Richard Neal (D-MA2) Plans to Run for Re-Election in 2012 – Despite Possible Redistricting and Loss of Congressional District

Richard Neal(D-MA2) and John Olver (D-MA1), May have to run for new combined district seat in 2012 - photo Springfield Republican.

From: Masslive.com (Springfield Republican) – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA2) announced yesterday that he would seek re-election to Congress in 2012. Neal has held the seat since 1989 and faced his first challenge in 2010 in Republican Tom Wesley, a political newcomer who garnered 40% of the vote in the district, exceeding pundit’s expectations showing Neal as powerhouse taking 75% of the vote. There will be several challengers to Neal’s seat in 2012, however, that will depend upon the Commonwealth’s redistricting due to a significant loss in population forcing the loss of a Congressional seat. As of this time, it is unclear which district will be lost in the state, with some speculation that the 1st and 2nd districts will be merged, having the lowest populations.

Massachusetts has lost population consistent with increased taxes and joins other similarly high tax states in losing seats. From urbangrounds.com via Washington Examiner:

New York and Ohio are likely to lose two seats each, while Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will be down one apiece. The average top state personal income tax rate in these loser states: 6.05 percent.

Therefore, Neal, who had been vying for the top slot on the Ways and Means Committee prior to the Nov. 2nd election which saw an historical power shift in the House, with Democrat losses the highest since the 1930’s, is now relegated to “ranking member”, with the possibility of the current district, east of Springfield, being merged with part of the 3rd district held by McGovern, leaving the 1st District alive and well under the direction of John Olver who will face an in party challenge from Berkshire Register of Deeds and former state Sen. Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., a Pittsfield lawyer, is running for the 2012 Democratic nomination for the seat and has a fund-raising event scheduled for Thursday.

With the possibility of the District Loss, Neal may have to face a three way primary challenge against fellow Congressman John Olver (D-MA1) and Nucifero. Neal, a former schoolteacher, first ran for elected office in 1984 and won the seat as Mayor of Springfield, he was elected to the Congress upon the retirement of Democrat Edward Boland, facing no opposition in 1989. Neal, who has been dubbed “Nancy Pelosi’s and Irelands Tax-Man on the Hill” votes straight party line 98% of the time. In the waning hours of the 111th Congress, Neal and other House Democrats plan to force a vote on tax cuts, proposing the Progressive model of increasing taxes on all businesses and income over $250,000 while negotiations between the White House and Senior members of the House and Senate are still taking place. A purely political stunt designed to embarrass the incoming majority. The Bush Tax Cuts are set to expire on the 1st of January, with an across the board increase in taxes for all Americans. The Democrats in both Houses and the Administration appear to be stalling and allowing these tax increases to go through, which will, in all likelihood extend the current economic crisis. The blame will rest solely on those who failed to move this issue forward over the past two years, and, Neal, who held a high ranking seat on the Ways and Means Committee, had the power to do so.

David Axelrod on CNN on Deval Patrick – Lowering Expectations for the Massachusetts Governor

In a CNN video posted to Real Clear Politics David Axelrod, White House Advisor, and reported Obama’s campaign manager for reelection in 2012, reviewed the mid-term elections. The Headline ”Axelrod Suggests Dem Upset: "Stay Up For The Full Night" suggests, according to CNN that Axelrod appears somewhat misleading, as Axelrod rambles through questions posed by CNN’s John King noting: “as I said, I think you're going to see an -- an election where, you know, people win who perhaps you didn't expect to win, people lose who -- who, perhaps, you didn't expect to lose on -- on both sides.”

However, the interview begins with a discussion on which races Axelrod will be watching, and the East Coast is discussed first, specifically, Axelrod’s former client and alleged test for Obama’s 2008 victory,Deval Patrick. Paraphrased from the video below: “Deval, an old client of mine, spectacular person, Massachusetts has elected Republican governors for 16 years before he arrived, so that’s a competitive race.”…

After that quip, Axelrod goes into the discussion regarding surprises the night of the election and highlights the California Governor’s race as an example. Axelrod suggests that spending $200 million dollars might just clinch the deal for Democrat Jerry Brown against Meg Whitman. That’s apparently all he has right at the moment.

Meanwhile, back in the Bay State, the three man race for the Governor’s seat is in its final two weeks, with Democrat turned Independent, Tim Cahill going to the 10 point range, in the latest poll from Suffolk University. The poll released on October 14th and taken between the 10th and 12th of September, suggests that the electorate was far from a commitment on any candidate. On question 17: where do you stand on the race at this point, one finds Patrick at 44%, Baker at 37% and Cahill at 10% (with the balance either undecided, Green Party, etc.). On Question 18 however, when those leaner’s are asked who they would vote for if the election were held today? – There is a startling difference: Patrick receives 6%, Baker 12%, and Cahill 2%, with a whopping 49% refusing to answer or not sure. The results of the poll which were released were the combination of the two questions, gives Patrick a somewhat artificial edge. That said, with a pollster that repeatedly includes 8% of it staff (Suffolk University) in the mix, one has to ask, how accurate can this poll be? Consider it is doubtful that 8% of the Massachusetts electorate resides on the Suffolk campus. (See screen shot below).


Section of Marginal from Suffolk Poll showing larger percentage of undecideds only two weeks away - deduct 8 points for Suffolk only participants - click to enlarge


It is more than likely that internal polling on the Patrick team suggests the gig is up, which is why Axelrod was softening the “blow” so to speak when reviewing the Massachusetts Electorate. One can bet the House (literally) that he will also have his eyes on the Bay State’s 9 Congressional races, which, as of this point, don’t appear to be heading in a direction pleasing to Axelrod and Company. Axelrod, who is certain that Mitt Romney will run in 2012, could not have missed that Romney’s PAC recently endorsed certain Congressional Candidates, including Sean Bielat, running against Barney Frank and Tom Wesley, running against Richard Neal. The move on Romney's Part can be viewed in two ways:one, the man is a businessman first, and would not waste a dime, and two; it goes toward building political capital for the future.

As races either tighten up or completely blow out in normally “Blue States” such as Illinois and Massachusetts, one has to begin to realize that the electorate, in larger measures (according to a WSJ/NBC pollwould prefer to elect a candidate that has not held office before, that would, perhaps explain why seasoned politicians, such as Nancy Pelosi and Richard Neal, have ducked debates, and have become almost invisible in their home districts, even though they were responsible for taking a break to campaign and not voting on the extension of tax cuts. Axelrod is a smart man, and looks more pained than confident in this particular CNN clip.

Axelrod on CNN

Richard Neal (D-MA) Up for Re-Election 2010 – Pork Disparity – CA & Ireland Priorities in Cash Outlay

Fromthe watchdog group: Washington Watch is a list of appropriations requested by the Massachusetts Hampden 2nd Congressional Rep., Democrat Richard Neal:

Next Generation Wind Turbine
Western New England College, Springfield, MA 01119
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $1,700,000 (Requested)
Online Collaboration for Reconciliation and Democratic Citizenship
Cooperation Ireland, Inc., New York, NY 10022
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $17,175,607 (Requested)
Valley Heritage Farmers Market Program
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, Woonsocket, RI 02895
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $35,000 (Requested)
Phoenix House, Springfield MA, Drug Treatment Technology Enhancement Initiative
Phoenix House, Springfield, MA
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $750,000 (Requested)
Hampden County Sheriff’s Department Intergrated Re-Entry Model
Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, Ludlow, MA 01056
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $1,000,000 (Requested)
Westfield State College Law Enforcement Training Program in Southbridge, MA
Westfield State College, Westfield, MA 01086
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $400,000 (Requested)
Stop It Now Helpline Extension
Stop It Now!, Northampton, MA
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $500,000 (Requested)
A Child is Missing – Second District – Massachusetts
A Child is Missing, Inc, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $400,000 (Requested)
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Management Plan
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, Woonsocket, RI 02895 (1 comment »)
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $750,000 (Requested)
The Last Green Valley
Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, Heritage Programs, Southbridge, MA 01550
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $750,000 (Requested)
Godfrey, O’Brien and Hospital Brooks Restoration Program
Town of Milford, MA, Milford, MA 01757
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $0 (Requested)
Correction of the Combined Sewer Overflows along the Connecticut River
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, West Springfield, MA 01089
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $2,000,000 (Requested)
Life Sciences Facility and Equipment
Pioneer Valley life Sciences Institute / Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA 01107
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $1,000,000 (Requested)
Mercy Medical Center Emergency Room Bed Increase Project
Sisters of Providence Health System, Springfield, MA 01104
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $500,000 (Requested)
Wing Memorial Hospital CT Scanner
Wing Memorial Hospital, Palmer, MA 01069
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $1,260,000 (Requested)
Quinsigamond Community College Satellite Campus, Quinsigamond Community College
Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester, MA 01606
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $500,000 (Requested)
JFYNet Technologies of the Future: Academic Support for Career Planning for the Second Congressional District of MA
JFY Networks, Boston, MA 02108
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $400,000 (Requested)
Horizons for Homeless Children’s Playspace Programs in the Second Massachusetts Congressional District
Horizons for Homeless Children, Roxbury, MA 02119
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $94,000 (Requested)
Education for Democracy Act
The Center for Civic Education, Calabasas, CA 91302
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $35,000,000 (Requested)
Advanced Fuel Filtration System (AFF)
Warren Pumps, Warren, MA
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $3,200,000 (Requested)
High Performance Fiber Laser Gain Media
CHOTT North America, SCHOTT Finer Optics, Southbridge, MA 01550
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $4,000,000 (Requested)
HALO-360 Imagining for Submarines
Kollmorgen Electro-Optical, Northampton, MA 01060
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $2,600,000 (Requested)
Next Generation Optical Protector for Day / Night and Indoor Outdoor Operations
3M Company, St Paul, MN 55144
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $2,000,000 (Requested)
Biomass to Clean Fuel – Cellulosic Ethanol Pilot and Pretreatment
Qteros, Springfield, MA
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $2,800,000 (Requested)
Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute Biomedical Research
Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, Springfield, MA 01107
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) requests $1,000,000 (Requested)

Additional information on these requests can be found at House.gov/neal/pdfs/appropsprioritiesFY2020.pdf

The requests for a University in California as well as Ireland Inc. outweigh requests for his own district.

Neal, who is of Irish Descent, takes pride in his ethnicity at the taxpayers’ expense. While supporting every tax hike measure for individuals and corporations that come down the pike, Neal insures that Ireland remains competitive.

Suggested reading: Taxing American Companies from the Heritage Foundation here

From the tax foundation: Neal’s involvement in the ATM as it applies to the middle class.

Finally, a comparison of global tax rates, which shows Ireland ranking lowest in global tax structure from the Tax foundation.

It is not that one begrudges Ireland any successes in securing corporations which leads to more tax dollars and employment for the Irish in Ireland, however, Neal’s priorities being what they are, and the fact that the Hampden 2nd is bleeding corporations, one would think that he might have been fighting harder for the people he represents rather than his favored nation. Surely there are citizens of the Hampden Second of Irish descent who would prefer the monies appropriated for projects outside the district, be put to good use at home on projects that would create jobs for the Hampden 2nd residents.

Neal, who is up for reelection in 2010, faces a very competitive challenge for the 2nd district seat. Dr. Jay Fleitman and Mr. Tom Wesley will face off in the Republican primary on September 14th. Either Dr. Fleitman or Mr. Welsey will have the privilege of running against Congressmen Neal and the voters of the 4th distinct, Democrats, Green Party, Republican and Independents have the ability, for the first time in decades, to send Mr. Neal into retirement. Perhaps he will then be able to spend more time in either Ireland or California where it is obvious his priorities lay.

Jay Fleitman for Congress
Tom Wesley.com

This blog prefers Dr. Jay Fleitman: He has sat on the Board of Health (elected) in Norhtampton, MA (think Cambridge), as a Republican and has the knowledge as a physician and business owner to address the problems facing both the district and the nation. Number one, however is his ability to appeal to both Independents as well as Democrats. This is not to say Mr. Wesley is not a good candidate, and once the "dust settles" from the primary, whichever candidate emerges should be supported by anyone with an interest in removing Richard Neal, Charles Rangel's protege from the Hampden Second Congressional District Seat.