Our Thinking

January 2010 Blog Posts

Playing it Safe Not a Strategy
Posted 01/26/10

The Massachusetts Democrat who won the U.S. Senate primary was supposed to win the special election and become the new junior Senator from Massachusetts.  It was that simple.  After all, this was Massachusetts, a true blue New England state, home of the Kennedys, ruled by Ds from Governor Patrick to Mayor Menino.  But it didn’t turn out that way.

Read More +

Game Changer
Posted 01/20/10

“Game changer” is a term that is thrown around without much care in DC.  The Massachusetts Senate race, especially when combined with the November gubernatorial results, is one of those few instances where the name applies.

Read More +

Heckuva job, Brownie?
Posted 01/20/10

Every nook and cranny of the Beltway, every piece of shale from the Berkshires and every remaining rock from the old Big Dig project in Boston seem to be shouting some variation of “Hosannah” to the new populism of the “independent majority” (Brown’s words) in Massachusetts – manifested in yesterday’s victory by Brown over Coakley in a special election for the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat.

Read More +

Term Limits: Experience Matters
Posted 01/19/10

New York Governor David Paterson recently announced a proposed ethics package for the state of New York that includes term limits on state officeholders.  Talk of term limits is also popping up in Texas, where U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson is proposing term limits on the governor’s office which she is currently seeking.  Since 1992, term limits have been implemented in numerous states across the country and limits often receive strong support in states that have yet to institute them.

But there are always two sides to every story and term limits are no different.

Read More +

Mixed Bag Messaging
Posted 01/11/10

If the first ten days of 2010 are any indication, those facing voters this November will be challenged in how they talk about the economic landscape.  For every bit of gloomy economic news, there seems to be a ray of hope.

Read More +