The Very Elegant, First Lady Michelle Obama, will help her Husband, the President, in Western Massachusetts Fundraisers - image christiancameleon.blogspot
Welcome to Massachusetts, the Bluest State, where one might think that there are so many Democrats, why bother to campaign here – unless of course, the incumbents June FEC filings were lacking compared to the Opponent – who just happens to be from Massachusetts.
In August, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, will make a swing through Western Massachusetts – not on the stump for the President, although one might think that she would be well-received, at any event, and draw crowds despite her political affiliation – however, she is coming to the wilds of Massachusetts (any place east of Boston), to fill the President’s re-election campaign coffers – hoping to catch on Mitt Romney, the Republican who is currently hauling in cash from donors rich, poor and in the middle (one must read the total FEC filing report to understand that the majority of Mitt Romney’s contributions reported in June were not, as reported, from “rich friends”, rather from individuals, in smaller amounts, in zip codes representing all ethnicities, in every state of the union. The Obama Campaigns report was not as “rich” or revealing for that matter. With the economy to consider, donations are hard to come by, for non-profits, let alone politicians, therefore, one must make a pilgrimage to a place one feels might be more open to putting up the cash one needs to fund a campaign successfully. (For information on the FEC reports for June, visit www.tinahemond.com/2012/07)
The Springfield Mass Republican through their website Masslive is reporting that the First Lady, Michelle Obama, will attend a $2500 per person event at the Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame, followed by a trip to the Berkshires and an event with James Taylor, again at the same cost per ticket, followed by one last fundraiser at Governor Duval Patrick’s ”retreat” in the Berkshires, again to meet, greet and fund raise – In Massachusetts.
Those most likely to attend the event: politicians and supporters from not only Western Mass, but one would hazard to guess, nearby states such as Vermont, New York and Connecticut. Springfield, MA is centered in such a way as to be easily accessible to most major metropolitan hubs in the Northeast, and should one need to come from further afield, Bradley International Airport is only a half-hour’s drive south of the City of Homes.
That said one will have to wait until the August reports are made available to see how well the First Lady did in the State most dedicated to her husband’s 2008 rival, Hillary Clinton. August FEC filings will be available in September.
One of Obama’s largest supporters in the area, Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA1) – appears to have the need to raise some capital for his campaign the “Republicans”, of course, he is running unopposed if, and only if, he can make it through the September primary. It is a fairly safe bet that he will come out unscathed, to go onto the ballot in November – with no opposition. A fundraiser was sent out via email yesterday subject line: From Stockbridge to Southbridge: (Text of email)
July 10, 2012
Dear Friends,
Hi, I'm Congressman Richie Neal. For nearly a year, I have been traveling the new First Congressional District visiting with supporters and meeting new friends. From Stockbridge to Southbridge, I have been listening to the concerns of people like you, and sharing my views on issues that are important to our region.
I have no better friend than retiring Congressman John Olver, who has glowingly endorsed my candidacy for reelection. John and I have partnered for 20 years to provide leadership to western Massachusetts
I share the same core Democratic values as you: preserving and protecting Social Security and Medicare, making health care more accessible and affordable, growing our economy through investment in education - which includes lowering student loans, and creating jobs right here in western and central Massachusetts.
I am proud to stand with President Obama as we passed the landmark Affordable Care Act and succeeded in providing affordable and accessible health care to millions of uninsured, ended the practice of companies denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, added a safety net so families do not go bankrupt because of medical bills, allowed young adults to remain on parents' health insurance, and offered preventative care services for women's health.
While there were not many of us, I voted against the war in Iraq and took to the floor of the House of Representatives to speak against our invasion. Over a career, I can say this is the best vote I ever cast. With our troops home from Iraq and as we wind down our presence in Afghanistan, we need to start investing in America again.
If you are committed to maintaining Medicare and Social Security, support programs that allow hard working men and women like you and me to have a chance to succeed, and are against draconian spending cuts proposed by Republicans than I ask for you to join my grassroots campaign.
You can help in a variety of ways; going door to door in your neighborhood, participating in phone banks, writing Dear Friend cards, and putting a sign on your lawn or a sticker on your car. Our organization spans each of the five counties and 87 communities of the new First Congressional District. I invite you to check out my website, Facebook, and follow me on Twitter to stay updated. Let's continue to communicate throughout the campaign and see you on the trail!
-Richie
Congressman Neal
Richard Neal for Congress
Therefore, he is asking for help to fight Republican’s while he must first fight Democrats to retain his seat – which – considering that he ran opposed in the last election – and had to part with some of his “war chest”, to retain his seat, it makes sense that the man who had the most money in Congress in 2010 (and was begged by the Democratic Leadership to please aid those in states where Democrats were under siege by those rascally Tea Party Candidates and their Republican Counterparts (who took 60 seats in the 2010 election)-was unwilling or unable to “share the wealth” so to speak.
One finds that entrenched, and by entrenched, those who have “served” the public as an elected official since 1988 – a “career” in public service one might note, normally do not find themselves out begging for campaign cash, especially in supposed heavily politically simpatico areas.
Some factors (or observations) that may enter into play:
Perhaps Massachusetts, not unlike the balance of the nation, is short on cash – individual donors, giving $3, $5, $10 and so on, are in the category where they are living on fixed incomes – and are sending cash to those who they truly believe will keep the nation secure, or, as a Congressional Representative, promote the values they hold dear while in Washington. (See Romney by zip code FEC Filings June to understand the power of the individual donation.) Therefore, the usual larger donations may have become smaller in these hard economic times.
Perhaps, just perhaps, Massachusetts is not as Blue as one would believe, given the fact that the majority of the constituents in the state are – unenrolled, unaffiliated, independent, non-party people, who may lean one way or the other, depending upon who’s available on the ballot. This, in the case of Massachusetts history, generally offers the occasional Republican Governor (Weld, Celluci, Swift, Romney – in most recent memory), and the occasional State Legislator or Senator (Scott Brown comes to mind). This does not happen with the unerolled alone, nor the 12% of the state electorate that describes itself as “Republican” rather, crossovers from, using a more modern-day term, “blue dog democrats”. Go figure.
Therefore, although Obama’s approval rating in Massachusetts, (according to Gallup) is still over 50% - with 9 other states, the balance being under 50% approval – it will be interesting to see, given the margin of error, if those 50% that do not approve of the President, will vote for the former Governor. It is not, given the Commonwealth’s history, out of the question.
The race for cash, however, in the Bay State, in this particular location, is interesting to say the least – in Neal’s case, one understands he faces a primary opponent, and that the redistricting has made the opponents job a tad easier, however, Neal still controls the population centers East of the Berkshires and West of Worcester. The First Lady, on her fundraising trip to the Hills, will most likely see donors coming from local Western MA politico’s and members of academia, as well as reinforcements from other states that are just close enough to make the trip.
The last President to visit and not fund raise was Bill Clinton in 1995, he came to Worcester to sign an Education Bill with Ted Kennedy – the streets were lined for miles with people hoping to get a glimpse of the sitting President (Worcester Telegram and Gazette). Then First Lady, Hillary Clinton, received the same reception when she visited the Bay State in 1996, with a mantra from the crowded Boston Streets”Hail to Hillary” (Boston Globe)
Understanding that First Lady Michelle Obama is her working for her husband’s reelection campaign, and not officially to visit with the “masses”, it would be interesting to compare the greeting she might receive from the ordinary Massachusetts citizen, vis a vis, the Clinton’s – that would be indicative of popularity and the way that Massachusetts may vote in the General Election.
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