Kerry has a great PDF detailing what the bill does for MA and what he specifically did

[karynnj]

http://kerry.senate.gov/newsroom/pdf/Why_Health_Reform_is_Good_for_MA.pdf

This includes things I hadn't heard were in the bill and it is a great resource - if needed to comment on the BG or elsewhere.

[Blaukraut]

1. Thank you, JK!

Lots of goodies in that bill for Massachusetts, improving Romneycare by miles. Suck on that, Scott Brown!

[Luftmensch067]

2. Couldn't have said it better!

:rofl:

Hear, hear!

[beachmom]

3. Speaking of the BG, apparently Mass. only has ONE Senator now: Scott Brown.

I follow the political BG blog on Twitter, and it used to once in a while report on what Sen. Kerry was doing. Now it only reports on what Scott Brown is SAYING. I mean, when will that honeymoon be over? If Scott Brown introduces legislation that is interesting and a good idea, or teams up with another Senator for something unexpected, or actually says something interesting in a committee hearing, then I would expect the BG to report on it. But their reporting on Scott Brown is outright fawning. It's like American Idol.

Edit: I am not crazy. Kerry has been deleted from BG coverage. Check it out and scroll through:

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/

Note the post about Brown's NCAA picks. I mean . . . REALLY?

[Blaukraut]

4. It's sad to watch the love affair our local media have with that moron

He wants to have it both ways. Kicking the can down the road on repealing the bill, because he knows that's a losing proposition, but judging by the comments, the teabag contingent is not happy with him. Warms my heart, it does.

[karynnj]

6. What's weird is that his staff does not seem to take direction from him

I have never seen a Kerry staffer so directly contradict the Senator.

I hope that MA can see that the fix gets rid of many of the things he ran against. If he votes for it, I hope he is called on being for the special deals.

[karynnj]

5. The bias in that article is amazing - a Brown picture, Brown talked of first - Kerry kind of an

afte thought. We are also told what he drove to the meeting that Kerry initiated (which the BG does not see fit to mention, but which the Cape Cod paper said. Want to bet they would have mentioned it if Brown set it up.)

Now it is true that Brown's vote on reconciliation is the only one of the two in question, but the contrast between the serious, productive, intelligent Senior Senator and the lame excuse for the Junior Senator couldn't be sharper.

Without exaggerating - here is the comparison:

Brown:

When asked today if it was possible that he would vote for the so-called reconciliation package that the Senate will debate this week, Brown said, "I haven't read it yet. I want to be able to read it first."

<snip>

"I think that's a little premature," he said, when asked whether he would try to repeal the legislation. "I want to see what's going to be in play." A spokeswoman for Brown later said, "Brown believes that there should absolutely be an opportunity to repeal it."

Kerry:

Kerry is among those who signed a letter that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid delivered to House Democrats over the weekend, pledging to pass the fixes that the House wanted. That process could get messy, and Kerry's commitment could play an important role.
<snip>

Kerry also said there has been an "enormous amount of misinformation and distortion," and that he planned to come back with the Democratic delegation to "present why this bill is good, and what we believe it does."

Brown comes across as a complete empty suit here - and his staff and he are saying different things. The idea that they can repeal the healthcare bill is absurd. For the next almost 3 years (the likely time Brown will be there), Obama will be President and he will veto it - there is no way they get 67 votes in the Senate and 2/3rds of the House! Not to mention in 3 years, many people will have benefited from one thing or another.

Not to mention, his website has a statement on the bill that is filled with typical Republican distortions - http://scottbrown.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=b1429707-e940-490d-b1af-0815129bbb22 (look at "about" and you will see that he makes silly statements about the stimulus (in his biography??) Not to mention, remember all the Republicans who said that a true war hero doesn't speak of his service - Brown's service is exaggerated - he calls himself "highly decorated" (?), when he really isn't.

[Blaukraut]

7. I blame the increasingly anti-intellectual bent of the population

Brown's statement appeals to those who feel alienated by someone who uses 'big words' and appears smarter than they are - not too difficult a thing to achieve these days with the average voter. Reagan started it and Bush perfected it - the guy you want to have a beer with, the guy who doesn't make you feel inferior, who is just like you. Sadly, people can't differentiate friendship potential from leadership material.

I'm sorry if that sounds elitist, but I'm not going to pretend to respect people who base their vote on the most shallow of premises and have no clue whatsoever what goes on beyond their own backyard. They are making the rest of us suffer because of their ignorance.

[ladym55]

11. I agree wholeheartedly

My belief is that I don't want a leader who is "just like me." I want BETTER. I want a leader who is SMARTEST person in the room. I think that's why I have been a fan of Kerry's for so long because he is smart, he is conscientious, AND he is compassionate.

I really put much blame on the M$M and their worship of good-looking celebrity. The stupidity of so many voters and their complete ignorance of the issues hurts us on so many levels.

[wisteria]

8. Brown has an everyman appeal, is athletic and good looking, but he is an empty suit.

And, he apparently has a lot more time on his hands than Senator Kerry does. Senator Kerry is very busy actually helping the people of Massachusetts and this country. Brown's comments confirm his lack of seriousness and his depth of knowledge when it comes to important legislation. Unfortunately, he is the new face in town and I think he will continue to receive far more attention then he deserves, especially by the BAG, who does not want to be accused of being biased. I do hope that now that HCR has been passed his importance as the "41 vote" wans.

[karynnj]

10. But here as on the NCAA picks, people are actually turning on him

Not in hyper partisan attacks (for the most part), but in calls for him to get serious. Some one here mentioned he had no email contact - there was a Blue Mass thread on that too. It really seems that he is not really as "approachable as he wants people to think.

[wisteria]

14. His appeal comes from media attention. I don't think he has to much of a staff yet.

But, it is surprising he did not make contact information a priority.

[Mass]

15. The news was that Brow was not ready to say he would follow his leadership.

This was news. The news is something unexpected. Kerry supporting reconciliation is not news.

Had Kerry said he would not vote for the reconciliation packet (which I am happy he did not), this would have been the news.

One of the issues is that Kerry does not do anything surprising, so it gets boring reporting. Good little soldiers dont get reported, except if they are given prominent roles as communicators, which is once again not happening. So, don't expect it will change anytime soon.

It has always been Kerry's weakness anyway, and he may want it this way. But I would not blame the media for that.

Though the news has changed since earlier yesterday, and now, he will vote against it:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/03/23/brown_keeps_health_care_repeal_options_open_then_clarifies_position/

Channel 5 reported on it as well. I am not sure that many people read the Globe anymore anyway, given they are totally useless locally, and very weak nationally?

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO138349/

[beachmom]

17. I guess I disagree. First off, Brown is just hedging bets.

I don't find that newsy at all. He can't make a decision so he hedges. He is a darling of the Right representing one of the most liberal states in the union -- he CAN'T go hard right if he actually wants to survive. His election was a bit freakish and it will take skill to repeat it under more normal circumstances. Secondly, this is not a one day thing re: political BG coverage. Kerry is no longer reported on when they used to report on him, especially in his capacity as Chairman of the SFRC. That has disappeared. Instead we are treated to stories like Brown's NCAA picks. I think you would agree with me that that is DEFINITELY not news.

As to the Boston Globe in general, I defer to you, and wonder if the paper won't eventually fold going on line only. They sound like a dog with fleas to me.

[Mass]

18. I agree, but this is how the media works. It is not a slight against Senator Kerry.

It is the media at work, and it is true for new media as well as old media (with a very few exceptions). No substance, just flashy things.


But, Kerry not being reported is mostly poor communication, IMHO.

The Globe is doomed. Their news coverage stinks, and these blogs they added are really terrible. They need to refocus on real local coverage. There are two big issues in MA these days: the fishery problems and flooding. They barely talk about any of them, but write stupid blogs about non stories nobody cares about. In the same time, there is a three-way state election for governor they barely cover?

And, for memory, it is not as if the Globe had shined in previous years covering Kerry. Before 2009, they rarely spoke about it anyway. They did a little bit when it seemed clear he was becoming influential, but even being influential gets old, if you cannot point to specific points of influence or if you're not seen on TV. So, they found something new and more shiny. As much as I think it is bad, this is how the media works, and why idiots like Brown with excellent communication teams shine. The article you posted was in point: Kerry organized the meeting, but, because Brown was ready to talk more and look more folksy, he gets the first point.

(I also think it is easier to be reported upon if you oppose the government than if you are supportive of everything).

[karynnj]

23. "Mostly poor communications" ??

I don't think that is fair. In the past, there were snarky comments that Kerry sent out press releases quickly and often - a variation of the live shot smear. If you look at Kerry's website, it is clear that he has a very nice statement and the PDF here. The BG article on what the bill does credits information given by his and Markey's office as the source in a footnote.

As to the Fisheries problem, where was the coverage of the meeting that Kerry called for and set up? All I saw in the BG were comments in the Scott Brown article. Yet, from the Gloucester paper, this was a contentious meeting - certainly more meaningful than the car Brown drove.

Now, to be fair, in most articles, it is clear that they credit Kerry with actually doing things that matter. However, especially as Kerry did get flack over the "special" provisions for MA, it would seem that in speaking of the reconciliation bill that Brown has to vote on, there should be mention that Kerry did indeed succeed, as he said he would, in insuring that MA was not hurt, but was helped. Here, it wasn't that Kerry did not communicate this - it's that they were more obsessed with where the truck was.

The fact that Kerry did, both in the main bill and in the reconciliation, ably represent MA's interests and kept them from getting hurt by the original unfair formula - which likely would have been unchanged without his and Sanders' actions, is important and it resulted in MA getting a far better deal. Why no story pulling that together - especially as the initial story was MA could lose its special provisions?

They did have a little video clip of him- http://multimedia.boston.com/tn/1/featured_videos.htm?bctid=73190134001

[Mass]

24. As I said, the Globe stinks and does not report about what matters to MA.

The problem is that you compare an article that is just plush for Brown to substantial articles on issues. Yes, Kerry will be credited (including the Globe) in an article dealing about an issue on which he intervened (assuming he made clear he intervened).

However, the type of article that beachmom linked to is not substance. It is highly unlikely Kerry will get these types of
articles ever, because these articles are not spontaneous. They are cultivated by Brown's media team (who is excellent).

[beachmom]

28. I agree with you that Kerry P.R. is largely quite poor.

However, it has always been this way (it's a real wonder he ever got the nomination for President!), so I think the blame goes squarely with the Senator. Staff come and go, but he is the one who is omnipresent through it all. I think he is just someone who is always working on something, and then moves onto something else, etc. and doesn't seem to get that media messaging is about simplicity and repetition. Seriously, who is John Kerry for Massachusetts? I still don't think he has defined himself well. He had trouble in '04 as well. But one would think on a smaller scale he could do this. As it stands, he has established bona fides in foreign policy so if there is a crisis he will (hopefully) get coverage. But good P.R. is not waiting around for the right circumstances; it's consistently getting one's message out. I just don't think he is ever going to master the consistency part. He will have flashes of deft command of the media but then lose interest a couple of months later. That's not going to change.

I think the media is very bad, and for some things I just give up. However, for a newspaper that is in such grave danger of becoming extinct, I think they will have to improve or die.

[Luftmensch067]

32. Do check out his Facebook page

I think it's a marked improvement and a sign of hope!

[politicasista]

35. Good post

Many at the Jack and Jill Politics and W.E.E. See You blogs were wondering where the Senator was during the HC debate while Obama was attacked from both the left and the right? Dean too before he had a change of heart. Even some DUers (one used to post here) thought it was a replay of the Swifties cerca August 04 all over again. Plus, wonder what he thinks about the whole incident with the Tea Party and members of Congress. Peeps want to know why are Dems silent on this incident.

Agree about the communication. Seems like Ayanna and Setti are hard to replace. Maybe he will hire some good hardworking college students. There are a lot of them from Howard, Georgetown, etc, or just people who are loyal.

Also agree about the news media. Our local news and newspaper is so boring, unless it is about a racial incident with Obama.

[beachmom]

36. Regarding healthcare, those bloggers are not being fair.

There is a dance, if you will, in the Senate about seniority and who gets what issue. Kerry did do a lot on health care but had to remain behind the scenes to defer to other Senators for which this was their main issue. Kerry's issue is global climate change and that is where he is the leader and out front person; foreign policy as well. My criticism of Kerry in this instance is more a local one: he could have messaged better in Mass. and how he was doing a lot for the state. Nationally, he was correct to stay more on the sidelines; otherwise he really would be a "live shot".

[politicasista]

37. Oh. Ok. Unfortunately

not everyone is a fan of it because behind the scenes = not doing anything or being silent on the sidelines. Since it works for Kerry, more power to him.

Hopefully he, Gore and/or others can raise awareness over climate change. I mean, get even more interest Jeff Johnson (from BET) was talking about this a couple of months ago and he was complaining (not ranting) that the response was "Who Cares?" as far as the AA community goes. Foreign policy is like that too minus the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Guess maybe if President Obama talks about them, people will pay more attention.

Of course, health care, jobs, education, etc. are going to be a high priority for most, but the does relate to other issues doesn't it?

As far as the local issue, hopefully he will heed Uncle Ted's advice. That is in addition to having stronger message people, but definitely pay attention to the minority voters in the state. (No shade at the other MA residents). Visit the community during the recess periods (not saying stop being SFRC chair) these people are the ones that show up, if you earn their votes.

Was reading the local reaction to the special elections in The Bay State Banner (not much coverage there because the issues are more local), the hope was that someone will stand and fight for them like Uncle Ted did (they didn't seem that optimistic, but there is a long way to go).

After listening to the local urban talk show Basic Black (good talk!), the panel said that some black Democrats crossed over and voted for Brown. That is scary.

[wisteria]

38. Maybe he really doesn't want the false adoration and attention from the media.

He may like going about his business and actually getting things done, rather than ranting and raving -like McCain and picking basket ball teams like Brown.

[Luftmensch067]

21. Re the communication thing

I sadly agree. When he speaks to a crowd, JK is one of the best communicators around, but his communication with the media could use major help, from what I've seen. I would point out a small bright spot though! I think you've said you hate Facebook (not sure if I'm remembering right!) but recently JK's FB page has been a great place to find news and a place where people can comment in return (sometimes the nutburgers get in, but often it seems to be sane people being happy to find out what he's doing):

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=fl_1152754580292#!/pages/John-Kerry/6685427293?ref=nf

I'm very happy to see this public outlet for stories about our senior senator's very real achievements, and it's a good platform for sharing the news, too, whether via blogging or comments on other blogs (edited to add: or on MSM sites!)

[Mass]

16. Since when do the media report on good ideas? They report on noises,

and Scott Brown makes noises, while Kerry keeps quiet. So, they report on Brown.

[wisteria]

9. Thank you for posting this- some of that information is helpful to people outside Mass. n/t

[ladym55]

12. Love the detail in this

This is a keeper. And I love all the work Kerry put in on this to help the people of Massachusetts (and will also help those of us who DON'T live in Massachusetts!)

And Senator Pickuptruck accomplished ????

[ProSense]

13. This is great stuff.

Excellent detail. It goes to show that there is significant reform in this bill, especially when it comes to improving Mass health care.

[karynnj]

19. Here is a link to his statement on health care

Massachusetts stands to benefit enormously from this historic new law and this week the Senate will complete the mission. No longer will insurance companies be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions or drop insurance because someone gets sick. It will strengthen our state’s health insurance reforms, cut costs for families and businesses, bring new federal subsidies into the state and deliver new benefits to families and businesses across Massachusetts,” said Senator John Kerry. “Massachusetts has done a tremendous job ensuring that every citizen has coverage and this bill builds on success. The new law will give Massachusetts billions of dollars to provide subsidized coverage and tax relief to small businesses who offer health insurance to their employees. We’ve been at this for a really long time now – almost a century. But the fight was worth it. Today, we will finally be able to provide quality, affordable health care to hard working families across the nation.”



The health care reform bill builds on the private insurance system and maintains the employer-based system. It creates an insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses can pool together in order to get a better deal from their insurance companies.



In addition to the $2 billion that Massachusetts will receive in Medicaid assistance; Massachusetts will also be able to continue the Children’s Health Insurance Program; help small businesses be able to provide health insurance to every worker; finally close the doughnut hole for prescription drug coverage that’s hurting so many of our seniors; extend the solvency of Medicare by at least nine years; provide free preventative care for Medicare recipients; and support long-term home and community-based health care for seniors and people with disabilities. The bill strengthens the Commonwealth Connector’s ability to negotiate with insurance companies for the best rates. It provides federal funding in premium tax credits and cost-sharing tax credits for residents to purchase private health insurance.

(he then adds how MA benefits - using the PDF's info)

There is a link to the reconciliation bill and another to the bill passed yesterday on his web site. http://kerry.senate.gov/index.cfm



http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=323301

[Mass]

20. Nice, but this is the point I was trying to make earlier. It is too wonkish

for the Globe to report on it more than one paragraph in their present formula.

Not saying it is right, but this is how things work and 24/7 cable news and blogs/Twitter make things even worse.

[karynnj]

25. They could very easily have taken the first few lines

"Massachusetts stands to benefit enormously from this historic new law and this week the Senate will complete the mission. No longer will insurance companies be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions or drop insurance because someone gets sick. It will strengthen our state’s health insurance reforms, cut costs for families and businesses, bring new federal subsidies into the state and deliver new benefits to families and businesses across Massachusetts,”

A nice, well structured, relatively concise paragraph that could easily read as a full statement.

They covered not just Brown's comment - “This bill will clearly hurt our jobs,” Brown said on the radio show. “And we will lose a lot of jobs here in Massachusetts. We will have lesser coverage, and longer lines. And I just don’t know how we’re going to pay for all this.”, but his office's statement, which they obviously went out of their way to solicit as they don't quote the one on the web site. (Note that Brown's spoken comment is repetitive and factually wrong.)

[Mass]

26. They have a long quote that is a lot more substantive than Brown in the article

"Let's get the job done," Kerry said today at Fish Pier. "I believe this is an historic, critical moment for our country. We are now about to be no longer the only developed nation in the world that doesn't help provide affordable access and insurance to all of our citizens. We're doing so in a way that reduces the deficit, that will strengthen the Massachusetts system. No one in Massachusetts who receives healthcare today is going to be forced to do something different."

But the article was not about Kerry. It was about Brown. And the Globe had already a lengthy article about what will change for MA here: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/03/22/what_the_health_care_overhaul_means_for_massachusetts/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed1 (crediting Kerry's office for sources).

I may be confused, but I am not sure how this article deserves that much scorn. It is a perfectly innocuous, useless post on the Globe blog, that deals with Senator Brown. That it quotes Kerry is actually even surprising.

Now, it is clear that the media are in a perfect state of dysfunction, but I am not sure this article is worse than hundreds of other ones.

[karynnj]

27. Good points

[beachmom]

30. I disagree with you on Twitter. I am now reading about 5 in depth articles

a day where I really learn something and I receive the links via Twitter. I find blogs to be shallower (obviously not all, but a lot of the popular ones). You end up reading an excerpt of an article and then their opinion which often is longer plus comments. Now I read the source article and 140 characters or less of opinion. I am getting more meat and less filler now. I also don't read commenters anymore; with exceptions, anonymous commenters add little to a conversation, this forum excepted. Now I have eliminated that junk (and my irresistable urge to respond to the idiots), and have more time to read the best articles the web can deliver for the day.

I mean to each his/her own. But Twitter like everything else can be good or bad. If you follow the wrong people it will be a junk feed. If you follow smart writers and quality news organizations, then you will get a rich feed full of substance.

I 100% agree with you on Kerry's wonkish statement. Excellent on substance but not eye catching for the gasbags in the MSM. Of course, this forum is a quality place to go on the internet so I appreciate that wonkish statement. But we are all in a tiny minority.

[Mass]

22. Given the fact that we started talking about media, I find amazing how many pundits,

from TV. radio, and the Internet, insisted until the last minute that the bill would not pass. Any bet on how many will recognize they were wrong. (0 % for me).

[karynnj]

31. I'll go with the 0 percent too

It is amazing how consistently they have said that it was dead. It was strange that they really seemed negative pretty much until Sunday.

[ProSense]

29. Kerry statement

here

[politicasista]

33. delete dupe n/t

[politicasista]

34. delete n/t

Not worth saying. Peace. :)