POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Ballot battles beget strange bedfellows

BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by THE ODD THROUPLE — Diana DiZoglio is turning to two unlikely allies in her quest to audit the Legislature. As DiZoglio pushes a ballot question to formalize her authority to crack open her former colleagues’ books, the auditor is reaching across the aisle for help clearing the next hurdle: collecting nearly 75,000 signatures by mid-November. The Democrat called up MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale, who said she’s more than willing to have Republicans pitch in. “It’s an initiative that we support, and we absolutely would welcome the opportunity to work with her,” Carnevale said of DiZoglio. The party is already planning a webinar for early next week to get GOP activists up to speed on DiZoglio’s initiative. DiZoglio is also pulling support from the opposite end of the political spectrum. Our Revolution Massachusetts, a progressive group that backed DiZoglio's opponent in last year's Democratic primary for auditor, has endorsed her ballot effort. ORM members also plan to back the resolution DiZoglio hopes to bring forward at next weekend’s MassDems convention, which asks the party to support not only regular audits of the Legislature but “any necessary legal action against any impediments” to those reviews. These former foes are uniting in the name of legislative transparency — and to stick it to the Democratic establishment that’s been stonewalling DiZoglio for months. As she pursues her ballot question, DiZoglio is also waiting on Attorney General Andrea Campbell to say whether she can proceed with suing the Legislature into complying with the audit its leaders have so far resisted. “It’s all hands on deck and this is a nonpartisan, good-government issue,” DiZoglio said. “I am grateful to have folks of all political stripes joining our fight for greater transparency and accountability on Beacon Hill.” GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. DiZoglio has a different fight on her hands first. The auditor is the only statewide officeholder not on the list of Democratic convention speakers that was shared with Playbook last night. It’s not clear whether she’ll be able to speak on her audit resolution, either. MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan said in an email that’s because the auditor didn’t request a speaking slot, and that he looks “forward to working with her to make this a successful Convention for everyone.” That’s a break from prior conventions, where constitutional officers were offered speaking time without having to ask, according to a person familiar with the planning for past party events. DiZoglio is accusing party leaders of attempting to censor talk of her legislative review. “I have very clearly requested the same opportunity to speak that every other statewide elected has been given,” DiZoglio told Playbook. “Censorship of my comments or of my ability to speak does not serve the Democratic Party or anyone else.” TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hold a storm preparedness press conference at 11:30 a.m. at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends a POW/MIA recognition ceremony at 10 a.m. at City Hall Plaza and speaks at an EMT graduation ceremony at 11 a.m. at Faneuil Hall. THIS WEEKEND — Boston City Council President Ed Flynn is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Former Acting Gov. Jane Swift is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Tips? Scoops? Resolutions for the MassDems convention? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .   A message from Endicott College: Solutions for stemming the shortage of nurses and health sciences professionals are grounded in community and fueled by partnerships. ‘Endicott Hospital’ is now open, providing top-tier education and immersive training to empower the next generation of healthcare heroes. The Cummings School of Nursing & Health Sciences is a place where students and faculty enjoy working and learning together in an environment that promotes excellence in nursing and health sciences practice at all levels of education.   MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — PRIMARY PROBLEMS: National Democrats have put off dealing with New Hampshire’s position in the 2024 primary lineup for another month, as expected . To recap: The Democratic National Committee earlier this year approved a plan pushed by President Joe Biden that would elevate South Carolina, a more diverse state that propelled Biden to the nomination in 2020, to the top of the primary calendar. New Hampshire would be bumped down to a shared second date with Nevada. But New Hampshire law says the state has to hold its primary a week before any others, and Republicans who control state government there refuse to change it (see: Gov. Chris Sununu posting on X yesterday that “New Hampshire will be going first whether Joe Biden likes it or not.”) The primary date is also set by the secretary of state, not the party. With no solution in sight, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to give New Hampshire Democrats until Oct. 14 to comply with the calendar order or get kicked out of the official early state window. If New Hampshire holds an unsanctioned primary, Biden might not put his name on the ballot — though there’s talk of waging a write-in campaign for him — and state Democrats risk losing half their delegates at next year’s nominating convention. New Hampshire Democrats greeted the extension — the third they’ve been granted, but didn’t seek — with a shrug: “We have done everything in our power to comply with the DNC’s requests with regard to our primary calendar and have every intention of complying with New Hampshire state law from which the primary date is set,” party Chair Ray Buckley said in a statement. “We look forward to putting this unnecessary distraction behind us.” Democrats don’t have much more time to figure this out. Candidates have to file for the yet-to-be-set 2024 primaries by Oct. 27. — “Christie’s Big Bet: ‘If I Don’t Do Well in New Hampshire, Then I’ll Leave’,” by Nick Corasaniti, The New York Times. DATELINE BEACON HILL — TAX TIMELINE: Gov. Maura Healey “absolutely” wants lawmakers to strike a deal on long-languishing tax relief before formal sessions end for the year on Nov. 15. Business groups, including a network of nine chambers of commerce , are also amping up pressure on legislators to get moving. But in a statement to State House News Service yesterday , House Speaker Ron Mariano ’s office said only that negotiators “continue to work through the differences” between the chambers’ proposals. Legislative leaders, including chief House negotiator Aaron Michlewitz , have previously declined to set a deadline for wrapping up their tax talks. — "UMass Board Bypassed In Abortion Pill Decision," by Sam Doran, State House News Service (paywall): "The president of the University of Massachusetts and chancellor of its Amherst campus appear to have moved unilaterally in April as they agreed to facilitate the state's bulk purchase of abortion pills in response to a federal court decision in Texas."   GO INSIDE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST DIPLOMATIC PLATFORM WITH UNGA PLAYBOOK: The 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly will jam some of the world's most influential leaders into four city blocks in Manhattan. POLITICO's special edition UNGA Playbook will take you inside this important gathering starting Sept. 17 — revealing newsy nuggets throughout the week and insights into the most pressing issues facing global decision-makers today. Sign up for UNGA Playbook .     MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — “AG’s office offers grants for immigrant legal services,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “The state’s Attorney General announced Thursday she will set aside $750,000 to help cover legal costs faced by newly arrived immigrants. The money will be issued as grants to nonprofit legal service organizations and their community partners that are working to assist immigrants navigating the immigration system or hoping to work.” THE RACE FOR CITY HALL — “Deep-pocketed super PACs showered cash on Boston City Council races,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “[A] PAC called ‘Enough is Enough’ and a PAC called ‘Forward Boston’ raised and spent tens of thousands of dollars to oppose councilors Kendra Lara and Ricardo Arroyo.” — WU 2025: The Dorchester Reporter’s takeaway from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’s heavy hand in the District 5 City Council preliminary and her recent overtures to the business community? She’s running for reelection without saying she’s running for reelection. We’ll see if that prediction pans out. — UNPACKING SPRINGFIELD’S PRELIM: Western Mass Politics & Insight’s Matt Szafranski has six takeaways from the preliminary election that sets Mayor Domenic Sarno against City Councilor Justin Hurst in the November general election, and a look at where the race could go from here . PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “After new safety troubles, federal regulators put T on an even tighter leash,” by Laura Crimaldi and Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “Federal regulators again on Thursday ordered the MBTA to take immediate actions to prevent further safety failures on its subway and imposed new restrictions on the agency’s access to its own tracks, a move that will likely slow the T’s efforts to make badly needed repairs."   A message from Endicott College:     PARTY POLITICS MASSGOP DESPERATION! — BACK IN THE FOLD: In case you needed more evidence that the MassGOP is friendlier to former Gov. Charlie Baker and former Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito under its new leadership, look no further than the fundraiser Polito is headlining for the party later this month. Tickets run from $500 to $1,000 for the Sept. 26 luncheon in Worcester that features a “roundtable discussion on the future of the party,” according to an invitation obtained by Playbook. — ROMNEY’S EXIT REVIEW: Depending on which Massachusetts Republicans you talk to, former governor, failed presidential candidate and retiring Utah U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney is either being hailed for expanding health care and extending moderate Republicans’ reign in the Bay State or being kicked for being a “Republican In Name Only” on his way out the door. For a fuller portrait of his time leading the Bay State, try this from the Boston Globe's Tal Kopan : "As Mitt Romney announces end of political career, Massachusetts’ influence remains." BALLOT BATTLES — SHAPING THE RENT CONTROL DEBATE: More than 60 percent of likely voters would support a ballot question to institute local-option rent control, according to a new poll commissioned by the committee formed by state Rep. Mike Connolly that’s pushing to put that very question before voters next year. Support for local-option rent control in past polls has varied based on how the question is asked. DAY IN COURT — “Greenfield man arraigned for storming U.S. Capitol during Jan. 6 riot,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “Christopher Keniley pleaded innocent to charges in federal court of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds, parading and demonstrating in a Capitol building and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.”   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here .     WARREN REPORT — “Elizabeth Warren created a federal agency once. Can she do it again?” by Sara Morrison, Vox: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren has an idea for a new federal agency that takes on some of the most powerful and valuable companies in the world, aiming to protect consumers from their abusive business practices. You’d be forgiven for assuming I’m referring to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the federal agency that Warren is largely and deservedly credited with creating. No, this is about a new bill that would create another new agency: the Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act, or DCPC.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Batista pledges police transparency, says reporting hastened chief’s retirement,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “City Manager Eric D. Batista said he and Interim Police Chief Paul Saucier are committed to transparency in a radio interview Thursday, during which he indicated that reporting regarding the conduct of former Police Chief Steven M. Sargent had hastened Sargent's retirement.” — “Feared collapse of Leominster dam highlights hundreds more that threaten damage,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News. — “To prove cannabis odor won't be a problem for neighbors, the Select Board says a Great Barrington farmer will need to hire an odor specialist,” by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle.   A message from Endicott College: We can bolster public health and the talent pipeline of healthcare professionals. The Cummings School of Nursing & Health Sciences at Endicott College has state-of-the-art facilities designed to address the shortages and support our communities head-on. With interactive lab spaces and traditional classrooms, students can learn, practice, and demonstrate the skills they’ll need to succeed in their careers and support their future patients in an encouraging and engaging environment. At Endicott, the idea that college and career are connected is not an abstract concept. With current predictions of a crucial nursing shortage, employment options for nurses will continue to grow faster than all other occupations combined. Endicott's highly regarded nursing offerings – including our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program – prepares graduates for fulfilling careers of service in the complex and ever-changing field of health care. Learn more.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Elizabeth Warren, Maura Healey and Gabe Amo alum Mindy Myers will helm the polling team for President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. — Julia Murphy is now special assistant to the deputy secretary of Commerce. She most recently was chief of staff for state Rep. Smitty Pignatelli. — Former U.S. ambassador Donald L. Heflin has been named ED of Tufts Fletcher School’s Edward R. Murrow Center. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Diane Levin and Anthony Barsamian , co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America. Happy belated to Victoria Esser of Belle Haven Consulting. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Segun Idowu , Boston’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, who celebrates Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan, David Wade and JJ Klein . NEW HORSE RACE ALERT:  SLOW COMMOTION —  Hosts Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky  break down Boston and Springfield’s preliminary election results. Host Steve Koczela and MassINC Polling Group research director Rich Parr share their latest MBTA polling. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud . Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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WATCH: Cop Caught HYSTERICALLY Laughing About Pedestrian Killed By Officer

 

Seattle Police Officer Daniel Auderer was caught laughing about the tragic death of pedestrian Jaahnavi Kandula, who was hit in a crosswalk by a cop. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss on The Young Turks.

Mitt Romney Is Horrible And ACAB

Today on Morning Fam, we discuss why Mitt Romney is terrible and why you should never ever trust the police.

September 14, 2023 HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

September 14, 2023 HEATHER COX RICHARDSON SEP 15 Yesterday, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced he would not run for reelection. That announcement came just as The Atlantic published an excerpt from a forthcoming biography of Romney by McKay Coppins in which Romney expressed disgust with his Republican colleagues for feeding Trump’s lies to their voters in exchange for power and acknowledged that “[a] very large portion of my party really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.”  Coppins had access to Romney’s private journals, correspondence, and interviews. He describes Romney as isolated from other Republicans in Washington, unwelcome first because he was disgusted by Trump and vowed to be independent of him and then because, in the first impeachment trial, Romney voted to convict on one of two charges. Romney said that “[a]lmost without exception” his Republican colleagues “shared my view of the president,” but they refused to speak up out of fear that their voters would turn against them. Coppins recounts a weekly caucus lunch at which Republicans gave Trump a standing ovation, listened as he boasted and rambled through remarks, and then burst into laughter as soon as Trump left.   That loyalty appears to have been behind leaders’ refusal to address rumors of violence on January 6, 2021. According to Coppins, on January 2, 2021, Senator Angus King (I-ME) warned Romney that a high-ranking Pentagon official had told King that right-wing extremists online appeared to be planning to attack the government on January 6 to stop what Trump had told them was the stealing of the 2020 presidential election. They talked of guns and arson and bombs, and they talked of targeting the traitors in Congress, among whom they counted Romney for his vote to convict Trump on one count in his first impeachment trial. King was concerned for Romney’s safety. Romney promptly texted then–Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to recount the conversation. “There are calls to burn down your home, Mitch; to smuggle guns into DC, and to storm the Capitol,” Romney wrote. “I hope that sufficient security plans are in place, but I am concerned that the instigator—the President—is the one who commands the reinforcements the DC and Capitol police might require.” McConnell never answered.  When even after the events of January 6, fellow senators continued to execute their plan of objecting to the counting of electoral votes for certain states, Romney called them out on the floor of the Senate for “being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy.”  Romney recalled that some senators refused to convict Trump in the second impeachment trial out of concerns for their safety and that of their families. Romney himself had hired a security detail for his family since the attack on the U.S. Capitol, but at $5,000 a day such security was out of reach for most of his colleagues.  Just eleven years ago, Romney was the 2012 Republican nominee for president. Almost 61 million Americans voted for him. Now he is leaving public service with voters calling him a traitor and threatening his life.  In the House of Representatives today, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had to pull back one of the eleven spending bills that Congress needs to pass before the end of the fiscal year on September 30 to fund the government. Extremists say they will not bring any of those bills to the floor without deeper cuts than McCarthy agreed to in a deal with President Biden earlier this year.  In a conference meeting today, McCarthy allegedly exploded at the extremists stopping the budget process, who hold over him their power to challenge his speakership. “If you want to file a motion to vacate,” he said, “then file a f*cking motion.” Rather than backing down, an extremist leader, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), continued to needle McCarthy on social media.   The House went home for the weekend. While it made no progress on the budget this week, Speaker McCarthy did manage to initiate an impeachment inquiry into President Biden in an unsuccessful attempt to appease the extremists. According to Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Alyce McFadden of the New York Times, those extremists have been conferring with Trump.  Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has led calls to impeach Biden, told the reporters that she told Trump she wanted the impeachment inquiry to be “long and excruciatingly painful for Joe Biden.” Ultimately, she says, she wants a “long list of names” of those she claims are involved in crimes with the Bidens, and when Trump wins the presidency in 2024, she wants “to go after every single one of them and use the Department of Justice to prosecute them.” Today the independent counsel appointed by then-president Trump to investigate Biden’s son Hunter charged Hunter with three felonies related to the fact that he falsely claimed he was not using illegal drugs when he applied to buy a handgun that he owned for about 11 days in 2018. Los Angeles Times legal affairs columnist Harry Litman noted that in June, after five years of investigation, the Justice Department negotiated a plea agreement with Hunter Biden’s lawyers in which Biden would plead guilty to two tax offenses and receive probation, and a gun charge would be dropped after two years if he continued to stay drug-free.  Although Biden had taken the unusual step of retaining Trump’s appointee, then–U.S. attorney David Weiss, to continue to investigate Hunter even after Trump’s term ended, to avoid any appearance of interference, Republicans protested what they saw as preferential treatment for the president’s son, harassing Weiss’s team and FBI agents and their families. Then the deal fell apart for reasons unrelated to Hunter. And now Weiss has brought more charges. Litman notes that “the charges Weiss brought are rarely pursued for their own sake. The department does bring such charges against defendants who use improperly obtained firearms to commit other crimes. And in one or two instances, prosecutors appear to have used such charges against defendants whom they knew to be particularly dangerous. But this indictment over an isolated lie by a relatively harmless firearm applicant seems to be without precedent.”  But, Litman notes, the Republicans now have something with which “to muddy the waters with respect to Trump’s multiple criminal indictments.” As if on cue, House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-KY) claimed that “[m]ountains of evidence reveals that Hunter Biden likely committed several felonies and Americans expect the Justice Department to apply the law equally. Today’s charges are a very small start, but unless U.S. Attorney Weiss investigates everyone involved in the fraud schemes and influence peddling, it will be clear President Biden’s DOJ is protecting Hunter Biden and the big guy.”  Yesterday, President Biden spoke at a campaign reception. “Everybody always asks about impeachment,” he said, but he didn’t think much about it. He noted that Greene had vowed to impeach him the first day she was elected, and said: “I get up every day…not focused on impeachment. I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to deal with the issues that affect the American people every single solitary day.” That focus today demonstrated the vision Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have for the U.S. After yesterday’s meeting between Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan today held a trilateral call with his counterparts in Japan and South Korea, honoring the agreement forged at the historic trilateral summit of the three countries at Camp David in August. Together, they noted that North Korean arms exports to Russia would directly violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, including ones for which Russia itself voted. And in Largo, Maryland, today, after listing the economic accomplishments of his administration, Biden called out the Republicans for their lack of policy plans. For all the time they spend attacking Bidenomics, he said, “here’s what they never do: They never talk about what they want to do…. They tell you what they’re against. What are they for? It’s like they want to keep it a secret.”  Biden pointed out that just months ago, Republicans threatened to default on the U.S. debt, and now they are breaking the commitment they made to resolve that standoff. Working from a budget produced in June by the Republican Study Committee, which has 156 out of 222 of the Republican members in the House, Biden explained that Congressional Republicans now are doubling down on the old trickle-down economics that “hollowed out…the middle class…blew up the deficit…produced an anemic economic growth…and…stripped the dignity and pride and hope out of a community, one after another.”  “[Y]ou hear from our friends on the other side, the MAGA Republicans, what’s wrong with America. Everything’s wrong with America. They keep telling us America is failing,” Biden said. “Well, they’re wrong. They’re failing. America is not failing. America is winning. And there’s one reason for it: you. All you people get up every single morning and go out to try to do the right thing. You, the American people—you’re the one with grit and determination. Not me or your elected officials. You.” “We’re the only nation based on an idea—an idea. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Look,” Biden said, “we’ve never fully lived up to it,’’ but “[w]e’ve never walked away from it.” “These other guys are trying to walk away from it.” — Notes: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/11/mitt-romney-retiring-senate-trump-mcconnell/675306/ https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/elections/2012 https://twitter.com/ArthurDelaneyHP/status/1702319112985448648 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/us/politics/trump-gop-biden-impeachment.html https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/hunter-biden-expected-plead-guilty-criminal-tax-case-rcna96232 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/prosecutors-fbi-agents-hunter-biden-investigation-threatened-rcna104932 https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-biden-impeachment-government-shutdown-051edf97ad8938e77f41ab57be631f8a https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-09-14/hunter-biden-indictment-gun-firearm-charge-harry-litman https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/09/13/remarks-by-president-biden-at-a-campaign-reception-mclean-va/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/14/readout-of-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivans-call-with-the-national-security-advisors-of-japan-and-the-republic-of-korea/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/09/14/remarks-by-president-biden-on-bidenomics-largo-md/ https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4201590-read-biden-administration-memos-media-impeachment/ Twitter (X): RepJamesComer/status/1702384158398619967