GOP Gets 'em Loaded and takes their money

Thanks to the hardworking sleuth at Kerry Healey out of Touch for this tidbit. Turns out Republican State Committee Member Matthew Sisk, (one of the Republican candidates who was part of the GOP's $3 million failure to capture legislative seats in '04) was arrested earlier this month for drunk driving. And there's more--he was coming home from a KERRY HEALEY FUNDRAISER!!! You cannot make this stuff up. By the way, Sisk has contributed $800 to our lieutenant governor.

Romney-Healey Game Time...thanks to SEIU

SEIU has hit the nail on the head with its new Romney-Healey game show ad. This is exactly the sort of stuff that proves just how ineffective and disengaged this administration has been. Mitt Romney and Kerry Healey have done virtually nothing for the people of Massachusetts, though they have been wildly succesful at keeping jobs out of Massachusetts. Nice job, guys! The ad also specifically notes Kerry Healey's astonishing lack of accomplishment since taking office more than three years ago.

Romney: the Truth is Not my Strong Suit

Does anyone else find this bit in today's Globe story odd?

"Romney and O'Malley offer somewhat different descriptions of their relationship and how the governor decided to come to Rome. Romney, through his spokesman, describes the archbishop as a friend and says the archbishop invited him to Rome; O'Malley, in an interview, described the governor as an acquaintance and says he invited no one to Rome other than his relatives. 'I've met him a couple of times -- don't know him well -- but he's always been very gracious,' O'Malley said."

Maybe it's me, but I am inclined to believe O'Malley in this case. Maybe we should all start calling Mitt Romney a "friend." Then we might actually get him to show up in Massachusetts once in a while.

Guest Blog Here!

As suggested by the attendees at last weekend's DCI, we have added a way for Democrats to start their own dicussions on the MDP blog. Click here or sign up under the "Links" section on the right-hand side of the page.
As we work on other new features,we look forward to hearing from you!

Hillman stuck in the Stone Age?

Unbelievable. According to today's Boston Globe and Boston Herald, Reed Hillman, Kerry Healey's pick for lieutenant governor believes women should be taken off the job for being pregnant. As head of the State Police in 1997, Hillman instituted a policy that resulted in a lawsuit by four female troopers who said the policy was clear discrimination. From today's Herald:

The suit stemmed from a controversial policy put in place on Hillman’s watch that required pregnant women to pass a “task test” to prove they could do the job. The test included roping a large animal, shoveling snow and mowing the barracks lawn

Does anyone else find this ridiculous? In the end, the four women won their suit and a million dollars. Additionally, the Globe notes, that same year under Hillman, the State Police agreed to a secret $290,000 payment to a female trooper who said she was raped by a male trooper at the State House.

Is this the kind of guy we want setting policy for this state?

Post-DCI Wrap-up

We here at Party HQ are still catching our breaths, but before things get busy again, I want to thank everyone who attended this weekend's Democratic Campaign Institute. Over 200 people participated in the seminars, and feedback has been great! Thanks goes out as well to our presenters and sponsors who made this DCI one of the best.
You can read more about the DCI from some of the attendees.
I got a ton of great suggestions during Sunday's Politics on the Web seminar (thanks to Dave from Blue Mass and our very own Jay Cincotti) and wanted to let you all know that we are working on adding a link to this blog site that will allow registered Dems to become "Guest Bloggers." Look for that later this week. You can read more about that session thanks to the live blogging done by Mariposa at Beyond 495.

Thanks again to everyone and I would love to hear the thoughts of those who attended! What did you like? What would you suggest for future DCIs?

Update

Mihos is running as an I.

Impressions from Today's Gubernatorial Forum

I just got back from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council's Gubernatorial Forum in Cambridge where Tom Reilly, Deval Patrick, Kerry Healey and Christy Mihos presented their views on the biotech industry, economic stimulus and various other issues. Reilly and Patrick both shared their personal stories about growing up and delved a bit into how they would work with leaders of the biotech field as governor. While perhaps not the sexiest of topics to an audience outside the industry, both suggested they would oppose drug price controls and would like to see the process of permitting streamlined to make it easier for companies to do business in Massachusetts.
Kerry Healey showed up late and then proceeded to tell the industry leaders during the first half of her speech all about their industry. She also told the group, "Government is not the center of job creation, businesses are." True, businesses are the actual, physical job creators. But last time I checked, this administration was failing miserably at job creation. Businesses need the support of government in order to prosper. Without the proper support, as evidenced by this administration, we are doomed to continue to lag the nation in job recovery.
Asked whether she would pledge to attend the national biotech conferences each year as Romney has done, Healey joked, "If you manage to get me elected governor, I will attend any meeting you want me to." Atta girl, way to pander.
As for Mihos, the media was interested in one thing: (R) or (I)? Word is that he is expected to decide Thursday whether he will run as a Republican or Independent.