Massachusetts – No longer the Bluest State - Boston Globe Headlines: Mass. Democrats Brace for Republican Candidates in 2010

Dr. Jay Fleitman - Candidate 2nd Hampden photo 2bpblogspot

Earl Sholley running against Barney Frank, MA 4th District - photo Sholleyforcongress.us

TheBoston Globe article on the Democrats who hold a stranglehold on Congressional seats in the Commonwealth being concerned they may be at risk due to Scott Browns win of the Senate Seat is of interest, although the main point is an error. Brown won the seat on his own merits, in a campaign which was executed by grassroots efforts with impeccable precision. This was mainly due to his overall appeal to the general population; one which is currently sick and tired of those who would be “rock stars”. Brown appeared to be “one of us” not one of them and was humble in his approach. (It is no surprise, however, that the media has taken Brown’s talents and turned him into a “celebrity” – virtually overnight. Nevertheless, Brown’s focus will be the will of the people, although pundits are busy trying to marginalize Brown’s win, as it relates to Obama, it is truly a rejection of the entire progressive approach to government – one to which Brown does not subscribe.)

That said, the article errs mainly due to the fact that Brown’s rise has nothing to do with the fact that Congressional Democrats are at risk and have been, long before Brown announced his candidacy. There is a new sense in Massachusetts that enough is enough. This antipathy towards the Democrats began with Deval Patrick, and the almost daily corruption on Beacon Hill. This angst has been aided by news reports of Barney Frank (Massachusetts 4th District), Richard Neal (Hampden Second), Niki Tsongas (Massachusetts 5th), James McGovern, (Massachusetts 3rd) and William Delahunt (Massachusetts 10th), all of whom are up for re-election in 2010, getting behind the President one-hundred percent, and voting straight party line, for years, not just since Obama became president.

With each budget in the red, with each new tax, with each new major program, the same old group can be seen in nightly newscasts or daily papers pounding home the message that they have a) experience due to the length of time they have held a certain seat, and, b) as a result they know better. Nothing brought this home more than the Town-Hall meetings held during the Health Care debate this past summer. With Massachusetts Congressional Democrats holding meetings where they were visibly uncomfortable facing their constituents. It was so difficult that Neal and McGovern had to team up to face the music, yet they went back to Washington oblivious of what they had heard from their constituents. The end result was a wake up call to the majority of the electorate. This was not the first time that the electorate started to take a close hard look at all elected officials in Massachusetts and the length of time they held an office and how they vote - it began to take shape immediately after Deval Patrick’s first year as Governor and it has snowballed ever since.

Republican candidates have been there all along, however, in the world outside the Bay State, any Republican (or someone running as a Republican) was basically pooh-poohed as spitting into the wind, so to speak, because Massachusetts votes Democrat. Then, about a year ago, (while the outside world was not watching) individuals began to form campaigns to run against those entrenched, lockstep Democrats who still feel the public has no other choice. In fact, every Congressional Seat mentioned above cannot be considered “safe Democrat” because there are several where campaigns are already well established, with grassroots organizations in place. Now, with 2010 here, the level of interest in retiring entrenched Massachusetts politician’s and replacing them with “citizen legislators” is extraordinarily high. These are not mentioned in the Globe article.

Richard Neal now faces two contenders for his seat, one of which, Dr. Jay Fleitman, another independent thinker, has had a campaign in place for the past year. Fleitman is one of those citizens one meets and instantly understands that it is not about “position” it is about the people. In other words, he has stepped forward, to offer himself to the service of the Commonwealth and the nation, in order to challenge a Congressman, who the district hears from every two years. Each election Neal recycles mailers proclaiming an impending social security crisis, should he not be reelected. The people are not buying this anymore. Nor will they fall for the “change of heart” tactic; the seat in the Hampden 2nd is far from safe. Jay Fleitman's website is www.jayfleitman.com, those Unenrolled, Republican and yes, even Democrats are already aware of Dr. Fleitman, and what he has to say about a range of issues, without making excuses or sounding like a “cookie cutter” party-line elitist (referring to Republicans). He’s another “one of us”.

The "big kahuna" of the Commonwealth’s Democrat Congressional Delegation, Barney Frank, is perhaps the one who is most at risk - this besides the fact that every single political pundit sees him as holding his seat, until such time as he feels the need to retire. Think again. In fact, Frank is facing challenges from his own party, let alone those running as Republicans. The most likely to give Frank the proverbial boot is a man who has run against Frank in the past. One who does not necessarily fit the Republican model, (or any model), one who looks to the Constitution and has a keen grasp of that document. Earl Sholley, www.sholleyforcongress.us, is an individual, somewhat quirky, not terribly charismatic, but sound, sensible and with an ideological approach to governing that he has held fast to for decades. Sholley, of all the candidates, does have some baggage (in political think), however, the candidate he faces has more, and as this man goes door to door throughout the 4th district, he finds discontent and volunteers. This did not happen overnight, or as a result of another candidates rise, but due to hard work and an unshakable belief in the Constitution, the public and the need for reform. Both of these candidates are the least likely to be called “rock stars”, yet, that’s precisely their appeal.

The fact that both candidates outlined above have been able to energize volunteers based on their own ideals, and, in equal measure, the candidate they are opposing, speaks volumes about the change that is going to reshape Massachusetts into a Commonwealth that is less “blue”, and more evenly representative of all the peoples of the Bay State. Yes, the Democrats of Massachusetts have hard campaigns ahead of them, perhaps much harder than the Coakley campaign, due to the fact that those who would run have had more time to prepare than did one Scott Brown. It is going to be a wild 2010 in Massachusetts politics. One can watch the “safe Democrat” stay pretty much the same on the pundit’s websites, until say, mid-October, when the handwriting on the wall becomes abundantly clear.

Note:
The number one search on this blog: Who is running against Barney Frank, has been joined by Who is running against Richard Neal, with a majority of those inquiries coming from within Massachusetts in the past two weeks, prior to that, they were coming from all corners of the nation, with a few hits here and there inside the Bluest State. Barney Frank inquiries average about 100 unique hits per day. (Which grew exponentially over the past week, to 300), which means that an investment, in time, talent and that all important cash needed to brand a candidate, is already in the “bank” so to speak.

HR 3221 – HR 2669 - The Government Wants Control of All Student Loans – No to Private Student Loans

Do you Trust the Federal Government to Manage All Student Loans? image meridian cedit

HR 3221 also known as Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 was passed by the House and referred to the Senate in September of 09. The bill, in essence, moves control of the student loan industry from a combination of public and private institutions to one of total government control. In a piece from CNS News,

A bill currently before the Senate would empower the Obama administration to nationalize the student lending industry, eliminating the federally subsidized private loans millions of university students rely on to finance their educations.

Suggested: read the rest of the article here

The Bill, currently before Senate committee (Summary is available here) is now referred to as HR2669. In essence, this action allows the Federal Government to have total financial control over your student loans, regulating interest rates, and of course, collections should one default. In the instance of default one might prefer to have to face a Chicago politician or loan shark rather than the I.R.S.

One may think that the Government currently has enough on its plate owning the auto and banking industries, but in the never-ending quest for expansion, a move to take-over the student loan industry is of extreme interest due to the fact that larger numbers of individuals will be beholden to the government with no other recourse. If one cannot afford to attend college without a loan, the only option will be the “government loan”. There are always pros and cons to every bill, however, as usual; this little number is part and parcel of several other measures that have to do with the Department of Education - In other words, under the radar for the most part. This is one to watch – closely.

U.S. Senator Scott Brown – The People’s Victory in Massachusetts – Analysis

For weeks, months, or possibly years, the pundits will be analyzing how Scott Brown, a State Senator from Wrentham, bested Martha Coakley, the clear Democrat front-runner, in what has been called one of the 5 greatest upsets in American political history. The blame game had begun well before the election, with both the Coakley campaign and the DNC pointing fingers at one another, with a media that was “shocked” that a Republican could win in Massachusetts. Health care, or health care reform, to be exact, was touted as the pivotal reason for Brown’s election. There are bits of truth to each: Coakley ran a lackluster campaign, that with the help of the DNC turned negative in the last weeks before the election and turned off the all important Independent voter, the media and pundits refused to acknowledge the fact, until yesterday, that the electorate in Massachusetts is dominated by unenrolled, or independent voters, which align themselves with neither party, and Health Care Reform, was one of the reasons that voters turned to Brown, but it was not the only reason.

Scott Brown won the U.S. Senate Seat on his own merits, by his own work and his ability to create a populist message with all sincerity - one which resonated throughout the Commonwealth. Additionally, his ability to stand by his own record, throughout the debates, in a straight-forward, no-nonsense way won over those who are sick of politicians who offer excuses - Brown “man’s up”. He shared his personal story with the populace, one which tells the tale of a young man, without the proverbial silver spoon, working his way through college, and never forgetting his roots, he is not above the rest of “us”; he is with the rest of us. Therefore, Browns’ natural ability to lead, added to the aforementioned, won the Senate Seat.
On issues, although health care reform was mentioned most often, Brown spoke, just as much about Cap and Trade legislation, foreign policy and his understanding from both a civilian as well as a military point of view. Brown is the real deal, right from the playbook of our founding fathers, a citizen legislator. His acceptance speech, was, like the candidate, at once, humble, telling those who he thanked for working so hard, how the seat belonged to them, it was “the people’s seat”, he then went on to sprinkle quick humor throughout the speech, and included what should be studied by one and all, that consider running for office – he was extremely gracious, both to Martha Coakley, but to the entire administration.

The electorate in Massachusetts, having witnessed several progressive administrations, including governors (Deval Patrick), Barack Obama, and then Jimmy Carter, rejected the policy of a one-size fits all, shoebox mentality that is chock full of entitlements, state and federal spending and taxing the daylights out of populace. As ads ran with words like “good progressives of Massachusetts, and “Obama’s agenda” sprinkled throughout and approved by Coakley, one could feel the anger rise amongst those who call themselves Independents.

This will be the message that will continue to be sent as the 2010 races come to the forefront. There are several congressional districts in play in Massachusetts this year, and the incumbent that sits on their laurels, makes few visits to a district, or follows a party line to the letter, is facing a populace in the Bay State that has clearly had enough. The message is clear, it is time to mix it up and send like-minded citizens to Washington. Although Health Care may or may not be an issue by the time the games, already underway, begin in earnest, which is only one of the issues that propelled Scott Brown forward.

If one has not seen or heard his acceptance speech, one should take the time to watch the clip below, and although one might have to go far to find another Scott Brown from Wrentham, as he is who he is, there are men and women standing ready to fight for the people’s seats, in every district in Massachusetts and in every state in the nation.

Suggest watching the following candidates closely (Seats are projected, what else? "Safe Democrat":

From the Massachusetts 2nd Hampden, Dr. Jay Flietman www.jayfleitman.com.

Dr. Flietman will face entrenched Congressman Richard Neal nealforcongress.com who has a voting pattern over the past decades that refuses to cross a party line.

From the Massachusetts 4th District, Earl Sholley SholleyforCongress.us, a populist Independent Republican, who is an avid historian specifically regarding the Constitution and the model of the Congress.

Sholley will face, for a second time, Congressman Barney Frank Barneyfrank.net, the man who is most associated with Freddie and Fannie, and otherwise, needs little in the way of introduction. His voting record speaks for itself.

Therefore, when pundits ask “how” Massachusetts could elect Republican’s, they should understand that, the colony which broke the yoke of England to form the United States of America, has the ability to endure heavy taxes and great burdens, but for only so long. The fact that Massachusetts residents have a higher tolerance level than residence of other states, should send a clear message to those citizens who would be legislators to step up, and remember Scott Brown’s words in speaking to the citizens of the Commonwealth: “You are the machine.”