Ykos Update, and a Good O'Reilly in Massachusetts

by: Matt Stoller

Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 09:17

Well I've been in Chicago for a few days at Yearlykos. I've spent a bit of time with Jon Powers, Eric Massa, Charlie Brown, Darcy Burner, Gary Trauner, Daniel Biss, and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps. In one piece of excellent news, Massa's primary opponent just dropped out, and the DCCC is now being extremely welcoming as one might expect.

The most surprisingly fun candidate I've met is Ed O'Reilly, a progressive primary challenger to John Kerry. At this point, you might be thinking 'wahhh'? O'Reilly is former Kerry supporter, a former firefighter, and he's running as an extremely liberal working class populist. There's a fair amount of local dissatisfaction with Kerry in Massachusetts, the 'I haven't seen him in years'or 'We only have one Senator' kind. Kerry's been great on public airwaves issues and has moved left, so I'm not going to pretend that this is a clear cut choice. O'Reilly also faces the real challenges of a first time candidate, but he has a base among police and firefighters in the state.

I'll have more on Ed O'Reilly soon. Massachusetts politics has really opened up because of Deval Patrick, leading to the current grassroots race in the fifth district and now the possibility of a real Kerry challenge. There seems to be a shift from checkbox politics of 'he voted with me' to a more leadership-oriented grassroots model going on.

Matt Stoller :: Ykos Update, and a Good O'Reilly in Massachusetts

Tags: Yearlykos, Eric Massa, Randhy Kuhl, NY-29, Ed O'Reilly, John Kerry, New York State, Massachusetts, (All Tags)

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Ykos Update, and a Good O'Reilly in Massachusetts | 4 comments

Massachusetts politics is opening up! (0.00 / 0)

Ed O'Reilly's progressive challenge to John Kerry excites people looking for something other than politics as usual and 'go along to get along' behavior from the Democratic Party.

by: derrico @ Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 21:23:59 PM UTC

I agree (0.00 / 0)

I agree, finally some hope!!!

by: bradford @ Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 22:34:37 PM UTC

Seniority (0.00 / 0)

As an ex-Mass resident, I sympathize with feeling like Kerry is a schlub compared to Kennedy. That said, he really is pretty far to the left in the Senate when not running for president and I wouldn't shake a fist at his seniority. The question that needs to be considered is whether the difference between Kerry and O'Reilly's politics make up for the difference in efficacy.

by: CT Student @ Fri Aug 03, 2007 at 23:41:29 PM UTC

My Candidacy and Leadership (0.00 / 0)

My candidacy is all about having a core set of beliefs and carrying these convictions into the political arena. Although a campaign needs to be all about dialogue, it is the core set of beliefs that processes information and, ultimately, results in solutions through leadership.

As a long time supporter of John Kerry, my entire image of him changed when he voted to authorize military action in Iraq. If Senator Kerry's vote was a mistake, I would have questioned his ability to process information, but would have found it morally acceptable.

However, as Robert Shrum's book has confirmed, Senator Kerry balanced his own personal political ambition in becoming President when deciding whether to vote for military authorization in Iraq. How does one vote to send people to war based upon his/her own political career?

In addition, it was not just the vote to authorize military action in Iraq, but the way in which Mr. Kerry voted. Senator Kerry voted to cut off debate after Senator Byrd made an impassioned speech on the Senate floor. Senator Byrd basically said that voting in favor military action would, essentially, be like putting a closed for business sign on the U.S. Senate. Senator Byrd was correct and this vote gave the Executive Branch unbridled power which has left Congress impotent in carrying out the will of the American people.

When we are talking about seniority, we must look at the most important vote of this generation and the most important vote of Senator Kerry's 23 year career. He failed to follow a core set of beliefs.

As a former Howard Dean supporter, it is clear that Senator Kerry and I disagreed on the use of military force in Iraq. Since Matt suggested Senator Kerry has now moved to the Left, let us look at where he really is on the left and where I stand.

Iraq--I am for the complete and immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. Mr. Kerry is for a timeline and favors keeping troops in "enclaves" in Iraq, according to an article published in June, 2007.

Energy--I am for a bold new concept of using the model of the 2,000 municipal power companies in the United States to bring 100% renewable electric energy to our country. This model would be controlled on the local level, produced not for profit, and sited with local control. Mr. Kerry is looking at energy production from within the same old box.

Health Care--I am for universal health care with a single payer system. Senator Kerry's position is unclear, but seems to favor some sort of health care plan based upon the insurance industry being involved.

Marriage Equality--I am a firm believer in gay marriage and Senator Kerry favors the separate, but equal, position of civil unions.

Although the world of blogging opened to me less than three months ago, Netroots Democracy really means entering a dialogue on the issues. I welcome this opportunity as we move our country boldly forward.

As someone with the heart and soul of a firefighter and the skills of a trial attorney, I will never compromise my core beliefs.

Ed O'Reilly
Democratic Candidate for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts

by: Ed O'Reilly @ Sat Aug 04, 2007 at 14:46:16 PM UTC