Holman

A stunning blow of a court ruling deserves a strong response. We have that in a measure introduced late Wednesday by Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) to counter last week’s U.S. Supreme Court campaign finance ruling. In a powerful rejoinder to a court decision that allows corporations to spend unlimited money on pet political causes and candidates, Capuano has introduced legislation that requires CEOs to receive shareholder approval for each and every corporate political expenditure. Public Citizen enthusiastically supports Capuano’s “Shareholder Protection Act” and applauds his initiative in working to rein in the damage the court is causing by unleashing unlimited corporate spending in politics.

Last week, the court reversed 100 years of political tradition and ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations are “persons” under the First Amendment, entitled to spend unlimited amounts of corporate treasury funds to support or attack candidates. Never mind that corporations are not people, do not vote and were never envisioned by the Founding Fathers as “persons” under the Constitution. Five justices have taken it upon themselves to give corporations the same constitutional rights given to human beings.

The courts have held that one of those rights is to spend unlimited amounts of your own money in politics. The problem with granting this right to corporations is that the CEOs can spend unlimited amounts of other people’s money – money from shareholders. This means money from the 401(k) retirement accounts of millions of Americans.

Capuano’s legislation requires that these CEOs fully inform shareholders of candidates and causes to be supported or opposed, and receive shareholder approval for any political expenditure. All shareholders would get a chance to vote; board members and retirement fund managers could not simply vote secretly on their behalf.

The Shareholder Protection Act will not solve all the problems of unlimited corporate political spending, but it could go a long way toward reducing the damage to our democracy inflicted by the court. We need other tools from the toolbox, though, including public financing of elections and, ultimately, a constitutional amendment clarifying that for-profit corporations are not entitled to the speech protections afforded under the First Amendment.

Note: On the day the Citizens United decision was announced, Public Citizen launched a petition drive for a constitutional amendment to counter the ruling. Already, more than 23,000 people have signed. See http://www.DontGetRolled.org for more details. In addition, Public Citizen attorney Scott Nelson was part of the legal team representing former and current lawmakers in the Citizens United case.

Craig Holman is the government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen.

We’ll know in less than 12 hours…….

Note: I am reminded that Mass. has never had a female Governor or Senator elected……

We’ll know in less than 12 hours…….

Note: I am reminded that Mass. has never had a female Governor or Senator elected……

But all running in today’s Democratic Senatorial Primary–Michael Capuano, Martha Coakley,   Alan  Khazei,  and Steve Pagliuca –have great backgrounds and are outstanding progressive candidates.

Khazei, a Harvard grad, founded the grassroots nonprofit City Year; Pagliuca, a Celtics co-owner,  built a lucrative career in business consulting; Coakley and Capuano are both established public servants–with Coakley elected to Massachusetts Attorney General, and Capuano having spent years as Somerville’s mayor.  

 All  favor abortion rights (against the Catholic Church of which all but Pagliuca–an Episcopalian– not that I care)  are members). All favor the Obama health insurance legislation–tho Coakley and Capuano have said they’d vote against any bill ruling out out abortion funding. 

On last Monday’s Greater Boston, on Channel 2, host  Emily Rooney struggled to get the candidates to differentiate their positions on major issues.  

Capuano seemed most adamantly opposed to prolonging the war in Afghanistan, suggesting that the American mission there, of routing out Al Khaida terrorists, has been accomplished.

Khazei tried to articulate a complex program of economic reform.

Pagliuca focused on the need for  job creation but had difficulty, when grilled, about whether he had suffered as a result of the current recession (I don’t understand why he was singled out on this point, when everyone already knows he’s a successful businessman). .

Coakley has made it clear that she’s a peoples’ candidate–who would readily take on Wall Street cheats. She  came out well when her economic acumen was called into question. (Supposedly, she has only $12,000 in savings–she explained that always been a public servant who is not in it for the money but she’s not stupid;  her funds must be in trust or in the name of her husband, who is a retired Cambridge cop). .

So–how are we to choose? If  not by positions on the issues, is it by background, knowledge, personality or style?

Khazei comes across as earnest, softspoken, a nice guy, smart, well-reasoned, a Harvard grad with nonprofit background, who, from my perspective, also seems  amateurish, and a little bit of an “itch.” (Whose idea was that TV ad featuring babies with adult voices in which Khazei evidently changes a diaper, then holds it up saying, “Someone’s got to clean up the mess in Washington?” Gross!)

Pagliuca is smart, but does not seem comfortable or convincing in his  proposed political role. (There’s that strange ad in which he says he really wanted to be a teacher but by somehow–by mistake?– fell into a lucrative career in business consulting).  I believe he understands the economy and would do well in a position that involved creating businesses and jobs– but that he’d  face a large learning curve  on the national, policymaking  stage.

Capuano is impressive, brilliant, outspoken, in an up-by-the bootstraps sort of way. His ads are geared toward an ultra-liberal, antiwar audience of  Cambridge/Somerville liberals–but do they address the concerns of others across the state?

At the start of Greater Boston, I was in his camp–but when he called Pagliuca  on the carpet, saying   “Steve, you have to read the bill,”  he seemed like an arrogant know-it-all with a humiliating style. While some believe his feisty manner would bring fresh air into a Senate filled with windbags,  I question whether he has the respect for others and the statesmanship needed to get things done.

That Monday night, Coakley hung back, listening, staying out of the fray, coming in to sum up, makin intelligent points. She’s been an elected official, taken unpopular stands. I disagree with her vow to vote against health reform legislation that includes an abortion ban, but believe she’s got much needed practical, statewide experience in enforcing laws, and in taking difficult stands.   I find her ads about growing up in Western MA  tasteful and convincing, and those who know her say she has a firm, but compassionate hand.

I’ve not studied the Republican field because it’s so clear that one of the above will certainly win–and, given the similarity of the Democrats positions on the issues,  I’d be happy with any of them.

In voting, this time around,  I’ll be deciding based on which candidate has the background and talent to hit the ground running–to effectively translate ideas into action with credibility and sophistication at a time when so many major issues are at stake.

The polls are about to open– gotta go.  Coakley’s got vote.

After discovering the Coakley sign in my front yard, I emailed the rest of the house about this (and explained that if they did it, I would be fine with it), and noone said they did it — and I believe them since they are a pretty apolitical bunch.

So the question remains – who did it?  I’m the only one on my street with a Capuano sign in my yard…and now am the only one with with both signs.  An odd occurrence?  Or could it be that the Coakley campaign is deliberately targeting my house on the block?  If so, this is a great way to annoy voters, especially right before the primary election.  I’ll post photos when I go home tonight.

first, Capuano’s “Never”:

Pro: Tough, hard-hitting spot on the efficacy of sending additional troops to Afghanistan.  Capuano says without an understanding of the mission, he would “never” vote for more soldiers in the country.  Nice tie to his vote to the Iraq war.

Con: Casual viewers may infer from this ad says Capuano doesn’t support the military.

Instajudgment:  Toughest spot of the season (less than 30 days to primary!)  May alienate some people, but stakes out a chunk of intellectual territory not yet held by any of the other candidates.

Alan Khazei has an ad too, entitled “Believe”:

Pro: Pleasant spot about how Khazei created City Year and “created 15,000 jobs.” But you knew that already, right?

Con: The question is more whether the jobs he created were well-paying — I’m under the impression they were overwhelming low-paying ones for younger folks…not the individuals who are going to vote in this election.

Instajudgment:  Feh.  It doesn’t cut through the clutter that’s usually on TV.  Then again, Khazei would do well to re-cut Elizabeth Shue’s endorsement.

Because of the strange timing of this election – after Thanksgiving – Massachusetts does allow on the spot absentee voting.

So, if you are going home to Massachusetts for the holiday, you just have to stop by your town hall or city clerks office and you can fill out your absentee ballot right there and then. No hassle with the post office or anything. Just don’t go on Thanksgiving Day, the office will be closed.

Massachusetts Senate candidates Steve Pagliuca, Michael Capuano, Martha Coakley and Alan Khazei have a photo-op at a debate at UMass Boston in October.

There are six candidates running for the senate seat left vacant by the death of Massachusetts statesman Ted Kennedy. Probably only two, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Congressman Michael Capuano, have any real chance of being sent to Washington by the people of the Commonwealth.

Coakley may be the likeliest of the politicians in the field to reach the Senate. She is considered tough, tact, and a moderate Democrat with slightly left-of-center positions in a state that values both progressivism and not appearing to be too radical. She is Catholic, she is a prosecutor with a lengthy record of winning cases, and, maybe most of all, she is a woman in a state as notorious for its old boys’ club as any.  With that said, though, Coakley has no experience as a policy maker or legislator, she has only prosecuted cases in her public career.

Capuano presents something of same-ole’, same-ole’ for Massachusetts politics. He is a solid blue Democrat, he supports the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, favors making green energy and bio-development and research key factors in reshaping Massachusetts’ economy, he takes few stances on values issues, meaning he will not stand in the way of many personal freedoms in a state which strongly values personal choices, he favors a carbon emissions tax, and he stresses that he is carrying on Sen. Kennedy’s legacy (somehow). He is also fits into a perennial Massachusetts narrative; claiming to be a blue-collar boy from the tough streets of Somerville when he actually went to Belmont Hill and Harvard. Oh well.

Capuano and Coakley are the two leaders. Fellow Democrats Alan Khazei and Steve Pagliuca are way to the back. Khazei is a genuinely noble man, which makes his chances of being elected to high offices slim to none. He is honest with his constituents, he takes no money from any lobbies or interest groups, only accepting donations from citizens. He is not a plutocrat or executive, he has spent his life founding and operating charities and community-based social activism groups. In short, he is a very decent person who wants to drastically reframe how politics are run, and this is why he will be mercilessly slaughtered by all of those more powerful interests, who will paint him as far out and probably hurl personal invective at him. Khazei is the founder of CityYear, a charity which sends young people to do volunteer work for a year in cities around the East Coast and in exchange covers their living expenses. He would like to create something of a charity GI bill, giving students $15,000 a year for college education if they give a year of public service to the country. This probably won’t happen, it would divert people from the army. He wants to vastly expand wind and solar energy, he wants to tax people who retain their so-called Cadillac health-care plans, premium health insurance packages which others cannot afford, and use those revenues to enhance the health care provided to those who cannot buy their own. This will be ridiculed as attacking the rich, some socialist conspiracy to destroy profit. He would like to create what he calls an energy NIH, pooling the resources of universities and think tanks to devise strategies to combat climate change and develop new possibilities for energy. In short he is something of a European politician, and while Massachusetts may have a reputation for being bluer-than-blue, it will not send someone to the Senate who is relentlessly cast as a rabid lefty. 

Pagliuca is fairly clueless, and it is obvious he has taken his positions from what his advisors hand him on sticky notes. He is a career business man who was former (Republican) governor Mitt Romney’s partner at their hedge fund management firm. He attempts to sell himself as the business expert in the race, but all of his positions are closer to Khazei and Capuano’s than to either of the Republican candidates. He also makes use of the irritating habit of relating his plans for Massachusetts to how the Celtics, which he part owns, are operated, he wants to win the NBA finals for Massachusetts. Pagliuca is clearly the most self-serving candidate at least in the Democratic field, and he has no idea what he is doing in this race. Good luck to him.

Of the Republican candidates, who will not win because a Republican cannot win a Senate seat from Massachusetts, Scott Brown is the likely front-runner, and Jack E. Robinson, who has run in every senate and gubernatorial race in Massachusetts since the 1990s, is something of the wildcard joker in the field. Brown is a conventional values / business Republican. He says the stimulus bill killed industry and crippled our economy by raising taxes and hurting spending power. He says Massachusetts current health-care system is perfectly operational and that the people of the Bay State should oppose any public option health-care plan. What he fails to consider, however, within that, is that Massachusetts’ plan just forces citizens to buy some kind of private insurance, it does nothing to lower those costs or to keep the price of health-care low enough that citizens can afford it. It was actually passed by Mitt Romney, and is really something of a sweetheart bailout for Mass insurance companies, who get huge benefits from their state’s entire citizenry being required to buy their product (imagine a bill that said everyone had to have cellphones, AT&T and Sprint would love it). Brown consistently refers back to his military experience, and is making his stance that the US should increase or at least maintain its troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan “or we will have to go back in 10-15 years.” 

Robinson is zany and witty, but he stands no chance. He is a rich businessman, and while he has his own ideas, he favors a scaled-back public option with a prescription card and an emergency room access card, opposes the stimulus but not necessarily in all forms, favors expanding nuclear power for its low cost and its ability to generate. He is an interesting guy, he is honest, sort of, but he’s also a bit of a joker and really the most unqualified candidate along with Pagliuca. Actually, they’re pretty similar, rich businessman who figured screw it, I’ll run for senate and see what happens. 

While I can’t take positions in my capacity as a journalist, I want to take this time to personally endorse Alan Khazei, although it will do no good. Khazei wants his campaign to be a return of power to the people. He really does. He wants citizens giving him input and suggestions, he will take his rallies wherever people say they want to hear what he has to say. His policies are incredibly reasoned and sensible. He really wants to level the playing field, and while he might not be the free market’s ideal candidate, he should be the average person’s political hero. His campaign is grassroots, it is run solely by people and not corporations or party organizations. He wants to reverse cuts in public education spending, wants universal health care, wants to reconsider America’s role as a military superpower and make the country more of a diplomatic, dialogic leader. In short, he is not the machismo based gung-ho truck-driving have a beer candidate, he’s the candidate who actually considers and understands the implications of America’s actions and takes them extremely seriously. Alan Khazei is a really good guy who really cares about the fate of the people, and that’s why he will probably get ripped apart by everyone who runs on false pretenses and will then do the bidding of the interests that got them elected. Khazei is in no one’s back pocket, and that’s why he probably lacks the logistics to win. 

Coakley or Capuano will win, it will be sort of politics as usual, it is sort of a lesser of two evils situation, depending on which one you consider more or less evil. I will probably take Capuano of the two, he’s a little less hard-core and a little bit more of a pragmatic politician, who, at the senate forum at UMass Amherst that I had the opportunity to attend, stressed his ability to make political bargains and to work on both sides of the aisle, so I do believe he understands the actual workings of America’s political process, where Coakley has never served in any political capacity, let alone a national one.

First – Mike Capuano’s spot:

Pro: The ad touches on the issue (jobs) that are important to most voters here, much more so than other advertisements (i.e. Pagliuca’s 30 spots.)  He ties it in much more to the ability of elected officials to bring home federal dollars – a main theme in his campaign.  He says he’s “delivered those funds”, while tying it to the other Democrats – Sens. Kerry and Kennedy.

Con: not sure whether this is a ‘con’, but my wife mentioned that he has a really thick Somerville accent, which might be off-putting to some voters out in Western Mass.  I say it gives him character.

Instajudgment: I like this ad – we’ve moved past the biography spots, and now getting into the core issues of the campaign.  This was the first spot I saw on television (on “Meet the Press”) from the Capuano campaign, unlike the 24/7 bombardment by Team Pagliuca.

Martha Coakley released her first television spot as well, entitled “Jane”.

Pro: Slick first advertisement.  AG Coakley looks strong and determined, but not off-putting or aggressive that might be a turn-off to undecided voters.  I liked the ‘bookend’ nature of the ad, where “Jane” makes the pitch for Coakley, instead of the candidate herself.  She also has a soothing voice in this spot.

Con: Coakley’s stances (“we need a strong public option” and “coverage, even if you have a preexisting condition”) are identical to all the other candidates.  What differentiates her from the pack?

Instajudgment: Despite the identical POV in this ad to the others, this is a strong spot out of the gate.  I’m surprised the Coakley folks didn’t release any “bio” ads, since many of the folks I’ve talked to more or less express the same opinion:  “She seems nice, but I don’t know anything about her.”

Rep. Michael E. Capuano raised $343,000 last month and transferred $1.2 million from his U.S. House reelection account to his Senate campaign. Contributions to Capuano from individuals totaled $306,536 .96 and political action committees and party committees gave $32,500. He ended September with $1,167,906 in his campaign fund.

Alan Khazei raised $1.1 million in September without receiving any funds from political action committees, according to his report filed with the Federal Election Commission. The Khazei campaign finished the period that ended Sept, 30 with $1,040,297 in his campaign treasury.

Coakley’s campaign raised $2,181,231—with only $41,450 coming from political action committees—and ended September with $1,953,512 in her campaign fund, according to her filing with the commission. Campaign spokesman Mathew Helman said Coakley had a wide range of individual contributors, including 3,707 who gave $100 or less.

“I am humbled by this display of support shown by our contributors and volunteers throughout Massachusetts and across the country,” Coakley said in a press release. “We more than doubled our fundraising goals for the month of September.”

Doug Roscoe, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, said, “Realistically, the latest numbers show the Coakley, Capuano and Khazei campaigns all about equally armed for battle.”

He noted that none of the candidates came close to the numbers raised by candidates for statewide office in 2006, when Deval Patrick spent $8 million and Kerry Healey spent over $13 million in their campaigns for governor.

Since time is limited for the special election, which will be Jan. 19, it is not likely that the candidates will raise comparable amounts, according to Roscoe. “It means they are all about equally distant from having the resources to run a true statewide campaign,” he said.

Roscoe emphasized that Capuano as a House candidate had the opportunity to transfer money from his House campaign account. “These transfers represent 78 percent of his total receipts,” he said.

Coakley, however, was not legally allowed to transfer campaign funds she raised in her successful race for state attorney general to her U.S. Senate race account.

Roscoe does not consider it surprising that while Capuano was financially in a more advantaged position at the beginning, Coakley has been more successful in raising money for her campaign. She has “greater name recognition and a broader network of prior donors,” he said.

“If both candidates maintain their current pace of fundraising, Coakley’s financial edge will only grow and may become a significant advantage for her in the Dec. 8 primary,” Roscoe said.

Jennifer Duffy, senior editor at the Cook Political Report, also agreed that the Coakley campaign did really well during this short period of fundraising. Although Coakley lacked experience in raising money nationally, the funds she raised and the wise way she spent are “stunning,” Duffy said.

Duffy said that the amount Khazei raised is “pretty impressive” and that he is likely to continue raising more funds than Capuano because of his broader base of donors all around the country.

Duffy said that with only six weeks to the primary, there has not been enough interaction between candidates. “Perhaps it’s a sign of how much work they need to do to build name recognition and define themselves,” she said.

With statewide name recognition and a well-funded campaign, “Coakley is the candidate to beat,” Duffy said.

Read the story here New Bedford Standard Times

Also, the associated article has at least one hilarious quote from the Congressman:

No one’s ever called Capuano shy and retiring. He’s a pugnacious former five-term mayor proud of his blue-collar roots in Somerville, just outside Boston.

When top bankers whose firms took billions of dollars in government bailout money showed up on Capitol Hill at the height of the financial meltdown, Capuano pounced. “You come to us today on your bicycles after buying Girl Scout cookies and helping out Mother Teresa, telling us we’re sorry, we didn’t mean it, we won’t do it again, trust us,” mocked Capuano.

“I have some people in my constituency who actually robbed some of your banks. And they say the same thing. They’re sorry. They didn’t mean it. They won’t do it again. Just let them out.”

MTA president Anne Wass cited Capuano’s “strong pro-education track record along with a deep understanding of the challenges facing urban public schools” as key factors in the decision to recommend him…the decision was made by a standing committee elected by union members.

Obviously, when you get the endorsement of the largest Union in your state, this is a big deal.

Those who have followed this blog know that I’ve come out in favor of Steve Pagliuca.  But you also that I’m not an ideologue and I’m more interested in the individual than the posturing.  So let me try to give you an objective assessment of the forum.  The format was that each candidate was brought on stage separately (it was not a debate) and they were questioned for 20 minutes by two moderators.  After the questioning the candidates were given five minutes to make a closing statement.  Here’s my assessment of the candidates in the order they were presented:

Steve Pagliuca.  Steve is anything but a politician and it shows in his delivery.  It’s not that he was terribly uncomfortable on a stage but it was clear he was more accustomed to arguing his case in front of business colleagues than creating excitement about his positions.  But he held up well and he made some very specific recommendations with regards to helping the Massachusetts economy.  My confidence in his ability to make good decisions for both the Commonwealth (of Massachusetts) and the country – particularly as it relates to economic issues – was reinforced.

Martha Coakley.  Ouch.  This is the person who has raised the most money and is the purported front runner?  She is without question a one issue candidate.  And the issue – civil rights – is not the the most pressing issue of our time.  Indeed, she had little of use to say about the economy or global conflict.  I came away with one thought – maybe I should start an “anybody but Martha” campaign instead of supporting a specific candidate.

Mike Capuano.  I liked Mike.  He was probably the most personable of the candidates.  And, very uncharacteristically for a politician, he admitted his mistakes.  Unfortunately, two of the mistakes got us into the mess we’re in today.  He voted for one of the derivatives deregulation laws and he voted for legislation to loosen mortgage lending rules.  In other words, he exposed himself as the worst kind of liberal – one that takes a strong ideological stand but doesn’t necessarily understand the broader implications of his votes.  But he knows how to warm an audience.

Alan Khazei.  Wow!  It wasn’t a debate but he still won.  He was without a doubt the most passionate, most articulate speaker.  And he was the most specific in his policy prescriptions.  I really liked his view and prescriptions for the healthcare crisis.  He was the only one who specifically noted that healthcare reform required tort reform.  And he also made reference to the need for better approach to prevention.  He gets it.  I need to understand more about his other positions but he has definitely piqued my interest.  If the vote was held right after the forum I might have voted for him.

There really wasn’t a lot to distinguish the candidates from an ideological perspective.  They were all liberal Democrats.  But there was a difference in their backgrounds and accomplishments.  The two outsiders – Pagliuca and Khazei – we’re highly accomplished in different, but both impressive, ways.  The two insiders – Coakley and Capuano – were your typical political class candidates.  You got the feeling that their quest was akin to coporate insiders reaching for the next rung in the ladder (although I can’t help feeling that Coakley has reached her ceiling as Massachusetts Attorney General).

If you were planning to vote in the primary then you owe it to yourself and your fellow citizens to learn more about the candidates.  If you weren’t going to vote you might want to reconsider your position.   It’s a political race that counts.

…He was also endorsed by Worcester County Sheriff Guy Glodis, State Senator Richard Moore, State Rep. Jennifer M. Callahan, State Rep. Jim O’Day, State Rep. Geraldo Alicea and State Rep. Robert Spellane.

“As our next U.S. Senator, Mike Capuano will continue to effectively serve all Massachusetts residents and fight for the progressive ideals we share,” stated Congressman McGovern. “I have been proud to call Congressman Capuano a friend and colleague. Mike has worked closely with me and other members of the Massachusetts delegation on so many important issues, including a public option in health care reform and opposing the Iraq War.”

This is a major endorsement, since McGovern and Glodis are real heavy hitters in the mid-section of the state, where Capuano probably doesn’t have a lot of name recognition.  If these folks campaign –hard– with him, Capuano has a real shot of wresting mid-Massachusetts into his column.

Probabili formazioni

Bari (4-4-2): Gillet; A. Masiello, Ranocchia, Bonucci, S. Masiello; Rivas, Donati, Gazzi, Langella; Kutuzov, Barreto. All.: Ventura
A disposizione: Padelli, Diamoutene, Alvarez, Almiron, Stellini, De Vezze, Meggiorini

Squalificati: nessuno

Indisponibili: Parisi, Donda, Paro, Koman, Allegretti, Sforzini, Yago

Catania (4-3-1-2): Andujar; Bellusci, Silvestre, Spolli, Marchese; Biagianti, Izco , Pesce; Ricchiuti; Mascara, Morimoto. All.: Atzori
A disposizione: Campagnolo, Augustyn, Moretti, Donnarumma, Llama, Ledesma, Plasmati.

Squalificati: Capuano, Delvecchio, Potenza

Indisponibili: Barrientos, Alvarez, Sciacca, Martinez.

Il Calcio Catania vicino alle famiglie messinesi

Il Presidente Antonino Pulvirenti e l’Amministratore Delegato Pietro Lo Monaco, unitamente a dirigenti, tecnici, atleti e collaboratori della società Calcio Catania S.p.A., esprimono il loro cordoglio per le vittime e i dispersi dell’alluvione verificatosi la scorsa notte nel messinese. Nella gara di sabato, contro il Bari, la squadra rossazzurra scenderà in campo con il lutto al braccio in segno di solidarietà per le famiglie messinesi. (Comunicato ufficiale Calcio Catania)

Radiocronaca Bari-Catania diretta Radio SIS

Diretta streaming Bari-Catania
(selezionare il canale desiderato, se necessario installare il relativo software)

Pro: First intro ad out of the gate.  Hits the major lib/dem topics, reminds viewers of how bad Bush was/how good Ted Kennedy was

Con: Forgettable, cookie-cutter ad.  My guess is that this spot recycled from previous campaigns.  Not a fan of the dark blue shirt with an oxford collar/weird dark red tie.

Instajudgment: Kudos to Capuano for releasing the ad before he even announced his candidacy. Given that his website doesn’t even have a telephone number/contact info on it (suggesting he doesn’t have his ground game even marginally organized) it nevertheless indicates he has some decent cash-on-hand. The much better-organized & staffed Martha Coakley campaign has yet to air any ads, even on the internet, so Capuano has made an attempt to seize the high ground.

Grade: Å 1/2 (out of 5)

Daniel Pipes has a detailed time line of the mosque’s controversial history.

In 2002, the Boston Redevelopment Authority,sold the 1.9-acre lot to the Islamic Society of Boston for a mere $175,000.

One year later, the Boston Herald ran a two-part investigative series on the planned mosque and its ties to terrorist groups and sympathizers. The Herald revealed the Islamic Society of Boston’s ties to following individuals:  (credit Pipes)

• Yusuf Abdullah al-Qaradawi, the Egyptian Islamist whose outspoken backing for Hamas led the Department of State to bar him from entering the United States in 1999

• Abdurahman Alamoudi, the American Islamist recently arrested on terrorism-related charges (on him, see “United States of America v. Abdurahman Muhammad Alamoudi“) who in the past has publicly supported Hamas, Hizbullah, and other terrorist organizations.

• Osama M. Kandil, the Islamic Society of Boston’s leader for over a decade. Turns out that in addition being a former instructor at Harvard Medical School and the founder and chairman of an Egyptian pharmaceutical company, Biopharm Group, he is also associated with the notorious Safa group of Saudi businesses and “charities” headquartered outside Washington, D.C. and was a founding director of the Muslim Arab Youth Association, one of the most radical Islamist organizations in the United States.

The Herald expose was only the beginning.  Read the time line and be prepared to be outraged.

Teatro per bambini a cura di Teatro Piccione

Organizzazione: ANPI ARCI CGIL LEGACOOP

25 aprile
H 21.30 ZULU’ e ENRICO CAPUANO

26 Aprile
H 21.30 MODENA CITY RAMBLERS
In collaborazione con Comune di Genova e LIBERA

Giardini di Villa Bombrini
Via Muratori 9 , Cornigliano
Genova, Italy