State of Massachusetts secondary Archives: on Principles & Values

Setti Warren: Supports 5 out of 8 of ORMA's "People's Platform"

1. Single Payer Healthcare
2. Free Public College
3. $15 Minimum Wage
4. Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance
5. Automatic Voter Registration

[The other three are: Justice is Not For Sale Act; Inclusive Prosperity Act; and Keep It In the Ground Act].

Martha Coakley: I know how tough my 2010 Senate loss was for many people

"I felt it really was important to say to people, 'I know how tough that loss was,' " Coakley said afterward. "I think people recognize that we don't win every race."

Coakley said she's jumping back into the political ring to continue to fight for issues she's worked on as attorney general. With a tight smile and a wave, she insisted she was pleased with Saturday's results. "It's terrific. We had a goal coming in that we wanted to get our 15% to get on the ballot," Coakley said. "We've had a great day."

Steve Grossman: We need a job creator, not a prosecutor, for governor

Coakley said she was not paying attention to the poll numbers, and said her career as a prosecutor in Middlesex County and at the state level was not a detriment to her campaign. She noted her fights against bank home foreclosures and challenging the Defense of Marriage Act.

Richard Tisei: Iconoclast in GOP; former state Senate minority leader

One thing remains the same in Tisei's 2nd straight run for the Democrat-held seat in Massachusetts' 6th District--as an openly-gay New Englander, Tisei is an iconoclast in his party.

The Republican said that he does not find himself in a hostile party. In fact, given that he represents one of the party's best chances to once again hold a New England congressional seat--something he thinks is necessary for the GOP to be a national party--Tisei is seeing plenty of support. "I feel very comfortable with the history of the party," Tisei said, mentioning the GOP's involvement in women's suffrage and the Civil Rights movement. "I'm also a small business owner. I support our free enterprise system," Tisei added. "People should be making choices for themselves, rather than the government making choices for them. So in a lot of the philosophies, both economic and as far as individual rights go, I feel very comfortable in the party.

Don Berwick: Son of a Connecticut doctor; attended med school in Boston

A: That's right. I grew up in a small town in Connecticut called Moodus. My father was a G.P. in the town. He made house calls, delivered babies--did everything. He did fluoroscopy in his office. He rounded out every day of my young life at the hospital 17 miles away--a real old-style G.P.

Q: And then you went off to Harvard for college and medical school. And you also have a master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School, and you trained in pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital. Is that right?

A: Yes. I actually did a year of internal medicine first, at Massachusetts General Hospital as a medical intern. I loved that, but I always had a special place for kids in my heart and decided to switch to pediatrics, and so I completed my training at Boston Children's Hospital.

Don Berwick: OpEd: "The second most dangerous man in America"

"The foundation of leadership is more values than strategy," said Berwick. "When the values are right and goals are bold, people want to do well. I will be the same in the corner office."

Berwick stressed his work in non-profits, where he studied other organizations and what makes them work better. "The most important decision an executive makes is who he or she selects to carry out the agenda you agree on," said Berwick. "My management style is to seek out the best people."

Mike Lee: Give me 17 months and I will achieve bipartisanship

GOMEZ: This election is about putting people before politics. Congressman Markey has had 37 years down there to get things done in terms of immigration reform, comprehensive tax reform, entitlement reform. Give me 17 months and I will keep my word and I don't need 37 years like Congressman Markey has had.

Q: 17 months is the time left in John Kerry's term, but you would be just one of 100 members of the Senate. How are you going to break the gridlock in Washington singlehandedly?

GOMEZ: If a Navy SEAL can talk a Peace Corps volunteer into marrying him, I think I can work with anybody. I look forward to working with President Obama, I look forward to working with all the senators in DC I have been bipartisan my whole life. That's the problem we have in DC right now. We have such a high level of cynicism, fiscal mismanagement and hyper partisanship. And the issues are so big that we need to reach across the aisle, respect the other side and get things done.

Bob Massie: Overcame childhood hemophilia, hepatitis, and HIV

"My original title was `Surviving Hemophilia, HIV and Hepatitis.' It was so boring. I decided to take a totally different approach and tell five stories instead," says Massie. When asked about the medical timing, Massie notes, "If I had been born earlier, I would not have survived. If I had been born later, I wouldn't have \gotten HIV. The medical care was good enough to keep me going, but flawed.

Karyn Polito: Voted YES on 'one nation under God' in pledge of allegiance

A Resolution, filed by Rep. Jones (R, North Reading), would reaffirm the reference to "one nation under God" in the pledge of allegiance.

The relevant part of the MassDems Platform is Part I, clause 7: CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES: We reaffirm our commitment to the constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state, and of the freedom to worship without governmental interference.

Bill H.4402 ; vote number H205

Marty Walsh: Voted YES on 'one nation under God' in pledge of allegiance

A Resolution, filed by Rep. Jones (R, North Reading), would reaffirm the reference to "one nation under God" in the pledge of allegiance.

The relevant part of the MassDems Platform is Part I, clause 7: CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES: We reaffirm our commitment to the constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state, and of the freedom to worship without governmental interference.

Bill H.4402 ; vote number H205

John Kerry: Contest between common sense values and extreme ideologues

Carla Howell: Number one issue: Big government versus small government

A: Big government versus small government. One simple issue, one simple choice. Big government problems, or small government solutions. Big government is the problem; small government is the solution. I am campaigning for small government. You either get big government and high taxes or small government and low taxes.