Cape Politics

Andrew Putnam announces Assembly of Delegates run [Politics]

Lifelong Falmouth resident, town meeting member

Wednesday, Andrew Putnam announced his run for Assembly of Delegates.  The Assembly of Delegates is the legislative branch of Barnstable County. Each of the fifteen towns of Cape Cod is represented in the Delegation. Delegates are elected by voters in their town to a two-year term.  Delegates of the 12th Session were elected in November of 2010.  Falmouth's current Delegate is Julie C. Taylor. To learn more about the Assembly of Delegates, click here. 

Watch Putnam's introduction video above and see the text below:

Hello, my name is Andrew Putnam. I would like to take a minute of your time to introduce myself.

I am a lifelong resident of Falmouth and a graduate of Falmouth High School. I am currently enrolled at Cape Cod community college. For the last 2 years I have served as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 9 and as Chairman of the Affirmative Action Committee.

Today I would like to inform you that I am running for the Assembly of Delegates in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

When I first mentioned my intentions to run, I was met with an interesting array of reactions. While many were positive, one of the most baffling was; "There's a County Government?" Even local journalists were confused as to why I had taken an interest in such a little known seat. My answer was simple; I believe that visibility and accessibility are important components to any political seat.

By utilizing visibility and accessibility, we gain access to the most vital part to any functioning form of government; Accountability.

There are few who realize the importance of our county government and the role it plays not only here on Cape Cod, but also in the town of Falmouth.

So it is my greatest hope no matter the outcome of this campaign that I will help bring to light and place in the minds of those who live in this great town that we can no longer afford to be complacent or silent. Through this campaign we will make the county government more visible and accountable. And should I be elected to this office, I can assure you I will be accessible.

So on November 6th, I ask for your vote to bring visibility, accessibility, and accountability to our County Government.

Which Cape Cod companies advertise on Rush Limbaugh? [Politics]

Back to the Bigot

Is Rush "the exception which proves the rule"?

By Walter Brooks

“Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians.”I hesitate to be critical of any business which advertises on any media that might help their business. Most readers assume I am fairly liberal, but I've often said that if I advertised anywhere it would be on FOX News so I could reach its conservative listeners since I assume most who agree with me may be already reading this.

If I had the budget I would advertise on both Bill Reilly and whatever MSNBC program was in the same hour to reach both ends of the political spectrum.

Still, Rush Limbaugh may be the exception which proves the rule.

Rush is the guy who said, “Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians.”

What brings this back in the news here on Cape Cod is the list sent to me last night of the local companies which still advertise on Limbaugh's radio program despite his latest bigoted incendiary comments about Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student who testified at a Congressional committee about women's health care. 

The conservative radio host sparked outrage when he called Fluke "a slut" and "a prostitute." He alleged that she was "having so much sex" that she couldn't afford contraception.

Here's the text of the email I received from Nanci Bucchianeri:

Hi Walter:
I made it thru a little of Rush’s show this afternoon and found the following local companies advertising on his program.  I personally will not visit these businesses but thought you might have interest in knowing them too.  Good to compile these every once in a while.

• Cape Cod Jewelers in Hyannis
• Cape Train - The Cape Cod Central Railroad
• Hyannis Honda
• Stonewood products (2 locations)
• Capital Payroll in Sandwich
  
• Coachlight Carpets in Centerville

Where & how to advertise

We should assume that some if not all on the list don't know it as many businesses use an ad agency to place their ads.I would, however, suggest using media which included both spectrum like CNN or even Cape Cod TODAY instead.Full disclosure

Nanci explained that she was listening to his show yesterday afternoon, and said I could quote her. She is so upfront she told me she is a registered Democrat living in Sandwich and helped with Democrat Lance Lambros’ campaign in 2010 which lost to Republican Randy Hunt. 

Nanci also plans on attending an event Thursday at Hemisphere Restaurant in Sandwich for Patrick Ellis who is running against Hunt this November. 

I think Joe Quigley's cartoon below explains it better than my words can.

Will the "Real" Mitt Romney please stand up [Politics]

   
(With thanks to Mike Bradley)

Santorum says Obama is better than Romney

Santorum suggested that the country may as well stick with President Barack Obama over Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney.

"If they're going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk of what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate for the future,” Santorum said at a campaign stop in Texas.... The Morning Call.

Holcomb announces candidacy for Yarmouth Board of Selectmen [Politics]

Currently serving as chair of the Yarmouth Finance Committee

Yarmouth Port resident Norman Holcomb recently announced that he will be running for the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen. Holcomb, the chairman of the Yarmouth Finance Committee will be seeking one of the two available seats during the May 15th town elections.  The terms of E. Suzanne McAuliffe and Erik Tolley end in 2012. Yarmouth selectmen are elected to three-year terms.

On his candidacy, Holcomb said, "Our Town must continue to offer low taxes, without override votes, while providing quality education to our children in a harmonious and financially stable relationship with our Dennis partners.  We must work to provide Town services that are within our means and which do not place unsustainable future burdens on our residents' shoulders. Yarmouth and Cape Cod are both natural and historic treasures of national significance. Our residents understand that legacy, and are already providing tax support for the preservation of our local historic and natural resources. We need to seek regional, state and national support to assist our efforts."

Holcomb, a retired CPA, is a UMASS graduate. Prior to serving two years on the Yarmouth Finance Committee, Holcomb served as a selectman in Killington, VT for nine years. He is a past president of the Killington-Pico Rotary and most recently sold a successful accounting business he established in 1999, according to a release.

Keating joins NOH8 campaign for marriage equality [Politics]

Congressman one of ten representatives to join campaign in February

Tenth District Congressman Bill Keating and fellow Massachusetts Representative Niki Tsongas (Fifth District) were two of ten representatives who joined the NOH8 campaign for marriage equality last month.

Created by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska and partner Jeff Parshley, the NOH8 campaign is a photographic silent protest and direct response to the passage of Proposition 8 in California. 

Since  the campaign began three years ago, subjects have been photographed with duct tape over their mouths symbolizing their voices being silenced by Proposition 8 and similar legislation and NOH8 painted on their cheek, according to the NOH8 website.

Over 20,000 people from all walks of life have participated in the photographic campaign including celebrities and politicians.

The NOH8 on the Hill photo shoot took place last month in Washington, DC.

Of the project, Congressman Keating said, "The reason why I support the NOH8 Campaign is simple: our country rests on the principle that all people are equal, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation."

"If we deny that fact, then we are no longer the Land of the Free. The most important freedom is the freedom to be the person you truly are and embrace the life you want to live.  And the ability to marry the person you love is a right, not a privilege.  It is my hope that members of our LGBT community – in particular LGBT youth – across the country and in Massachusetts feel our encouragement and support.  They are not alone.  I stand firmly behind them and the important message that NOH8 is spreading," Rep. Keating said.

Human Rights Campaign officially endorses Elizabeth Warren [Politics]

Nation's largest LGBT organization backs Brown's opponent

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) today endorsed Democrat Elizabeth Warren for the US Senatorial seat currently held by Republican Scott Brown. HRC is the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization.

Elizabeth Warren greets supporters on Cape Cod. Photo by Teresa Martin.“We enthusiastically endorse Elizabeth Warren for the United States Senate,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Massachusetts was the first state to make marriage equality a reality, yet the Bay State is represented by anti-equality incumbent Scott Brown.  It is time the people of Massachusetts are represented by a Senator who shares their values of fairness and equality.  Elizabeth Warren will be that Senator.”

Warren is a committed supporter of the LGBT community, according to HRC, unlike Scott Brown, who the organization calls "anti-equality".

“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign,” said Elizabeth Warren. “As a country we should stand for fairness and equality for all our people -- in employment, health benefits, educational experience, or spousal status. I am proud that Massachusetts has led the nation on equality issues, and it is time for the federal government to end the disparities and discrimination that LGBT people and their families face. I look forward to working with HRC to protect and promote fairness and equality.”

To learn more about the Human Rights Campaign, visit their website here.

Baby rights; Cartoonist meets subject [Politics]

Brown for keeping women "barefoot and pregnant" - Joins the war against women

Cartoonist meets Elizabeth Warren, "She loves my t-shirt"

By Joe Quigley

The Phoenix reports that "Brown is an animal." and the story behind the headline says, Scott Brown, Crazy Person. The senator joins the Republican cult against birth control. Scott Brown is, in many ways, a model of modern-day craziness. He denies global warming and Darwin's theory of evolution, so it is not surprising that by some flight of twisted logic he has come to see fit to restrict birth-control access. Wonder what his two daughters think of that.

She loved my t-shirt. We reminisced since I taught at her Alma Mater, NW Classen in Oklahoma City.The Massachusetts junior senator Scott Brown last week signed on to support a Republican initiative to nullify President Barack Obama's birth-control compromise, Brown joined the vast and growing right-wing war on women.

Brown's new arch-conservative position on birth control stands in contrast to the stance he took 10 years ago when, as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Brown favored legislation requiring all health-care providers to offer contraception coverage.

That law provided a narrow exclusion for churches or "church-controlled organizations," but it was benign when compared to the pending Republican anti-birth-control legislation. In fact, since 2002, Massachusetts has been operating under what is essentially the Obama compromise.

The GOP scheme would allow any business, not just those allied with a religion, to opt out of providing insurance coverage for birth control if the business deemed contraception to conflict with its moral or religious beliefs.

Democratic senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey has rightly called the Republican proposal an attempt to keep women "barefoot and pregnant"...

Read the rest of the Phoenix story here.

Elizabeth on the Cape--US Senate candidate meets with supporters and volunteers across Cape Cod

Elizabeth Warren does Cape-wide meets & greets, shows the face of an energetic and engaged campaigner

Photos and text by Teresa Martin

Our cartoonist Joe Quigley created a pin and a similar t-shirt for her visit.US Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren traveled the length of the Cape on Saturday, starting with a morning brunch in Falmouth, followed by a stop at the Democratic caucus in Dennis, a tour of Cape Air, a meet & greet at the Barnstable Senior Center, a visit to Truro and an end-of-day regrouping at the Hot Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans.

Warren, a law professor who hails from a middle class family in Oklahoma, co-directs the Bankruptcy Database Project at Harvard University and has been researching bankruptcy issues since the late 1980s. 

She led the charge to create the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new government watchdog for mortgages, credit cards, and other forms of lending. Her run for Senate has become a national story.

But it turns out she also has long Cape connections. Her husband Bruce's family goes back generations in Barnstable; the family's burial plot lies there. On the other side of the family, Warren's closest cousin and her husband lived in Orleans for several decades.

Barnstable Senior Center, Hyannis

Everywhere Warren went, hundreds of voters queued up to meet the candidate, who is vying for the Democratic slot on the ticket for next November's election.  At her mid-day stop at the Barnstable Senior Center (above), she spoke to a packed room about her personal history and the way it shaped her belief that America needs to return to its history of investing in the future through infrastructure, education, and research.

   Warren, who began her career as an elementary school teacher, stopped many times during the day to chat with young students, signing autographs and answering questions. Here she meets with three young girls outside the Barnstable Senior Center.

Dennis Democratic caucus, Dennis

Previous criticisms to the contrary, Warren seemed to enjoy an endless round of handshaking and greeting; those who met her seemed impressed with both her ability to connect and her accessibility. At the Dennis Democratic caucus, she worked her way across the room and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

   Warren chats with regional elected officials State Rep Cleon Turner (L) and State Sen. Dan Wolf (R) at the Dennis Democratic caucus.

Cape Air, Hyannis

Cape Air grew from a startup idea into one of the region's largest employers. Cape Air CEO (and State Senator) Dan Wolf shared some of what made his business grow with the candidate during a visit to the company's headquarters and maintenance facilities. Warren strongly advocates for small and mid-sized business and the strength and values they bring to the country.

   In the company's reservation center, where clocks on the wall show the time of day at the many locations around the world where Cape Air flies, Warren talked with employees about their jobs.

   On the maintenance floor, CEO Wolf (2nd from left) and Jim Goddard (left), Cape Air's Executive VP of Maintenance, showed a "wet wing," an airplane wing that carries fuel, and explained its maintenance needs to the candidate, while State Rep. Sarah Peake (3rd from left) looked on.

Later, Warren engaged with Cape Air staff in a discussion about aircraft manufacture and the planning needs of the aviation industry, as well as ways in which government research can support the growth and health of that industry. At one time her father worked as a flight instructor and two of her brothers fly; she said she has a life long fascination with planes and aviation.

Hot Chocolate Sparrow, Orleans

At the Hot Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans, Warren showed the packed house that she could go into rip-roaring campaign mode too. Instead of the impassioned lecturer from Barnstable, she showed her stripes as a rally-the-troops leader to a cheering crowd.

At the end of a long day, candidate Warren leaves the Sparrow, clearly energized, and spends another 20 minutes outside in the cold February air shaking hands, listening, and once again, sharing with elementary students.

Eastham Democrats unanimously endorse Elizabeth Warren [Politics]

All delegates elected to Democratic Convention also pledge to support Warren

Earlier this month, the Eastham Democratic Town Committee unanimously endorsed Elizabeth Warren to be the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate race.

"No other candidate for U.S. Senate has the ideas, commitment, organization and support as does Elizabeth Warren," said Dave Schropfer, Democratic Town Committee Chair. "She is the best candidate -- a clear leader who has energized Democrats -- and I am pleased our committee took the opportunity to support her with our endorsement," added Steve Cole, her caucus coordinator for Eastham and the Committee’s vice chair.

Elizabeth Warren. Courtesy Facebook.The earlier caucus elected Gwen Pelletier, Adele Blong, Cole and Oliver Everett, as delegates to represent Eastham Democrats at the annual convention. In addition, Dave Schropfer, Committee chair, will serve as ex officio delegate. Alternates selected were Sandy Bayne, Joe Bayne and Tina Meservey. All are committed to supporting Warren at the convention.

Delegates to the 2012 Massachusetts Democratic Party endorsing convention will select candidates to compete for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield. Candidates at the convention who garner at least 15% of the votes of the delegates are entitled to run in the state primary, scheduled for September 6.

"I'm honored to have been elected as a Warren delegate," said Blong. "We are going to work hard to make sure all voters in Eastham understand how Elizabeth Warren will push for a fairer and stronger economy," she added.

In addition to delegates who are elected at caucus, those who meet the qualifications, may apply to be add-on delegates in the following categories: youth, minority, and disabled. Applications are available by contacting the Democratic Party at 617-939-0800. Completed applications must be returned to the Democratic State Committee by March 30, 2012.

The Eastham Town Committee meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Sheraton Four Points. For more information on the Committee, please email easthamdemocrats@comcast.net and visit us on Facebook.

Courtesy of the Eastham Democratic Town Committee.

Presidents' Day in Harwichport [Politics]

Harwich Democratic Town Committee's 14th annual event

   State Treasurer Steve Grossman gave a spell-binding, fire and brimstone speech aimed at the young activists in his audience at the Land Ho! on Saturday.  That's congressman Bill Keating and his wife Tevis directly in front of Grossman and Harwich Democratic Town Committee chair and party host Ray Gottwald in the red sweater. Walter Brooks photos.

What would Lincoln think of today's America and the Republican party he lead?

By Walter Brooks

State Senator Dan Wolf with Sandwich's Patrick Ellis who will challenge Republican Randy Hunt.

The new Barnstable 5th includes a Plymouth precinct.

Bristol County D.A. Sam Sutter showed up. That's Dan Wolf with his back to him above.

Bill Keating was extremely effective rallying the troops as his wife Tevis looked on.Ray Gottwald, chair of the Harwich Democratic Town Committee (HDTC), knows how to throw a party as the jam-packed dining room at the Land Ho! in Harwichport above yesterday demonstrates.

For the second year in a row Massachusetts State Treasurer Steve Grossman was the speaker at the HDTC's famous President's Day event yesterday.

To say Grossman roused the activists present would be a gross(man) understatement - he had them ready to storm the barricades to defend what he said were the "people protections" forged for the common man (and woman) since the New Deal.

Just one item speaks volumes. As an editorial last month in the Bay State Banner put it, "One would not think that the domain of high finance would provide much opportunity to benefit citizens unless they were enrolled on the lists of the wealthy. However, as chairman of the nine-member Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management (PRIM) Board that manages the $48 billion fund to finance state pensions, Steven Grossman has found a way to have an impact for change."

The newspaper added, "To help solve the problem, he removed $154 million in state funds from major banks and put up to $5,000,000 in deposits in each of 36 small banks throughout the state (three on Cape Cod). The banks can keep these low interest deposits, provided that they lend to small businesses."

A Congressman, a State Treasurer, a State Senator and three State Reps.

The Harwich event has become the traditional start of each year's political activity here on the Cape, and that is especially true in a national election year like 2012.

With Barack Obama at the head of the ticket and the economy turning around, Cape Democrats smell blood, and it's not only red, it's Brown.

Some of the scutterbutt was complaints about the lackluster, local efforts of the Elizabeth Warren campaign. One comment I heard was "They still have to teach her charisma or they're just putting lipstick on a pig."

One of the guest was Patrick Ellis whose family dates back to the very beginning of the oldest town on Cape Cod, and who is on a really serious "hunt" this year.

The "hunt" is incumbent Randy Hunt (R) the Barnstable 5th State Rep. One reason for Ellis' hopefulness is the new district lines which added Precinct 9 in Plymouth to the district. That precinct includes Buttermilk Bay and much of the Ponds of Plymouth, which are now part of the 5th Barnstable House district, currently represented by Hunt who replace  his mentor Jeff Perry in the last election.

In the 2010 run, Lance Lambros lost to Hunt by less than fifty votes per precinct, and this year Obama's coattail may help him and sane Elizabeth Warren too.

A fox among the Harwich chickens?

As the party heated up, I noticed a familiar but out-of-place face on the edge of the crowd. It was Bristol County D.A. E. Samuel Sutter who is challenging his own party's incumbent U.S. congressman Bill Keating.

Most figured with Bill Keating's last primary rival Rob O'Leary out of the race, Sutter would decide to drop out too since the only change of hurting Keating in the September Primary was in the 9th Congressional District being split three ways with O'Leary grabbing the Cape, Keating holding on to the South Shore and Sutter capturing the new towns added to the district which are in Bristol County from Wareham to Fall River.

Sutter told me however that he feels with O'Leary out, he will pick up votes on Cape Cod and the Islands.

Why Democrats celebrate President's Day

The Monday nearest Abraham Lincoln and George Washington's birthdays, February 11 and 22,  is a national holiday to honor all presidents, but especially those two. Why Democrats focus on Lincoln can be understood by Stephen Samuel Wise's comment, "The important thing today is not what we say of Lincoln but what Lincoln would say of us if he were here in this hour and could note the drift and tendency in American life and American politics."

Below is a map of all the new districts lines for 2012.