Wednesday, April 15, 2020
POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: BAKER brushes off Trump’s ‘MUTINY’ claim — BATTLING to get on the BALLOT — Bay Staters buying GUNS
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
GETTING ON THE BALLOT CAN BE COMPLICATED — Ballot access is up in the air on Beacon Hill in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and the issue will come before the Supreme Judicial Court later this week.
But in the meantime, legislative campaigns are hustling to get enough signatures to appear on the ballot in September. State Senate hopefuls need to turn in 300 signatures by April 28, and those running for state representative need 150 signatures by that date. A Senate bill that would lower the signature threshold for federal candidates (but does not include legislative campaigns) was blocked by a Republican lawmaker on Monday. Regardless, many campaigns are forging ahead in case guidelines do not change.
Jordahn Meehan, a Democratic activist challenging state Rep. Kevin Honan in a primary, was able to collect the bulk of his signatures in February and March. Meehan's last push for signatures was Super Tuesday — the March 3 voting day that was more than a week before social distancing became reality for Massachusetts residents. Meehan said on Tuesday that his signatures were certified and he will appear on the ballot, but urged the legislature to reduce the number of signatures for all candidates anyway.
"We've seen many candidates, incumbents and non-incumbents alike, are still struggling to meet the signature requirement. It only makes sense to adjust in light of this pandemic," Meehan said.
Not every candidate running for a seat on Beacon Hill was able to collect signatures before the pandemic hit Massachusetts. State Rep. Angelo Scaccia announced he wouldn't seek reelection on April 7, opening up a seat that he's occupied since the early 1970s.
Former Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo operated on a tight timeline and was able to collect 218 signatures in a matter of days, even while social distancing. Campaigns aim to collect more than the required number of signatures in case some get tossed out during the certification process.
"In order for me to be a candidate,
I needed to be on the ballot," Consalvo told me. "I began to work the phones every night calling key supporters ... to let them know I was going to be a candidate, but also let them know that we have a looming deadline and to pitch this concept of bringing signature sheets personally to their home."
From there, Consalvo's wife, his cousin and campaign manager
Scott Smith would drive to the homes of supporters and deliver signature papers in fresh envelopes while wearing gloves. Supporters would take the papers inside and sign them. Later, the campaign would pick up the signed papers. Consalvo actually turned away volunteers who offered to gather signatures to minimize social contact.
"I think the whole thing cost less than $40," Smith told me, factoring in envelopes and copies of the nomination papers.
Consalvo didn't say whether he thinks the legislature should change the signature threshold for campaigns like his.
"The reality is we have a deadline looming on the 28th. Regardless of what the legislature does, I wanted to make sure I was prepared for that 28th deadline," Consalvo said.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce virtual event. Attorney General Maura Healey is a guest on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio." Sen. Ed Markey, state
Rep. Tami Gouveia and Dr. Michael Goldberg host a livestream.
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TODAY - JOIN CONGRESSWOMAN ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ FOR A VIRTUAL PLAYBOOK: Join Playbook authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman today at 9:30 a.m. EDT for an important virtual interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
to discuss how the coronavirus is impacting New York, efforts to make sure African American and Latino communities get essential economic relief, and the impact that this global economic and health crisis will have on the 2020 elections. Have a question for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez? Tweet it to @POLITICOLive using #AskPOLITICO. REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE.
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- "Coronavirus in Massachusetts: Baker administration says to brace for 'difficult days' ahead as health officials announce 113 new deaths," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "Public health officials announced 113 new COVID-19-related deaths — the highest number reported in a single day since the outbreak began.
Officials also confirmed 1,296 new cases of the virus, bringing the statewide total to 28,163."
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- "For Gov. Charlie Baker, criticism from President Donald Trump about multi-state effort to reopen economies is 'noise,'" by Steph Solis, MassLive.com:
"Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's decision to join multi-state council to coordinate safely reopening the Northeast after the worst of COVID-19 may put him in the middle of a 'mutiny' in the eyes of the president. President Donald Trump targeted Democratic governors Tuesday morning, saying 'a gold old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the captain.' The tweet came less than a day after Baker, a Republican, joined a multi-state council of mostly
Democratic governors who are planning to coordinate a safe reopening of the Northeast."
- "State economists grapple with 'unprecedented times,'" by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "The state economy will tank and unemployment will rise. But how bad will it get and how long will the recession last? Top Massachusetts economists, testifying at a legislative budget hearing Tuesday, gave stark estimates of the financial pain
that will be felt in the state, but all stressed the uncertainty of their predictions."
- "With Legislature stalled, Mass. high court to tackle coronavirus ballot issue," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe:
"Massachusetts' highest court will hear oral arguments Thursday over whether it should relax the legal requirements for candidates to get on the ballot, wading into an issue bogged down by partisan squabbling in the state Legislature. The Supreme Judicial Court is scheduled to hear arguments by telephone in the lawsuit brought by three candidates who say the state's signature requirements present unconstitutional barriers to the ballot in the midst of a deadly pandemic."
- "Coronavirus pandemic prompts Massachusetts lawmakers to file vote-by-mail bill," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "The latest Beacon Hill bill created in response to the coronavirus pandemic would allow early voting by mail ahead of the state primary and general elections if the state of emergency remains in effect. Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem filed legislation that would make early voting by mail an option due to COVID-19 and send personal protective equipment to poll workers."
- "Healey pushes insurance regulators to cut auto rates amid coronavirus pandemic," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Attorney General Maura Healey is asking the state to make auto insurance companies cut rates during the coronavirus crisis, when travel has dropped significantly. 'There is already data showing a large decrease in travel in Massachusetts,' Glenn Kaplan, chief of Healey's Insurance & Financial Services Division, wrote in a letter Monday, saying that recent data has
shown that people are traveling 50% to 55% less."
- "One response to coronavirus anxiety in Mass.: try to buy a gun for the first time," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe:
"As COVID-19 has upended everyone's day-to-day routines, anxiety has rushed to fill the void, be it fear of losing one's job or stockpiling toilet paper. Even in Massachusetts, home to some of the nation's strictest firearm laws, others say they're weighing something else: whether to buy — or trying to buy — a gun for the first time in this uneasy reality. Less than 17 percent of Massachusetts residents who responded to a recent Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll said they owned a gun. But of those who don't, about 1 in 7 said they now wish they did."
- "Massachusetts hailed as coronavirus contact tracing model to opening up economy," by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: "Hunting down every new case of coronavirus once the peak is over is the only safe way to lift the nationwide lockdown, Johns Hopkins University researchers said Monday citing Massachusetts as a model. The Maryland university has been at the forefront of COVID-19 tracking with its hugely popular worldwide map of the pandemic. Now the school's public health experts say
opening up America will require 'a robust and comprehensive' contact tracing system."
- "Murray, Fattman decry news that feds took personal protective equipment ordered by Milford," by Alison Bosma, Milford Daily News:
"Two local state legislators are calling for state and federal leaders to work together, not against each other, when taking on the coronavirus. 'The stakes of this unprecedented public health crisis are too high for communities and states to not only have to combat this insidious virus, but also battle with our federal government to secure necessary protective gear for our public safety and health personnel,' part of a letter from state Rep. Brian Murray, D-Milford, and state Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Sutton reads."
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60 Minutes DROPS THE HAMMER on Trump after advisor whines about mistreatment
BREAKING: 60 Minutes reporter just DROPPED THE HAMMER on Trump after his advisor WHINES about mistreatment during the COVID-19 outbreak. Way to BRING THE RECEIPTS!
Republicans Don’t Want to Save Jobs
The last couple of Paul Krugman columns have been grimly on target on the realities of the age of Trump. Here's a striking one. Tom
"Recent job losses have been nothing short of apocalyptic. Almost 17 million workers — more than 10 percent of the work force — filed for unemployment benefits over the course of just three weeks. Independent economists suggest that the unemployment rate may already be close to 20 percent, which is similar to its level in the depths of the Great Depression.
"So how are the Trump administration and its allies responding to this Covid-19-generated jobs crisis? Are they taking it seriously? Or are they doing what they did as the pandemic spread — dithering and refusing to take necessary action out of some combination of wishful thinking and political pettiness?
"You can probably guess the answer.
"By all accounts, Donald Trump, who insisted until very late in the game that the coronavirus wouldn’t be a problem, is now obsessed with the idea of reopening the economy in a few weeks — a move epidemiologists say would be disastrous. At the same time, he’s balking at taking action to help America cope with the extended shutdown we actually need.
"Thus, the Trump administration has flatly ruled out any bailout for the U.S. Postal Service, which is in financial crisis. Aside from being an essential part of our nation’s life — even more than usual in these times, when mail deliveries have become an essential lifeline to families sheltering at home — the post office employs 600,000 workers. But apparently those workers don’t count.
"Of course, Trump is famously hostile to the post office, because he believes (wrongly) that it subsidizes Amazon, whose founder, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post.
"More broadly, further relief from the economic impacts of Covid-19 is stalled in the Senate because Republicans, with White House backing, refuse to include aid to hospitals and state governments.
"Hospitals obviously play a vital role in dealing with the pandemic; but they also employ more than five million people — and they’re facing financial crisis thanks to the pandemic. State and local governments, which in general are required to balance their budgets, have seen revenues plunge and expenses rise — and they employ almost 20 million people, a majority of them in education. But again, apparently those jobs don’t count.
"Actually, many conservatives probably believe that public-sector workers, many of them represented by unions, don’t or shouldn’t count.
"However, while the Trump administration refuses to aid hard-pressed institutions that employ around 25 million Americans, it has gone all-out to help the oil industry.
"Trump’s possible success in brokering a deal to cut global oil production — I say “possible” because oil prices haven’t moved much, which suggests that markets aren’t impressed — made headlines Monday. But I haven’t seen much commentary about just how strange it is for a U.S. president to be playing that role.
"First, since when is it the president’s job to organize international cartels?
"Second, why are higher oil prices in the U.S. national interest? We’re not a major oil exporter — in fact, we import more oil than we export. And if Trump’s cartel were actually successful in raising oil prices back to what they were before the current price war, U.S. consumers would pay a heavy price, on the order of $200 billion a year.
"So why is propping up oil prices a priority? Trump says that it’s about jobs. But U.S. oil and gas extraction employs only around 150,000 workers. That’s less than 1 percent of the number of jobs America has lost in the past three weeks. It’s only around 0.1 percent of total U.S. employment. It’s a rounding error compared with the jobs at risk in hospitals and local government, which Trump is refusing to help.
"So what makes oil worthy of aid when hospitals aren’t?
"One answer is that investors have sunk a lot of money into oil, even though few jobs were created. Net fixed assets in oil and gas extraction are around $1.8 trillion, almost twice the total for hospitals, despite far smaller employment. So maybe this isn’t about protecting jobs, it’s about protecting capital.
"And this capital happens to be very G.O.P.-friendly: The oil and gas sector makes big political contributions, almost 90 percent of them to Republicans. This is, by the way, in strong contrast to education, which accounts for a majority of state and local government jobs and gives most of its contributions to Democrats.
"Finally, while America isn’t a net oil exporter, Russia and Saudi Arabia are basically petrostates that export oil and almost nothing else. So propping up oil prices is a way for Trump to help his two favorite autocrats.
"In sum, Trump’s response to the economic fallout from Covid-19 is looking a lot like his fumbled response to the virus itself. He’s in denial about the problem; he’s blocking essential action because of personal political vendettas; and his party is opposing desperately needed aid because of its anti-government ideology.
"The economics of dealing with a pandemic were never going to be easy. But Trump and company are almost surely going to make things even worse than they had to be."
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