Many moons ago when the two candidates for US Senate in Massachusetts were sorting out their debate schedule -- I say sorting out because one candidate proposed a clear and reasonable plan and the other basically played games, so it wasn't a negotiation in the true sense of that word -- a debate was proposed to address issues affecting the Southeast region of the state, including the cities of Fall River and New Bedford. Given that the issues affecting the region are unique and different from other parts of the state, it seemed like a decent idea to many observers. Scott Brown, not so much. Despite the fact that he will probably get a fair amount of the vote in the Southeast area of the state, he turned down the debate invitation from UMass-Dartmouth. Elizabeth Warren agreed to the debate and kept her word.
So yesterday, on the appointed day, she showed up at UMass-Dartmouth and "debated" by herself, in front of an audience of 200 people. The discussion covered a wide range of issues and the reception she received was very warm. No doubt showing up had something to do with that? Hmmm....
More below the orange squiggle...
The Herald-News of Fall River and the Standard-Times of New Bedford both have in depth articles about yesterday's forum.
The forum, which featured questions from a moderator and audience members, covered a broad range of topics, including the plight of working people:
Warren likened the struggle of hard-working people to being caught in an undertow — people try harder than ever but continue to be pulled under — and said this is partly due to policies that tip the playing field against them.
On local issues, Warren described herself as a "big supporter" of offshore wind energy projects as an antidote for oil dependency and as a job generator for the region. She also voiced her strong support for building SouthCoast commuter rail service between Boston and New Bedford/Fall River. And she was of course asked about the state of emergency in the fishing industry which has hit the SouthCoast hard; she called for fishermen to be at the table for any negotiations and discussion of policy proposals to address the crisis.
On education, Warren put some distance between herself and the Obama Administration -- not surprising (in my opinion) since she is a lifelong teacher and educator so she sees this isse through that prism:
She questioned some aspects of the Race to the Top effort and Common Core education standards, saying teachers should have played a larger role in their development.
As part of her answer to a question on earmarks, Warren paid homage to Senator Ted Kennedy and Congressman Barney Frank, both of whom have been longtime advocates for the SouthCoast region -- and she made it clear that, like them, she would not be a wallflower when it comes to advocating for the state and its people:
“So long as earmarks are part of the legal game ... I'm going to fight for earmarks for Massachusetts and I'm going to fight for earmarks for the SouthCoast,” she said, referencing the work of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Barney Frank, who will retire this year.
“I can't replace them. They had seniority. They had experience, and they're just remarkable men,” she said. “But I'll tell you this. ... I'll get in and fight.”
There's lots more in the articles I've linked to -- check them out. I couldn't figure out how to successfully embed photos from the event but a
photo gallery from the event is available from the Standard Times.
As the late great son of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (God save it!), Tip O'Neal, used to say: "All politics is local." Here's hoping that Elizabeth Warren gained some votes in the SouthCoast yesterday by showing up and showing her respect and concern for the voters of the area.
Three weeks to go! GOTV!!