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Union candidate to take on Steve Lynch in Democratic primary
By adamg on Sun, 04/18/2010 - 2:47pm
David Bernstein breaks the news that Mac D'Alessandro, policy director for the SEIU in the Northeast, will run against the Ninth District incumbent.
You may recall unions warned Lynch of the consequences if he voted against the health-care reform bill.
Also running in the Ninth District this year: independent Phil Dunkelbarger and Republicans Keith Lepor and Vernon Harrison.
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Comments
It seems that pretty much all the politicians panicked and
voted for that toxic piece of legislature that was recently signed into law in Washington and that passed for a "healthcare reform" bill. Shame on them!
Or maybe they listened to their constituents
It just could be that they listened to the people who were calling and urging them to vote yes for the healthcare bill. There must have been quite a few, as even Rep. Lynch voted "yes" on every proposal surrounding the bill, and mailed a lengthy explanation of his vote to constituents (first time I can remember him ever doing that). I'm thinking the deluge of calls that brought down his phone system had him second-guessing his own vote, but with all the publicity around his decision he couldn't pull an outright switch. Now he'll live with the consequences.
Waaaa...
It sucks SO MUCH to be covered, doesn't it.
Lynch's union cred
Will be interesting to see how this affects Lynch's support among union members. If Lynch loses union voters then the outcome might also indicate the political weight that unions have in the district.
9th District
The SEIU has never been with Lynch. So I'm not sure about what that means as far as union impact. Consider the amount of union members that rejected the so called endorsement of Martha Coakley for US Senate. How many union members do you think heeded the call of the union hierarchy? I didn't.
I too doubt that Lynch's
I too doubt that Lynch's support among union rank & file is in jeopardy, and I too am not sure how much influence SEIU has in this district.
Who?!?!?!?
Gimme a break will ya..... I bet Althea Garrisson gets more votes in November than this nobody....SEIU, HA..
Isn't the SEIU janitors,
Isn't the SEIU janitors, hospital workers, institutional kitchen help? Sounds like that's going to be a large minority population. Wikipedia says the Mass. 9th is 79% white, and the district extends south through Dedham, Needham, Milton, Walpole, Whitman, Bridgewater. Not exactly SEIU country. With opponents like these, who needs enemies? Once he beats this guy, the SEIU will be radioactive in his office. If you're going to kill the King, make sure you kill the King.
Remember the progressives
If you click on the Facebook link, you'll see he's positioning himself as the "progressive Democratic" alternative. Might play better (outside of South Boston, at any rate) than the union angle.
In most of the towns in the
In most of the towns in the district, "progressive" plays as communist. Progressive means affirmative action, forced busing, higher taxes, spit on the flag to the people who moved out of Boston a generation ago. Plays great in the South End and Jamaica Plain. Not so much with union construction workers in Norwood and Braintree. There's a big difference between Lynch's union support and "Workers of the World, Unite!"
Well, at least he's not Harmony Wu. He's had a job.
He's not going to win, though. Lynch is focusing on 2012 and taking on Scott Brown. The whole reason for the health care vote, take the issue off the table in 2012. In the 2012 primary, without Martha in the race, he will position himself to the right of the other candidates in the primary, and win. Then he will beat Scott Brown as he gets independents back to the D side. He will have massive union support in that race.
Brown was not too impressive on Face the Nation today.
I think Lynch has a better
I think Lynch has a better chance replacing John Kerry (without Ted Kennedy to hold his hand the guy is lost at sea and probably will retire gracefully) than he does Scott Brown. By 2012, if the government spend-a-thon continues, I really don't think any candidates whom advocate new big government programs are going to be capturing new seats more-so than they will be busy defending existing ones.
Amen. I think "Mac" is in for
Amen. I think "Mac" is in for a rude awakening in the 9th. It is made up of real people who want someone who is going to stand up and speak out for them. Not another liberal pushover who will just vote the party line. I for one am so proud of the tough votes that Lynch has taken. He must have been under tremendous pressure from Washington, from the Globe, from the lefties, but he stood up for what he believed in. Labor will not take a walk on him. Maybe the big union bosses will if they get enough pressure. We've all seen them roll over before. But no way the rank and file union members will stand for it. This one is going to be fun.
Funny...
Really, because I thought the 9th was made up of little crybabies who believe that "they" are trying to take things away from "us." Actually, I'm going to go ahead and say it: If you want to find "real" people, come to the center of a major city. You know, the places where people with dreams and aspirations go to fulfill them instead of staying in the town they grew up around everyone they've ever known their entire lives because they don't know anything else. You know, all the Righties so scared of change that they'll cling to mommy's housecoat (or basement) for as long as time allows and try to fill in all the gaps in their life with booze, Jebus or OxyContin. They're the bit players, the extras, the scenery.
The "real" people are the ones seeing, doing, living and learning. They're the ones not marking the minutes until they die and creating a better place while they're alive. They're the ones tired of seeing roadblocks like Lynch drag his feet as the rest of the world pulls him kicking and screaming into the 20th century (yes, 20th -- U.S. progressives still have a lot of catching up to do compared to their global compatriots). There'll be a pushover in the ninth, and it'll be Lynch getting pushed over in favor of someone actually willing to move us forward.
I think they are referring to
I think they are referring to the real people who go to work every day, pay their taxes, raise their kids, coach soccer or softball, support their neighbors, contribute to their communities, work hard at paying for their child's education and honestly are doing a whole lot better than their "global compatriots". You should save the sermon for your "meet up" group while the rest of us are out there doing the real work for our communities. You sound a like a bitter elitist. So sad.
D'Alessandro is a progressive
I've met and talked with Mac D'Alessandro. The man's a progressive. I'm not sure about SEIU as a whole, but I liked his personal politics, and I think his job as a political organizer for a Union might mean he's a decent, uh, political organizer.
guv'mint keep your hand off my medicare
and social security, public transportation, public schools, police, fire department, national deefense...