MA Senate Campaign – Media Spin: How to Turn a Mystery Into a Shaky Fact – Gomez PAC Support Not What It Appears

Of one thing one can be certain, if there is a smidgen of a name, or association, no matter how ridiculously far-fetched, it will be spun as a “fact” by the opposition and eventually wind up in an ad, or an article. The MA special election for the vacant Senate seat is one example: Ed Markey, the Democrat in the race, has had everyone show up except Ted Kennedy’s ghost – in an apparent effort to hang onto his base. Meanwhile, understanding just how bad it may be (even though he’s ahead in local polls, and in a dead heat in national polls), Markey’s fans are so concerned, that the issue of the opposition, Gabriel Gomez, the Republican in the race, may have a PAC supporting him that must have something wrong with it. Never mind the fact that Markey has had PAC’s throwing more money at Massachusetts than the state’s deficit – that apparently receives a pass.

The gist: From Politico - Headlined: ” Mystery PAC backing Gabriel Gomez in Massachusetts”, speaks to the fact that the Gomez campaign is receiving a bit of help from an outside source, and Politico cannot, with all of its ability, find out whence this PAC came from. The one thing they have gleaned from the PAC is that it appears not to have an affiliation, but a Republican firm is buying the ads on the PAC’s behalf – the button pusher: And the group’s treasurer, Nancy Watkins, is a Republican who has worked for a number of outside groups, according to past news accounts. She also served as treasurer for Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign.”

Suddenly an article appears on the Hill Blog: and this significant ad by in Massachusetts for the Republican, Gomez, is being handled by Michele Bachmann.

Michelle Bachman, recently announced her retirement from Congress, and is, in the eyes of the media, a crazy congresswoman who embraced the “Tea Party”. If one is following the gist – simply put, the Dems that be, are desperate to find anything to discredit Gomez, therefore, watch Gomez get slammed for being supported by and a member of those Tea Party Groups!!

This is not a stretch of the imagination – given the poorly constructed ads which the Markey campaign has airing, badly spliced segments of Gomez speaking, attempting to discredit him on the issue of social security, gun control and the like.

Gomez shot back with an ad that’s sort of hilarious – knocking the attack ad, and possibly just as badly produced in straight satirical form.

Perhaps, just perhaps, those living in the state of Confusion might see through the absolutely nonsense that is this campaign and choose for themselves – rather than play into the old tried and true of an entrenched Congressman from MA looking for a lifelong seat. His primary opponent, Lynch, would have been a better choice, but those crazy progressive, want a pure party player, so Massachusetts gets – Markey

Maybe

Which is why this is getting so childish – it’s almost as if no-one wants to even get out and vote for Ed – it’s embarrassing.

One has to ask, does it really matter who is sending all that cash into MA, be it one of Markey's many PAC supporters, or individual party players, or Gomez' PAC and/or any Republican or Independent PAC or person who is supporting him - as this PAC is from Miami, where, one might imagine there would be more than a few Latino-Hispanic individuals who support Latino candidates (see Marc Rubio), then, one might imagine that is where the money is coming from.

MA Senate Candidates – Gomez released tax returns, Markey to Release today – Does Anyone Really Care and Why?

MassLive is reporting that ”Democratic Senate candidate Ed Markey will release tax information on Friday”(meaning today). Markey, has worked for the U.S. taxpayer since memory serves, therefore, what his tax returns will reveal will include any investments, as well as Congressional salary, and his spouses investments and salary.

The Republican challenger, Gabriel Gomez, had previously released his tax returns, and Markey’s campaign and company were quick to jump on the fact that Gomez took a deduction for his historical home. Boston.com (Regardless of the fact that the cost of maintaining these types of structures far outweighs any tax breaks given.

Markey’s returns are most likely as exciting as Gomez’s returns, or watching paint dry. The fact that successful individuals make an income, and have investments and afford themselves of tax breaks, regardless of party, distract from the real issues.

The two candidates are perfect for Massachusetts – one is apparently a moderate – young, veteran, family man, first generation American, the other, a “lifer” in the U.S. Congress, old, Al Gore wannabe.

Seriously, the election should be a no-brainer, but polls show it close, as this is Massachusetts, with Markey (permanent congressional fixture looking for a permanent Senate Seat), leading by 4 to 7 points in national polls and, leading in double digits in local college polls (nuff said). The fact that Scott Brown, the most moderate GOP senator to grace DC coming out of MA in – can’t recall – got booted by a progressive Professor, who had zip for experience, say a great deal about the Massachusetts electorate.

That said, this could be a touchy feely issue, and with Markey taking credit for everything Al Gore did, plus more – anyone with an ounce of brains, should be seeing a difference between the two that simply does not call for a vote for Markey – but this is Massachusetts, and anything can happen. That’s the key, Gomez, who is, for all intents and purposes, a fiscal conservative, who is pro-growth, and experienced in that matter, should do well enough, even with the dead voting. Hopefully, as the national GOP has an interest in this race (See John McCain on campaign trail with Gomez), they may flood the state with poll watchers, lawyers and the like – keeping an eye on those that would pad an election. In the meantime, since the weather will keep most voters indoors this weekend, watching paint dry (reading Markey’s tax returns) might be worth it – of course, that’s if anyone is paying attention at all to this particular election.

MA Special Senate Election – Markey has nod from DNC, but Keep Eye on Lynch – MA GOP – Gomez Appears Capable, Sullivan Not Yet Announced – All Candidates Lack Name Recognition.

The MA Candidates (and potential candidates): Ed Markey(D), Stephen Lynch(D),Gabriel Gomez(R) and Michael Sullivan (R) - images: Markey and Lynch BostonGlobe, Gomez-Boston Herald and Sullivan, Patriot Ledger

The Massachusetts Special Election will take place on June 25th, with primaries held on the 30th of April, and a field that is generally unknown to the majority of Massachusetts voters. That may change, of course, depending on the following factors, Grassroots, airtime and the candidate’s ability to connect and generate turnout. The turnout is generally the big if in MA special elections - , and when a candidate does not, in a short time, connect with the electorate through grass roots organizing to pull ahead, the results of the race normally goes to the party machine that can pull together the votes, namely the Democrats in MA. Scott Brown in 2010 is the best example of a grass roots campaign that exploded and sent him to the Senate, despite the best efforts of the State DNC. The aforementioned tend to blame Martha Coakley, who ran as the opposition Democrat for the loss. However, although Coakley was not the most vibrant candidate, in Massachusetts, the D in front of one’s name in a low turnout election would seal the deal. Brown literally drove across the state and met with individuals, he connected at a time when disgust for Washington among the 50 plus percent of unenrolled Massachusetts voters was high.

In the bid to replace Kerry’s seat in Washington, a long-serving, but little known, Congressional Rep, may have a harder time against a non-politician, given the general distaste for the Congress, and Washington in General. The only candidate that has announced (pending 10,000 signatures due on the 27th of February – in order to qualify for the ballot – with an addition 5,000 for insurance should any of the signatures not meet requirements) that is not already serving in Congress or other official capacity is Gabriel Gomez. Gomez, a first generation Columbian American, is a former Navy Pilot and Navy Seal, who works for a Boston based investment firm and sounds more “unenrolled” than either Republican or Progressive or Democrat. That may be the ticket in getting those, generally uninterested, unenrolleds to vote in the primary and the special election.

Name recognition however, may be at issue. Although Gomez is garnering national and local media attention prior to the submission of required signatures, the only other candidates to do so are Ed Markey, and Stephen Lynch, two Democrats that have graced Congress for Decades, but known only in their own districts, one out of 9 left in the State of Massachusetts.

Former Republican Attorney General Michael Sullivan is also considering a run for the Senate, pending signatures, again, a candidate that has served at the State and Federal Level, but, not in Congress, which regardless of whether one is a Democrat or Republican in that body, generally not a peoples favorite at this point.

Gomez is garnering a considerable amount of media attention for two reasons, one he is a Hispanic running for Senate in Massachusetts, and second he is a Republican Hispanic running for Senate in Massachusetts.

Given the fact that the make-up of the Commonwealth, demographically, is, according to the U.S. Census below the national average when it comes to “minorities” – with 81% Caucasian, 7.8% African American’s and 9.9% Hispanic, with 7.7% of those surveyed in 2010-2011 considering themselves White/Hispanic. With Gomez already actively courting the Hispanic vote in the Bay State, he may have the edge, again, especially during low-turn-out.

On this bloggers preferences, Lynch on the Democrat side appears to be the one who at least bucks his party once in a blue-moon (See Voting Record at project votesmart.org). He has also spent less time in Congress, compared to his opposition, Ed Markey. Markey is a “rubber-stamp” party voter who has graced the Halls of Congress since 1976. (Project vote smart) – In other words, part of the problem in Washington is the deeply entrenched, long-serving politicians, who are more interested in the power of the position than in serving the public.

On the Republican side, Gomez is the most interesting of the candidates, no prior government experience, and someone who believes in the ability to change the government, making it part of the solution, not the problem.

All candidates will have the problem of getting their name out to those voters who are a) low-information (do not watch the news, read a paper, or otherwise care), and grab a piece of the pie that’s left. The Democrat who makes it through the primary will have the advantage of a higher Democrat identified voter count (approximately 36%); The Republican will have the 11% Republican identifiers, and will need to garner the balance from the unenrolleds, and Democrats who may not be enamored of the party candidate. It can be done, it’s been done before, by someone who quickly identified with the individual, criss-crossing the state, and making an impression that far outweighed the money spent on television advertising, which, one can be sure, is necessary in this electronic age. The media will, it is assumed pre-nominate the individual with the longest serving record in Washington due to “experience”.