Recently in Politics Category

Charlie Baker, who is running for governor as a Republican, visited the Westbury Farms Family Restaurant in downtown Walpole today.  He met with a variety of local residents, answered questions, and gave a short speech.  He then took a walk to Betro's Pharmacy where he chatted with customers there.

During his speech, Baker promised not to make any cuts to local aid or prison mitigation money as governor.  He also sought to do a total review of all state regulations and unfunded mandates.

Governor Deval Patrick, running for re-election against Baker, will be visiting Walpole within the next couple of weeks according to reliable sources inside his campaign.

Here are some pictures of Baker's visit to Walpole.  This article is by no means an endorsement necessarily for Baker or his campaign.


Mr. Baker speaks with Walpole Police Chief Richard Stillman and other Walpole officers.



Mr. Baker chats with customers at Westbury Farms.



Mr. Baker answered questions from local residents in the parking lot of Westbury Farms.  Selectwoman Nancy Mackenzie (at left) and Town Moderator Jon Rockwood (at right) were present as well.
 
 

Mr. Baker was introduced to local officials by fellow Republican, Town Moderator, and 2008 State Senate candidate Jon Rockwood.



Various members of the Board of Selectman were given the opportunity to speak directly with Mr. Baker.  Shown here are, from left, Chris Timson, Selectman Chairman, Cliff Snuffer, and Nancy Mackenzie, along with Jon Rockwood.
 


Mr. Baker chats with Peter Betro, of Betro's Pharmacy, and a customer inside Betro's.

It seems that Walpole is becoming a "battleground town", if there is such a thing, in the race for governor.  A visit by Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker is expected on Saturday, February 27, at 10:30 at Westbury Farms in downtown Walpole, and sources within the Deval Patrick campaign tell Sam Obar 180 that details are still being worked out for a visit by Governor Deval Patrick to Walpole within the next couple of weeks.

Rumors first began swirling of a visit from the governor yesterday, when Walpole Times reporter Keith Ferguson first reported that the governor was visiting an East Walpole home tonight.  That is true, however, it appears to be a private fundraising event that is closed to the public and to the press.  A source within the Patrick campaign told Sam Obar 180 that "the gathering [...] is an informal private party at the home of an old friend of the Governor's."

It appears, however, that even as tonight's event is closed to the public, the governor will be coming to Walpole in a more public capacity "within a week or two," according to the same source.

More details will be published on this blog once they are known.  Check out Sam Obar 180 for all of this and more.

In 2008, Walpole was lucky in that both candidates for our state senate district were from our town, even though they hailed from opposing political parties.  Both James Timilty, the incumbent Democrat who has served Walpole since 2004, and Jon Rockwood, a Republican who has been our dedicated town moderator year after year, were credible candidates with incredible qualifications.

That was why I know Walpole voters found it so difficult to choose between the two state senate candidates in last year's election.  I have a tremendous amount of respect for both Senator Timilty and for Mr. Rockwood.

This year, after an eventful spring and summer during which the state legislature and the governor rammed through reforms and tax increases at a rapid pace, and dealt with a crisis involving a US Senate seat, I am proud to call Jim Timilty my state senator.  While he is a Democrat, he went against his own party to vote NO to an increase in the Massachusetts sales tax.  Perhaps realizing that the constituents in his hometown, the Republican Walpole, would not be pleased with him, or maybe understanding the economic impact raising taxes would have, Timilty had the courage to stand firm against his party and vote in opposition.

Then, in September, Timilty again bucked his own party and voted no to permitting the governor to appoint an interim US Senator following the untimely death of Sen. Ted Kennedy.  While many in his party felt that a new senator was needed urgently, some, like Timilty, knew that it was not necessary or fair to appoint someone to the US Senate simply because of the circumstances (It is worth noting that because Timilty was elected in 2004, he was not in the state senate when the original vote forbidding the governor from appointing US Senators was approved).

Timilty's voting record has evidenced that he is fairly moderate, which I suspect puts him in line with the views of many voters in his district, and in Walpole.  His record will also mean that it may be difficult for the state GOP to run a formidable candidate against him next year.

Senator Timilty has served Walpole well in other capacities as well, from procuring money for the Walpole Food Pantry to working tirelessly to get Walpole its much-needed prison mitigation money.

Few Massachusetts residents can deny that the state is in trouble.  While corruption rips through Beacon Hill, a poor economy and low tax revenue has forced our leaders to implement sweeping tax increases and major cuts.  Yet, through the smoke and haze, an extremely strong independent candidate for governor has emerged.  Tim Cahill, our state treasurer, recently announced he would be switching his party enrollment from Democrat to unenrolled, indicating that he is going to be announcing an independent bid for governor by Labor Day.

It is excellent news for those of us that are sick of the incredibly unproductive partisan bickering on Beacon Hill.  For over a century, American politics has been dominated by all-too-powerful political parties.  But a glance at the state of the economy, domestic issues, and foreign policy issues would quickly provide evidence that this concept of political leadership, at least from this pundit's perspective, just is not working.

Tim Cahill and I share similar views on many issues.  Like him, I am a fiscal conservative but also a liberal on social issues.  He sees cutting spending as more important than raising taxes, just like myself, and, not surprisingly, quite a lot of Massachusetts taxpayers.  Mr. Cahill has been state treasurer since 2002, and there is no better springboard than the state treasury from which to become governor.  Nearly every governor deals with tight budgets, especially in a time of economic crisis like the one we are experiencing now.  Therefore, there is no better candidate for governor than Mr. Cahill at a time like this.  During his time as state treasurer, he oversaw a 50 percent growth in the state pension system along with a tremendous expansion of the state lottery system.  Plus, unlike the three other candidates in the race for governor right now, he doesn't actually own a multi-million dollar home.  He was born right here in Massachusetts, and has remained in the state ever since.

Mr. Cahill has not yet formally announced he is running for governor, but the odds are pretty great that he will jump into the race before long.  He has a smart head on his shoulders, and I am sure he recognizes, just as so many other Massachusetts citizens do, that the time is now for a solid independent governor who has the proven ability to handle state finances.  Partisan politics on Beacon Hill has ruined us.  It is time for a solid leader who can knock some sense into our out-of-touch legislators.

Should he enter the race, the biggest problem for Mr. Cahill would be how to establish himself as an outside candidate who is an alternative to both Charlie Baker, the already-announced and largely unknown Republican candidate for governor, and Deval Patrick, the out-of-touch governor who broke nearly every one of his campaign promises from 2006.  The danger is that a three-way race between Baker, Cahill, and Patrick will enable the Governor to walk away with re-election.  But Mr. Cahill can present himself as a true independent - someone who walked away from his own party because he was tired of the old and tired tax-and-spend Beacon Hill philosophy.  While Charlie Baker has experience in both the public and private sectors and helped turn around a struggling Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, he is largely unknown by Massachusetts voters and is one of a very small group of Republicans in the state.  He will most certainly have the support of the state's few Republicans, but he will need to earn the trust of the nearly 50% of Massachusetts voters who are registered independents.  Mr. Cahill, meanwhile, can count on the support of conservative Democrats like him (and yes, they do still exist in Massachusetts), while positioning himself as someone conservative-leaning independents can believe in to balance a budget without raising taxes.  Deval Patrick, meanwhile, has a low approval rating weighing him down, but he has name recognition, the incumbency, and the Democratic Party on his side.  And don't discount Republican Christy Mihos, yet, either.  Although he is considered more of a novelty candidate than an actual serious challenger for the corner office, he has a lot of money to spend and does hold a degree of respect among Republicans for his work against toll increases.  Mihos could very possibly launch such an exhausting battle for the Republican nomination that it would damage Mr. Baker's reputation and position in the general election.  This could serve to help Mr. Cahill in the general election.

It will be a tough election.  Stay tuned to Sam Obar 180 throughout the coming months for occasional coverage of the race.  I welcome your comments.