tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37305525954391614172024-03-14T00:07:26.610-04:00For AttributionFred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-26196753900402324482015-03-12T18:02:00.002-04:002015-03-12T18:03:04.956-04:00Meredith Warren on NECNMeredith Warren spoke to NECN's political reporter Alison King today about Rick Perry's latest visit to the renowned "Politics and Eggs" event in New Hampshire and his potential run for President in 2016:<br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" src="http://www.necn.com/portableplayer/?cmsID=296123131&videoID=0CTTRHxvMbHu&origin=necn.com&sec=news&subsec=politics&width=500&height=300"></script>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-75794202817474328502014-12-29T21:47:00.001-05:002014-12-29T21:47:34.016-05:00Meredith Warren offers predictions for 2015 on WGBH 'Greater Boston'<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/YWO_BbaILZo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-43426858976333958582014-11-05T10:24:00.001-05:002014-11-05T10:24:43.515-05:00Meredith Warren talks 2014 midterm elections on Canadian national radioThe 2014 midterm elections saw historic gains for the Republican party.<br />
<br />
Meredith Warren was a featured guest on this morning's CBC "The Current" radio program, with host Anna Maria Tremonti, to discuss what happened and what it all means for the United States over the next two years and beyond.<br />
<br />
Click here for the audio link: <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2014/11/05/us-mid-terms/">http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2014/11/05/us-mid-terms/</a>.Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-85616297882561440382014-04-27T08:40:00.000-04:002014-04-27T08:41:03.924-04:00Meredith Warren quoted in Boston Globe on MA Gov's race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lyricconsulting.com/images/meredith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.lyricconsulting.com/images/meredith.jpg" width="200px"/></a></div>Meredith Warren is quoted in the Sunday Boston Globe today, discussing a possible match-up between Charlie Baker, Republican candidate for MA Governor, and Steve Grossman, Democratic candidate and current State Treasurer:<br />
<br />
<i>"The strongest argument for Baker against Grossman is an insider argument, that Grossman is so tied into the Democrats that there’s no backstop," said Republican consultant Meredith Warren. "If the Democratic Legislature wants to raise taxes, Steve’s not going to stop them."</i><br />
<br />
You can read the full story here: <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/26/grossman-hopes-endorsements-will-pave-path-victory/hPkzOp7rnLoYNignT45GdP/story.html" target="_blank">Steve Grossman hopes endorsements will pave the path to victory</a>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-26252265561004471952014-04-04T11:04:00.000-04:002014-04-04T11:14:13.691-04:00"It's my party, and I'll keep you off the ballot if I want to..."<br />
Scot Lehigh has an interesting column in today's Boston Globe (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/04/03/fixing-nominating-process/gCoJFPdnnpyZNTWFsuMgBL/story.html">click here to read</a>) calling for Massachusetts Republicans and Democrats to scrap their internal rules requiring candidates to garner at least 15 percent of delegates at party conventions.<br />
<br />
We might not agree with all of his conclusions, but we think he's definitely on to something.<br />
<br />
It's fair enough for state parties to require that any candidate who wants to run under the party banner in a partisan primary receive some modest level of support at the party's convention. From a party perspective, candidates shouldn't have the right to run as a "Republican" or a "Democrat" unless there's some popular consensus as to that claim, and notwithstanding whether the particular candidate is the party's favored choice.<br />
<br />
But, because of state election laws, the parties' 15 percent rules effectively terminate the right of someone who seeks a partisan nomination to run for office if they fall short of the threshold at the convention. We think that's unfair.<br />
<br />
Take, as a prime example, the situation of Mark Fisher at the recent GOP convention.<br />
<br />
As a previously-registered Republican voter, Fisher had until March 4, 2014 to unenroll from a party in order to run as a non-party ("independent" or "unenrolled") candidate for Governor. As a Republican, Fisher opted not to do that and to seek the Republican nomination at the state primary in September. Having made that choice, Fisher paid $25,000 to attend the Republican state convention on March 22, 2014 and seek the 15 percent vote of delegates required by party rules to appear as a Republican on the state primary ballot. Assuming for purposes of this blog post that the Mass GOP is correct and Fisher failed to get the required 15 percent of the vote (we'll leave that controversy to another day), he then is barred from running for Governor as a Republican in 2014. And, because of the way state election law is written, he's therefore barred from running for Governor at all.<br />
<br />
We think it's reasonable for the Mass GOP to refuse to allow Fisher to call himself a "Republican candidate" on the state primary ballot and to seek the party's nomination if he in fact didn't get the 15 percent convention vote. But, since the convention took place after the deadline for Fisher to change his party registration or unenroll, and since he can't run as a Republican, state law says he can't continue his campaign for Governor this year at all -- even if he successfully collects ten thousand signatures and meets all other constitutional and legal requirements to run for that office. His only real alternative would be to mount a write-in primary campaign.<br />
<br />
We think that is patently unfair result, particularly since the 15 percent rule is arbitrary and could be changed by either of the state's two leading parties at will. A far better system would be to allow Fisher and candidates like him some additional time after an unsuccessful convention vote to unenroll from a party and collect a fresh batch of the required signatures to run as an unenrolled candidate if desired. Under such a system, Fisher wouldn't be allowed to call himself a "Republican", but he would at least be able to continue his campaign as an unenrolled candidate if he wanted to, and not just be relegated to write-in status. The road ahead for such a candidate still would not be easy, but at least there wouldn't be a legal roadblock to their candidacy.<br />
<br />
The state constitution mentions certain requirements to run for public office. Getting 15 percent of the vote at a party convention isn't part of those requirements, for good reason. In a democracy, anyone should be able to run for office so long as they are old enough, etc. And while it's fair enough for parties to decide their own membership based on rules they set up, allowing the state's two-party system to impose additional requirements for office outside the legal system is improper. If the constitution bars the state legislature from establishing term limits by law and thereby imposing extra-constitutional requirements for running for office, then we can't see why parties should be able to achieve the same result by virtue of an anomaly in state election laws.<br />
<br />
It's one thing for the state parties to decide who can run under their banners, but it's improper for the parties to effectively bar candidates from seeking a favorable vote at the ballot box just because they fail to get a favorable vote within a party convention hall. That's a decision that should be left squarely between candidates and voters, even if the candidate gets only a small percentage of the eventual vote.<br />
<br />
Why? It's simple. That's how democracy works.Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-60044083790432824062014-02-27T18:36:00.001-05:002014-02-27T18:36:37.672-05:00Meredith Warren on NECNMeredith Warren was quoted in NECN political reporter Alison King's story about tonight's GOP fundraiser with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Here's the video:<br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/JBe2oHBayy_VooBT999obz0DkuH2QNuD?MBR=true&zone=politics&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=JBe2oHBayy_VooBT999obz0DkuH2QNuD&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3Dpolitics%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22292%22+width%3D%22450%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.necn.com/02/27/14/Mass-gov-candidate-Baker-fundraising-wit/landing_politics.html?blockID=863330&feedID=11106" target="_blank">Click here to watch on NECN.com</a>.Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-86484406759050110242014-02-27T17:00:00.000-05:002014-02-27T17:45:47.507-05:00A Toll-Free Road to the Oval Office?For years, the state of New Hampshire has strategically placed toll booths along stretches of highway leading to popular tourist spots as a way to pick up some extra transportation revenue. Anyone who's visited the Lakes Region or Seacoast knows exactly what we're talking about.<br />
<br />
And, for years, we've wondered why Massachusetts hasn't followed suit by placing toll booths along the New Hampshire border as a way of capturing revenue from people (many of them former Bay Staters) who live in New Hampshire but commute to work in Massachusetts every day. Not that we advocate taxes and fees (we don't), but isn't it odd? If tolling Massachusetts drivers is good enough for the 'Live Free or Die' state, you'd think that tolling New Hampshire motorists would be plenty good enough for cash-hungry Massachusetts Democrats, wouldn't you?<br />
<br />
Well, when Deval Patrick alluded to a possible run for President the other day, it suddenly all made sense. The road to the White House starts in New Hampshire, and what better way to lose the New Hampshire Primary than to be known as "That Guy" who put up tolls that made Granite State voters pay more to drive to work every day?<br />
<br />
If you live in New Hampshire but work in Massachusetts, now you know who to thank when you drive into Boston toll-free every day. (Note: you'll be expected to vote accordingly some day.) And, if you live in Massachusetts and drive the Mass Pike, well, you know the rest of the story...Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-26726824504209396622014-02-27T16:31:00.000-05:002014-03-04T09:59:11.794-05:00Meredith Warren on WGBH's "The Scrum"Meredith Warren joined Mara Dolan, Adam Reilly, Peter Kadzis and David Bernstein on WGBH's "The Scrum" to analyze current events in state politics, including the recent passage of a platform by the state Republican party and Governor Deval Patrick's political future.<br />
<br />
Here's the video:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="450" height="253" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/MhZ7tK6Z6Hc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe width="450" height="253" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9iEgNRiW9Oc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://blogs.wgbh.org/scrum/2014/2/26/did-mass-gop-stumble-its-new-platform/" target="_blank">Click here to view on WGBH.com</a>.Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-91000371754759476972014-01-28T10:21:00.000-05:002014-01-28T10:49:59.527-05:00The State of UsTonight, President Barack Obama will give his annual State of the Union address from the nation's Capitol, just hours after Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick delivers his State of the Commonwealth address from the Massachusetts Statehouse.<br />
<br />
Such addresses are historically designed as a check on executive power, as a way for the legislative branch to make sure it knows what the chief executive is doing and how the government is operating.<br />
<br />
But these days, everybody knows the state of the union and the commonwealth. It doesn't take a fancy speech to a joint session of Congress for everyday Americans to know that our economic recovery is incomplete, that the world is still a dangerous place, and that we have a lot left to accomplish. It doesn't take lofty rhetoric for Bay Staters to know that the Massachusetts unemployment rate is higher than the national average for the first time in six years.<br />
<br />
As citizens, we already know. We live it every day. What we’d like to know if what these two leaders intend to do to fix it. We need to know what their vision is for government and if we can really trust them to deliver the goods and make our lives better (even if it means making government do less, not more).<br />
<br />
And, for both men, that task presents great challenges.<br />
<br />
Take President Barack Obama. His speech tonight takes place in an environment where he eschews blame for a profound lack of accomplishment, even though he has served in office for longer than the entire time Abraham Lincoln served as President. He has failed to paint a vision for how he wants America to look by the end of his presidency, even though his remaining term is longer than the entire time John F. Kennedy served as President. After Benghazi and Obamacare and all of the other disasters plaguing the first year of his second term, a majority of the American people have reportedly lost confidence in Obama's ability to lead and his vision for government, and for good reason.<br />
<br />
And, yet, Obama is stuck in a perennial political blame game. He appears poised to throw down the gauntlet to Congress and to call for a 'Year of Action' whereby Republicans either give in to his policy demands or face unilateral action by the White House to achieve the President's objectives.<br />
<br />
Americans are tired of the blame game and the excuses and the political one-upsmanship. We deserve better from a president who promised to be post-partisan, not hyper-partisan. We think this “my way or the highway” approach by the Imperial President will backfire politically -- so long as the GOP comes up with a solid vision and plan of action of its own, starting with the rebuttal by House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).<br />
<br />
More locally, Deval Patrick faces challenges convincing the public that problems like those at DCF and the state drug lab aren't a sign of systemic mismanagement of the state. How couldn't they be? It's irresponsible to hold the Governor accountable for knowing where every at-risk child is every day or to make sure every drug case is being prosecuted well. But, it's entirely responsible to hold the Governor accountable for hiring people who will know where every DCF child is, every moment of every day. Failure is not acceptable, and there needs to be a strict consequence. Governor Patrick's calling for us to "rethink and reinvigorate" DCF is simply too little outrage, too little action, and too late to do any good.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, we think both speeches will be more about legacy than vision. They will be more about papering over failures and trying to convince the public that times aren't that bad, and that government hasn't failed them that much, than about what government intends to do for we the people. Obama has a mid-term election coming up, and Patrick needs to hand off his administration to a like-minded progressive next year lest his work get undone.<br />
<br />
Patrick also has a future ahead of him, with well-placed contacts already working in high-level political positions in Washington. Is tonight’s speech really just his last word as Governor, or is it more a first draft and a test run of other speeches yet to come? When Patrick looks out into the audience, will he view a sea of legislators, or will he be dreaming of addressing another national political convention - this time for his own benefit? It will be interesting to find out, and only time will tell.<br />
<br />
Whatever happens, don’t watch tonight’s speeches expecting any sense of contrition or unity or bold, grand visions for government. Expect a sharpening of political elbows and a line drawn in the sand, setting the prelude for a highly-competitive election season in 2014. Sadly, such is the state of our union and our commonwealth, and the two men giving speeches tonight are part of the problem not part of the solution.Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-16639526806168466362014-01-27T22:52:00.000-05:002014-01-28T10:52:46.642-05:00Van Magness previews State of the Union, State of the Commonwealth on NECN<br />
<embed SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/HzYLVFFHhEgyt1ZNzVXnustvJmvfxGkX?MBR=true&zone=_default&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=HzYLVFFHhEgyt1ZNzVXnustvJmvfxGkX&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3D_default%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22292%22+width%3D%22450%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-8240315611787786632014-01-23T13:40:00.000-05:002014-01-23T13:40:23.810-05:00So, we can really ask the President... anything?<br />
Psst… Head over to Google.com for a minute... See that little "Your chance to ask the President a question" thing below the search box? Click on it.<br />
<br />
Apparently, Google is sponsoring a "first-ever Presidential Hangout Road Trip" next week, whereby regular citizens will be able to ask President Obama any question they want after the State of the Union Address, and he'll supposedly respond to them.<br />
<br />
Two observations.<br />
<br />
First, as for Google – well done. Cool idea. Seriously. We give you props.<br />
<br />
Second, as for the President – we have some questions for you. So as not to rain on Google's laudable parade, we'll ask some of them here.<br />
<br />
Question 1. If the Obama Administration can figure this out, why is the Obamacare Web site so screwed up?<br />
<br />
Question 2. Why do we need to ask the President questions; doesn't the NSA already know everything we're thinking?<br />
<br />
Question 3. Could the President seek to do other things virtually? Like, could he take his next vacation to Hawaii virtually by using Google Maps to enjoy the sand and surf? Could he play his next round of golf virtually on a Wii Fit? That could save a lot of money.<br />
<br />
We can't wait to see what other people ask the President.Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-40777137616047029052014-01-22T16:02:00.001-05:002014-01-22T16:02:30.038-05:00War Chests or Incumbent Insurance Policies?According to an <a href="http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2014/01/22/massachusetts-lawmakers-most-money/">insightful new posting</a> in Boston Magazine by political reporter David Bernstein, Massachusetts legislators collectively hold more than $9 million in their campaign accounts.<br />
<br />
Pols call such campaign accounts "war chests". But, really, what possible need do legislators have for a $9 million campaign war chest? Their nine million dollar war chest is roughly equivalent to the $9,198,265 the very same legislators allocated to the Massachusetts Military Division in the FY'14 budget for real and actual warfare. And, little wonder, most of the ones who are highest up on the list are legislators who haven't faced an honest competitive challenge to their seat (er, um, the "people's seat" they temporarily occupy) for years.<br />
<br />
"War chest?" We call it Incumbent Insurance. And, if Incumbent Insurance policies were offered on the Mass. Connector, the $9 million in legislators' war chests would be Platinum-level Coverage.<br />
<br />
The problem goes beyond the contribution and expenditure questions that normally come up in the context of campaign finance reform. It's an issue of fairness. Why are politicians allowed to collect donations under the guise of "enhancing their political future", when in fact all they're doing is trying to cement their future in incumbent politics by scaring off potential challengers with an amassed war chest that's bigger than what any challenger reasonably could raise on their own.<br />
<br />
Political office was never intended to be a career. "Enhancing one's political future" has turned into a fine art of empire building. The Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their graves. It's time to stop saying to politicians, "If you like your seat, you can keep it."<br />
<br />
We propose a solution, and -- <i>cringe</i> -- it involves a new tax, one that even we fiscally-conservative Republicans could get behind in the name of good government.<br />
<br />
Unlike the federal campaign finance system, which allows candidates to collect money per-election, the Massachusetts system looks at contributions and expenditures on an annual basis. We think it's time for Massachusetts to adopt the federal system, allowing candidates to collect money to run for a specific office during a specific cycle. (In other words, a state legislative candidate would be on a two-year cycle, statewide candidates would have a four-year cycle, etc.) Donation limits could be adjusted accordingly, so there would be no net change to how much a candidate could aggregate during a single cycle. But, here's the catch. At the end of the cycle, candidates would be required to settle out their accounts for the preceding election. That is, say, a set period of time after Election Day, candidates would be required to pay outstanding bills, repay liabilities, etc., and to close out their account for the cycle. If any money were to remain, the candidate could be permitted to dispose of it as currently permitted by law (if they are not in office and plan not to run again), or to roll funds into a successive campaign account (as in an account to pay political expenses while in office and for re-election next time to the same or another office). If the candidate does transfer the balance to a new account, the roll-over balance would be subject to a tax -- and a hefty tax at that. The money collected from the tax could be earmarked for a specific purpose; for example, to help communities with the costs of special elections, recounts, etc.<br />
<br />
The rationale is simple. How would you feel if your favorite charity (pick one, any one) came to your door with a desperate appeal for money, telling you that they really, really, really needed your support? How would you feel if you later found out that your money wasn't used to in fact help end cancer, or feed starving children, or whatever, but that it actually was stashed away in a savings account just to make the charity look big and powerful? Would you feel robbed? After all, you're presumably giving money because you support the charity's cause, not just the charity. Well, in fact, charities are highly-regulated and encouraged not to amass such profits long-term for exactly that reason. We think the same principle should hold true for candidates; when you think of it, they're supposed to be kind of like charities who champion the cause of democracy for the greater good.<br />
<br />
It's time to put an end to campaign war chests, once and for all.<br />
Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-52587631696383447802014-01-21T14:55:00.000-05:002014-01-21T14:57:52.494-05:00An unconventional convention dateThe official invitations are out, and the date is set. The Mass GOP is having its party convention on Saturday, March 22 in Boston.<br />
<br />
Our question is, why?<br />
<br />
The purpose of a convention is for a party to select nominees from a pool of candidates for particular offices. Traditionally, conventions are held during the summer months, for good reason. Having a convention before signature papers are due means that convention goers will not have a full slate of candidates before them. This not only narrows the slate of available choices (since not all candidates might have announced), but also creates the possibility that the party could nominate a candidate for an office only to have that candidate fail to qualify for the ballot by failing to collect enough signatures. Not to mention the fact that there is not even a full slate of potential Republican candidates announced yet for statewide office.<br />
<br />
What is the Mass. GOP up to?Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-88838972856256678972014-01-07T12:38:00.002-05:002014-01-07T12:44:22.065-05:00An Open Letter to Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qFSzZ6SMraY/Usw7PZOi5oI/AAAAAAAABLE/SlVK9_OvTlw/s400/lawrence.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Dear Mayor Rivera,<br />
<br />
Every morning on my commute to work, I drive over that place where Interstate 495 spans the Merrimack River in Lawrence and I'm struck by how beautiful the city looks.<br />
<br />
From that vantage point, especially when the sun is shining on the mill buildings and the clock tower that line the banks of the river, all of the corruption and poverty and crime and struggle we've read about in the newspapers seems very far away.<br />
<br />
As a former reporter for The Eagle-Tribune and a resident of the Merrimack Valley, I've always been well-aware of the troubles that plagued the city. The widely-reported exploits of your predecessor, former Mayor William Lantigua, made sure the rest of the state knew about them, too. No one questioned the fact that the city was in desperate need of a turnaround.<br />
<br />
So while all the focus and attention was on Boston's leadership changing hands yesterday, here's hoping it's the changing of the guard in Lawrence that will become the big story.<br />
<br />
I'll admit I don't know a lot about you. I know that at your inauguration ceremony this weekend, you pledged to make the streets safer, the economy stronger and the schools better. You've got a difficult road ahead of you, and change will be difficult.<br />
<br />
But you should know you've got a lot of people pulling for you. People who don't even live in the city.<br />
<br />
People like Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, both of whom attended your inauguration. They're pulling for you. So is state Senator Barry Finegold, whom I know also cares deeply about the city. And it's not just the Democrats. I noticed that Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Karyn Polito, attended your ceremony. She wants you to succeed as well.<br />
<br />
And there are people like me, whose family tree has roots in your city.<br />
<br />
My great-grandparents--Russian immigrants--ran a furniture store on Essex Street in the 1940s, and they are buried in the Children of Abraham cemetery. My grandmother grew up in the city and went to Lawrence High School, and her brother's name is on a World War II memorial in Campagnone Common.<br />
<br />
We all still care about Lawrence, and we're behind you, 100 percent. <br />
<br />
I can't wait to drive over that place where 495 crosses the Merrimack River in Lawrence and instead of praying for a turnaround, I can just enjoy the view.<br />
<br />
Godspeed,<br />
<br />
Meredith WarrenFred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-88185011619573101332013-12-23T12:40:00.001-05:002013-12-23T12:42:54.274-05:00Gabriel Gomez said WHAT?Ah, the Christmas season is upon us. While our Democratic brethren probably feel our party affiliation makes us hard-hearted Grinches, we beg to differ.<br />
<br />
We are ALL about peace, harmony and family. Can you feel the love?<br />
<br />
Wait, what? Gabriel Gomez said what? He called conservative blogger Rob Eno a WHAT? And then he went on Herald Radio today and said he meant to say it?<br />
<br />
Oh, Massachusetts Republicans... What are we doing to ourselves? We have an election to win next year. Airing our dirty laundry and internal fighting in the press is not the way to achieve victory. The word "Klan" should not be coming up in conversations about our party. Period.<br />
<br />
Look, there are very few times we would ever say the GOP should be like the Democrats. But here's one instance where the Dems kick our butts. When they have internal disagreements, you don't find out about it in the press. We are positive they have their share of intra-party skirmishes, but they are much, much better at keeping them behind closed doors. Instead, they focus their external efforts and messaging on rallying voters to their side.<br />
<br />
When gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker decided to run with former state Rep. Karyn Polito at the beginning of the month, the day-two story in the Boston Globe was about conservatives in the party considering pulling support for the team. We'll leave the politics of that story alone. What's wrong with this situation is that the storyline about the Republicans is not what we'd do for the state if we were to lead, the story is that Republicans can't get it together.<br />
<br />
This is not to say that there is no room for disagreement in the party; internal debate is important for the health of the party. But, it should be just that – internal debate. Rent a meeting room like we do for state committee meetings, and instead of polite clapping and speeches and whispered conversations in the back of the room, let's just get it out in the open, decide what we're going to run on, and go campaign.<br />
<br />
Let's face it. There are a multitude of beliefs among members of our party. We're not going to say who is right and wrong, because none of them are "right" or "wrong." People believe what they believe, whether it's because of religious reasons, personal experiences, or just because. Candidates claiming they've "evolved" on issues doesn't help the cause. Aren't they effectively saying those who still believe what they used to believe are "unevolved?" They aren't cavemen, they just don't agree with you.<br />
<br />
On the Democratic side, Barack Obama was allowed to lead the party even though he didn't support gay marriage. When he had his "evolution" -- his words, not ours -- his party accepted that, too.<br />
<br />
Let's stop with the litmus tests. Let's stop trying to figure out who the "real" Republicans are. There are tons of things we all can agree on -- things like smaller, more efficient government. For now, while we're trying to win in 2014, can we just focus on those things we can all get behind and accept that for now, we're not going to find consensus on every single issue?<br />
<br />
Why would any independent voter consider coming over to our side when they see how we treat our own family?<br />
<br />
Guys, we are not going to win like this. Voters don't want to hear about our internal fighting, they want to know why they should entrust the Corner Office to someone with an R after their name. If we don't start articulating that right this minute, we can kiss another four years goodbye.<br />
Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-17739239822647790712013-12-19T10:16:00.001-05:002013-12-19T10:16:47.058-05:00Are Massachusetts politicians on the naughty list?<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="www.forattribution.blogspot.com" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Swwa7GF1fSc/UrMNUT7-NTI/AAAAAAAABIs/wCnkkPJdLoU/s320/coal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As the <a href="http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2013/12/19/weary-donors-slow-back-candidates-for-governor/FzZxPfqimFLBuSfB0zR1MI/story.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Boston Globe reports today</a>, Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates are not high on anyone's gift-giving list this holiday season. Donations are drying up, and even candidates who went gang-busters on fundraising the last time around are not pulling it off again this year.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Is it possible that, in general, politicians have found themselves on the naughty list?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Unless you're a lobbyist or corporate bigwig, donating to political candidates is something most people do sparingly, if at all. It takes a lot to convince the average person to peel off cash for a political candidate. Just ask the candidates, who have to spend hours and hours "dialing for dollars." With today's news that the Massachusetts unemployment rate is now higher than the national average for the first time since 2007, there's a good chance the person who takes their call doesn't have a paycheck, let alone cash to make a donation.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">People work hard for their money, and after they've spent it on necessities like mortgages or rent, health insurance, groceries and child care, there isn't much left. Convincing them to give the leftovers--if there are any--to a candidate is no easy sell. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You've got to be able to convince potential donors that they are going to get some kind of return on their investment. Candidates need to give voters something to buy into, some reason why their hard-earned money will eventually improve the quality of their day-to-day lives. Politicians call it a "donation," but in reality, donors give because they see it as an investment in the future for themselves and their families. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In a year when Congress' approval rating has sunk to historic lows, Obamacare has been a complete trainwreck and the federal government actually shut down, is it possible that people can't bring themselves to donate another dollar to facilitating bad behavior? </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Is it possible voters are tired of nasty campaigns that spiral into negativity and away from positive visions for the future, and the incessant TV ads and robocalls that come with all that? Perhaps they feel candidates should be able to campaign for an office on the six figures they already have in their war chests. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We don't think voters are pessimistic. Not by a long shot. We think Massachusetts residents are actually optimistic. They know it can be better, and they are looking for a candidate who matches their hope for the future and who they can trust to lead the state in that direction.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The next Massachusetts governor will be the candidate who can lay out a grander vision for Massachusetts with concrete plans for how to make it happen. Donations are a manifestation of people's inspiration around a candidate.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So far, voters aren't seeing it. </div>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-65741596670575826182013-12-12T12:10:00.000-05:002013-12-12T12:15:16.318-05:00Worthy Opposition<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IvJ0lgxZpfk/UqnsUg8dzEI/AAAAAAAABIY/8vRMEL-Bp_8/s1600/kayyem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IvJ0lgxZpfk/UqnsUg8dzEI/AAAAAAAABIY/8vRMEL-Bp_8/s1600/kayyem.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Confession #1: We two Republicans called in to the
Juliette Kayyem Tele-Town Hall last night. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Hey, they weren't checking party registration at the
"door." So, we figured we should hear what she had to say. Market
research, I guess you could call it.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Confession #2: We were impressed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before we get to the specifics, we want to set the record straight. We are firmly
Republican. We vote Republican, and our views fall pretty solidly in the GOP
column. And, with all due respect, we definitely won't be caucusing with the Democrats in 2014.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we also aren't beyond admitting when a candidate -- of any
stripe -- is doing something cool.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we're not at all ashamed to say that, as far as we're concerned, if Kayyem's performance on her Tele-Town
Hall last night is an indication of how she'll run, Martha Coakley and Steve
Grossman had better get their game faces on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kayyem started the call with what seems to be her stump speech,
a story about how her grandmother would carry her immigration papers in a Ziploc
baggie wherever she went. It's a nice story (although I'm admittedly a sucker for
grandmother stories) and it appears it wasn't written just for the campaign
trail. She mentions the Ziploc baggie in this <a href="http://belfercenter.hks.harvard.edu/publication/1583/lebanon_my_mother_never_saw.html" target="_blank">Boston Globe</a> column from 2006. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After her intro, the Tele-Town Hall host (sounded like a
campaign staffer) said Juliette would take questions and said they would be
conducting a poll asking whether callers would be caucusing for Kayyem (a
"press one" or "press two" deal). Maybe we're just
wide-eyed Tele-Town Hall newbies, but this struck us a pretty good way for
candidates to get some intel on how they're doing and interact with likely
votes in a pretty controlled manner (we're guessing that the questions were
screened pretty well before they got to Kayyem). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She fielded questions on the environment, standardized
testing, and how she differed from the other Democratic candidates she's
running against. It came across as unscripted, and whether it was or it wasn't,
they pulled it off pretty well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's the thing: Kayyem is usually labeled as a
progressive, and we were expecting to hear a lot of that on the call last
night, complete with the typical Republican-bashing you hear from people like
recently-elected Congresswoman Katherine Clark. But it didn't happen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, she said the word "Republican"
only two or three times, even though she was on a call geared at Democratic
primary voters. She didn't pander. When asked by a retired teacher about the
problems with MCAS testing and standardized testing in general, Kayyem said she
thought some form of standardized testing is necessary. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kayyem found a way to embrace the Democratic platform, while
highlighting her strengths on issues typically embraced by the Republican
Party, such as public safety. She spoke about her experience as Massachusetts
homeland security chief under Deval Patrick, and specifically her role
overseeing the Massachusetts National Guard. For Massachusetts voters used to
seeing their governor giving press conferences from The Bunker in
Framingham, Kayyem is smart is to get people envisioning her in her winter
parka advising drivers to stay off the road. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kayyem's background allows her to speak credibly on public
safety issues, and the fact that she feels comfortable addressing them could be
helpful in a state where security weighs heavily on our minds these days. In a
recent speech at the <a href="http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/12/democratic_gubernatorial_candi_4.html" target="_blank">Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association lunch</a>, she
supported a commission to review the Boston Marathon bombing intelligence and response and said
Democrats give “short shrift” to growing the state’s defense industry
(typically Republican territory.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her apparent ability to walk the line on issues without
sounding unbearably partisan or like she doesn't have any true positions at all
makes her dangerous to her political opponents in a state where unenrolled
voters make up the bulk of the registered population. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you throw in the fact that she is female, is proving to
be a proficient fundraiser, knows how to work social media, and has never run
before makes us think she could be a real threat to the perceived Democratic
primary frontrunners, despite what the most recent polls say. She's new and
different, and that counts for something. Just ask Deval 2006. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And if she makes it through the primary, she will be a very
solid and worthy opponent for us Republicans. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-73886357903323915502013-11-14T12:23:00.000-05:002013-11-14T12:29:41.318-05:00Even Obama Doesn't Want Obamacare Anymore<br />
America, let's get honest about Obamacare.<br />
<br />
First, let's admit that Obamacare is a miserable failure. No matter the benchmark or metric, the result is the same. When it comes to expanding access and affordability of health insurance for Americans, Obamacare expands government into the private market too much, and it's too expensive. And it is totally unacceptable for the law to deprive millions of Americans of health insurance they chose and paid for, even though they were told that if they liked their doctor and their health plan, they could keep them.<br />
<br />
Second, let's get real. Obamacare might be a failure, but we think it's no accident. We're as cynical as the day is long, but even we don't think the government is capable of bungling a rollout of a major program so badly. Heck, if there's anything the Obama Administration is usually good at, it's making untested, bad ideas seem like they're fantastic (like they did with Obama's own candidacy in 2008).<br />
<br />
No, Obamacare is no accident. Rather, it is a deliberate attempt to shift public opinion away from confidence in the private marketplace and toward the policy Democrats revere as the Holy Grail of politics -- single payer health care. Such a move was unthinkable in one bold step; just ask Hillary Clinton, who tried it and failed. Instead, Democrats realize the wisdom of convincing people first that there is a need for expanded coverage and access (hence Obamacare), then convincing people that a single-payer system is the last resort to fix the broken system without retreating back to doing nothing, especially if insurance companies can't be trusted to handle the market privately (according to the President). We predict you will see Democrats start floating single-payer health care proposals in earnest right after the mid-term elections -- particularly if they pick up seats in Congress. And, the process of pivoting started today, with the President starting to admit problems with Obamacare's implementation but pinning them on insurance companies and the private market, not the law itself.<br />
<br />
Third, and most important, we think the health care debate needs to focus on something nobody seems to be talking about anymore. The best way to fix health care in America is to improve the American economy. It seems simple, but the truth is that if more Americans had jobs and if companies had more money, health insurance would be more accessible to more people in the private marketplace. That's what America needs most right now .<br />
<br />
So, if you're like us and you want to see real improvement in health care without either Obamacare or a single-payer system, stand up! It's time to fix our economy. It's time to get people back to work. It's time to make money and help people afford insurance in their own right, with plans they choose and doctors they select. That's the American way.<br />
<br />
<br />
Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-15900511474506681492013-10-30T12:38:00.001-04:002013-10-30T12:38:55.119-04:00Obama Knows Best<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fipb3ykV6V0/UnE0ZRhwukI/AAAAAAAABEM/9Epo3tr3s9E/s1600/file000613843818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fipb3ykV6V0/UnE0ZRhwukI/AAAAAAAABEM/9Epo3tr3s9E/s320/file000613843818.jpg" /></a></div>When you walk up to the cooler full of milk at the grocery store, you have a choice to make.<br />
<br />
Should you pay more for the fancy organic milk because experts say regular milk is bad for you, or do you save money and grab the regular milk because, well, you always drank it, it's more economical, and it's just fine for you and your kids?<br />
<br />
Imagine for a moment that you were deprived of your ability to choose. Imagine the grocery store manager showing up and removing the regular milk from the shelves right in front of your face, telling you it's fancy organic milk or nothing. Pay up.<br />
<br />
This is the essence of what President Obama is telling millions of Americans who, up until now, were allowed to make individual decisions about what kind of health insurance was just right for themselves and their children.<br />
<br />
After promising again and again to the American public that his health care plan would allow you to keep buying your favorite health insurance plan, President Obama has been caught in a lie. Millions of Americans are receiving cancellation notices from their health insurers telling them that their plan is no longer available for purchase and they have to pick a new one. (The fact that they actually can't do that because the website is a disaster is another story.)<br />
<br />
Yes, every program has winners and losers. We all expect that. But isn't it ironic that a program that supposedly preaches that people should be insured, disproportionately whacks those who already knew that and were already buying their own insurance?<br />
<br />
Obamacare makes losers out of people who took personal responsibility for their health care. These are people who understand better than most the cost of health care because they actually have to write out a check each month to pay their premium rather than having an employer automatically deduct it from their pay check. And trust us, writing that check makes you think a LOT about how much you spend on health care.<br />
<br />
Consumers in the individual market, which includes many entrepreneurs, small business owners, and other self-employed people, had to shop through their options, read the fine print, and choose a plan and price that covered their personal needs. And in some cases, it was the regular milk equivalent that worked. Others sprung for organic. But the point was, they got to choose. Obamacare eliminates that choice.<br />
<br />
As Americans, we traditionally pride ourselves with living in a land of plenty. Living in such a land inherently requires one to make choices, which is as much a personal freedom as it is a requirement for all citizens to exercise personal responsibility.<br />
<br />
Obamacare changes that. It is like a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's a law that is promoted as improving access to health care, but it actually limits the option individuals have about their health care coverage, thereby limiting the practical choices many Americans can make. And, sadly, it's precisely those same Americans who prized choice the most, because they were in a position to exercise that choice.<br />
<br />
Is this a mistake? Was there a miscalculation by the authors of Obamacare?<br />
<br />
Not at all.<br />
<br />
President Obama -- and many of his Democratic brethren -- disdain personal responsibility. They don't like it when people are independent and make individual choices. They think the government is better equipped than you are to make decisions about your own health care. In fact, if they truly had their way, they would go beyond Obamacare and put the government in charge of all of your health care decisions by instituting a single payer system nationwide.<br />
<br />
This logic is readily apparent in the way the Obama Administration defends the millions of cancellation letters being sent to those who buy in the individual market.<br />
<br />
"It's OK," they say. "Your old plan, which you picked yourself, was terrible. So we went ahead and picked some new plans for you, and yeah, you gotta pay more, but trust us: we are protecting you from your own crappy judgment." In fact, they have the audacity to claim that those letters aren't, in fact, cancellations, they're just "transitions" to the better, more sensible approach to health care they set up for all of us.<br />
<br />
And while Obama and Co. can't stand those who are personally responsible, they exploit that responsibility by using individual purchasers' money to foot the bill for the entire Obamacare program. For those who became entrepreneurs as a result of losing their job in the recent recession, and who thereby became responsible for buying their own health insurance at huge rates, this is a special form of insult after injury.<br />
<br />
Over and over, our Democratic friends try to convince us that Obamacare is going to save millions and millions of uninsured people from dying because they don't have health insurance. Perhaps; perhaps not. But what they refuse to talk about is the hundreds of billions of dollars it will cost us to accomplish that goal, all on top of our already eye-popping $17 trillion national debt. They refuse to talk about the two to seven million Americans who are being forced to give up health care plans they selected, and purchased, and paid for, in exchange for plans they don't want. They refuse to talk about the much-higher premiums these people will be forced to pay for the health care plans they don't want. And that's before they refuse to talk about all of the glitches and privacy bugs with the website they created to accomplish the feat.<br />
<br />
The plain and simple truth isn't just that the federal health care website is broken (even though it is). It isn't just that Obamacare is bad, even though it is. President Obama and his ilk actually have a different vision for America than the model we all learned in civics class. Their model isn't about personal responsibility and choice. It's about big government imposing its will and depriving the American public of individual choice while punishing individual responsibility and accomplishment.<br />
<br />
And, that's the real worry with Obamacare. It's just the tip of the iceberg.Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-32875648236619826372013-10-30T10:42:00.003-04:002013-10-30T10:42:57.975-04:00Van Magness on NECN<br />
Fred Van Magness was a guest on NECN's Morning Show this morning to discuss President Obama's visit to Boston today and the status of the Affordable Care Act.<br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/6LxSEVH1lgxut9TYAKpMhmsUq259EY9x?MBR=true&zone=_default&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=6LxSEVH1lgxut9TYAKpMhmsUq259EY9x&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3D_default%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22379%22+width%3D%22600%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-6689680409457117572013-10-29T19:01:00.000-04:002013-10-29T19:06:35.901-04:00With friends like US...<br />
If you watch any classic American television series, there's bound to be an episode where a child sneaks into their sibling's bedroom and reads secret passages written in their diary.<br />
<br />
And, of course, by the end of the show, they inevitably get caught, they get in big trouble, and their relationship with their sibling is forever ruined. (Or, at least, they hate each other until the next episode.)<br />
<br />
There's a reason why this time-tested sitcom formula works. Whether it's an old-fashioned diary or a modern-age smartphone or email account, everybody knows it's just not cool to spy on your friends.<br />
<br />
Everyone, that is, except apparently the President of the United States.<br />
<br />
Alas, in the most recent episode of "Scandal - White House Edition" (a scary new reality series), the NSA has been caught snooping on dozens of foreign leaders' phone calls, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel's private cell phone conversations.<br />
<br />
You don't have to be a sitcom fan to know that's just not cool.<br />
<br />
If you ask us, there would seem to be three simple rules for nations to follow when it comes to espionage, especially spying on friendly nations. Rule Number One – it's wrong to spy on your friends. Rule Number Two – if you do spy on your friends, don't get caught. Rule Number Three – If you do get caught, deny it so as to protect your world relationships, reputation and the sanctity of your intelligence programs.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it looks like the US broke all three rules faster than you can say "wiretap". And, unfortunately, this isn't just a television show.<br />
<br />
So, what is Mr. President of Global Love, Peace and Happiness going to do about this little mess?<br />
<br />
For years, the President has been telling us how other nations don't like us and we need to do something to fix it. Well, pardon us for hazarding a guess, but we're willing to bet that listening in on foreign leaders like there's some kind of international foreign policy party line at play isn't going to help matters a whole bunch.<br />
<br />
Remember the international uproar when European media organizations were accused of hacking into voicemails of prominent politicians and celebrities? Well, isn't this the same thing -- except even worse?<br />
<br />
Once something like this happens, whether it's a matter of sibling rivalry or an international crisis, it's a breach of trust and it's difficult to repair. Frankly, we don't really know how this situation could possibly be repaired, save for a change in leadership the next time Americans go to the ballot box. For Americans, that is the democratic equivalent of our next "episode".<br />
<br />
More important questions remain.<br />
<br />
First of all, why did the US feel the need to spy on its friends in the first place? Has our relationship with historically-friendly countries deteriorated so much that we don't talk with them anymore, and now we need to spy on them just to know what's going on? What kind of diplomacy is that?<br />
<br />
Who can we turn to the next time the US needs a friend? Our international friend list is running perilously thin these days, and that's a big problem for a global superpower up to its eyeballs in debt and facing threats around the world.<br />
<br />
Did the President really know about this? (He claims he didn't, but more recent reports suggest he was briefed on the situation and approved of it.) If he did know, why did he allow it? If he didn't, who's running the show?<br />
<br />
What exactly is the role of the NSA? Up until this point, we thought it was essentially a domestic intelligence organization, as opposed to the CIA and its international role. Did someone authorize the NSA to go international, and what does that mean? Where does it all end, or does it?<br />
<br />
How come the US government can figure out how to hack into international cell phone calls of foreign dignitaries but we can't figure out how to launch a simple health care Web site?<br />
<br />
Stay tuned....<br />
Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-18406241493359535662013-10-17T08:30:00.002-04:002013-10-17T08:30:47.962-04:00Meredith Warren on NECN's Morning Show<br />
Meredith Warren joined Democratic analyst Mara Dolan and NECN's Steve Aveson on <i>The Morning Show</i> today to discuss the end of the government shutdown and the decision to increase the nation's debt ceiling. Here is the video:<br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/TlK8iSUOVPdBbD1e1f1xi8Q_oCFX_6Ie?MBR=true&zone=_default&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=TlK8iSUOVPdBbD1e1f1xi8Q_oCFX_6Ie&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3D_default%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22379%22+width%3D%22600%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED><br />
<br />
[<a target="_blank" href="http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=TlK8iSUOVPdBbD1e1f1xi8Q_oCFX_6Ie">Video Link</a>]Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-53947082606054486262013-10-16T08:38:00.000-04:002013-10-17T08:38:36.731-04:00Van Magness on NECNFred Van Magness joined George Bachrach on NECN's <i>Morning Show</i> today to discuss the pending government shutdown and the results of the 5th Congressional District primary and the 1st Mayoral Debate in Boston. Here are the videos:<br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/nmS5giUzLuwgwtMh3fsMpaZFmasHSmEK?MBR=true&zone=_default&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=nmS5giUzLuwgwtMh3fsMpaZFmasHSmEK&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3D_default%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22379%22+width%3D%22600%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED><br />
<br />
<br/><br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/usyVC49ZqJ3rCWFZwpbqL15atgs0PhIa?MBR=true&zone=_default&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=usyVC49ZqJ3rCWFZwpbqL15atgs0PhIa&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3D_default%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22379%22+width%3D%22600%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-39800105333833528802013-10-01T13:09:00.002-04:002013-10-01T13:09:52.101-04:00Van Magness on NECN's Broadside<br />
Fred Van Magness was a guest on <i>NECN's Broadside with Jim Braude</i> last night to discuss the government shutdown:<br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/eLml9x7LjJqkR38rIP5_uAy2vjwS7YAU?MBR=true&zone=_default&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=eLml9x7LjJqkR38rIP5_uAy2vjwS7YAU&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3D_default%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22379%22+width%3D%22600%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730552595439161417.post-54077581667256038152013-09-16T10:26:00.000-04:002013-09-16T10:26:20.056-04:00Warren and Van Magness on NECN<br />
Lyric Consulting's partners, Meredith Warren and Fred Van Magness, both had something to say about the race for Governor of Massachusetts during <i>The Morning Show</i> on NECN today.<br />
<br />
Meredith Warren was quoted as a Republican political analyst in the news story about Martha Coakley's impending announcement, saying, "I think we're going to see a pretty nasty primary fight between Martha Coakley and Steve Grossman on the Democratic side and that gives the Republican candidate Charlie Baker the opportunity to stay positive about how he'll lead the state while the Democrats slug it out." Here's the video with her quote:<br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/ikwxQzfRh_FEtlB_Gwa2Qr6rRt9n2we2?MBR=true&zone=politics&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=ikwxQzfRh_FEtlB_Gwa2Qr6rRt9n2we2&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3Dpolitics%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22379%22+width%3D%22600%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED><br />
<br />
Later, Fred Van Magness went live on-air with Democratic analyst George Bachrach to discuss the race. Here is the video:<br />
<br />
<EMBED SRC="http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/flvPlayer.swf" flashvars="v=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/vars.txt&overlayImageURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/PDK/CSN/logo/necn.png&pluginAkamai=type=player|URL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/akamaiHD.swf|priority=1|hosts=-f.akamaihd.net&pluginTremor=type=plugin|URL=http://objects.tremormedia.com/embed/swf/tpacudeoplugin46.swf|progId=4f74e3e5886db&skinURL=http://www.necn.com/common/thePlatform/web_45/swf/skinGlass.swf&allowscriptaccess=always&releaseURL=http://link.theplatform.com/s/-/MVc2ZhiCrOU3A2UA5kQfw4ikMHKpWjCw?MBR=true&zone=_default&playerURL=http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=MVc2ZhiCrOU3A2UA5kQfw4ikMHKpWjCw&embeddedPlayerHTML=%3CEMBED+SRC%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FflvPlayer.swf%22+flashvars%3D%22v%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Fvars.txt%26overlayImageURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2FPDK%2FCSN%2Flogo%2Fnecn.png%26pluginAkamai%3Dtype%3Dplayer%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FakamaiHD.swf%7Cpriority%3D1%7Chosts%3D-f.akamaihd.net%26pluginTremor%3Dtype%3Dplugin%7CURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fobjects.tremormedia.com%2Fembed%2Fswf%2Ftpacudeoplugin46.swf%7CprogId%3D4f74e3e5886db%26skinURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fcommon%2FthePlatform%2Fweb_45%2Fswf%2FskinGlass.swf%26allowscriptaccess%3Dalways%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Flink.theplatform.com%2Fs%2F-%2F%7BreleasePID%7D%3FMBR%3Dtrue%26zone%3D_default%26playerURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.necn.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo%3FPID%3D%7BreleasePID%7D%22+height%3D%22379%22+width%3D%22600%22+type%3D%22application%2Fx-shockwave-flash%22+allowFullScreen%3D%22true%22+allowscriptaccess%3D%22always%22+bgcolor%3D%22%23ffffff%22%3E%3C%2FEMBED%3E" height="292" width="450" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#ffffff"></EMBED>Fred and Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532397631557277983noreply@blogger.com0