Snark-Infested Waters by Mike Bailey

Snark-Infested Waters by Mike Bailey

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The week in politics

July 23rd, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Last Wednesday was apparently a fine day for Republican candidates to visit local businesses (rain notwithstanding).

Charles D. Baker Jr. and Richard R. Tisei, Republican candidates for governor and lieutenant governor respectively, were in Mashpee last week to greet voters at Polar Cave Ice Cream. Before that they spoke at the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents conference at Mashpee High School and met with local business owners.

(I should add that Governor Deval L. Patrick and unenrolled gubernatorial candidate Timothy P. Cahill also spoke at the conference on different days.)

Meanwhile Republican Congressional candidate Joseph D. Malone checked out Big Daddy’s Pizza in Cotuit, and the Falmouth Village Arts and Crafts Street Fair and the Quarterdeck Restaurant in Falmouth.

Mr. Malone then – and I am not making this up – went to the Falmouth Commodores game that night in Falmouth to sing the National Anthem. He then nipped up to the Chart Room Restaurant in Cataumet to – again, this is for realsies – entertain guests at the piano.

What is this, the 2010 election season or “American Idol”?

No, it’s an election…people are actually eager to vote in “American Idol.”

Honestly, I have to give the man credit for adding a much-needed air of fun to the campaign season…and, I must add, the dude has a decent set of pipes. Don’t believe me? Go here to view an exclusive video clip of Mr. Malone performing “Sweet Caroline” at the Courtyard in Cataumet.

Seriously!

***

Another, less favorable Malone-centric tidbit: on Monday the Boston Herald ran a piece detailing Mr. Malone’s less-than-spectacular forays into business over the past two decades. Reports showed that he has over the past decade or so entered into four business ventures, three of which were dissolved by the state for failing to file annual reports, the fourth of which went filed for bankruptcy.

The candidate responded that he was proud of his efforts, and noted that sometimes small businesses simply fail.

True enough, but as the Herald rightfully pointed out, combine his business failings with the state treasury embezzlement scandal that hit right after his departure from that office and you’ve got a guy whose claims of fiscal responsibility and support for small business ring more than a little hollow.

***

Mr. Malone’s main rival in the primary race, State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich), has launched a new radio show called “Wake Up Washington,” which airs every Tuesday night from 6:15 to 8 PM on WATD 95.9-FM (which is out of Marshfield and covers the South Shore area).

You can probably guess from the title that the show is about what’s wrong in our nation’s capital (I suspect, given the host, that the show will trace most of those problems to Democrats).

***

Over on the Democratic side of the race, William R. Keating got some notice for a creative (yet apparently completely legal) way of raising money for his campaign. The Boston Globe reported last week that Mr. Keating, after learning he’d be unable to roll $800,000 from his state campaign account (for his current gig as Norfolk County’s district attorney) into his Congressional account, began issuing refunds to his donors.

Included with those refunds was a request to send the money right back as a donation to his Congressional campaign. So far about 60 percent of the $370,000 he’s refunded has indeed returned to him.

His rival in the primary, State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D – Barnstable) remarked in that article that this recycling of campaign donations kind of negates the appearance of a big fundraising lead on Mr. Keating’s part (Mr. Keating broke the $500,000 mark by the most recent campaign finance reporting deadline on June 30).

True to a degree; if Mr. Keating refunded $370,000 and got back 60 percent ($222,000), that accounts for close to half of his total take to date – but on the other hand, he did get that money back. It would have been more telling had his donors kept the cash.

***

This week’s campaign event reminders:

Mary Z. Connaughton, Republican candidate for state auditor, will be in Centerville tonight for a reception at the home of Jennifer and John Williams. That’s scheduled for 7 to 8:30 PM. It may be too late to RSVP, but give Mary Sharkey a shout at 781-492-1728 and maybe she can slide you in.

F. Randal Hunt, Republican candidate for State Representative of the Fifth Barnstable District, is holding his barbecue fundraiser Saturday, July 31 at the West Barnstable Deer Club from 3 to 7 PM; a meet-and-greet at Lakewood Hills on Tuesday, August 17 at 5 PM; a golf tourney fundraiser at Holly Ridge on Sunday, October 3 starting at 8:20 AM; a pasta supper fundraiser at the American Legion Hall in Sandwich on Saturday, September 25 starting at 6 PM; and “Pizza & Politics with Pizzazz” at Two Brothers Pizza & Mexican in Sandwich on Monday, October 11 at 5:30 PM.

So, yeah, dude’s busy.

Rep. Perry will hold a campaign reception next month, August 3, at the Flying Bridge in Falmouth. Jennifer Bruce hosts the event, which will feature remarks by Michael D. O’Keefe, the Cape and Islands’ district attorney.

Gov. Patrick will be at the “Hyannis Communities Connecting for Deval” event at the Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis on Thursday, August 5. That event begins at 7:30 PM.

Ray Kasperowicz, Republican Congressional candidate, will make a rare Cape appearance on August 19 to participate in a political forum hosted by the Cape Cod Young Professionals. That’s scheduled to begin at 5 PM and will be held at the Hyannis Resort and Conference Center.

***

Finally, a quick note to the Republican Governors Association, which has been running negative ads against Tim Cahill for some time now, and recently launched its anti-Gov. Patrick ad series.

Hey, RGA people: cut the crap. Please. Attack ads are more tiresome now than ever, and by the law of transitive properties you’re making Charlie Baker look like a jerk, even though he’s been far from supportive of the ads (though he’s not done much to stop them, either). You’re doing him no favors and only adding another layer of rancor to an election season that has plenty already.

I know, they’re not going to listen to little ol’ me, but if there are Republicans out there that want a clean, civil, and issue-based discussion rather than cheap mudslinging, contact the RGA and tell them to shut up and go away. Let’s elevate the tone of the campaign.

Their website is www.rga.org and here’s the RGA’s contact info: Republican Governors Association, 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20006; telephone: 202-662-4140; e-mail: info@rga.org.

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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Your 2010 election primer – double-standard edition

July 22nd, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Dear voter,

Perhaps you’ve heard about the recent kerfuffle over Governor Deval Patrick’s jaunt to the Middle East to visit American troops. Our governor has been roundly chided by Republican critics for spending time “over there” when there are so many problems “over here.” You may even hear similar criticisms aimed at our President whenever he nips over to get some face time with our fighting men and women.

But wait! you say. There are three Republican governors on that trip too! And didn’t Mitt Romney visit troops in Iraq when he was governor? He wasn’t criticized for that? Read the rest of this entry »

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The week in politics

July 16th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Governor Deval L. Patrick is going to make a campaign stop on the Cape next month.

The governor will be at the “Hyannis Communities Connecting for Deval” event at the Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis on Thursday, August 5. That event begins at 7:30 PM. For more information, shoot an e-mail to info@devalpatrick.com.

***

Hey, kids! Guess what time it is!

That’s right: it’s time to see how few people will run for the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates!

Nomination papers are available for the county’s most low-profile and, historically speaking, least active race; very rarely does any candidate have an opponent, and there have been a few years when no one returned papers at all and the seat wound up filled by a write-in candidate.

Papers are available at town clerk’s offices now and must be returned by the end of the business day Tuesday, July 20 with at least 20 certifiable voter signatures. Those signatures must be from registered voters in the candidate’s home town (that is to say, someone running for the Falmouth delegate’s seat must collect signatures from Falmouth voters).

***

Daniel A. Wolf, Democratic candidate for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District, is using his candidacy to help draw attention to his participation in the Pan Mass Challenge. Mr. Wolf will be riding from Provincetown to Boston (hopefully not in this killer heat) to raise money for cancer research and treatment. Go to his campaign website at www.danwolfforsenate.com to learn more.

In other Wolfish news, the candidate will be holding a meet-and-greet at Starfish Restaurant in Mashpee Commons on Sunday from 4 to 6 PM. Stop by and say hi.

Also, Mr. Wolf has received a big endorsement from the Massachusetts Teachers Association. MTA President Anne Wass said Mr. Wolf “understands the importance of public education and will fight for our schools and our higher education system.”

This endorsement comes as Mr. Wolf and Democratic rival Sheila R. Lyons have begun a war of words in the media, over a challenge from Ms. Lyons to limit their primary campaign spending to $100,000. Mr. Wolf has rejected this challenge, stating that he doesn’t want to limit himself unnecessarily.

Wolf campaign officials have called this challenge a campaign stunt – which it is, one of the many such tactics politicians employ (along with my favorites, the “I won’t accept special interest donations” and “I won’t raise taxes” pledges). More often than not these challenges are “gotcha” bait; by rejecting self-imposed campaign spending limits, Ms. Lyons could try to portray Mr. Wolf as a high roller who’s out to spend his way to victory while touting her own sense of fiscal responsibility.

I will add that Stefanie Coxe, Mr. Wolf’s campaign head, might be going overboard by calling it an “orchestrated attack” (as she did in a recent letter to the Cape Cod Times). No, it’s just politics as usual…let’s not hyperbolize the matter. Be cool now.

***

Former Republican state reps Shirley Gomes and Thomas George, who together covered the Mid- and Lower Cape, have officially thrown their support behind State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich) in his bid for Congress.

Rep. Perry will hold a campaign reception next month, August 3, at the Flying Bridge in Falmouth. Jennifer Bruce hosts the event, which will feature remarks by Michael D. O’Keefe, the Cape and Islands’ district attorney. Go to www.jeffperryforcongress.com for more details.

***

James Sheets, unenrolled candidate for Congress, has launched his official website at www.votejimsheets.com, and for a Johnny-come-lately to the race (and a third-party entry at that) he has a pretty decent site.

Whether Mr. Sheets will actually be on the ballot is still in question; as a non-party candidate he has until August to turn in his nomination papers.

***

James H. Crocker Jr.’s official campaign website is also up and running. Learn more about the Republican candidate for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District at http://crockerforsenate.com.

***

A reminder (and more details) about an event for Mr. Crocker’s opponent in the primaries, Eric R. Steinhilber: Mr. Steinhilber is holding a fundraiser on Thursday at the Nauticus Marina in Osterville, which will run from 5 to 7 PM.

DA O’Keefe is hosting that event, which will feature special guests Charles D. Baker Jr., Republican candidate for governor, and the aforementioned Ms. Gomes and Mr. George, who recently endorsed Mr. Steinhilber’s candidacy.

E-mail events@electeric2010.com or call 508-957-2676 to RSVP.

***

F. Randal Hunt, Republican candidate for State Representative of the Fifth Barnstable District, is holding a barbecue fundraiser at the end of the month – Saturday, July 31, to be precise, at the West Barnstable Deer Club from 3 to 7 PM. Go to www.electrandyhunt.com for further details.

While you’re there you can also participate in his online survey to let him know your thoughts on what the most pressing issues of the day are.

Here are a few other campaign events to mark on your calendar: Tuesday, August 17, 5 PM: a meet-and-greet at Lakewood Hills; Sunday, October 3, 8:20 AM: golf tournament fundraiser at Holly Ridge (registration required); Monday, October 11 (time TBA): “Pizza & Politics with Pizzazz” at Two Brothers Pizza in Sandwich.

***

I’ve been remiss in listing this for some time now: Senate President Therese M. Murray’s (D – Plymouth) official campaign website: www.electterrymurray.com.

This site is not to be confused with her official legislative website, which is there to promote and discuss things directly pertaining to her job; Sen. Murray the Senate President is a different entity than Therese Murray, candidate for State Senate.

***

Sen. Murray’s opponent, Republican Thomas F. Keyes, will be making a couple of appearances in Falmouth. He’ll be at the Falmouth Republican Town Committee meeting at the Gus Canty Community Center on Tuesday (7:30 PM start time), and will be holding a meet-and-greet in front of Shaw’s Market in Falmouth next Friday stating at 9:30 AM.

To show what a bipartisan kinda guy he is, he’ll be doing a second supermarket meet-and-greet that same day, starting at noon, at the Falmouth Super Stop & Shop.

***

Mary Z. Connaughton, Republican candidate for state auditor, will be in Centerville next week for a reception at the home of Jennifer and John Williams. That’s scheduled for 7 to 8:30 PM on Friday, July 23. Contact Mary Sharkey at 781-492-1728 or marys@maryforauditor.com if you’d like to attend.

***

Finally, a respectful “rest in peace” to John Henning, WBZ’s veteran political reporter, who died last week at the age of 73. He’d been covering state elections literally since before I was born, and you don’t often see that kind of die-hard dedication in any field, much less such a headache-inducing one as politics.

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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Your 2010 election primer

July 15th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Dear voter,

In this election year, you will hear words and phrases used repeatedly to describe the individuals running for elected office, and sometimes the euphemisms can get pretty confusing. To help you out, we here at Snark-Infested Waters would like to offer this collection of common terms and what they mean.

First of all, it helps to know that “Democrat” is synonymous with “liberal” (and in some cases, “progressive“), while “Republican” is interchangeable with “conservative.” Anyone who tells you that one title applies strictly to a school of political thought while the other applies only to a set of moral values is sadly mistaken. I mean, really, a “liberal Republican”? A “conservative Democrat”? That’s crazy talk. Might as well tell people you’re supporting a unicorn for governor.

So, what is a Democrat/Liberal? That is someone who hates America soooooooooo much it burns. They hate America, God, Jesus, mom, baseball, apple pie, Budweiser, SUVs, pork rinds, “Hee-Haw” — all the things that define this great nation. But they love taxes. Love love love them. They want to create new taxes on same-sex inter-species incestuous marriages, which of course will be strictly regulated by the Office of Sinful Practices, which operates within the Division of Taxable Activities, which is overseen by the US Internal Revenue Service, which gets its marching orders from President Barack Hussein Hitler Mussolini Vader Obama von Frankenstein.

Democrats/Liberals love abortion, marijuana, illegal immigrants, communist China, terrorists, fancy kinds of lettuce with names most people can’t spell, destroying capitalism, apologizing to foreign powers for real or imagined offenses, whatever music is now popular with the kids but grating to adults (I think it’s Justin Bieber now), and enabling people to become human sloths who do nothing but sit around the house watching MSNBC and fantasizing about Rachel Maddow while collecting their big, fat unemployment checks and their food stamps — you know, that stuff that hard-working real Americans (see “Republican/Conservative” below) actually pay for!

Fun fact: No member of the Democratic Party has ever, ever, EVER read either the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution. In fact, just seeing either of these documents would cause them to recoil in terror. Kind of like Christopher Lee in those old Hammer “Dracula” movies. And man, you wouldn’t believe what happens when they get within a country mile of a Bible. I mean, it’s like, WHOOMP! Like a gas fume explosion. It’s crazy, man. Take your eyebrows right off.

And what is a Republican/Conservative? They are the ulta-patriotic heroes of all that is good and just — as long as they are heterosexual white male Christians who can claim an annual personal income of more than $750,000 a year (after all the tax breaks have been accounted for). They exist off a diet of crude oil (sometimes served over a raw pelican) and FoxNews. They would love to see Sarah Palin in “Playboy,” except that might make them want to have boring premarital sex while using contraception, and that’s not about to happen. They believe the government should be run by one guy, preferably the reanimated corpse of Ronald Reagan, who would turn every synagogue, temple, and mosque into a nice, normal church — like our American God intended! — where people can go to be scared of God (He has a habit of punishing via catastrophic natural disasters large groups of people — New Orleanians, Haitians, Indonesians, etc. — for sins they may not have actually committed themselves, so better suck up to the guy, just to be safe).

They think taxes are something rich people shouldn’t pay more on, because everyone knows rich people are better and should be treated nicely. After all, if rich people didn’t buy useless crap, poor people wouldn’t have jobs. Health care is something that should be readily available for anyone who can pay cash for it — except abortions, because no one should have those…hey, if Sally didn’t want to risk bleeding out after giving birth to the child fathered against her will be creepy Uncle Albert, she should have just said “no.”

Fun fact: None of the criminal activity in America is or ever has been the fault of a Republican; the second a Republican commits a criminal act, no matter how minor, he is automatically stripped of his status and forevermore must live as a Democrat. It’s kind of like when a Paladin does something against his Lawful Good alignment and becomes a normal Fighter class. Oh, wait — Republicans don’t play “Dungeons & Dragons.” Never mind.

PS: Torture is not a crime. Yeah, technically by even lax Christian standards it’s totally contrary to Christ’s belief that you should do unto others as you would have them to unto you, but since the recipients of this treatment are Godless monsters hellbent on dropping the country into the ocean as one great heap of smoldering wreckage, Jesus is totally cool with waterboarding. Pat Robertson checked and Rush Limbaugh verified the research.

Check back for our next installment, when we’ll explain what it means when candidates for office issue vague, seemingly meaningless sound bites like, “the country is going in the wrong direction” and, “it’s just business as usual.”

(Note from the management: if while reading this you at any point said, sincerely and maybe a little smugly, “Yep, that’s right,” please seek professional help. You may be sick.)

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The week in politics

July 9th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Back from vacation, and as promised, here are my brief thoughts on the recent AFL-CIO gubernatorial candidates’ forum, held two weeks ago in Hyannis.

The forum was notable not for the candidates who did show up to make their sales pitches – Governor Deval L. Patrick, State Treasurer and unenrolled candidate Timothy P. Cahill, and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Dr. Jill E. Stein – but for who did not participate: Republican candidate Charles D. Baker Jr.

Baker made a big mistake for blowing off this forum. In a press release Baker wagged a finger at his three rivals for “spending their day with the special interests who oppose real reform,” painting his absence as an affirmation of his dedication to representing the common man.

Bear in mind that the AFL-CIO encompasses more than 750 unions representing several hundred thousand workers…you know, common men.

My theory is that Baker didn’t want to wade into a very pro-Democratic arena where his message would fall on many a deaf ear, but in ducking the debate he lost a chance to poke some holes in his opponents’ platforms and, if not walk out with a few newly won hearts and minds, make people think a little harder about who they’re supporting and why.

***

I know it seems late in the day – and it is – but two more people have jumped into the race for US Representative of the 10th Congressional District.

James Sheets last week entered the race as an unenrolled candidate. The 74-year-old former six-term mayor of Quincy has not held an elected office since 2001, when he lost a mayoral re-election bid. He ran for what was then the 11th Congressional District back in 1978 and lost.

Robert E. Hayden III of Hanover has also confirmed his candidacy as a Republican. He has no political experience, which he is trying to pitch as a pro rather than a con.

You may ask, “Why are these guys getting into the race now?” Well, that’s a good question, but the answers are irrelevant for that very reason; they’re late arrivals in a packed field of contenders who have already divvied up the large blocks of party-loyal voters and are focused on getting the attention of the state’s massive unenrolled voter base.

Unless Mr. Sheets and Mr. Hayden can pull off something really impressive in the next few months to really grab and hold undecided voters, they’re destined to be nothing but white noise.

***

Also on the Congressional race: a new poll by Public Opinion Strategies mirrors a few other recent polls showing that State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich) is in the lead in the Republican primary race.

The survey of 300 Republicans who say they are likely to vote this fall showed that 41 percent were supporting Rep. Perry, 30 percent were undecided, and 25 percent were backing Joseph D. Malone.

Rep. Perry has also picked up several new endorsements from a number of county officials, including: Barnstable County Superior Court Clerk Scott W. Nickerson, Barnstable County Commissioner William Doherty, and Marcia R. King, Mashpee’s representative to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates.

***

Meanwhile, Mr. Malone has picked up an endorsement from Falmouth Selectman David Braga, who said he is supporting the former state treasurer “because it is time we had some people in Washington who care about the people here first. Joe’s message of fiscal conservatism and responsibility is exactly what we need.”

***

Over on the Democratic side of the race, State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D – Barnstable) has picked up endorsements from some local colleagues in the Legislature: State Representatives Timothy R. Madden (D – Nantucket), Matthew C. Patrick (D – Falmouth), Cleon H. Turner (D – Dennis), and Sarah K. Peake (D – Provincetown).

***

James M. Cummings, Barnstable County sheriff, has formally endorsed Walter Moniz’s candidacy for governor’s councilor of the first district. Fun fact: Sheriff Cummings is a Republican, Mr. Moniz is a Democrat.

Hooray! Evidence that bipartisanship isn’t just a myth!

Mr. Moniz was in Falmouth last week to kick off the local leg of his campaign. He is facing four people in the Democratic primary.

***

To bring this week’s column full-circle, Eric R. Steinhilber, Republican candidate for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District, will welcome the aforementioned Charlie Baker as his special guest at a reception scheduled for Thursday, July 22. That will be held at the Nauticus Marina in Osterville from 5 to 7 PM.

E-mail events@electeric2010.com or call 508-957-2676 for details or to RSVP.

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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The week in politics

June 25th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Welcome to what unintentionally became the (Almost) All-Congressional Edition of the column.

We start this week with State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D – Barnstable), who has a couple of campaign events coming up. On Sunday he’ll be at the Flying Bridge in Falmouth for a reception with Vicki Donnelly, Mary L. (Pat) Flynn, William Zammer, and former state rep. Eric T. Turkington. That runs from 3 to 5 PM. That starts at 3 PM.

Then on Wednesday, June 30, Sen. O’Leary will be at the Roadhouse Café in Hyannis for a reception, which begins at 6 PM. Go to www.olearyforcongress.com/events for more information.

Sen. O’Leary recently scored a solid endorsement for his Congressional bid, from Paul G. Kirk Jr., the fellow who filled the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s seat until January’s special election.

“I have spent much of my life in public service…I have observed many hard working and talented public servants, but none more responsive and dedicated to the people’s interests than Rob O’Leary,” Mr. Kirk said in a statement to the media.

Mr. Kirk extolled Sen. O’Leary’s work on projects ranging from the Cape Cod Land Bank (which gave birth to the Community Preservation Act) to the Cape Light Compact (yet, oddly, made no mention of his work on the Oceans Management Act). He called the senator “a man of vision and a proven problem solver.”

***

US Senator Scott P. Brown, who campaigned quite a bit on the Cape in his quest to succeed the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, returns tomorrow to host a fundraiser for his old State House colleague State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich), Republican candidate for Congress.

The general reception will be held at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis from 5:30 PM to 7 PM. Go to www.JeffPerryforCongress.com for more info (and brace yourself for some sticker shock if you want the deluxe meet-and-greet package).

***

On that note: last week while chatting with Congressman William D. Delahunt and State Representative Sarah K. Peake (D – Provincetown), I was asked my thoughts on the Congressional race. The conversation eventually turned to the hoo-hah surrounding Rep. Perry, and I thought I’d repeat some key points here.

Without naming names, there are one or two folks in the media who firmly believe that Rep. Perry’s Congressional campaign is falling apart under the weight of renewed scrutiny (renewed by the self-same people, I add) over the Scott Flanagan case.

My opinion? This is no more than wishful thinking on their part. Three campaign offices, $150,000 in campaign funds raised in the first quarter of 2010, a very active schedule of events and appearances, major endorsements from Sen. Brown and Mitt Romney – hardly the signs of an imploding campaign.

Joseph D. Malone is the true immediate threat to Rep. Perry’s campaign, not an old (and, really, inconclusive) controversy. The Malone machine has been humming along briskly, and he’s made a point to get down to the Cape on a regular basis to establish a presence and fight Rep. Perry’s home turf advantage, and that’s a much more tangible concern.

What I’m left wondering is whether the media will revisit with the same gleeful abandon the skeleton in Mr. Malone’s closet. Recall, if you will, that when Mr. Malone was our state treasurer in 1999 seven men, including his head campaign fundraiser and a deputy treasurer he appointed, stole $9.4 million from the treasury – the largest theft of state funds in Massachusetts history.

The embezzlement was discovered weeks after Mr. Malone left office, who was never implicated in the crimes.

So, to recap: the two leading GOP candidates are both under lingering suspicion of having knowledge of crimes committed by colleagues under their supervision at their former jobs, even though neither man was ever decisively or formally connected to the criminal acts in question and the only people who seem to really care are people with very old, dull axes to grind.

Make of all that what you will, but my humble advice, voters: let the real or imagined sins of the past be but one factor in your decision-making process when you hit the polls this year, and don’t let a biased smear campaign – against ANY candidate – make your minds up for you.

***

Having said all that, the Plymouth County Republican Committee last Friday released the results of an online straw poll on the Congressional race. I mention as a point of amusement that this poll included ALL the Congressional candidates, not just the Republicans — hell, they even listed Maryanne Lewis, who was never more than a rumored third-party candidate.

Guess who won?

Yep: Jeff Perry, by a very healthy margin.

Rep. Perry received 59 percent of the vote in that poll (540 votes out of 914 votes cast), with Joe Malone coming in second with 33 percent. Not surprisingly, the Democratic and unenrolled candidates were not even blips on the PCRC’s radar.

***

Speaking of unknown unenrolled Congressional candidates, Weymouth CPA Thomas A. Lawler is apparently bucking for a spot on the November ballot. His political experience seems to be limited to two terms as a Weymouth Town Meeting member. Reaching for that brass ring a little early, aren’t we?

His campaign website is at www.lawlerforcongress.com.

***

Now to break the pattern: Republican Thomas F. Keyes is holding a campaign event on Wednesday. Join Mr. Keyes at Grange Hall in Sandwich from 6 to 8 PM for the spaghetti supper fundraiser in support of his State Senate campaign. Go to www.votekeyes.com/events for more info.

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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The week in politics

June 18th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Major debate announcement!

The Resort & Conference Center at Hyannis will host the upcoming AFL-CIO gubernatorial candidates’ forum next week, June 24, starting at 1 PM.

So far only unenrolled candidate Timothy P. Cahill has confirmed his participation, but the 2006 forum in Falmouth was attended by almost every gubernatorial candidate that year. The exceptions: Grace C. Ross, the 2006 Green-Rainbow Party candidate, who was inadvertently left off the guest list; and Republican candidate Kerry M. Healey, who declined to attend and got verbally pummeled in absentia and certainly did her campaign no good.

***

So it looks like the much-ballyhooed “anti-incumbent sentiment” trend has already come and gone.

Eleven states held primaries last week, and out of 84 gubernatorial and Congressional incumbent candidates, only two got bumped out of the running.

Two.

What does this mean for local races, if anything? Well, it’s still early in the cycle, but any candidates expecting to ride a wave of anti-incumbent dissatisfaction to any easy victory might want to go back to the drawing board. That tactic depends on voters being angry about something and A) voter anger has a shelf life of six to eight weeks max, and B) there’s no guarantee the incumbents will screw up so dynamically before November that it inspires a fresh surge of outrage.

Would-be upstarts may have to rely on tired old techniques like, I don’t know, talking about the issues.

***

Robert E. Hayden III, we hardly know ye.

I stumbled across Mr. Hayden’s name last week while checking out the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s – Elections Division website to review the list of formal candidates for the 2010 election cycle. He is listed as a Hanover resident and one of four Republicans running for US Representative of the 10th Congressional District.

Never heard of him? Me neither. Neither has Google. GOOGLE, people.

So Mr. Hayden is now the proud owner of the title “Most Invisible Candidate in the Congressional Race.” Unenrolled candidate Peter A. White previously held that title.

(Receiving angry e-mail from Peter in four…three…two…)

***

Rudy Giuliani, former NYC mayor, was in Massachusetts last week stumping for Joseph D. Malone at an event in Quincy. The parade of political has-beens continues (sorry, folks, but what has “America’s Mayor” done lately?).

Mr. Malone also announced last week he’d added communications specialist Alicia Preston of The Preston Group to his Congressional campaign team. The press release said the Group had worked on both US Senator Scott P. Brown’s campaign and, less impressively, Jim Ogonowski’s spectacular flameout campaign on 2008.

For those who don’t recall that second fellow: he was planning to run for US Senate against John F. Kerry, he got a huge build-up from the Massachusetts GOP as the guy who was going to take Sen. Kerry down, he got all the attention over fellow Republican candidate Jeffrey K. Beatty, then failed to get enough signatures to get his name of the ballot.

Now look sad and say “D’oh…”

***

Nathanael Fortune, who unsuccessfully ran for state auditor in 2006, is back for another go-round. The Green-Rainbow Party candidate’s official campaign website can be found at www.natfortune.org.

***

This week’s event reminders:

Today, June 18, 2 to 4 PM: Thomas F. Keyes, Republican candidate for State Senator of the Plymouth and Barnstable District, will hold a meet-and-greet at Beth’s Special Teas in Sandwich.

Sunday, June 20, 4 to 7 PM: Barbecue fundraiser in Barnstable for Sheila R. Lyons, Democratic candidate for State Senator of the Cape & Islands District. Go to http://sheilalyons2010.com/contact for further details.

Tuesday, June 22, 5 PM: Fundraiser at Tomatoes Italian Grille and Bar in Sandwich for State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich), candidate for Congress.

***

Finally, a minor correction from last week’s column. I said that there were five people running for governor’s councilor of the first district, all Democrats, but I missed Joseph A. Ureneck, the Republican who used to (and for all I know still does) run a Chinese mail-order bride operation and apparently does not actually live in the first district.

Yeah, I don’t know how I could have forgotten a character like that either…

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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The week in politics

June 11th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Oh, Ray Kasperowicz, you partisan scamp.

Mr. Kasperowicz, along with fellow Republican Congressional candidates State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich) and Joseph D. Malone, last week participated in a student-run candidates’ forum at Harwich High School, and Ray K. emerged as my nominee…for “The Guy Who Doesn’t Get It Award.”

When asked about the lack of bipartisanship in Congress, Kasperowicz responded with this gem: “I for one will not work with the other side…I will not work with the other side when it violates what I feel are the basic principles that I espouse.”

In other words, in an age in which voters are fed up with elected officials on both sides ignoring the will of the public and kowtowing to their party, Kasperowicz is declaring that he would ignore the will of the public and kowtow to his party. Apparently, the lessons of US Senator Scott P. Brown’s victory have already been forgotten…

On a related note: the two Democratic candidates – State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D – Barnstable) and William R. Keating – were invited to this event but declined to attend, citing “scheduling issues” (which may well be code for “High school kids can’t vote for me, so why bother?”). Unenrolled candidate Peter A. White got the big snuberoo and wasn’t invited.

***

However, all the Congressional candidates have been invited to attend “Voting Energy 2010,” a political forum focusing on jobs and the environment, at Cape Cod Community College on Tuesday evening.

The candidates for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District have also been invited to this event, scheduled to run from 6:30 to 9 PM in Science Lecture Hall A.

Mindy Todd, host of “The Point on WCAI,” will moderate the forums. WCAI is co-sponsoring the evening along with the Cape and Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative (CIRenew), Cape Cod Community College, Housing Assistance Corporation, and the Marine Renewable Energy Center at UMass – Dartmouth.

***

Republican Eric T. Steinhilber’s campaign for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District continues to pick up steam. Last week Mr. Steinhilber announced he had received the official thumb’s up from Michael D. O’Keefe, the Cape and Islands District Attorney.

“I support Eric because he understands that safe communities enhance our economic future,” DA O’Keefe wrote. “Eric knows that law enforcement resources are being spread very thin. I have confidence that he will work to adequately fund those resources.”

***

David A. Smith of Wareham has emerged from hiding! Sort of.

The Democratic challenger for State Representative Susan D. Williams Gifford’s (R – Wareham) State House seat has launched a simple campaign website at http://electdavidsmith.org/home.htm. It’s nothing special, but at least he’s finally starting to get his name out there.

***

The Falmouth Republican Town Committee will welcome David T. Vieira and Thomas F. Keyes, candidates for State Representative of the Third Barnstable District and State Senator of the Plymouth and Barnstable District respectively, to its next meeting on Tuesday. That will be held at the Gus Canty Community Center on Route 28 in Falmouth starting at 7:30 PM.

***

Suzanne M. Bump, Democratic candidate for state auditor, has received a major endorsement – from the gent she’s seeking to replace: A. Joseph DeNucci, who has held the office for nearly a quarter-century. He gave Ms. Bump the nod hours before last weekend’s Democratic State Convention.

There’s really not too much else to report from the convention as every Democrat running for a constitutional office receive enough delegate support to make it onto the ballot.

***

Yet another person has emerged as a candidate for governor’s councilor of the first district, bringing the total candidate count to five (all Democrats). The new entry is Thomas J. Hallahan of Oak Bluffs. His official campaign website is up at http://tomhallahan.com.

***

Finally, here are some event reminders:

Monday, June 14, 6 to 8 PM: James M. Cummings, Barnstable County sheriff, hosts a fundraiser for Rep. Perry at the Yarmouth House on Route 28 in Yarmouth.

Tuesday, June 15, 10 to 11:30 AM: Coffee chat in Cummaquid with Sheila R. Lyons, Democratic candidate for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District. Go to http://sheilalyons2010.com/contact for further details.

Thursday, June 17, 5:30 to 7:30 PM: Reception at The Island Merchant in Hyannis for Sen. O’Leary. Paul G. Kirk Jr., former interim US Senator, and Cynthia Cole co-host the event. To RSVP contact Jon Patsavos at 617-470-4122 or patsavos@olearyforcongress.com.

Thursday, June 17, 4:30 to 6 PM: Campaign office grand opening for Daniel A. Wolf, Democratic candidate for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District. The official ribbon cutting will be at 5 PM. The office is located at 599 Main Street in Hyannis.

Friday, June 18, 2 to 4 PM: Mr. Keyes will hold a meet-and-greet at Beth’s Special Teas in Sandwich.

Sunday, June 20, 4 to 7 PM: Barbecue fundraiser in Barnstable for Ms. Lyons. Go to http://sheilalyons2010.com/contact for further details.

Tuesday, June 22, 5 PM: Rep. Perry fundraiser at Tomatoes Italian Grille and Bar in Sandwich.

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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The week in politics

June 4th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

Last week I attended the annual Cape Cod Republican Club meeting, so I thought I’d share some brief thoughts on it.

The bulk of the meeting gave several local GOP candidates for elected office a chance to make a quick introduction, chat themselves up, offer the usual Rah-Rah Let’s Go Team rally rhetoric, and of course, some obligatory Democrat bashing.

That’s the only real issue I had with the evening. Yes, folks were playing to the audience, but tacit slams like calling the GOP “the party that loves America” or direct slaps like claiming that Democrats never read the Declaration of Independence are petty and demeaning.

I’ve never cared for the strategy of building one’s self up by tearing the other guy down, and historically neither have voters; a lot of candidates on both sides – I’ll provide examples of each in Kerry M. Healey in 2006 and Martha Coakley in 2010 – have gone down to defeat thanks in part to their rampant negativity.

On a more positive note, I must say it was a shrewd move on the club’s part to keep its current leadership team intact through November. With Fran Manzelli in the lead the club has seen some great strides forward since last year, and changing horses mid-stream could have thrown things off during what is shaping up to be a critical year for the party.

***

The evening’s guest speaker, state auditor candidate Mary Z. Connaughton, finally has her campaign website up. That’s at www.maryforauditor.com.

***

I also learned at the meeting that there is a Republican candidate for governor’s councilor of the first district, a chap named Joseph A. Ureneck.

My Google searches have turned up some odd information about Mr. Ureneck, such as a lawsuit filed against him by a client of his when he ran a business called Rainbow International Marriage Service Incorporated – basically, a mail-order bride operation that hooked Chinese women up with American men. Mr. Ureneck sued a Chinese client for failing to pay her $7,500 listing fee.

For the curious: he lost the lawsuit on the grounds such international marriage contracts were, as of the 2003 ruling, not recognized as valid in the United States.

Man, just when you think you’ve seen it all, huh?

***

Final note on the meeting: I must offer a quick “well played, sir” to James F. Munafo Jr., candidate for State Representative of the Second Plymouth District, for his canny push card, which features his qualifications on one side and a complete Boston Red Sox season schedule on the other.

Mr. Munafo, by the way, just received an endorsement from the Citizens for Limited Taxation’s 2 1/2 PAC.

***

Eric R. Steinhilber, Republican candidate for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District, has picked up the endorsement of former state representative Thomas N. George.

“Eric Steinhilber has worked in the community and learned that we need a new approach for representing this district,” Mr. George said in a press release. “He will listen to all commentary then make decisions based on the needs of all his constituents. He realizes we cannot continue with the old procedures and practices which have resulted in the economic condition under which we now labor.”

Mr. George served four terms (1997 to 2004) as state rep of the First Barnstable District seat, which is now held by State Representative Cleon H. Turner (D – Dennis).

***

The nigh-invisible Ray Kasperowicz, Republican candidate for US Representative of the 10th Congressional District, announced last week he had filed enough signatures to qualify for the September primary ballot.

Now he just has to get out and make his name known, because right now all the attention is going to State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich) and Joseph D. Malone, the latter of whom is making good on his promise to visit the Cape regularly. He was in town last week to congratulate David Braga, who was recently elected to the Falmouth Board of Selectmen, and stopped by Hyannis Monday for another “Joe’s on the Job” tour appearance.

***

Conservative pundit Howie Carr will be on the Cape tomorrow for a joint book signing with Rep. Perry. It’s in Orleans so you’ll have to fight tourist traffic, but if you want to go it runs from 11 AM to 1 PM at Booksmith on West Road (Skaket Corners Plaza).

Be forewarned: Howie signs his books with the blood of liberals he lures into his home with the promise of socialized medicine and all the arugula they can eat.

Rep. Perry has two fundraisers on the horizon: June 14, 6 to 8 PM at Yarmouth House in Yarmouth; and June 22, starting at 5 PM, at Tomatoes Italian Grille and Bar in Sandwich.

***

On the Democratic side of this race, things are starting to come alive for William R. Keating, who last week announced several union endorsements, including from the International Brotherhood of Police Officers.

Mr. Keating and his Democratic rival in the primary, State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D – Barnstable), will meet for the first time in a public forum on Thursday, June 10. The Harwich Democratic Town Committee hosts that event at Harwich Town Hall, and the forum begins at 7 PM.

Each candidate will give a brief overview of their background, their major accomplishments as elected officials, and will be asked to articulate their specific vision and priorities for the 10th Congressional district. A Q-and-A session will follow.

For more information, contact Ray Gottwald at 508-430-1666 or RayGottwald@aol.com.

***

Suzanne M. Bump, Democratic candidate for state auditor, this week picked up a big endorsement from Congressman Barney Frank (D). Rep. Frank said Ms. Bump’s “many years of experience and passion for her work make her the best choice to be the Commonwealth’s next state auditor.”

***

Here’s the latest poll on the gubernatorial race. According to the Suffolk University/WHDH-TV poll released last week, Governor Deval L. Patrick was in the lead with 42 percent support among those polled, followed by Republican Charles D. Baker Jr., unenrolled candidate Timothy P. Cahill at 14 percent, and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Dr. Jill E. Stein at eight percent.

But the worse and more telling results of this poll: more than half of those surveyed think Gov. Patrick needs to go and almost half think he’s doing a lousy job; 63 percent of people surveyed have never heard of Baker, even though he’s been running since July; and the percentage of voters who view Cahill negatively has more than doubled, from 16 percent to 34 percent.

***

Finally, since we’re on the governor’s race, I would like to state for the record: Tim Cahill, you’re a jerk.

Cahill last week blasted Gov. Patrick for meeting with Muslim leaders and, in Cahill’s words, “pandering” to them and “playing politics with terrorism.”

What did the Muslim leaders want? Things like improved communication with local law enforcement agents to improve cultural awareness of Islam and greater considerations for Muslims that they may better practice their faith. Cahill called this “political correctness run amok.”

Yeah! How dare they ask for understanding and tolerance!

Cahill is, as you’ve just read, getting plastered in the polls and needed to put some fire under his campaign, but taking Gov. Patrick to task for reaching out to the Muslim community, in doing so shamelessly playing to voters’ fears, smacks of desperation and opportunism and only perpetuates the stereotype that “Muslim” equals “terrorist.”

Personally, this is not the kind of narrow-minded thinking I want in my leaders, and I’m disappointed that Cahill felt it necessary to stoop to this.

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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The week in politics

May 28th, 2010 by Mike Bailey

This week we lead off with a big non-surprise announcement that Grace C. Ross is officially out of the gubernatorial race.

Ms. Ross, who this year left the Green-Rainbow Party to challenge Governor Deval L. Patrick for the Democratic nomination, announced last week that she fell far short of collecting the 10,000 voter signatures she needed to get on the primary ballot: she only collected 5,700 signatures.

So, good news for Gov. Patrick, who can hold onto the money he would have spent in a primary race and use in the general election…not that he necessarily would have spent a lot, because Ms. Ross was not an exceptionally strong candidate, especially as a Democrat.

With Ms. Ross out, it’s safe to say the race for governor is now on full-blast as none of the four candidates – Gov. Patrick, Republican Charles D. Baker Jr., unenrolled candidate Timothy P. Cahill, and Green-Rainbow candidate Dr. Jill E. Stein – have a primary race.

***

Speaking of Mr. Baker, here’s a challenge to the candidate: grow a spine. Please.

Baker sat down last week with WHDH-TV’s Andy Hiller and responded to those Republican Governors’ Association ads now running on TV and the radio dragging Tim Cahill over hot coals spiked with broken glass and rusty nails (metaphorically speaking). And by “responded” I mean “wussed out.” Here’s the exchange…

Hiller: Do you want those ads off TV?

Baker: It doesn’t matter if I want those ads off TV…

Hiller: Because you’re powerless?

Baker: Because I don’t make decisions about what independent organizations choose to do in Massachusetts.

Hiller: If you called the Republican Governors’ Association and said “I am the Republican candidate. Please take those ads down,” what would they say? “You’re breaking the law by calling us?”

Baker: I don’t know what they would say, but I’m not going to call them and ask them that question and say that to them because I don’t want anything associated with my campaign to be associated with them.

Psst! Charlie! IT ALREADY IS.

Voters are hearing “Republican” attached to those ads and, rightfully or not, they’re drawing a direct line between the dots of the RGA and you. And why not? The RGA is running them to support your campaign. You don’t want the ads running? Call the RGA and ask them to knock it off, and if they don’t, publicly condemn the ads. Sitting back and shrugging and going “Eh, what can you do?” does indeed make you seem powerless.

***

And then there’s Gov. Patrick, who doesn’t seem to be learning from past mistakes.

You’ve probably heard by now Gov. Patrick just got a new official vehicle, a $53,000 SUV to replace the infamous Cadillac he purchased in 2007 for $46,000 to replace the traditional (and less expensive) Ford Crown Victoria.

The governor’s mouthpieces are throwing out lots of reasons why this is no big deal, mentioning everything from Gov. Patrick’s need for the roomier vehicle following last year’s hip surgery to its superior mileage (it’s a hybrid so it gets a whopping two miles to the gallon more than the Caddy), but it is a big deal in terms of public perception.

After the Cadillac purchase, Gov. Patrick was lambasted for his extravagant spending of taxpayer money, and now he’s paying more for a vehicular behemoth even as the Legislature is chopping $159 million from local and education aid. If that doesn’t feel like a slap in the face, I don’t know what does.

***

Two men running for State Senator of the Cape and Islands District have secured their spots on the ballot. Democrat Daniel A. Wolf and Republican Eric R. Steinhilber both recently announced that they had filed the signatures with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office and are good to go.

***

Another candidate for that office, Democrat Sheila R. Lyons, has a couple of campaign events coming up. She’ll be in Cummaquid on Tuesday, June 15 from 10 to 11:30 AM for a “meet the candidate coffee,” and in Barnstable for a fundraising barbecue on Sunday, June 20 from 4 to 7 PM.

Want to know where these events are? So do I; the website doesn’t list the locations. You have to go to http://sheilalyons2010.com/events and contact the campaign directly for that info. I can only assume by this odd clandestine air that guests will also receive the password and secret handshake they’ll need to get in.

***

James M. Cummings, Barnstable County sheriff, is hosting a fundraiser for State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R – Sandwich) next month in support of Rep. Perry’s Congressional race.

That event will be held at the Cape’s favorite spot for Republican revelry, the Yarmouth House on Route 28 in (where else?) Yarmouth. It’s scheduled to run from 6 to 8 PM on Monday, June 14.

***

One of Rep. Perry’s rivals, Joseph D. Malone, made another visit to the Cape this week as part of his “Joe’s on the Job Tour” of local businesses, making a stop at Hyannis Country Garden last Friday.

Democrat William R. Keating also visited the region last weekend, making an appearance in Bourne to formally announce his candidacy for Congress. He made several other stops within the district that day and finished off in Quincy.

***

A Democratic candidate for Congress, State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D – Barnstable), will be the guest of honor at a June 17 reception at The Island Merchant in Hyannis. Paul G. Kirk Jr., former interim US Senator, and Cynthia Cole are co-hosting the event.

The reception runs from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, and the suggested contribution is $125 to $500. TO RSVP contact Jon Patsavos at 617-470-4122 or patsavos@olearyforcongress.com.

***

While we’re talking about the Congressional race, Harwich High School will host on Tuesday afternoon a candidates’ forum. As of this writing two of the Republican candidates, Mr. Malone and Ray Kasperowicz, have confirmed. The forum is the work of the Advanced Placement United States Government class, and a student panel will ask the questions in the debate-style forum. The public is invited to attend the forum, which begins at 1 PM.

***

Here’s your final reminder that F. Randal Hunt, Republican candidate for State Representative of the Fifth Barnstable District, has a fundraiser next Friday at the Tao Water Art Gallery on Route 6A in Barnstable, from 6 to 8 PM.

Political news and announcements may be sent to Michael Bailey, Region editor and senior political reporter, at bailey@capenews.net

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