A Silly Question For A Saturday; Or, Could We Do That?

I'm watching the English Premeir League on Fox Soccer Channel this morning, before the Michigan game starts. Arsenal is hosting Sheffield United, against whom they just scored, in their new stadium that opened this season. As you may or may not know, the name of the stadium is Emirates Stadium, after the Dubai-based Airline. For the first hour of the match, I didn't give much thought to this choice, since for the past few seasons, Emirates has been one of Arsenal's major sponsors and naming-rights are big business in the UK just as they are here.

Yet, now --- As Arsenal score again --- I can't get the thought out of my mind that were an Arab-owned company to publicly claim the naming-rights to a major American stadium, the uproar would be vitriolic and never-ending. I can't think of a city or team in the country that would assent to such a thing. The protests would be enormous, or at least so tumultuous and potential dangerous it's likely that said stadium would never sell out. And I dare say that no Arab company would even bother because it's so obviously a losing proposition.

I suppose the question, if there really is one, is whether or not you think I'm correct on this. Could it happen?

Well, That Was Fast

The first post-primary poll is out, and it looks good for Deval Patrick. Obviously, Patrick gets a bump from winning Tuesday's primary and as such commanding the news cycle while the poll was being taken. Patrick had 59% on Tuesday, ostensibly before he'd won the nomination, 68% on Wednesday and 64% on Thursday. Still, it's very encouraging to see Patrick with a thirty-nine point advantage. It's an excellent start to the general campaign and it's spectacular to see that Patrick has a majority across all income levels, educational levels, region, race and gender. Perhaps most importantly, Patrick holds a 54%-30% edge among Independent voters.

Take all these numbers with a grain of salt, as one should with any single poll. Nonetheless, the numbers are quite encouraging and a little enthusiasm for your candidate never hurt anyone.

Sen. Kerry, You've Got Some 'Splainin' To Do

Massachusetts' junior Senator is apparently clinging to the slim hope that he has a chance at the 2008 Democratic nomination for President. How else to explain his presence at the Iowa-Iowa State football game last weekend? Also, he's apparently changed his advisors for this run, as he's no longer leading with nuance and centrism in order to court the more politically-engaged, but rather choosing the unorthodox tactic of beer and funnels to corner the frat vote. Senator Kerry, you didn't need to go to Iowa, many of our lovely colleges (Northeastern and UMass, I'm looking at you) would have been more than happy to stage this photo-op with you. Why outsource?



For shame Sen. Kerry. BC had a home game last week, and you could have used their overtime victory against Brigham Young to boast that your local Catholic university had bested potential 2008 opponent Mitt Romney's Mormon school. If you were going to campaign at a football game, I dare say you'd have been better off at Chesnut Hill.

This Picture Means That We Are For Real This Time

This map, courtesy of the Boston Globe, speaks volumes about this campaign. And once again, allows me the chance to say, "Bring it on Kerry Healey!" Can you imagine what her map would have looked like in a contested primary against a real candidate? Say Bill Weld? Keep up the energy, keep up the momentum, we need to carry this feeling all the way into November.

"One of my favorite quotations comes from a Mississippi civil rights activist who said, "Don't tell me what you believe. Show me what you do, and I'll tell you what you believe." One way to show people what you believe is how you spend your money. Consider what your family budget says about you. If your family falls on hard times, do you spend money on vacations and fancy dinners or do you pay for health care and education? A government is no different. Budgets are moral documents that measure our beliefs and commitment to our fellow citizens. When you see a budget that gives big tax breaks for the rich, but cuts programs for the poor and middle class, it tells us something about the moral values of the people who wrote that budget. That is why it is so troubling for me to see Republicans proclaim themselves as the party of "family values." -Sherrod Brown

Cosmetics

Though I should be catching up on work, I decided I'd rather go about updating the site instead. If you're reading this, you're probably seeing the results. It seems that some weren't "down with the brown" anymore, so I have changed "the hue to blue." I personally liked the earthy goodness of the former layout (which is now lost forever since I don't know how to save templates, or at least forgot) , but as I am a man of the people, I heard your cry and relented.

I didn't choose blue-ish hues with an ulterior motive in mind, but now that I see it, I like it both aesthetically and politically. We've turned the site blue, just as we'd like to turn the governor's office --- and eventually, the White House --- blue. Boring indeed, but it was an incidental outcome. I originally opted for it simply because I like the color and it seemed fairly easy on the eyes.

We've added some local and national blogs, and I hope you'll check them out if you don't already, as none of them are exactly obscure. In addition, we've also acquired our own e-mail address that you should feel free to use if you've got any questions or comments you don't want to put out for public consumption. Feel free to send us tips, ideas or even potential posts that you've written yourself. Just remember to remove the NOSPAM from the address.


Please let me know in the comments what you think of the re-coloring. I'm going to get to work now.

So it's Kerry Healy vs. Deval Patick and Reed Hillman vs. Tim Murray... Bring it on.

Needless to say, last night was a pleasant surprise. Disappointed as I may be about the results for Sec. of State (however not surprising) and the State Senate race in the Berkshire, Hampshire & Franklin district (the guy who won is younger than me with no political experience, and more importantly, a good friend's mother was running against him), I am excited moving forward, particularly in the Lt. Gov slot. Tim Murray is going to be an asset to this ticket in a number of ways; from bringing out the vote in the state’s #2 urban area, to most importantly winning some towns in the Republican dead zone between Worchester and Springfield.

We really need this one, not because the Republicans have been in the front office for the last 16 years, but because Kerry Healey is a garbage candidate and Reed Hillman is even worse. I tried to watch her speech last night but stopped when she stopped making sense and just starting trying to scare people. She is bad for Massachusetts and especially bad for the working/lower middle-class voters she is trying to court.

Deval’s victory speech actually inspired me and made me feel like I was watching the end of Hoosiers. It reminded me why I love politics and why I still believe that it can be an amazing vehicle for change. Deval Patrick is exactly what we need as a state, he will be a unifying politician, he will bring back Massachusetts to a state that others admire and not insult, he will bring out state colleges out of the trash, and he will make the necessary changes that we need to take down the Big Dig/Old Boy’s Club on Beacon Hill.


The next and the last...

Tuesday Night's All Right For Winning

I am an unenrolled voter --- always have been and probably always will be. I come from a long line of unenrolled voters. Needless to say, I did not participate in today's election. I had little to fear this year, as all the Democratic candidates would have acquitted themselves well and I congratulate them on (for the most part) well-run, clean campaigns.

Still ... You know what goes really well with Deval Patrick and Tim Murray winning? A celebratory glass of Baker's bourbon. It also helps soothe the pain of Bonifaz's loss.
And (merely two minutes after writing that first sentence) I'm pretty sure this is the last election in which I'll be unenrolled.

And congratulations again not only to the Patrick, Murray, Galvin and other winning campaigns, but to all the candidates who sought office. I hope that each of them continues to seek out ways in which they can help Massachusetts become a better place for all of its residents.
Now, let's get to work, there's a corner office to get back.

UPDATE: Included links and changed formatting. We'll have more on this tomorrow.

Last Night's Daily Show

I've been an avid watcher of The Daily Show since the early days of Craig Kilborn. Over the years, there have been episodes that were memorable for their hilarity, or their poignancy, or their articulate grasp of that day's particular tragi-comedy of politics. Rarely, if ever, however, has a single episode managed to put together all three as perfectly as last night's episode. Beginning with Jon Stewart's "apology" to Robert Novak for Stewart's "airs of grandeur," continuing through Jason "Mr. Samantha Bee" Jones' report on Bleu Copas (the Arabic translator who was discharged for being gay) and concluding with Stewart's interview of President Bill Clinton, it was as if I were watching the platonic form of "The Daily Show." If you missed it, try and catch this evening's re-airing or find it somewhere on the internet. I would say more, but you'd be better served by seeking it out and watching it yourself.

Vote! and Another Thing.

1)Vote!.

2) I came across this picture of Sen. Lieberman's car parked at Fairfield University - what's wrong with this picture?

A Personal Moment

I didn't get a chance to update the blogroll or make any of the other planned cosmetic changes to the site this weekend due to a death in the family. Normally, I wouldn't consider posting something this personal, this intimate, on a public forum. In this case, however, the loss I suffered is one that many will feel, whether they know it or not. Her life and accomplishments deserve to be celebrated and, after some deliberation, I chose to use this forum to do so.

From The Boston Sunday Globe:

At Suffolk University Law School, where she taught generations of students the fine points of contract law, Catherine T. Judge was known lovingly by colleagues as ``the grande dame of Suffolk Law" -- and by her students as a force to be reckoned with.

``Catherine was a role model for so many of our students, particularly for our women," said Suffolk Law School dean Robert H. Smith, noting that Dr. Judge was the first woman to become a full-time law professor at Suffolk in 1967 and the first woman to become a tenured professor of law there in 1970.

The only woman to graduate in Suffolk Law's class of 1957 -- and first in her class, Smith said -- Dr. Judge died of cancer Thursday at Boston Center for Rehabilitation & Subacute Care in Roslindale.

It's difficult for someone at my tender age to understand just how much fortitude and dedication it took for Catherine to accomplish what she did, when she did it. She worked during the day and attended classes in the evening. She had to exercise superior devotion, not simply to graduate but to prove that she --- and all women --- could survive and excel in the legal profession. As the lone woman and valedictorian of her graduating class, she demonstrated a combination of ability and passion surpassing all her classmates. That, among her many other virtues, will stand out as her legacy not only to me, but to the students she taught over the course of her 40 years teaching at Suffolk.

I know that this has been awkward to read, and seemingly out of place. But this site is dedicated to progressive political and social change. Personally, my devotion to this topic is in part a response to Catherine's steadfast belief that men and women ought to be given equal opportunity to succeed in whatever endeavor they chose. She counseled all of her students, but she seemed to both push and advise her female and minority students with fervor --- acknowledging that they had a tougher road but that it was neither impossible nor a waste of time. And not only did she believe that, she lived it each day of her life.