Comments on: Capuano: A Washington Insider, Unknown At Home

By: Jamie Jones

Jamie Jones — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:05:36 +0000

I also received an unsolicited call from Rep. Capuoano at 6:30 tonight to participate in the tele Town Hall. I’m not sure I appreciate this. If I want to participate in his town hall meeting, I’ll do it myself. I equate this to having someone show up at my house unannounced and say, “let’s party!” rather than calling in advance and letting me know there’s a party going on somewhere else if I’d like to go to it. The fact that the call would be recorded and the recording posted on a website (which website? for how long?) was also glossed over.

The Capuoano campaign had previously raised my concern about its lack of awareness for citizen’s privacy when it sent out a bulk email blast and someone mismatched recipient’s names and emails. So, I received an email that said “Dear Chris Smith” instead of “Dear Jamie Jones” but with my email listed. Chris Smith, or someone else, apparently received a “Dear Jamie Jones” email with MY email address on it. I did not appreciate my email being distributed to a stranger through a glitch like this; the Capuoano campaign’s sloppiness is inexcusable.

Because of Capuoano’s sloppiness and lack of awareness about citizen’s privacy, I’ll probably be voting for Coakley despite the fact that she lacks both Washington experience and legislative experience. At least she understands the law.

By: Susan Fendell

Susan Fendell — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:56:57 +0000

I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by Rep. Capuano. While no Dennis Kucinich, he’s been relatively progressive on the bills he’s cosponsored and with his votes. I too liked the telephone town hall because people actually asked hard questions to which he gave decent responses. And unlike any of the other candidates for Senate, he has been more specific about how he will vote and his tendencies are in line with mine. The other candidates’ websites are full of empty verbiage – one really can’t tell how any of the others will vote. Check out health care, e.g. I wish WBUR coverage would be more about how the candidates contrast on the issues than about the horse race.

By: Joe Beckmann

Joe Beckmann — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:46:56 +0000

Pooor Davis Mclaren, you don’t know what Somerville was before Mike. Except for John Buonomo – who, incidentally, Mike beat – there haven’t been any more real draino cleanups since the days of “Uncle LaLa” and the boys of Winter Hill. Now, that doesn’t mean everybody is very squeaky in office these days, but it does mean that the city has change profoundly. The only reason you find it still a little shifty is that it’s a genuinely transparent, chaotic, and often contentious political landscape where class, language, ethnicity, and every other variable are both badges of honor and marks of shame, depending on who or where you are. That is what makes it so much FUN, Davis, and you should play in it with the rest of us. When you need a scorecard to find whose mistress has what job that affects whose parking or garbage or zoning or taxes, ah, then you’ve hit a level of political insight that is truly community-based. And, mark me, that’s not Mike, nor Mike’s organization. It’s “the other guys” who – among others – included other mayors.

One theme Thyss ought to have mentioned, by the way, is that, although Coakley has raised a lot of new money, Mike began with a tidy sum that reflects his history of federal campaigns, and Martha has had the devil of a time spending here state campaign money illegally for her federal campaign. Even at that, however, it’s not been like the Celtics Monseigneur who does it the old fashioned way – by writing checks.

By: davis mclaren

davis mclaren — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:46:40 +0000

They put him in charge of ethics? They are still cleaning up the corruption messes he left in Somerville!

By: Mary M

Mary M — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:24:45 +0000

@Henry–he’s required to have separate phones, you can’t do campaigning on government property/phones.

And maybe Mike is a hidden gem for those constituents like me. But that’s because he’s not a showboat, getting himself in front of cameras all the time. He’s actually working for us. I don’t have a problem with that at all.

But one of the major losses about Teddy is that his office was the _master_ of constituent services. Remember all those stories people told about their personal interaction with him and his office? That’s what I want, and I know Mike can deliver that.

By: Fred Thys

Fred Thys — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:24:43 +0000

This is Fred Thys, the political reporter at WBUR. Capuano carries separate cell phones for fund-raising and for government work because he cannot use a government cell phone to raise money.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:50:01 +0000

I got an unsolicited “Town Meeting” call last night from Capuano. Other callers from across the state asked questions and he answered them with very straightforward answers, imho. With my typical evening responsibilities at home, its unlikely I could get out to a community event but I was interested enough in the questions and his answers that I stayed on & listened for almost an hour. I’m still undecided as I have still heard very little directly from the other candidates, but I thought this was a very effective way to reach potential voters.

By: Henry Lieberman

Henry Lieberman — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:30:57 +0000

This article is trying to be complimentary, but it says some things that don’t sound so great.

* “Being tough” against a group who is trying to improve ethics standards?

* Carrying a different cell phone for fundraising calls? So that if your phone records are subpoenaed those calls won’t be on the record?

Hmm….

By: Krodamai Iaho

Krodamai Iaho — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:25:40 +0000

This article captures the man pretty well, IMO. He’s up front and truthful and says what he means. Over 11 years he’s been my representative, I’ve never heard him blow sunshine or sugarcoat the hard truth. I can scarcely find friends, acquaintances or coworkers with this fine quality — this guy is a rare gem to have for a Senator. And I simply wouldn’t trust any of the other candidates to tell me the straight story.

By: John T. Zelazo

John T. Zelazo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:20:30 +0000

If the election were not a special one and Capuano had to give up his Congressional seat to seek the Senate, I doubt that he would have jumped into the campaign; whereas Coakley probably would have and evidently thinks she defacto has already given up her AG post when she speaks of getting into the race as a notable brave act on her part. She is eveidently already seeking re-election, just who is she so afraid of in 2012?