Elections are only about a month away, and this year is undoubtedly going to be an interesting one to watch. In Massachusetts, incumbent Governor Deval Patrick is up against some real competition, with Republican candidate Charlie Baker nipping at his heels in the polls and independent challenger Tim Cahill following in third.
Recently, Boston University’s Howard Gottlieb Archival Research Center put Patrick, Cahill, Baker, and third-party candidate Jill Stein up to the challenge of answering questions asked by students. Professor John Caroll played the questions for the candidates and recorded their answers. These answers were screened at “Educating the Bay State’s Next Governor,” in which a panel of media and political experts critiqued these answers for accuracy, strategy, and overall quality.
The panel, moderated by journalism Professor John Carroll, included Boston Phoenix Editor David Bernstein, WBUR Political Analyst Todd Domke, Bay State Banner Publisher Mel Miller, Political Strategist Natasha Perez, Boston Globe Columnist Joan Vennochi, and CGS social science Professor Thomas Whalen. Here’s what they had to say on some of the issues:
The Casino Debate
Perez said that Cahill has the “only true distinct position on the casinos that he can run on.” Meanwhile, the panel seemed to be highly critical of Governor Patrick. Whalen said that with his stance on this issue, Patrick hasn’t given workers a reason to go out and vote. Whalen added, “he just doesn’t come across as a decisive person.” Miller, on the other hand, defended Governor Patrick. “His record is so superior,” Miller said, and blamed the backlash on the media’s failure to report on positive happenings. “It’s unfortunate,” Miller said. Venocchi said Baker gave “a political answer,” while she agreed with Stein’s stance on the issue.
Student Loan Forgiveness
Carroll pointed out that 30% of Massachusetts college students leave the state in the year after the graduate. Though the panelists did not discuss in depth the issue of laon forgiveness programs, they said that such programs could help keep students in the state. “Students have downsized their expectations for the future,” Whalen noted, adding that no candidate said anything in their responses that would appeal to students. Venocchi agreed with Stein and said that the government priorities are wrong in giving tax cuts to Hollywood and corporations but not investing in students.
Cape Wind and Green Energy for Massachusetts
The panel overall thought Patrick did well on this issue. Domke said that “politically it was not an easy thing for [Patrick].” Bernstein noted that green energy and Cape Wind are very popular with the populace of Massachusetts. “85-90% love the idea of wind projects,” Bernstein said, “[Patrick] saw the opportunity and he whacked them.” Whalen, meanwhile, agreed with Baker’s position that the state should not rely on one form of green energy. “Why put all your eggs in one basket?”
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