So I want to give a shout out to Liberty Equality Fraternity and Trees for pointing something out. She recently did a diary about how newspapers the brutally scrutinize candidates' records end up getting endorsed by the same newspapers. For example the Detroit Free Press's endorsement of Governor Rick Snyder (R. MI):
http://www.freep.com/...
Snyder, the Republican incumbent, promised a pragmatic approach to the state's problems and delivered — except when he was caving to radical elements of the GOP-led Legislature or going back on his word about transparency.
Schauer says he'll shape state government according to the progressive values the Free Press Editorial Board believes are embedded in Michigan's DNA — expansion of civil rights, protections for workers, environmental stewardship, plus investment in schools, roads and the social safety net.
But only one candidate could bring his agenda into practical, achievable focus. And so by the narrowest of margins, with keen reservations, the Free Press endorses RICK SNYDER for a second, four-year term as Michigan's governor.
If Snyder's economic reform isn't an unqualified success, nor is it an unmitigated disaster. Michigan's not adding jobs in record numbers, but it has stopped losing ground. State government is fiscally sound.
And it's impossible to overstate Snyder's role in Detroit's nascent financial recovery. There's a palpable sense of optimism about the city these days, a marked change from the pervasive sense of impending financial ruin that has characterized Detroit for the last decade or more.
The decision to guide Detroit into municipal bankruptcy was a rare instance of strong, decisive leadership from our self-described nerd governor, and — because of the strong, historic relationship between the Democratic Party and labor unions — it's the kind of necessary decision-making that we cannot imagine a Democratic governor offering.
And yet, Snyder's first term has been problematic in other ways. The governor balanced the budget at the expense of cities and school districts. His disdain for politics is inappropriate in the state's chief politician; his deficiencies as a deal-maker have sometimes resulted in terrible consequences for Michiganders. - Detroit Free Press, 10/26/14
Then the New York Times, which broke the story on Governor Andrew Cuomo's (D. NY) corruption charges ended up endorsing him for re-election:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
For nearly four years, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has used his formidable political skills to achieve major advances for New York. He pressured and ultimately persuaded some Republican legislators to allow same-sex marriage in the state in 2011. That provided momentum for marriage equality nationally and changed many lives for the better. At least 30,000 same-sex couples have celebrated legal marriages in the state since the law changed.
He pushed through the strongest gun-control measure in the country after the mass killing of schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn., in 2012. The new law expanded the ban on automatic weapons and big ammunition magazines and requires background checks for private gun sales, changes that are an improvement to public safety. Many voters upstate have anti-Cuomo bumper stickers and lawn signs registering their anger at the gun control bill. These are badges of political courage for Mr. Cuomo.
His budgets have been on time, and though his tax policies have favored the wealthy, he managed to get higher credit ratings for the state for the first time in decades.
While The Times’s editorial board chose not to make an endorsement in the Democratic primary in September, we recommend Mr. Cuomo for re-election on the basis of these achievements. His Republican challenger, Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive, does not have broad experience and, on many issues, is out of step with most New Yorkers and the needs of this state.
The decision not to endorse in the primary between Mr. Cuomo and his challenger, Zephyr Teachout, a national expert on political corruption and campaign reforms, reflected our disappointment with Mr. Cuomo’s failure to make good on his promise — made four years ago — to clean up Albany. It is our hope that, if Mr. Cuomo is elected to a second term, he will devote the next four years to achieving genuine, meaningful reform of Albany’s political culture, which remains mired in corruption. - New York Times, 10/20/14
Then there was the Chicago Sun-Times, a long time critic of Bruce Rauner (R. IL), deciding to get back in the endorsement game:
http://www.suntimes.com/...
Almost three years ago, we announced the Chicago Sun-Times would no longer endorse candidates in elections. But, as we announced yesterday, we will again endorse candidates, starting with the gubernatorial race.
This one contest, the race for governor, is simply too important to the future of Illinois for us to stay silent. It may well be the most important election in our state’s modern history. On Nov. 4, voters will decide if Illinois is to grow and charge ahead, reclaiming its place as one of the great states in the Union, or to settle — once and for all — for defeat and decline.
We do not exaggerate. The stakes are that high, and Illinois has just about run out of time for a comeback. We cannot stand on the sidelines.
Today we are endorsing Bruce Rauner for governor. Today we are putting our chips — we’re all in — on an extraordinarily capable businessman who just might have what it takes to break the stranglehold of uninspired, self-serving, one-party rule in Springfield. - Chicago Sun-Times, 10/17/14
And of course the most asinine endorsement of the year, The Denver Post's endorsement of Tea Party lunatic Cory Gardner (R. CO) for U.S. Senate:
http://www.denverpost.com/...
If Gardner's past is any guide, he would very likely match Bennet's influence in the upper chamber, providing Colorado with a powerful one-two punch and pairing two young, energetic senators with clout on both sides of the aisle.
If Gardner wins, of course, it could mean the Senate has flipped to Republicans. However, that doesn't mean it will simply butt heads with President Obama as the Republican House has done. As The Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib recently pointed out, "A look back shows that eras of evenly divided power — Congress fully controlled by one party, the presidency by the other — have turned out to be among the most productive" because both sides temper their policies.
By contrast, we can be sure of what will happen in the next two years on issues such as immigration, tax reform, entitlement reform and military spending if the status quo persists: little to nothing. And yet these issues are critical to the nation's economic health and a long-awaited boost for middle-class incomes.
Gardner has sound ideas on tax reform that could help the economy take off and has expressed willingness to compromise on immigration despite a fairly hard line over the years. And his stance on defense spending appears closer to those of Rep. Mike Coffman, who favors restraint, than to those in the GOP who view the military as sacrosanct.
If Gardner had been a cultural warrior throughout his career, we would hesitate to support him, because we strongly disagree with him on same-sex marriage and abortion rights. But in fact he has emphasized economic and energy issues (and was, for example, an early supporter among Republicans of renewable energy).
For that matter, his past views on same-sex marriage are becoming irrelevant now that the Supreme Court has let appeals court rulings stand and marriage equality appears unstoppable. And contrary to Udall's tedious refrain, Gardner's election would pose no threat to abortion rights. - Denver Post, 10/10/14
And now you can add the Boston Globe, the same paper that endorsed Senators Elizabeth Warren (D. MA) and Ed Markey (D. MA), is the latest offender by endorsing Charlie Baker (R. MA):
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
Effective activist government isn’t built on good intentions. To provide consistently good results, especially for the state’s most vulnerable and troubled residents, agencies need to focus on outcomes, learn from their errors, and preserve and replicate approaches that succeed. Baker, a former health care executive, has made a career of doing just that. During this campaign, he has focused principally on making state government work better. The emphasis is warranted. And in that spirit, the Globe endorses Charlie Baker for governor.
Baker splits from the national Republican Party on social issues such as abortion rights and same-sex marriage. The commitment he expresses to avoid raising taxes shouldn’t be mistaken for an allergy to the public sector; Baker spent the formative years of his career deep in the weeds of government — first as secretary of health and human services under Governor William Weld and then secretary of administration and finance under Weld and Governor Paul Cellucci. In those years, he learned how agencies work (or don’t) and how budgets are balanced (or not).
Subsequently, Baker led the turnaround of the once-troubled Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. It wasn’t a one-man operation. It involved some help from state officials, and some employees lost their jobs. But the overall outcome was beneficial: Despite difficult circumstances, an insurer that was near financial ruin became known as a top performer in its industry. The pitfalls that lurk in state government won’t be so readily fixed by a new CEO’s ministrations, but Baker’s guiding focus on customer outcomes was the right one — and hints at how he would handle the governor’s job.
The current gubernatorial contest also unfolds in the shadow of Deval Patrick, one of the more rhetorically gifted political leaders in recent Massachusetts history. A former US assistant attorney general and corporate lawyer, Patrick surprised the political establishment in 2006 and won the Democratic nomination and general election easily. Four years ago, he defeated Baker handily to win reelection. In both cases, Patrick’s stirring, inclusive message won over reform-minded, business-friendly voters as well as grass-roots progressives. That combination helped Patrick secure long-elusive reforms in public pensions and health care for municipal employees. It yielded a push for investments in renewable energy and the life sciences, and for an overhaul of the transportation bureaucracy, later accompanied by much-needed new funding.
Martha Coakley, the current attorney general, suggests she would follow a similar path — with less pizzazz than Patrick, to be sure, but with a more methodical approach. Her record shows both empathy and foresight: She was at the forefront of challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and she has steadfastly sought a legally defensible manner to protect women’s ability to seek abortion services without harassment.
Recent criticism from Baker notwithstanding, she rightly declined to settle a lawsuit brought by the group Children’s Rights, because she understood that doing so would have incurred legal fees better spent on improving services. Her office has been closely monitoring health care costs for years, an effort that culminated this year in an agreement with Partners HealthCare, the state’s largest and most powerful health provider. That deal would allow a controversial takeover of South Shore Hospital to go forward, in exchange for Partners’ submitting to limits, across its entire system, on its ability to raise prices. Partners’ competitors are deeply skeptical; quite tellingly, Coakley appears confident the state can muster the economic, medical, and regulatory brain power to monitor pricing and hold down costs in the complex health care industry for years into the future. - Boston Globe, 10/26/14
Now the same day that the Glob endorsed Baker, it also released a story about Baker's shady business practices:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
The month after he joined General Catalyst, Baker misstated his job title when he contributed $10,000 at a GOP fund-raiser held by New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie, in Boston. Baker identified himself as a “partner” of General Catalyst, though his job was executive-in-residence.
It was sloppy shorthand that would generate ethical questions for both his firm and his campaign.
Later that year, New Jersey invested $15 million in one of General Catalyst’s venture funds.
Questions arose last spring about whether Baker’s Christie donation violated New Jersey’s pay-to-play rules, which bar financial executives from making contributions that could influence politicians to direct money to their firms. The New Jersey state treasurer’s office opened an investigation of the matter; it remains ongoing.
Baker maintained that the pay-to-play regulations did not apply to him, because he was neither a decision maker at General Catalyst nor a registered investment professional. Though he made some recommendations about companies General Catalyst should invest in, he was not in charge of investment decisions.
He later said it was an error to have identified himself as a partner.
“I’m not part of the management hierarchy,” he said of his role at General Catalyst. “I’m not part of the team. I’m not even an employee.”
Yet his business relationship with General Catalyst is not as distant as he makes it sound.
To invest in a project with the partners, Baker created a separate investment vehicle with the principals of General Catalyst. He called it Baker’s Dozen, and listed five General Catalyst executives, including Cutler, as co-managers. (Baker later renamed the company CBDI Partners, in a twist on his initials, after deciding Baker’s Dozen was a “stupid name.”)
His payments from General Catalyst come through CBDI Partners. Any profits on the Oceans investment also would be paid through CBDI, he said.
General Catalyst declined to comment for this story. Baker took leave from the firm in August. For the second time, he gambled that his next career move could make him CEO of Massachusetts. - Boston Globe, 10/26/14
Yes, the Globe endorsed a man who's been running on his business record but is currently being hidden from the public thanks to America's favorite corrupt Governor:
http://njtoday.net/...
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, head of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), hasn’t shown up to campaign for the GOP candidate in Massachusetts, but he’s playing a big role in the hotly contested race.
Democrat Martha Coakley alleged that Republican Charlie Baker may have broken the law when he donated $10,000 to the New Jersey Republican Party months just before Christie’s administration gave his firm a state contract.
The target of a New Jersey pay-to-play investigation, Baker replied, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Questions surrounding Baker’s contribution have intensified this month because the Garden State treasurer’s office said it will not make public its review of the legality of GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker’s controversial donation to the New Jersey state GOP until after Massachusetts voters cast ballots in the gubernatorial election.
Christie — as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, which has spent millions supporting Baker — is accused of having an interest in delaying release of the six month long probe until after the election.
The organization poured another $1.8 million into a PAC supporting Baker and Christie has identified Baker as one of the keys to a GOP resurgence in New England states.
When the state announced the review this spring, officials said it would only take a few weeks to determine if Baker’s $10,000 donation to the New Jersey Republican party in 2011 was connected to a subsequent $15 million New Jersey pension fund investment with the Cambridge-based firm where Baker worked. - NJ Today, 10/24/14
And Christie's reasoning for doing this? There is no real reason:
http://fortune.com/...
Rather than directly replying, a (different) Treasury spokesman mistakenly included me on a forward to NJ Deputy State Treasurer Rob Romano, in which he wrote: “We just got this question from Fortune. Any thoughts on a response?”
Given that Treasury already had issued a statement about this matter to a local newspaper (and that the statement already had been published), why would my very basic question need to be forwarded to Romano? New information within the 24-hour gap? And why would it take nearly the entire business day to get a response, following which none of my subsequent phone calls were returned (including one to Romano)?
I’m sorry, but something smells rotten in Trenton. There is no justifiable explanation for why this “investigation” — which boils down to determining whether or not Charlie Baker meets a legal definition for “covered person” based on his job responsibilities — is still “ongoing.” To my knowledge, General Catalyst responded to information requests months ago. I certainly understand that state bureaucracy can create needless red tape, and that this may not be a top priority. But the process has now taken nearly twice as long as the OJ Simpson trial, and longer than NJ’s original due diligence on the General Catalyst opportunity.
To be clear, there is no evidence to suggest that political considerations played into New Jersey’s decision to invest with General Catalyst. The recommendation was made by professional investment staff, and all such recommendations in NJ are pre-screened by making sure the firm in question is top-quartile in its asset class. Nor do I believe that a finding against General Catalyst should disqualify Charlie Baker from the top job in Massachusetts. But it’s long past time for the NJ Treasury to present conclusions, or give a reasonable explanation for what’s taking so long. Perhaps, as a start, it could pick up the phone. - Fortune, 10/23/14
So again, why do respected newspapers like the Boston Globe endorse the same lousy scum bags that they scrutinize? Are they desperate to pick winners because they believe their endorsements really have that much of an impact on these elections? Or are they afraid to endorse the right candidates because they think they'll lose? Either way, these very newspapers need to be scrutinized for baking these types of candidates. Until then, lets prove them wrong. It's too early to write martha Coakley's (D. MA) political obituary, so click here to donate and get involved with with her campaign:
http://www.marthacoakley.com/
And while you're at it, click here to donate and get involved with Mark Scahuer (D. MI), Pat Quinn (D. IL) and Senator Mark Udall's (D. CO) campaigns:
http://markschauer.com/
https://www.quinnforillinois.com/...
http://markudall.com/