Tag Archives: Gabriel Gomez

Amateur Hour: Gomez talks “issues.”

Everyone who nods affirmatively when someone criticizes “professional” politicians and praises the need for “non-politicians” in Washington should be forced to read Stephanie Ebbert’s Boston Globe article about Gabriel Gomez’s positions on abortion. The title, “Gomez unclear on some aspects of abortion,” could make the hall of fame for understatement.

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How will Obama’s “scandals” impact the MA Senate race?

While others speculate about the impact of the recent spate of “scandals” bedeviling the Obama Administration on the 2014 midterm elections, we get to talk about some much more immediate potential electoral fallout. With a Special US Senate race just 43 days away in Massachusetts, how will these “scandals” impact the Markey-Gomez race? The imminence of Election Day in the Bay State also insulates us (a bit) from the righteous indignation of those who see political speculation as particularly offensive at this time when we should be focused on “substantive” issues of governance.

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What to make of the Lynch/Gomez Voter?

The logic of voting “the person, not the party” in federal elections has never been very strong, but in our present highly polarized national politics it is down right stupid. Paul Krugman’s recent praise of the South Carolina voters who just elected Mark Sanford to Congress makes this point quite concisely.

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“Coattails” Confusion in The Markey-Gomez Race

The latest poll in the Markey-Gomez US Senate race has surely dampened some the enthusiasm of Massachusetts Republicans, but one comment by the pollster, David Paleologos of Suffolk University, may have created some unnecessary confusion. He was quoted in the Boston Globe story about the poll as saying, “[t]he coattail effect will be beneficial to Markey, and that’s a problem for Gomez,”

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People’s Pledge: Does It Matter That We Know the Donors?

I listened with interest to Professor Ubertaccio’s remarks on the Clash Over the People’s Pledge kerfuffle between Ed Markey and Gabriel Gomez. Markey is calling for Gomez to sign the pledge to limit outside spending in the race, Gomez refuses. Tim Buckley, spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican Party, calls Markey a hypocrite for taking money from industries he oversees, Markey replies that every dime he has raised has been publicly disclosed.

Does disclosure matter?

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Politics in the Blogosphere, May 8, 2013 Edition

Interesting stuff on themonkeycage symposium on 2012 campaign effects. First, John Sides argues that despite all the media hype, the Obama field organization was barely more effective than that of Romney.  “Yet, as some academics have pointed out – the final vote margins were very close to predictions that would be obtained with no effect of the campaign, indicating that, perhaps, the new campaign techniques had minimal effects or that Obama’s advantage was neutralized by an equally savvy Romney campaign.” Sides goes on to argue that both candidate’s mobilization campaigns were effective in increasing turnout, but that there was not much difference in effectiveness. Pundits and even academics overestimated the Obama advantage.

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Clash over the People’s Pledge

Professor U comments on the clash over the People’s Pledge in the Massachusetts Senate race.

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Predicting the Markey-Gomez Outcome

Media stories on the US Senate race between Democratic Congressman Ed Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez are breathlessly describing Gomez as a 2013 version of 2010 Scott Brown: independent, moderate, handsome, wears a cool jacket, and a grave danger to the Democrats (which also describes 2012 Scott Brown). Why, Public Policy Polling shows Markey with only a four point lead! Danger for the Democrats?

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Is it all just a little bit of history repeating?

Gabriel Gomez is not the second coming of Scott Brown, he who seems to be spending a good deal of time lately in New Hampshire.  And June 2013 will not be a replay of January 2010.  With respect to Dame Shirley Bassey, it’s not all just a little bit of history repeating.

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Politics in the Blogosphere, May 6, 2013 Edition

Before The GOP goes gonzo for Gomez as Gabrielle Gurley puts it in Commonwealth Magazine, they should read Jeff Jacoby’s realistic Sunday column in the Boston Globe. To Gomez’s refrain that he has always been a Republican, Jacoby writes: “He has yet to tell voters why — and why they should find that attractive.” But that is the problem here – Massachusetts voters do not find the Republican Party to be attractive, especially its national variant.

No one has studied Where the votes are in Boston longer or with more precision than Larry DiCara, so read his article in CommonWealth Magazine to prep for the mayoral race, with a field that may be larger than the entrants in the Kentucky Derby.

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