Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voters made decisions on car repairs, assisted suicide and medical marijuana in the statewide election.
Question 1: Right to Repair Voters approved the “Right to Repair” ballot question, which would give consumers more choices when fixing a car in today's election. According to numbers on boston.com, 85 percent of voters approved the question, with 51 percent of the state reporting at 10:15 p.m. The initiative requires automakers to make computer software codes for repairs more accessible to independent repair shops and car owners by 2015. But in July, state legislators devised a compromise that would give carmakers until 2018 to comply with the new law, according to a Boston Globe report. By approving Question 1, voters trumped that compromise and enacted the “Right to Repair” act as written on the ballot. “Voters sent a clear message to …
Democrat Elizabeth Warren beat incumbent candidate Scott Brown in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race.
Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren has beaten incumbent Republican candidate Scott Brown for a seat on the U.S. Senate, according to the Associated Press. Warren is won by a margin of eight percentage points, 54 percent to 46 percent, making her the first female senator elected in Massachusetts. An estatic Warren addressed a crowd of hundreds of excited supporters at the Copley Fairmont Plaza hotel in Boston on Tuesday night. "We did what everyone thought was impossible," she said. "We taught a scrappy, first-time candidate how to win." "You took on the powerful Wall Street banks and let them know that you want a Senator out there fighting for the middle class all of the time," she said. "And despite the odds, you elected the first …
Redistricting has many confused.
Election officials in Medford reported high turnouts through mid-day Tuesday, despite many voters showing up to the wrong polling location. As of 11:30 a.m., 731 had cast ballots at Ward 8, Precinct 1 located at the Medford Senior Center. About 2,000 voters are registered to the precinct. "Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy," Precinct Clerk Connie Murphy said of the turnout late Tuesday morning. "There was a line of 20 people in the hall at 7 this morning." But there was confusion Tuesday morning stemming from redistricting. District lines were changed statewide at the start of 2011 to reflect changes in population and projected population. The presidential primary was held with the new districts, but that election saw only a 12.5 percent turnout…
Saturday, October 20, 2012
The SNL alum turned U.S. Senator riled up a highly partisan crowd Friday, Oct. 18 in Lexington, where he and local politicians hit on economic and environmental concerns in support of Elizabeth Warren.
Politics are no laughing matter, but with little more than two weeks remaining before the Nov. 6 elections, Massachusetts Democrats looked for a shot in the arm from the so-called “clown” of the Democratic Party, Al Franken, the former SNL cast member turned US Senator from Minnesota. Franken was in Massachusetts Oct. 19 to support Elizabeth Warren, the U.S. Senate candidate looking to unseat the Scott Brown, the Republican incumbent, in a tight race many politicos expect will have ramifications far beyond the Commonwealth’s borders. And the stumping stopped here in Lexington Friday afternoon, as Franken and U.S. Rep Ed Markey, who represents Medford, joined a few more familiar faces to address an overflowing Depot building. There were …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Former Gov. Paul Cellucci, who served as governor and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, endorsed Sen. Scott Brown for U.S. Senate on Wednesday.
Incumbent U.S. Senate candidate Sen. Scott Brown added another former governor to his list of supporters on Wedneday, this time former Governor Paul Cellucci. Cellucci, a Republican, served as lieutenant governor in Massachusetts under Gov. Bill Weld from 1991-1997, then moved on to governor from 1997 to 2001. Brown picked up an endorsement from former Governor Weld, also a Republican, a few weeks ago. Cellucci said in a video released by the Brown campaign that his support comes from Brown's stance as "moderate on social issues and conservative on fiscal issues," and his "record of bipartisanship." "I would say we need more people, desperately need more people, like Scott Brown... who will vote on the issue," he said. "He will do what's…
Thursday, October 4, 2012
"What Scott Brown and the Republicans are running on is to repeal that (the affordable care act) and go back to fighting again -- four years more -- they don't have any alternatives to offer." -Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren stopped in Medford Wednesday as her race with Republican incumbent Scott Brown approaches its final month. Warren, accompanied by Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn and U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, visited City Hall before heading to the Medford Senior Center, where she made her way to a stage as the theme of Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" was played by a brass band. McGlynn gave his official endorsement to Warren and credited her for challenging Wall Street interests before she gave a brief speech. Warren told the audience that the affordable care act's survival -- along with benefits for seniors -- could hinge on who they send to Washington. "After many years of fighting, we finally got a health care bill that …
The strong majority of Massachusetts' legislators are white and male.
Despite the gains made over the past few decades, women and minorities continue to make up a smaller share of state legislators than their numbers in the population at large suggest they would. A series of maps published by Wicked Local Wednesday visually display the striking disparity. Blacks or Latinos together comprise 5.6 percent of the House (9 of 160 representative) and 2.5 percent of the Senate (1 of 40 senators) despite being 7.8 percent of the state's population and Latinos being 9.9 percent. Nationally, 8.1 percent of legislators are black and 2.9 percent are Latino, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, but these two groups comprise a higher percentage of the national population than they do of …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Local Democrats and Republicans across Massachusetts discussed Wednesday night's debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney in a live chat on Patch.
In the first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado, President Barack Obama came out flat while Gov. Mitt Romney had some effective arguments, according to local Democrats and Republicans from across Massachusetts who joined in a Patch live chat during the debate on Tuesday night. "Overall, tie goes to Obama," said Democrat Alex Buck. "Romney had a couple good lines, but nothing hugely productive. He looked jittery and possibly his most memorable line was about Big Bird." Reader Tom Sheff added late in the debate, "No defining moment so far, that's for sure." As the debate opened on the economy, Romney took an early upper hand according to the Democrats and Republicans who joined the chat as panelists. "President seemed nervous, and …
Local Republican and Democratic Party members from across the state will discuss the Oct. 3 presidential debate live in our chat room. Join in with your questions!
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Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Local Republican and Democratic Party members from across Massachusetts will discuss the Oct. 3 presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney live in our chat room above. Join us at 8:30 for some pre-debate talk, before the debate begins at 9 p.m. If you have a comment you'd like to add to the discussion, or a question for one of our panelists, type it in the chat room above once we're underway. Patch staff will pick out the best comments and questions to add to the chat.
Senate candidate will visit local businesses this afternoon.
U.S. Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren, D-Cambridge, will be making stops at Medford Square businesses Wednesday afternoon, according to her campaign. Warren will be accompanied by Medford Mayor Mike McGlynn as she visits small businesses around Medford Square starting at 2 p.m., according to the campaign.
Diana
9:26 am on Saturday, November 17, 2012
Whine whine whine. But hey, it's your free time. Do with it as you will. more ›