Sonia on LeftAhead!

Note: Sonia is the first in a series of candidates we're welcoming onto LeftAhead as the local election season heats up. If you're a candidate running for something and want to discuss the issues and the race with people who actually care, send me an email and we'll book you for one of our upcoming shows. We're looking forward to hearing (from) you.

Today, we had a very special guest, Sonia Chang-Diaz, on at LeftAhead. Lynne, Mike and I took up all kinds of issues during the podcast and asked Sonia for as many details as possible. Lots of tough questions and issue specifics were asked, and we got some pretty good answers.

Sonia is particularly thoughtful on the core issues facing urban areas such as education and housing; I also found what she had to say about taxes toward the end very refreshing. Lynne was at least slightly concerned about the new debt this state is taking on through the recently-passed (and soon to be signed) transportation bond bills. While Sonia hasn't made a cost-benefit analysis on the transportation bond bill yet, she also shares some of Lynne's worries. Here's a window to Sonia's soul re: tax philosophy.

I always look with a weary eye on taking on debt. How does our tax policy work? One thing we [at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center] always try to get out there and give people a good grounding on is the theories of fairness that are generally recognized when talking about tax policy... one of the theories is the 'use principal' - the idea that the people who use the goods should pay for them. Generally speaking... the use principal is not the fairest... I think it would strike people silly to structure a system that only the people who use a police system should pay for it... if you get mugged, you're charged a fee. That's not how the public system should work.

That's why generally the use principal is not one that should be our guiding principal when talking about taxes. But, the big exception to that ... is longterm infrastructural costs - for things like roads, bridges... that are going to be used over multiple generations in a state, where in no cases does it make sense to share costs across time and not just across the population that currently exists as a state.

Pretty nice drapes on that window, huh? If only the Republicans in D.C. got that principal on things like a certain war in a certain part of the country which is being bought and paid for by people my age (23) and younger, maybe the world would be a better place. Sometimes a bond bill makes sense - and I've actually come out in favor of Governor Patrick's bond bill, because in the long run doing these projects now will save money (and lives) over inflation in the long run. But we need more thinking on Sonia's line, as a whole, across the state and country. With that, she made for a very nice guest and I'm hoping people will listen.

Also: Included in the tags are all the issues we hit on the show.

All About Huckabee on Air

Over at LeftAhead, Lynne, Mike and I talk up the Mike Huckabee campaign for POTUS. We explored many of his largely unearthed baggage, but questioned whether there is enough time for voters to catch on (I doubted it; Mike and Lynne didn't). Lynne came on to talk about the dynamics of the Republican Race - and thinks Willard Mitt Romney has a far greater chance of winning this than I'd give him credit for. Over all, this was one of our best shows we've done to date, so go listen in.

A Budding Movement and a Refreshing Candidate

Rare in Massachusetts is there an open seat for anything other than County Clerk or the local Library Board of Trustees. So, when a seat opens up for State Representative, the game of musical chairs begins. That's why it's important to make sure the best and brightest of us, progressives who understand the important issues and want to make things better, have a keen ear for the music.

We, as a progressive movement, need to win this political game that isn't a game at all. There aren't enough forward-thinking people on Beacon Hill as it stands, so now that there's an open seat in my home district of Swampscott, Marblehead and part of Lynn, it's important to make sure we have the most compelling, best candidate possible winning that seat of paramount importance, State Representative. Nothing but the future of our health care system, state budget, environment and educational system is at stake, so it's no surprise that a lot of people are interested in the race. Now is the time - campaign time - to weed through the candidates who want change for the better and the other candidates, wishing for more of the same - special interests getting special treatment, instead of the people of Massachusetts.

As it happens, one of BlogLeft Massachusetts's very own, Lori Ehrlich, has jumped into the race - and I've jumped to support her, taking the unenviable position of Field Director. She's earned her progressive bonafides by being a community leader on the environment for years - and lead she has done. As a leader of HealthLink, a local advocacy group pushing for a strong environment, she's helped clean a polluted reservoir that over 80,000 people now use. She's also built a successful small business as a CPA, which has given her insight into all sorts of things, from out-of-control health care costs to what it takes to build a vibrant local economy.

While she kicked off her campaign about two weeks ago, giving her first speech for supporters and the press on the Swampscott and Lynn line, last night served as the real beginning for me. About 40 of us gathered at her house in Marblehead, enjoying pizza and each others' company, discussing just how we're going to win this campaign so we can bring strong community leadership to Massachusetts for all to enjoy. I was amazed by the turnout, which ranged from local campaign volunteer veterans to my friend and fellow blogger John Hosty, who's so excited about the race that he came, despite the fact that he doesn't even live in the district.

It's clear that a lot of people get it: this is a race that will impact the entire state, a chance to put a true leader in office who's worked for years on the sideline trying to institute change. It's a chance to get that kind of community leader involved on Beacon Hill, changing the culture of how our government works. There's no other way to tackle our health care system, unsustainable budgets (largely because of health care costs) and obstacles in creating a strong and diverse economy than by electing true leaders we can count on.

Hopefully, many of you will do your part to create that change. After all, without the grassroots - your help - Lori Ehrlich will have no chance to hear the music, win the seat and create a strong ally for our entire budding movement seeking to change Massachusetts for the better.

Friday Musings: Hillary, Casinos and More

I'm off to New Bedford to sample the local cuisine and meet up with friends, but first some quick thoughts for the weekend.

• How the media latched onto Hillary's impertinent response to Obama - and thought it was a plus for Hillary - is beyond me. Did anyone honestly believe that what Obama meant, when he said he'd meet with foreign dictators and regimes within a year's time, was that he wouldn't send advance envoys? Good for Obama, in New Hampshire no less, to criticize Hill, calling her Bush-Lite. She is Bush-Lite and deserves his rebuke; continuing Bush's regime of playing politics with diplomacy, as if it were some play toy, is not the basis of international peace.

• The media, in the above example, continues to show its ineptitude. Pro-Hillary pundits latched on to those few seconds, which during the debate seemed unremarkable, and haven't helped her cause at all (despite their insistence that it did). This will only continue to backfire for her. Imagine my shock, however, when Hardball's usually insane host (Chris Mathews) actually pushed hard on Clinton's spokesman - who was debating the matter with Obama's guy. The Clinton hack actually insinuated that Obama was already planning those meetings, without a shred of evidence, making it all too easy I suppose. My only question: did she hire Shrum's people or what?

• Read my blog on tomorrow's vote in Middleboro: we can't let anyone fudge the numbers and get away with it. It goes to show why we have a system of government where projects are vetted with hearings before they're voted on. Thank god someone was vetting this, because Middleboro was about to get fleeced.

• Then read the BMG diary for a local's take and good comments. The big shocker: another lie became the basis of the casino's support. There's a rumor going around that the casino is inevitable, so people must vote yes. Except, in fact, the reverse is true: no matter how the town votes on Saturday, Beacon Hill controls the casino's fate. The State Legislature and Gov Patrick would still have to okay the deal. Furthermore, pushing the casino against Middleboro's will, as the rumor suggests, certainly wouldn't be persuasive to the powers that be.

• I didn't blog about it earlier, but kudos to NStar for buying up renewable energy to sell to its costumers. For a small premium of $7-15 dollars, people can turn on all the AC they want - without any of the guilt. Today's 90 degree weather has been a killer, but still my AC remains off. I refuse to contribute to Salem's dirty coal-burning plant any more than required; getting my electricity from the beautiful turbines in New York and soon-to-be Maine would be a refreshing relief in today's summer doldrums.

His Best Days Could be Ahead of Him.

That's what Scot Lehigh thinks and is what I alluded to last night. Now that Senator Kerry doesn't have the weight of considering a run for President tied around his neck like a noose, maybe he can finally be the Senator we desperately need. Let's hope so.

Good Decision, Senator Kerry

So, Senator Kerry will not run for President again. Apparently, he doesn't think he'd have a great shot - which is probably true. However, it was a good decision - for other reasons. The Senate is in a precarious position and many of the Democrats are traditional obfuscating moderates. Senator Kerry has been one of those for the past few years, but that wasn't always the case. Running for President caused him to be a different man than he was in the past.

This country needs a real, courageous, liberal presence in the US Senate - someone to keep picking up Senator Kennedy's mantle. John Kerry could be that person. Senator Kerry is in a great position to advocate for all kinds of important causes - few in the Senate have his fundraising potential, which allows him to help fund candidates we need to win crucial House and Senate seats. Kerry also has great name recognition, making him poised to lead on important issues that come up.

As of late, Kerry has shown some of his real potential as a US Senator. He's clearly no longer afraid to take on the Rove's of this world - and that's something most other Democratic Senators would do well to learn. Hopefully, in the Senate, Kerry can help disperse those real-life lessons he's learned to other promising candidates for all kinds of positions in the future.