Steve Pagliuca releases statement on Senate health care vote.

The U.S. Senate voted earlier tonight to advance health care reform and open debate on the Senate floor.

Democratic Senate candidate Steve Pagliuca, who has made health care his signature issue over the past week, just released the following statement on the Senate vote:

"I want to congratulate the 60 members of the Senate who voted in favor of bringing the health care bill to the floor. This bill is a good step forward towards passing comprehensive reform that will provide coverage to more than 30 million Americans who lack it and bring down exorbitant costs for millions more. I believe the time to pass this measure is now. As Senator Paul Kirk said, 'we can not let the great be the enemy of the good.' 

"I am the only Democrat in this race who has not wavered in support of health care reform. I have pledged to be a reliable 60th vote for health care reform. I strongly believe voters should demand nothing less from our next Senator than a pledge that you will be there when that 60th vote is needed. Unfortunately, two of my opponents have stated publicly they may not vote for health care reform. As we saw tonight, every vote is critical, and Massachusetts cannot afford to elect a Senator who could be a "no" vote."

Pagliuca's focus on health care appears to be well-founded, given the Globe poll I just wrote about.  However, to this point it hasn't helped him in the polls.  Pags needs to hope that the 50% of undecided voters closely match up with the 43% who think health care should pass with or without abortion restrictions. 

New Globe poll shows steady, uncertain lead for Coakley.

The Boston Globe has justed posted results of a poll they conducted from Nov. 13-18.  The poll showed that Coakley continues to lead the field among decided voters with 43%.  Capuano has risen to 22%; Pagliuca comes in at 15%, and Khazei continues to trail with 6%. (Full poll results here.)

However, the poll also reportedly showed that just 26% of voters had decided who they would vote for, 24% said they are leaning towards a candidate, and a full 50% of likely Democratic voters remain undecided just 16 days before the December 8 election.

One other note: 43% of voters said health care should pass even if it included the Stupak amendment, while 32% said it should not.

Cross tabs just went up, and I will look at them tomorrow before the Pats game.

Get your gear, get your cold weather campaign gear!

If you were following the Boston mayoral election at all, you may remember a piece by Thomas Grillo in the Boston Herald over the summer about campaign apparel.  Mayoral challengers Sam Yoon and Michael Flaherty were both selling shirts, stickers, etc., and Yoon was getting fantastically creative and having some fun with his t-shirt designs.

Obviously this is not a groundbreaking trend (Obama merchandise was everywhere in 2008), but it's still an effective way to put a campaign brand on the streets.  I had several friends ask me early in this campaign what I knew/thought about Alan Khazei, simply because they had been given free t-shirts with his name on them.

An interesting wrinkle for this campaign, however, is that both the primary and general election will take place in two of the coldest months of the year (theoretically at least).  So t-shirts will only get you so much brand recognition outside, and won't provide volunteers with much protection.

Having worked on special election campaigns before that required knocking on doors and holding signs in December and January, I appreciate that at least two of the campaigns are offering cold weather campaign gear.

In a push for last minute donations prior to last Wednesday's reporting deadline, the Capuano campaign was offering limited edition "Mike Capuano for Senate" scarves to anyone who contributed at least $50.

I'm not sure where one would wear such an item outside of the campaign, but they could certainly help keep volunteers warm as they stand on street corners during visibilities or walk their neighborhood for Caps over the next 16 or so days.

The best piece of cold weather gear I've seen so far though (in any campaign) comes courtesy of the Brown Brigade.

In an email last week, Scott Brown's team announced the opening of a campaign store that offers the typical stickers, pins, mugs, etc.  It also sells a Scott Brown jacket for $39.99 (note, I'm not sure if the campaign gets any of that money, I know Yoon didn't get anything from selling his t-shirts, and both "stores" were run through Cafe Press).

The all season jacket is emblazoned with the slogan "Freezin for a Reason," which I love for some reason, and has a slick look to it.  Now, as my wife would happily point out, I have probably the worst fashion sense in the world, but if I were a Brown supporter I would be rocking this thing throughout the campaign.

(Note: I'm pretty sure the FTC requires that I disclose that I have not received a free jacket, scarf, or payment from the Brown or Capuano campaigns for this fashion review. Why can't the FTC just let me be?)

If any of the other campaigns have designed cold weather gear (or any other cool merchandise) please let me know.

Jack E. Robinson raised zero funds, loaned his committee $136K in second reporting period.

According to a summary of Jack E. Robinson's FEC report emailed to kennedyseat.com tonight by the Robinson Committee, Jack E. Robinson failed to raise any donations during the second reporting period (Oct. 1 - Nov. 18) but loaned the campaign more than $136K of his own money.

The campaign reported expenditures during the cycle of more than $133K, and less than $3,000 in cash-on-hand.

Saturday afternoon notes.

It looks like Harry Reid has secured the 60 votes necessary to advance health care legislation in the Senate.  For the Massachusetts Senate race, that probably means we will see further back and forth on what should/will be included in the conference legislation, although I would be surprised if the House and Senate finalize a bill before December 8.

In other kennedyseat news this afternoon, I just got polled by the Pagliuca campaign.  The one-question poll (who would you vote for?) marks at least the third time my household has been polled by the Pags camp since this race began.

As far as a roundup goes, clearly I didn't write one today.  That's because there really wasn't anything to note in today's papers, aside from a Globe follow up on Diane Patrick (with an update from the event today).

There was also the following NECN segment on yesterday's Progressive Business Leaders Network candidates forum (attended by Capuano, Khazei, Pagliuca, and Robinson):

Scott Brown makes push for absentee votes.

Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown made a push for absentee votes at the end of the week, sending an email to supporters reminding them that they can obtain an absentee ballot and vote now.

Besides being a great civic gesture, the move is probably a smart political play for Brown, a Lt. Colonel in the Massachusetts National Guard.  The Eagle-Tribune reported in September that more than 750 soldiers and airmen of the Mass. National Guard are currently overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that number is expected to increase.

I'm not going to broadly generalize how these soldiers would vote, but it's probably safe to say that Colonel Brown has some supporters that will be taking advantage of absentee ballots.

Read the full email below.

Scott Brown's email to supporters on absentee ballots:

Friend --

You can request your absentee ballot to vote right now.

Voting with an absentee ballot is easy, all you have to do is to fill out this request form and return it to your City or Town Clerk.  If you wish to cast an absentee ballot for both the Primary Election on December 8, 2009 and the Special Election on January 19, 2010, check the appropriate boxes in section one of the Absentee Ballot Application.

You also have the option to go to the city or town clerk's office and fill out an absentee ballot application right there and vote there at the same time.

Please call ahead and schedule a time with your City/Town clerk.  You can find your City/Town Clerk’s phone number here.

A family member of a person who is registered to vote in Massachusetts may apply to the city or town where that person is registered for an absentee ballot for that voter. The family member may apply by letter that includes name, address as registered, ward or precinct if you know it, address where you want the absentee ballot sent, which party ballot you want if the election is a primary (you must be registered to vote in the party you request or you must be unenrolled in any party), and your signature.

The deadline for applying for an absentee ballot is noon on the day before an election.  (However if you will be sending your ballot through the mail, you need to allow for enough time for your application to get to your City or Town clerk and for the ballot to come to you by mail.)

The ballot must be received in the clerk's office before the close of the polls on Election Day.

To Victory,

-Scott Brown

Mike Capuano releases new campaign ad on irony...I mean on civil liberties.

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and Congressman Mike Capuano released a new campaign ad this afternoon on civil liberties.

The spot, entitled "One of the Few," highlights Capuano's opposition to the PATRIOT Act and other alleged civil liberties violations during the Bush-Cheney administration.

It features Capuano against a black background and American flag.  He says:

"George Bush and Dick Cheney used fear to justify torture, and abuses of our most basic civil liberties.  I was one of the few members of Congress to strongly oppose their PATRIOT Act,  their torture, and their illegal wiretapping.  Our leaders must have the courage to fight terrorism without surrendering the values and civil liberties that make us all proud to be Americans."

The ad's great ironic twist then comes in the closing line:

"I'm Mike Capuano and I approved this message, because there will always be people like Dick Cheney, and the need to stand up to them."

So Capuano begins by alleging that President Bush and Vice President Cheney used fear to justify their actions...and then concludes by using fear of Cheney to justify a vote for him.



Update: The Capuano campaign just sent out a press release on the ad.  It ads context to the ad, noting that Capuano voted against the PATRIOT Act when it passed Congress in 2001, and voted gainst subsequent reauthorizations of the USA PATRIOT Act in 2005 and in 2006.  


It also notes that he voted against the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 2008, which granted retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies involved in the illegal wiretapping and contained loopholes for circumventing judicial review.

According to the release, Capuano "has been a consistent cosponsor of the American Anti-Torture Act, which would limit authorized interrogation techniques...[and] is also a cosponsor of H.R. 104 in this Congress, which would establish a national commission on presidential war powers and civil liberties.

"Mike's principled stands for our civil liberties and against the Bush Administration's abuses of power demonstrate the qualities Massachusetts residents expect from their US Senator," said Michael Shea, media consultant for the campaign and creator of the advertisement. "Mike Capuano has shown he has the courage to stand up for our rights and progressive values, even when they are not politically popular."

Coakley supporters put together video for her campaign.

Martha Coakley's campaign posted a video to her YouTube page last night that apparently was made by a couple of her supporters, Julia and Emma.

It's a one minute video interspersing one of her speeches with photos from the campaign, issue headers, and a little bit of music.



Camp Coakley must be psyched, it's a pretty solid video, and it didn't cost them anything.

Scott Brown has two tickets to the gun show and other weekend plans.

Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown will spend most of Saturday in Worcester, opening up a field office and meeting with voters, before heading to a gun show in Holbrook to cap off the day.  Sunday he will march in a Santa parade in Bradford (Massachusetts?), before attending a Boston College Women's basketball game.

U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown hasthe following events scheduled for this weekend:

Saturday, November 21, 2009

9:00 AM

Scott Brown drops by the Miss Worcester Diner.

300 Southbridge Street
Worcester.

9:30 AM

Scott Brown drops by the Kenmore Diner.

250 Franklin Street
Worcester.

10:00 AM

Scott Brown opens his U.S. Senate campaign’s Worcester regional office.

18 Grafton Street, 8th floor
Worcester.

12:30 PM

Scott Brown addresses the 12th Annual Conference of Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong.

Crowne Plaza Hotel
10 Lincoln Square
Worcester.

2:00 PM

Scott Brown attends a gun show at the Holbrook Sportsmen’s Club.

150 Quincy Street
Holbrook.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

12:45 PM

Scott Brown marches in the VFW Santa Parade.

Wood School
25 South Spring Street
Bradford.
 
2:00 PM

Scott Brown attends a Boston College Women’s Basketball game.

Conte Forum
Boston College
Chestnut Hill.

Steve Pagliuca makes a pitch to women voters.

As Mike Capuano tries to dent Martha Coakley's lead among women voters by lining up endorsements from Nancy Pelosi and Diane Patrick, Steve Pagliuca will hold his first women-focused event this weekend.

Pags supporter and noted historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin will host a "Discussion of Women at Work" on Sunday at the Hard Rock Care in Boston.  The event will feature Kearns Goodwin's remarks on Eleanor Roosevelt and "working women of the last hundred years."  Nothing says "let's talk history" like a visit to the Hard Rock.

Here is the rest of Pags schedule this weekend:

STEVE PAGLIUCA PUBLIC SCHEDULE - WEEKEND, NOVEMBER 21 & 22

SATURDAY

10AM - ATTENDS CRADLES TO CRAYONS "UN-GALA"
           82 Myrtle Street
           Quincy, MA

1PM - ATTENDS LINCOLN DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE CANDIDATES FORUM
         Lincoln School
         Ballfield Road
         Lincoln, MA

7PM - HOLDS HOUSE PARTY WITH SUPPORTERS
         Dedham, MA

SUNDAY

3PM - HOSTS "WOMEN AT WORK" EVENT WITH DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, MA WOMEN LEADERS

         Hard Rock Cafe
         22-24 Clinton Street
         Fanueil Hall
         Boston, MA
    
5PM - HOSTS SUPPORTER PARTY
          Kolbeh Restaurant
         1500 Cambridge Street
          Cambridge, MA

7PM - HOLDS TELEPHONE TOWN HALL WITH VOTERS

Alan Khazei campaign to launch "Knock the Vote" effort this weekend.

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Alan Khazei will participate in candidate forum this weekend hosted by the Lincoln Democratic Committee on Saturday.

Meanwhile, his campaign team, the Citizens for Alan Khazei, will be holding a weekend long ‘Knock The Vote’ celebration with over 60 canvasses across the Commonwealth. Alan Khazei will also host two events on Sunday, one focusing on his commitment to equality for the LGBTQ community and another about engagement in social media through a video podcast with young entrepreneurs that will be streamed online live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rule-53.

Below is the public schedule for U.S. Senate candidate and Co-Founder of City Year, Alan Khazei, November 21, 2009 – November 22, 2009.

(OPEN PRESS EVENTS FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009)

Knock the Vote Canvassing Kickoff Event

TIME:                                     11:00AM – 12:00PM

LOCATION:                          Bella Luna Restaurant
284 Amory Street
Boston, MA 02130

Lincoln Democratic Committee Candidate Forum

TIME:                                     1:00PM – 2:30PM
          
LOCATION:                          Donaldson Auditorium
6 Ballfield Road
                                                Lincoln, MA 01773

Saturday canvasses are in the following locations (click here for details):
Arlington, Beverly, Brockton, Brookline, Cambridge, Canton, Concord, Dorchester, Fall River, Framingham, Holyoke, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Lowell, New Bedford, Newtonville, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Quincy, Roslindale, Somerville, South End, Taunton, Walpole, Watertown, West Roxbury, Weston, and Worcester.


(OPEN PRESS EVENTS FOR SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009)

LGBTQ Citizens For Alan Khazei

TIME:                                     6:00PM – 6:45PM

LOCATION:                          Bella Luna Restaurant
284 Amory Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Alan Khazei on Rule53 Live Streaming Video

TIME:                                     7:00PM – 8:00PM
(Online live streaming begins 7:15PM http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rule-53)

LOCATION:                          Curry Student Center – Room 333
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
 
Sunday canvasses are in the following locations (please click here for details):
Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Canton, Concord, Dorchester, Fall River, Hanson, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medway, New Bedford, Newtonville, Northampton, Plymouth, Roxbury, Somerville, Watertown, Wellesley, Weymouth, and Worcester.

Martha Coakley to swing through Western Mass this weekend.

Martha Coakley, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, will make a campaign swing through Western Massachusetts this weekend, stopping in five cities over two days to visit with supporters and local elected officials


SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22


5:00 p.m.


WHAT:                      Martha Coakley to attend reception and receive endorsements of Northhampton Mayor Clare Higgins, State Senator Stan Rosenberg, and State Representative Peter Kocut.


WHERE:                    Union Station Restaurant,  125 Pleasant Street, Northampton


6:30 p.m.


WHAT:                      Martha Coakley to hold rally with Franklin County supporters, including Franklin County Sheriff Frederick Macdonald, State Representative Christopher Donelan, and Eve Blakeslee, Clerk Margistrate of the Franklin Superior Court.


WHERE:                   The Pushkin, 4 Federal Street, Greenfield


MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23


7:30 a.m.


WHAT:                      Martha Coakley to visit with Mayor-elect Richard Alcombright and North Adams supporters.


WHERE:                    Cup and Saucer Coffee Shop, 67 Main Street, North Adams


10:30 a.m.


WHAT:                      Martha Coakley to receive endorsements of Pittsfield-area elected officials, including State Senator Ben Downing and Pittsfield City Councilor-elect Melissa Mazzeo.


WHERE:                    American Legion Post 68, 41 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield


12:00 p.m.


WHAT:                      Martha Coakley to hold endorsement event with Springfield-area elected officials, including State Reps. Sean Curran, Rosemary Sandlin and James Welch, and Hampden County D.A. William Bennett


WHERE:                    Hilton Garden Inn, 800 West Columbus Avenue, Springfield