The President Takes on…. John Boehner?

Posted on September 9, 2010 by billmanzi

The President ratcheted up his rhetorical assault on Republicans in Ohio yesterday, rejecting the potential for compromise on the Bush tax cuts, and calling for new infrastructure spending and some business tax breaks. The President laid down a political marker by refusing to consider extension of the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $250,000, calling out Republicans for blocking tax relief for those below $250,000. He also called for some additional infrastructure spending, and will include a policy proposal for an “infrastructure bank” to help select and fund projects. Todays Globe editorial strongly supported the President on this. The President kicked around John Boehner pretty good, responding to a Boehner speech a few days ago. Interesting discussion on Morning Joe centered around the wisdom of using Boehner as the foil, because outside his District nobody quite knows who John Boehner is. I was somewhat perplexed by that myself. But in any case the President is digging in, preparing for political battle that will likely mean no legislation of merit, including his recent proposals, will move before the mid-terms. The coming Republican tide will bring a new political equation in Washington, and likely a big staff shakeout at the White House. Can the President hold on by showing that Republicans care more about the top 1 percent, or is too little, too late?

Read the Washington Post story here.

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2nd Essex and Middlesex District Senate Debate

Posted on September 8, 2010 by billmanzi

Lets travel outside of Methuen and take a look at the State Senate debate in the race to replace Democratic Senator Susan Tucker. Both Democrats and Republicans debated in the Tribune newsroom. I have posted both debates here.

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James Angelone III is September Artist of Month

Posted on September 7, 2010 by billmanzi

Methuen Artist’s Work on Display in the Mayor’s Office

Born and raised in Methuen, James grew up in a family filled with a respect for the arts. Various family members have displayed talents ranging from performing in Vaudeville to apprenticing with Bill Alexander. Once James had begun to show interest as a child, his family proudly encouraged involvement in art.

James states that his passion for the arts began with one-on-one classes taught by Guy Pinici. “To have had the opportunity to learn from someone who had famous faces such as Robert Frost and Albert Einstein sit for him was a humbling and incredible experience,” James said. James received a BFA from Montserrat College of Art in 2004. He is currently working on a freelance basis. He can be contacted through his website www.dream2create.net .

Mayor Manzi stated, “James is one of the many talented artists living and working in our community. It is an honor to display his art in my office. I encourage people to come to City Hall and view his fine work.”

The Methuen Artist of the Month Program was created by Mayor Manzi four years ago in order to give members of the Methuen Arts Community a forum to display their work and to encourage participation in Methuen’s growing and vibrant creative economy. Methuen artists interested in being considered as Artist of the Month should contact the Mayor’s Office.

September Artist of Month James Angelone III

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And They Turn the 3/4 Pole

Posted on September 6, 2010 by billmanzi

The Governor’s race, with Labor Day upon us, is beginning to really take off. Charlie Baker is up on the air with a new ad, and is in today’s Herald complaining that a new Deval Patrick mail piece is a “personal attack”.

“When you don’t have anything to talk about of your own accord, that’s where you go,” Baker told the Herald yesterday.

Apparently Baker objects to continuing attacks on his role in the Big Dig financing plan when he was Secretary of A&F, as well as the Governor highlighting the large premium increases at Harvard Pilgrim when Baker was CEO at the health insurer. Doug Rubin from the Patrick campaign hit back.

“It seems pretty clear Tim Cahill was right about one thing: Charlie feels he should be coronated governor, and not earn it through an election,” Rubin said.

The arms race is heating up, with Tim Cahill weighing in today to urge the Governor and the Legislature to come back into session to deal with the dormant casino bill. Cahill’s call will resonate on Labor Day with unions disaffected by the failure to enact this bill, as he seeks to strip more organized labor support from the Democratic Governor.

Baker’s ad returns him to the “had enough” theme, and attacks both Patrick and Cahill. You can expect a lot more of this, as Baker has set the table with today’s Herald story to begin a full scale media assault on the Governor. Deval Patrick continues to hold his powder on television, but you can expect that to end very shortly. Labor Day is here. Let the hard hitting campaign begin.

Read the Herald story here.

Read the Globe story here.

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Tony Blair: A Journey

Posted on September 5, 2010 by billmanzi

Tony Blair has just published his memoirs and is now making the rounds to publicize the book. He stopped in to Christine Amanpour’s This Week show and talked about a whole bunch of interesting (to me) stuff. The New York Times gives a pretty tough review in this weeks book review but I am going to buy it anyway. Somewhere in that book review the point is made that American readers will not be interested in his relationship with Gordon Brown, his Chancellor. Quite the contrary. A fascinating and complex relationship, and something that I am quite eager to read about. He was pretty tough on Brown, and seemed reluctant to pin him too severely on Amanpour’s show, but apparently was not so reluctant in print. He was wrong on Iraq, in my opinion, but even when you disagree you can see him make a great argument. Love him or hate him he was (and is) a major world player.

Read the New York Times review of the Tony Blair book “A Journey” here.

http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt.swf

http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt.swf

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Tim Cahill Slugs with Howie Carr

Posted on September 4, 2010 by billmanzi

Howie Carr has been beating up on Tim Cahill pretty good as of late, continually pointing out that Cahill’s presence in the race could help Governor Deval Patrick. Howie has read the numbers, and he knows that Cahill splitting the right of center vote has enabled the Governor to continually hold on to a small lead in all surveys. And with Republicans everywhere savoring a big November rout of Democrats nationwide this is nothing short of an outrage to Howie.

There’s only one way the kleptocrats on Beacon Hill can stop the sales tax cut – by keeping Cahill in the fight as a straw, to drain off just enough votes to re-elect the disaster that is Deval Patrick.

Howie can taste the victory, but Tim Cahill plunges forward and is just ruining his good time. And Cahill picks up a good free media hit in today’s Herald taking on Howie, saying Howie’s dream is really a nightmare.

Howie, your latest column was confusing. You don’t want me in this race? Poor little Charlie Baker might not be able to win it on his own? Why do we bother having elections at all?

When Cahill gets serious he hits both Patrick and Baker, showing that he is going to spend some of that $2.5 million plus dollars he has left skewering Baker as well as Patrick.

Suddenly this fairy tale of yours is starting to look a bit more like Grimm’s rather than Disney, Howie. This state cannot afford four years of Charlie Baker any more than we can afford four more years of Deval Patrick. That is why I am running.

And Cahill does hit both Baker and Patrick in a new ad released yesterday. He also goes back to using his daughters to help the campaign, with an ad talking about why you should “leave a party when people start doing the wrong things”.

With all this back and forth I would have to say that the only thing Grimm are Cahill’s numbers. Carr is right to be worried, and his eval is basically sound. But Cahill did use Carr’s column to have an effective media day, and best of all it did not cost him any money. Basically a good day for Tim Cahill. I guess that means it was a bad day for Charlie Baker.

Read the Howie Carr column here.

Read the Cahill response to Howie here.

Posted in State News | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Rasmussen: Governor Race Tightens

Posted on September 4, 2010 by billmanzi

The Massachusetts Governor’s race has begun to heat up and tighten, with a new Rasmussen survey showing Governor Deval Patrick leading by five points over Charlie Baker. The survey shows Patrick at 39%, Baker at 34%, and Tim Cahill at 18%. Those numbers reflect the last few surveys, which have consistently shown Governor Patrick with a small lead. But after September 1 Rasmussen also includes a new number that reflects “leaners”. And what are “leaners”?

Leaners are those who initially indicate no preference for either of the candidates but answer a follow-up question and say they are leaning towards a particular candidate.

When that category is included then the numbers tighten a bit, and you can see support begin to melt away from Tim Cahill. With leaners Governor Patrick is at 44%, Charlie Baker at 42%, and Tim Cahill at 8%. That is a tight race.

The survey shows how even amongst those expressing a preference persuasion is still possible. From Rasmussen:

The fluid nature of the race is highlighted by the fact that a large segment of the electorate is still open to changing their mind. Just 64% of Patrick’s supporters are certain that they will vote for him and won’t change their mind. Only 58% of Baker’s supporters are that certain. Not surprisingly, the level of certainty is lowest for the third party candidate—28% of Cahill’s supporters are sure they will end up voting for him.

The ground operations of the campaigns are now critical. The race is wide open, and close. Direct voter persuasion, and lots of paid media are coming. A good ground game, and effective paid media will be critical for the stretch run. Not sure about the paid media portion, but for today the edge goes to the Governor on the ground. Tim Cahill’s chances have to be dealt with in another post, as he continues to mix it up with Howie Carr in a very entertaining way in today’s Herald.

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Feast of the Three Saints Announcement and Schedule

Posted on September 2, 2010 by billmanzi

NEWS ALERT: Feast of Three Saints Announcement: Due to the impending heavy rain and high winds slated to hit the Greater Lawrence area on Friday, Sept 3rd from hurricane Earl the activities planned for the Opening Day of the Feast of the Three Saints celebration have been postponed to Saturday Sept. 4th. Attached, please find a complete list of the revised times, activities and FREE concerts for the Feast of the Three Saints starting at Noon on Saturday, Sept. 4th.

Saturday, Sept 4
Noon-Feast opens

4:00 pm Opening Parade

Tripoli Stage
4:45 pm
Dangerous Goods – New England’s hottest band
7:30 pm
Torchlight Parade honoring the Three Saints ending
with fireworks and playing of the Cantata

Main Bandstand
9:00 pm
The United States Navy Band in Concert
Tripoli Stage
8:30 pm
Jimmy Geany from the North End singing Italian
Favorites.
ITALIAN TENT
6:00 PM Busty Faro accordion player playing requests.

Sunday, Sept. 5
10:00 am
Solemn Mass in honor of the Three Saints at Holy
Rosary Church.
3:00 pm
Procession of the Statues of the Three Saints
through the Feast neighborhood.
Italian Tent
3:40 pm
Joe Scuderi and Russ McQueen
Tripoli Stage
4:00 pm
Bobby Vincent singing the classics
Front of Society Building
4:40 pm
Stephen Savio – singing Sinatra & Dean Martin
Classics
Front of Society Building 20 Common Street
7:00 pm
“Moment of Glory” with Benediction and the Cantata
amidst fireworks and showers of confetti
Main Bandstand
8:15 pm
Ashley D’Adamo performing The National Anthem
Ayla Brown – performs at 87th Feast of the
Three Saints with the very talented and beautiful
American Idol Finalist.
Tripoli Stage
8:15 pm
FREE Concert with The B Street Bombers
10:00 Feast Raffle-Feast ends

Viva St Alfio

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The Presidential Address on Iraq

Posted on September 1, 2010 by billmanzi

The President talked to the nation last night about the “end to combat operations” in Iraq. And while conservatives talk about the evils of domestic spending, and rail about the deficits being incurred by the federal government, they seem to be supportive of continued spending in Iraq, including massive amounts of money for “nation building”. Even moderate conservative David Brooks extols the “success” of American nation building in Iraq. Spending (according to Brooks) $53 billion on infrastructure in Iraq while American infrastructure falls apart strikes me as the height of folly. Borrowing the money to do so is lunacy. And the end to “combat operations” does not mean a total withdrawal. We will have 50,000 troops there indefinitely. Add those bases to the German bases, the Japanese bases, the Korean bases and you have plenty of federal defense stimulus funding. Problem is the stimulus is for the citizens of those countries to enjoy. Meanwhile we keep looking to close American military bases and create the economic dislocation that comes with those closings. I guess the military is shipping jobs overseas as well.

Read the David Brooks column here.

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Arne Duncan on Education

Posted on August 30, 2010 by billmanzi

A great spot on “This Week”, with education heavyweights with real policy differences talking about the Obama Administration efforts in this area. Superintendent Rhee in Washington has not been afraid to stir the pot vigorously. The Obama Administration has made some real enemies with the Teacher unions, and you can see the Secretary trying to mend those fences in these clips. But some of the education data is really frightening, and the system is clearly broken in key areas. Merit pay? The ability to dismiss “poor teachers”? Pay levels for teachers? A real good discussion.

http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt.swf

http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt.swf

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