview in a sun-filled bay of the elegant dining room.” (Brian C. Mooney, “Niki Tsongas Talks About Her Work In The Arts, Her Ties To Lowell, And A Possible Run For Office,” The Boston Globe Magazine, 04/22/01)
But In 2003, Niki “Left The District”:
“‘Niki left the district,’ Tierney said, referring to Democratic candidate Niki Tsongas, who moved from Lowell to Boston’s Charlestown after her husband, former Sen. Paul Tsongas, died.” (Matt Murphy, “Tierney: I have a desire to create law,” The Lowell Sun, 5/30/07)
“Tsongas moved to Charlestown in 2003…..moving back to Lowell in March, and has never held political office.” (Matt Viser, “Hopefuls crowd field in race to replace Meehan Rare congressional opening creates buzz,” The Boston Globe, 06/19/07)
Niki Moved Back To The Fifth Congressional District Shortly Before Launching Her Campaign:
Niki “relocated several years ago to Charlestown and moved back only in March, just before launching her campaign.” (Matt Viser, “Tsongas campaign focuses on name Critics question her experience,” The Boston Globe, 08/26/07)
“Tsongas has since leased a condo in Lowell while she campaigns for Congress.” (Matt Murphy, “Tierney: I have a desire to create law,” The Lowell Sun, 5/30/07)
Niki’s Commitment To The District Questioned:
“Tsongas’s commitment to the district has also been questioned.” (Matt Viser, “Tsongas campaign focuses on name Critics question her experience,” The Boston Globe, 08/26/07)
Niki Also Lives In Chatham:
“While Lowell is troubled, [Paul] Tsongas seems financially blessed. Besides their home here, he and his wife own a waterfront home on Cape Cod and other real estate investments.” (Curtis Wilkie, “For Tsongas, business must be part of politics,” The Boston Globe, 01/23/92)
Tsongas has a “second home in Chatham.” (Brian C. Mooney, “Niki Tsongas Talks About Her Work In The Arts, Her Ties To Lowell, And A Possible Run For Office,” The Boston Globe Magazine, 04/22/01)
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Tags: Jim Ogonowski, MA-05 Special Election, Niki Tsongas, Rob Willington
October 16th, 2007
Mass GOP Chairman Peter Torkildsen sent the following letter to the Niki Tsongas campaign, regarding her support for drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrants.
October 14, 2007
Ms. Niki Tsongas
Tsongas For Congress Campaign
26 Market Street
Lowell, MA 01852
DELIVERED BY HAND
Dear Ms. Tsongas:
Like many Massachusetts residents, I read in The Boston Herald this morning that you support “driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants and a ‘path to citizenship’ for illegal immigrants.”
On your website, however, you claim to “support legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 commission to improve our port and border security.” (http://nikitsongas.com/overview.php)
In case you have not had a chance to read it, I have enclosed a copy of The 9/11 Commission Report, which clearly states the following in Recommendation #18:
“Secure identification should begin in the United States. The federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses. Fraud in identification documents is no longer just a problem of theft. At many entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.” (The 9/11 Commission Report, p. 390)
I urge you to immediately explain this glaring inconsistency to the voters of the 5th Congressional District. Do you support the implementation of the 9/11 recommendations, or do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?
Sincerely,
~ S ~
Peter G. Torkildsen
Chairman
Massachusetts Republican Party
Ogonowski, if elected, will be another vote for secure borders and a safe America.
Sign up to volunteer by calling Ogonowski HQ at (978) 269-5080 or by emailing Peter Towey at Peter@JimOgonowski.com.
Also please consider donating to the campaign and help keep Ogonowski’s TV and radio ads on the air.
Tags: Niki Tsongas, Peter Torkildsen
October 15th, 2007
The internet has become a major force in political campaigning, most noticeably having its genesis during the 2004 General Election. Today, campaign websites are a must, and if you don’t have a blog, you’re falling way behind.
In Massachusetts, the internet has become a strong force for candidates. One such candidate, Jim Ogonowski, who is running for Congress in the 5th district, has been taking the World Wide Web’s power and putting it to work. Ogonowski quickly launched a campaign website, jimogonowski.com, and just days ago launched a new web initiative, BLOgonowski.com, the official blog for the Jim Ogonowski campaign for United States Congress. The Ogonowski campaign also has a Facebook Group, which has more members than any other Facebook Group for a 5th District Candidate.
One of the key players in the Ogonowski campaign’s web initiatives is Barney Keller, Deputy Communications Director and Director of Web Strategies for Jim Ogonowski for Congress. We recently had the opportunity to ask Barney some questions about the role of the internet in today’s new era of political campaigns.
Hub Politics: Obviously, the internet has given enormous power to political campaigns, including Jim Ogonowski’s. Would you say it’s now become essential for campaigns to go online?
Barney Keller: Absolutely. The internet provides campaigns an easy and effective way to reach out to the grassroots. Jim’s website and his facebook group are just a few ways Jim has been communicating his message directly to the people of the 5 th Congressional District. Jim is winning in this important measure of online activism because people recognize that Washington is broken. They’re tired of sending politicians to Washington . With voter turnout expected to be low for the October 16th special election, we believe that having an effective web strategy is one of the many reasons why Jim Ogonowski will be the next congressman from Massachusetts . It’s also a fun way for our supporters to get involved in the campaign. On the blog, people will gain access to Jim in a way that was previously unavailable to them. On social networking sites like Facebook, younger voters will be able to receive regular updates from the campaign in a way that makes them feel comfortable participating in the process. It’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep our phone banks fully staffed with younger volunteers.
HP: What do you think is most important for campaigns that use web: Reaching new voters or providing information to regular voters?
BK: Both and then some. We want new voters to get excited about the campaign and of course provide as much information as possible about Jim. We also want people to feel as though they are a part of something. Congress is broken. People are sick and tired of all the partisan bickering that happens down in Washington . They want change across the board. With our web initiative, people are going to realize that Jim is not a politician. He’s a 28 Year veteran of the military and a career farmer. You can see video of him tossing hay on the farm right on our blog. Many career politicians talk about how they understand they concerns of the every day people. Through the internet voters will begin to realize that Jim himself understands the concerns of everyday people because he’s not a career politician, which is why when he goes to Washington, he’ll fight for them. They’re tired of sending politicians to Washington. Congress needs a farmer like Jim who understands the needs of working families in the fifth congressional district.
HP: With the three web initiatives your campaign has ventured into (the campaign site, campaign blog, and Facebook group), the Ogonowski campaign is serving as a model for future online campaigning.
BK: Obviously, we’re pretty excited about this. We live in a dynamic and technologically changing time, and that crosses over into politics as well. Gone are the days when career politicians are content to simply just communicate with voters simply on their terms. With Jim embracing new technology the way he has done shows his desire to allow voters to communicate on their terms too. Jim’s Facebook group has more members than any other Candidate currently running for congress in the fifth district. The second-largest group is for James Eldridge with 380 members, followed by Barry Finegold with 232, and Niki Tsongas with 149. Jim’s in this race because he’s going to win and it is our hope that this is one of the many ways we can spread his message. Our strength in online social-networking communities displays our strong grassroots support across the district, and it shows the broad appeal that Jim has as a candidate.
HP: I know a lot of people who use Facebook; I, however, have never signed up for it. What would you say to convince me to get on Facebook and join a Facebook group like Jim Ogonowski’s?
BK: Facebook isn’t just for us young people anymore. It makes networking across a group of volunteers easy and fun. For example, you can search within the Jim Ogonowski for Congress Facebook Group for people from your hometown, and then send them a message asking them to come join you to canvass for votes, all from your computer at home. Jim’s daughter has been using the group to get her friends involved in the campaign and just like her you can get involved in setting up a strong grassroots network.
HP: It’s hard to picture political candidates being first hand users of the online tools available today (i.e., blogging, Facebook, etc.). Incumbents have to adopt these new tools, while new candidates can build on top of them. How has Jim Ogonowski been taking the lead in his own online grassroots campaign?
BK: We’ve definitely been the most aggressive in terms of building our online grassroots campaign. Now we have multiple ways to attract people to sign up for email lists, or to volunteer. Think about it: with these initiatives we’ve now tripled the likelihood of anyone just browsing the internet coming across Ogonowski content and saying “Hey, I like what this guy stands for. He’s going to bring actual change to our broken congress.” That we are constantly updating our online tools and aggressively marketing them will just serve to increase the size of our base. Now we can get the casual voter involved in a way that they often doesn’t happen just from classical media tools such Newspapers or watching TV. With a lot of hard work, we’ll have a huge advantage over our Democratic opponent come October 16th.
HP: Technology has been able to make online campaigning easier with things like wireless internet and mobile devices. Is the campaign utilizing those technologies as well?
BK: We are currently trying to capture as much footage of Jim as possible using digital cameras. We want people to see the Jim we know: With Jim, what you see is what you get. He’s running to make a difference. He’s passionate. He’s consistent. He calls them like he sees them and when this campaign is done you’ll know where he stands on everything. His life experience has brought him to where he is. He’s running to let everyone know what he stands for and that he would be a good Congressman. He understands service and commitment to public service because that’s what his career has been all about. He’s a man who doesn’t care if something is a Republican idea or a Democrat idea, so long as it is the right idea. We need more leaders like Jim in congress and our web strategy will get that done.
HP: Besides hard numbers like the number of members in your Facebook group, how do you measure the success of your web initiatives?
BK: It’s already a success! We have more members of our Facebook group than anyone running, and we’re already getting hundreds of hits per day on our blog. People are getting excited about the revolution of new ideas Jim Ogonowski is going to bring to Washington.
HP: You are also taking advantage of the online broadcasting site, You Tube.
BK: It’s the easiest way to upload our video content – check out www.youtube.com/blogonowski or www.youtube.com/ogonowskiforcongress
HP: Is using the internet really making a difference in campaigns today, or are campaign websites and blogs just things we minimally expect from a serious candidate these days?
BK: To compete, you need to take full advantage of every all available media. Everything we do to get Jim’s message out is important. Congress has failed the people and they want change. Jim’s candidacy is about bringing that change to the way Congress does business. The people are tired of the tired old partisan bickering and Jim’s ready to bring a revolution of new ideas in Washington. Everyone reading this should visit all our web content and sign up to help out! Email getactive@jimogonowski.com! In the end, it’s going to be the voters on October 16th that send Jim Ogonowski to Congress!
Tags: Barney Keller, Jim Ogonowski, MA-05 Special Election, Niki Tsongas
July 27th, 2007
