UMass Lowell at the Next Level?

Note: I had this saved in draft form for a few days. Whoops. Still relevant, though -- and LiL has more.

In these bleak fiscal times, that's a tough stretch. Moreover, the (horror) stories I've heard about Meehan's management skillz certainly adds skepticism. Yet, UMass Lowell - a school with over 10,000 students - is about to add something most big schools have, a hotel and conference center, and there's plenty of talk from the powers that be to push Lowell's ownership of the Tsongas Arena to UMASS Lowell. Many thousands of people fit in it: it could be a (modest, but legit) D1 caliber arena with a little work. Plus, fostering Lowell as a "college town" may just lure in more bands and parties to the medium-sized arena, perhaps making it more profitable. At the very least, between these two developments, UMass Lowell is starting to look like a state school that would rival what exists in most other states.

This Week's LeftAhead Podcast

This week, Lynne, Mike and I talk MA-05, the Sal vs. Deval budget conflict, our favorite blogs and even a bit on public infrastructure and environmental concerns. Check it out!

Dick Howe is a Welcome Addition

It's belated, but I just read this blog on Marty Meehan and it's some interesting stuff. Everyone should read it, it really ties together a few tangents on just how long he plans to stay on as Chancellor of UMASS Lowell. Here's a brief snippet:

During his visit to WCAP yesterday morning, Marty Meehan did not directly address the possibility of again running for elective office, but he did talk about the probable length of his stay at UML and obliquely raised some interesting possibilities.

This was just as interesting:

When a caller asked what he would do with his $5 million campaign account, Marty said the money was in high yield accounts and “I’m not going to break them” (presumably this means the money is in CDs and he doesn’t want to lose interest due to early withdrawal penalties). “You’ll be able to look every six months and see how much interest they’ve earned.” (In three years – the length of his contract – at 5.5% interest, Marty’s $5 mil will have earned $870,000 in interest, allowing him to add nearly $1 million to his campaign account while serving as chancellor).

Hmm... let's see, raise almost a million with no work - just on the interest... take a nice little job for a few years that really pads the resume, a break from actually doing stuff on Capitol Hill and stay in Lowell just long enough to sit out one of our senators' last term...

In all actuality, there's nothing wrong with this apparent plan of his, as long as he actually does his job. Yet, it just goes to show everyone that, when it comes to politics, Marty Meehan is one shrewd man.

So Much for Not Giving an Endorsement...

MA-05 was just starting to get interesting, but today we learn that Congressmen Meehan's wife will be serving as candidate Tsongas's campaign manager. Now, Marty Meehan didn't say "I'm endorsing Niki Tsongas," but the fact that his wife will be her campaign manager is such a blatant blanket of support that Niki's voters are going to be warm at night knowing that she's his man - in the political arena, of course. The sad thing is I was actually starting to like Niki, but I confess myself disappointed here.

What happened to Congressman Meehan's pledge to not get involved? If he truly wanted to support someone to replace him, that is his perogative, but this isn't the underground railroad here. He doesn't need to leave secret signs of support. Meehan should have stayed out of it or have been open and honest to begin with.

Update: It's funny, I was talking with Lynne and Mike earlier today about next week's LeftAhead show, deciding what topics it would be on, when I said something like 'let's not talk about the MA-05 race, unless something big happens.' Of course, I figured, what big things could happen at this point in the campaign? Oops. On top of Meehan's quasi-endorsement, a second candidate just dropped out of the race.

Some MA-05 Differences

On yesterday's episode of LeftAhead, the round e-table discussed a lot of things - but chief among them was the MA-05 race. As I said late last night, Lynne has some key insights. I suggest listening into the show to get a full sense of the race we've seen so far, but I thought I'd tackle a few quick ones right here.

Despite what a lot of people have said (including me), there are key policy differences. The race really does extend beyond picking between like minds. For example, Lynne talked about universal health care - not all of the candidates agree there. Niki Tsongas, for example, used to serve on the board of Fallon Healthcare - is she the kind of candidate that's going to support a true universal system? One that considers health a public (not private) good?

Another candidate, Jamie Eldridge, has really fashioned himself as the "progressive" candidate - something he's lived up to in a lot of ways, especially in terms of supporting the Governor's call to cut unfair corporate tax loopholes and campaign finance reform. However, he's also fundraising on a very high scale (among the highest in the race so far, but not on Tsongas's level) - and surely not all of that money is coming from small donations and regular folks.

Then there are other kinds of differences too - for example, differences in how much information candidates are putting out there. Touching on this subject, Lynne ranks the candidate websites. There are differences in political experience, as well as differences in private-world experience.

People also have to take Meehan's seniority - and power - into consideration. Meehan was one of the most powerful and effective congressmen out there, able to champion issues like campaign finance even when Republicans were in power. Constituents of his may decide they want someone who can rise in power just as quick as he did and be a leader. Even if Meehan's credibility faltered a bit when he hoarded all his money during last election, he was certainly right on most of the positions and solidly liberal (if not progressive). Not all the often-liberal congressmen in Massachusetts have been able to enjoy that kind of success in terms of leadership in the House. It was a point Mike made well yesterday on LeftAhead that certainly rings true. However, what isn't clear is who could best fill those shoes.

So, there's a lot to chew on - and not a lot of time to do it. Furthermore, with so many people in the race, 25% of the vote could win it. People may have to pick the lesser of two evils, instead of the candidate they really want, to avoid seeing someone they really don't want elected. Voting strategically may become paramount in this race. In the meantime, the Lowell Sun interviewed the candidates and Dick Howe is posting videos of all the candidates at their first forum.

Marty Meehan's Left Overs

So, now that it looks like Marty Meehan is definitely gone, what does that mean for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" As many readers probably know, Marty Meehan is spearheading the efforts to repeal one of the most vagrant violations of human equality left in the military - the right to serve regardless of sexual orientation. For the first time in a long time, it looked like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was on its way out. Yet, if this nation loses one of its most important leaders on the effort, I really have no idea what will happen. Anyone care to haphazard a guess?

Let's hope Marty Meehan leaves no left overs when he becomes the Chancellor of UMASS Lowell. As important as that University is - and as admirably I'm sure Meehan will serve there - Don't Ask, Don't Tell is almost as important as marriage rights in terms of glbt equality. Literally over a million gay people have served in the army, yet they were forced to remain in the closet in permanent fear of being dishonorably discharged (or worse). Marty Meehan needs to get the job done before he goes home.