Monthly Archives: November 2011

Is there enough Kennedy clout left?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Peter Ubertaccio

Joseph P. Kennedy III is now a possible candidate for the vacant congressional seat left open due to Barney Frank’s retirement.  Is it time to dust off the Kennedy for Congress signs?

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Welcome to reality Mr. Maginn

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Peter Ubertaccio

Today the GOP chooses a new Chair in Massachusetts.  The troops (such as they are) couldn’t be happier.  DiMasi is off to jail.  Frank is retiring.  Keating has to move (again).  Tierney is mired in scandal.  Mitt is (still?) the front runner.  Time for a reality check. 

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MA to See Pro-Democracy Movement?

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Maurice T. Cunningham

Barney Frank’s retirement announcement has ignited a flurry of speculation about potential candidates to succeed him in Congress in both the Republican and Democratic parties. We may be on the verge of experiencing something in Massachusetts we rarely encounter – an outbreak of democracy.

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Frankly Speaking

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Peter Ubertaccio

Barney Frank calls it quits after 16 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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On Workhorses and Reelection

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Peter Ubertaccio

The last two times there was an open Senate race in Massachusetts, 1984 and 2010, a member of Congress jumped into the race.  Ditto the last time (1978!) the Democrats overtook a Republican Senate incumbent.  Not so in 2012.

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Romney’s Desperation

Posted on November 25, 2011 by JeroldDuquette

What could possibly have motivated the Romney campaign to air a commercial in which they use a blatantly out of context quotation from President Obama during the 2008 campaign? Was it a mistake? Was it one of those intentional mistakes that campaigns use and then distance themselves from? Nope. It was intentional and the stated justification was basically that it serves Obama right.

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Cruelty Primary Update

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Maurice T. Cunningham

One thing no one can deny is that Newt Gingrich has a talent for framing an issue. So when he attempted to cast immigration reform in family friendly terms in last night’s Republican presidential debate, it offered an opportunity for the other candidates to return to their dark side. And to paraphrase “The Sopranos” Silvio Dante, ‘they failed to disappoint.”

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Can the Tea Party revive the MassGOP?

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Peter Ubertaccio

Bob Maginn has a choice this holiday season to give thanks to those who are the key to his future success in the state (the Tea Party and grass-roots) or to the likely GOP presidential nominee who might then pluck him to serve in Washington. The former can pay large dividends here; the latter will lead to nice cocktail parties in Georgetown.

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Ready, aim, fire: MA GOP to shoot itself in foot again

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Maurice T. Cunningham

A party that expects to remain dominant needs an enduring institutional coalition and the Democratic Party in Massachusetts has such a partner: the knuckleheadedness of the Republican Party. They are about to do it again in their choice of a new party chair.

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Where’s the MassGOP’s Newt?

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Peter Ubertaccio

I want to pick up in the line of argument advanced by my colleague Professor Duquette last week.  The Massachusetts Republican Party needs a Newt.

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