Author Archives: billmanzi

Real Muni Health Care Reform

Posted on July 1, 2011 by billmanzi

The Legislative Budget Conference Committee has reached agreement on the State budget, with the much watched municipal health care reform portion surviving with substantive reform intact. From the State House News Service: The final proposal, according to a budget document … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Reform, State News | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Halperin Suspended

Posted on June 30, 2011 by billmanzi

Mark Halperin, political analyst for Time Magazine as well as MSNBC, was suspended indefinitely today by the network for calling President Obama a “dick” on the Morning Joe show. I happened to be watching the show when Halperin made the … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged | 1 Comment

President Obama Plays Offense

Posted on June 30, 2011 by billmanzi

The President held a press conference yesterday, ratcheting up his rhetoric against Republicans on the issue of raising the debt ceiling. The President appeared to draw a line in the sand over Republican refusal to include any revenues in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Tale of Two Approaches

Posted on June 29, 2011 by billmanzi

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey is taking a few victory laps after passing a pension and health care reform bill in New Jersey, reaching agreement with the Democratic legislature on a bill that had to be hard for them … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged | 3 Comments

Pawlenty Channels His Inner Jimmy Carter

Posted on June 28, 2011 by billmanzi

Tim Pawlenty gave a major foreign policy speech at the Council on Foreign Relations today, talking in the broadest terms about support for democracy in the Middle East, criticizing the Obama Administration for not doing more to support the Arab … Continue reading →

Posted in International, National News | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Budget and Campaign Musings

Posted on June 27, 2011 by billmanzi

Methuen’s budget is passed, and of course that passage has its critics. Naturally, in a political season, there are going to be those who utilize the budget for political purposes. Just a few disjointed thoughts: 1) When a candidate tells … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen | Tagged | 6 Comments

A Flake You Say? Now That is Fair and Balanced

Posted on June 27, 2011 by billmanzi

Chris Wallace had Michelle Bachmann on Fox News Sunday, and besides asking about her family taking advantage of federal programs Wallace had the temerity to ask Bachmann whether she was a “flake”. Wallace issued an apology via the FNS website … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged | 6 Comments

Iowa Poll: Good News for Bachmann

Posted on June 26, 2011 by billmanzi

A new survey by the Des Moines Register shows Mitt Romney leading the pack in Iowa, with Michelle Bachmann in a statistical dead heat with Romney for the lead. Romney is polling at 23%, Bachmann at 22%, and Herman Cain … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Trial in Boston? Maybe Not

Posted on June 25, 2011 by billmanzi

I have resisted (up to now) the desire to post on the capture of James Bulger, although I admit to being as fascinated with the story as everyone else appears to be. The Bulger capture and the hyper media coverage … Continue reading →

Posted in State News | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mired Down in Afghanistan

Posted on June 25, 2011 by billmanzi

The President gave his speech on Afghanistan, announcing that he was essentially winding down the “surge” that he had authorized a year or so ago. It appears to just about all that the President is splitting the policy difference, throwing … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged | Leave a comment