Video clips follow of each candidate’s closing statement in the order they gave them. Elizabeth Warren went first and so is displayed below. Links to the other candidate’s statements follow that:
Alan Khazei closing statement
Herb Robinson closing statement
Marisa DeFranco closing statement
Tom Conroy closing statement
Bob Massie closing statement
One of the questions asked of the candidates during last night’s debate among the candidates in the Democratic primary for the US Senate was whether young Americans should be required to serve their country in some capacity and whether women should be permitted to serve in combat in the infantry. Here are the responses of all six candidates:
Watching a bit of the ballgame tonight. The Cards are facing elimination, but are leading the Phils 3 to 2 about mid-way through the game. Reminds me of watching the Game of the Week on one of the three big TV networks when I was young. It was the only time, other than the All Star Game and World Series, to see the National League players who were on baseball cards. One game sticks in my mind. It was a Saturday when I was about 12, I guess, and I was with my two Brady cousins who were a year younger and older than me. We were a trio in those days. My uncle had driven us to a “camp” on a pond in Westford that was owned by a friend of his. The weather was damp, so we were inside watching baseball.
The game could have been the Cubs and Giants or the Pirates and Dodgers. I think it was the Cubs because I can see the classic brick and ivy of Wrigley Field in my mind’s hard drive. Maybe the Cubs and Pirates—I vaguely recall Roberto Clemente and Ernie Banks were in this game. We rarely saw those guys in action. My recollection is that we were there a long time and saw most of the game. Nobody was in a rush to go. My uncle must have been talking with his friend. They may have been on the dock fishing. My cousins and I were heavy-duty baseball fans at the time. I don’t know why that afternoon of all afternoons has stayed with me. Maybe it was the unusual waterfront cottage or being a visitor in a new place—or simply the unhurried feeling of having all the time in the world when you are 12 years old. And there was something slightly exotic about watching a National League game in Red Sox country.
That afternoon came back to me tonight while watching the Cardinals and Phillies scrapping for a win. The Cardinals’ home uniforms with the two bright birds on the golden bat across their white shirt fronts are one of the most appealing designs in the majors. And the Phillies with that longstanding P on their caps are the latest in a line that gave us Johnny Callison, Fergie Jenkins, and Cookie Rojas.
I’m stating the obvious here, but I’m interested to read what people might write about this: If you watched Ken Burns’ latest American history film this week on PBS, you probably noticed familiar themes from the Prohibition era: religious extremism, wealth concentrated at the top, organized crime violence (like Mexico today), intolerance of non-Protestants and immigrants, financial recklessness, widespread poverty—and finally a push-back by citizens and voters seeking economic justice and more personal freedom.
Culture, Current Events, Election 2012, History, Lowell, Politics | 
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The Lowell Historical Society has recently gone live with a blog site. This is a cross post of an entry I just wrote for the Society’s blog. Hopefully, we will continue this relationship! Marie Clerk, LHS
The Lowell Historic Board has resumed publication of a quarterly newsletter – ”Presence from the Past” - with its just issued 2011 Fall Edition. News from the commission is always of interest to Lowell Historical Society members and those interested in preservation. The Society does have a member-seat on the Commission currently filled by LHS board member and Director of the UML/Center for Lowell History Martha Mayo and Commission Assistant Director Kim Zunino is also on the board.
While many topics are covered in this newsletter scholars and interested buffs of the many Lowell cemeteries should check out Kim’s article: The Value of Historic Cemeteriesand information on a November 20 tour she’ll conduct on the Old English Cemetery on Gorham Street.
The Newsletter is chock full of interesting article and suggestion of how to research the history of your house, the newly designated historic neighborhood – the Livingston-Harvard Neighborhood District - in the Highlands, how historic buildings in Lowell are going solar… and much more. There is a calendar of events too!
77 Livingston Avenue in the new historic district
If you aren’t on the LHB Newlettter list, check it out HERE or copy and paste this URL in your browser : http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=jcl44pbab&v=0012ndadPBmR-KpKCbOQHSebsDdYZZIYpPc6BkVbsq9NuNlPdZnR9v3K-wOdKA1ihGwCCkvLgByXdx4-0iabuBs5q2aFCbhxZiohlUyfnmwklg%3D
In the wake of the Governor Christie final denial – the editorial in today’s Nashua Telegraph questions ”is this it?” Is this the field of Republican candidates for President in 2012? It seems that way to our friend in a state very close to setting one of the earliest dates in the 2012 election cycle. Wait, the NH Secretary of State could pick a late 2011 date in order to maintain the New Hampshire Primary’s supremacy and obey New Hampshire law! The editorial notes the words of Republican political consultant Mark McKinnon on this GOP field – “Dream dating is over. It’s time to love the one you’re with.”
Read the full editorial here at nashuatelegraph.com.
Current Events, Election 2012, Greater Lowell, Politics | No Comments »
Regular reader and sometimes contributor Mike Luciano attended last night’s US Senate debate at UMass Lowell and offers the following observations:
After witnessing firsthand the Senatorial debate among Democratic candidates at UMass Lowell’s Durgin Hall, I compiled the following assessment. Although I hate the fluffy, personality-driven aspect of American politics and prefer substantive policy discussions, I will nonetheless accept this paradigm in order to offer the following assessment of the competitors (in alphabetical order).
Tom Conroy, The Professional Politician: You know a person is serious about running for office in Massachusetts when they continuously make Kennedy-esque hand gestures during a debate. You know, the quasi-fist perpendicular to the floor with the thumb on top? That was Tom Conroy tonight. His answers were smooth and direct. Definitely a candidate built for comfort. Said all the right things. He’s playing not to lose, but given his underdog status, he must play to win.
Marisa DeFranco, The Hammer: I loved Marisa DeFranco’s performance tonight. So much so, that I’d say she won it. Seriously. I walked into that debate hall tonight a big Elizabeth Warren supporter, which I still am, but DeFranco beat her on passion and substance. When DeFranco was skewering Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the federal government for making cheap money available to Wall Street banks (she mentioned Goldman Sachs—Obama’s number one private campaign donor—by name, which even Warren didn’t do), I felt like she was talking directly to me, and everyone else who knows that the largest financial institutions have a stranglehold on our government and economy. This woman knows what she’s talking about and knows how to get her message across. read more »
For those who missed the excellent talk by housing expert Karl Case at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conf. Center on Monday, the Sun’s Dan O’Brien covered the well-attended event. Read his article here, and get the Sun if you want more. The Lunchtime Lectures are presented by the Moses Greeley Parker Lectures and UMass Lowell with support from Middlesex Community College and the Cultural Org. of Lowell (COOL). Upcoming programs include a look at the 2012 presidential primaries with UMass Lowell Chancellor Meehan moderating a discussion by guests from the media and politics on Monday, Nov. 7, at 12 noon. Reserve space by writing to artsandideas@uml.edu or calling 978-934-3107. Seating is limited to 100.
Current Events, Election 2012, History, Lowell, Politics | No Comments »
The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog
It’s amazing that illegal immigration has become such a hot-button issue even where the
population of undocumented workers is negligible. In Alabama, where about 3.5 percent of the population is foreign-born, a harsh new immigration law has caused many in that population to flee, taking children out of schools, avoiding trips to the hospital, even for child delivery, fearful to report crime. A federal judge upheld the new law, but, as the NY Times asks, does this “counterproductive cruelty” make sense?
Illegal immigration is not an inconsequential issue. As the Globe’s Joan Vennochi has written, checking fingerprints of arrested suspects isn’t a “publicity stunt.” T.C. Boyle’s novel The Tortilla Curtain, set in southern California, is a spell-binding yarn about the clash of cultures when self-described progressives come up against the complex realities of illegal immigration. I had a tiny taste of this (and, dear readers, I know it was but a tiny taste, so don’t waste your time sending outraged comments) when I was at a standstill in backed up traffic under the old stone bridge on Route 9 in Wellesley.
An old beat-up Chevy rear-ended me. In parking lot conditions, I got out of my car and walked back to suggest to the driver that, as traffic was about to start moving, we pull off at the gas station up ahead to exchange papers. He nodded. Shortly thereafter, I pulled off and watched in amazement as the driver who had rear-ended me kept going, speeding west on Route 9. read more »
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