Salon.com > Ed Markey

What you need to know about Gabriel Gomez

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:10:00 +0000

If a secret cabal of scientists designed the perfect politician for today's GOP from the DNA up, it might look something like Gabriel Gomez, who won a GOP primary last night to face off against Democrat Ed Markey in a special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry.

The bilingual first-generation former Navy SEAL is a Harvard Business School graduate with a successful business career, some moderate political stances, and a penchant for running marathons. He crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon just a few minutes before the bombs went off last month. While stationed in South America in the early 1990s he met his furutre-wife, who was working in the Peace Corps at a school for students with special needs. “I’m exactly what the American dream is all about,” Gomez said in an April GOP debate against two other Republican challengers.

No, BuzzFeed, no one seriously compared anything to slavery

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:55:00 +0000

Nine times out of 10, when you see a headline use the format "[Political figure] compares [current issue] to [uniquely tragic or horrific historical event or figure]" you are about to read some idiotic trumped-up outrage fuel. The Internet is powered by trumped-up outrage fuel, and "dumbass says this is just like what the Nazis did" is can't-miss click bait. So here's BuzzFeed's John Stanton with "Ed Markey Compares Campaign Finance Ruling to Decision Upholding Slavery."

In traditional BuzzFeed fashion, the story is big shareable SHOCK headline in the front, boring and largely unread context that defuses most of the outrage in the back. (I think this common style of controversy-stoking story packaging is "TRASHY" and "EW.")

Here's the relevant bit:

"I want to go to the United States Senate in order to fight for a constitutional amendment to repeal Citizens United. The whole idea that the Koch brothers, that Karl Rove can say we're coming to Massachusetts, to any state of the union with undisclosed amounts of money is a pollution, which must be changed," Markey said to loud applause.

"The constitution must be amended. The Dred Scott decision had to be repealed, we have to repeal Citizens United," he added.

Scott Brown’s cold feet

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:02:00 +0000

The working assumption of every Democrat in Massachusetts and Washington has been that Scott Brown will enter the special Senate election to replace John Kerry, and there have been indications in the past week that he was preparing to do just that. But now there’s this, from veteran Boston Globe reporter Frank Phillips:

With time running short, Washington Republicans have begun a “full court press’’ to persuade an increasingly reluctant Scott Brown to run in the special election to replace John F. Kerry, say two leading Massachusetts GOP figures.

The eleventh-hour effort, coordinated by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, comes as those familiar with Brown’s deliberations are becoming convinced that he will not run and instead will look for a job in the private sector.

Can Dems hold Kerry’s seat?

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:44:00 +0000

Typically, the view of party leaders is that primaries are best avoided. Better to coalesce around a consensus candidate early, help that candidate amass a mighty bankroll, and focus the attention of volunteers, activists and other stakeholders on the general election. But that is not the prevailing attitude among Massachusetts Democrats as they face the state’s third Senate election in three years.

John Kerry’s confirmation as secretary of state will come either Tuesday or Wednesday, but it’s such a formality that the Massachusetts secretary of state has already gone ahead and scheduled the special election to replace him, with primaries in April and the final vote on June 25. Right now, there’s only one declared candidate from either party: Ed Markey, a Democratic congressman from outside Boston. But Democrats are convinced that Scott Brown, the Republican who won a January 2010 special election only to lose to Elizabeth Warren last fall, is going to jump in the race – and because of that, they are hoping that a second Democrat will also enter the fray to battle Markey in a primary.