11/13/2017 07:01 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Rebecca Morin (rmorin@politico.com; @RebeccaMorin_)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Welcome to Monday.
ANATOMY OF AN ELIZABETH WARREN TOWN HALL - Sen. Elizabeth Warren hit her 16th town hall of the year on Sunday in Greenfield -and with 908 attendees, it's one of her bigger town hall crowds to date (but not her biggest).
Warren's stump speech might have changed - it's sharpened over the past year - but her audiences remain as responsive as ever. She reliably enjoys big cheers, applause, and standing ovations as she winds through her own tales of the need to fight for the middle class or the misgivings of the Trump administration, peppered with her signature "fight"-based language and imagery (you can always count on talk about the middle class "up against the ropes," with the threat of a "knockout blow"). Her most recent book is titled "This Fight is Our Fight," after all.
The town hall audience inevitably wants to know how to get involved in the resistance against the Trump administration, and the fight to save the Affordable Care Act has become Warren's key example to point to. This spring, Warren would tell attendees to get active and get involved and to encourage loved ones in red and purple states to call their members of Congress who could be crucial deciding votes. Now, months later, the ACA fight has turned into a specific example where citizen resistance and pushback made a difference in the Trump era, Warren says. "We didn't have any more votes in Senate or the House, but the difference was you," she said yesterday. "The difference was every single person who said 'I'm in this health care fight.' Who posted on Facebook, who sent a tweet about it ... You bet we want to get things done. And it's going to be tough and we're going to lose a lot of these fights. We can't fight on every front at every moment. ... But it isn't a battle. It's like a muscle. The more you use it, the better you are."
And the biggest mainstay of the Warren town hall: Her reliable, ice-breaking crowd-pleaser to shout-out to everyone seated in the back of the room. "I can see you," Warren mock-chides, craning her neck and pointing to the back of the always-packed hall. "I am a school teacher. And I know to keep an eye on all of the ones in the back of the room. You will be called on!"
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
** A message from PhRMA: Ever wonder who decides what you pay for your medicines? It's not who you might think. Biopharmaceutical companies set the list prices for their medicines, but it's your insurer that decides how much you pay out of pocket. More than one-third of the list price is rebated back to middlemen, but these savings aren't always shared with patients. http://onphr.ma/2AB3jW4 **
TODAY - Rep. Joe Kennedy III addresses the New England Council's breakfast - The House meets in formal session - A woman who currently works at the State House will talk about the sexual harassment she has faced on Beacon Hill in an interview on WBUR's Radio Boston at 3 p.m.
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "Misdeeds alleged against US marshal," by Shawn Musgrave, Boston Globe: "An investigation into a former top official with the US Marshals office in Boston found a range of misconduct, including lying under oath about sexual activity in government offices, then lying about his actions and urging some of the women to withhold details from investigators. Federal investigators characterized his false statements as criminal violations, although prosecutors declined to file charges."
- "2nd trooper suing Mass. State Police never shredded documents involving arrest of judge's daughter despite order, she says," by Scott J. Croteau, Masslive.com: "The second trooper to file a federal lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police, Col. Richard McKeon and other troopers over the redaction of a police report involving the arrest of a judge's daughter said she refused to shred her report despite direct orders to do so. Trooper Ali Rei filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court Friday, just days after Trooper Ryan Sceviour filed a federal lawsuit in connection with the redaction of an arrest report involving Alli Bibaud, the daughter of a Worcester County judge."
- "Former Gov. Michael Dukakis backing Boston-to-Springfield rail effort," by Shira Schoenberg, Masslive.com: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis has spearheaded an effort in Boston to build a rail link between North Station and South Station. Now, Dukakis has also thrown his weight behind another rail project: the proposed east-west link between Springfield and Boston. Dukakis wrote in testimony given to the Legislature's Transportation Committee that building higher-speed passenger rail from Boston to Worcester, Springfield, Connecticut and New York has been a priority for him since his governorship in the 1980s."
- "Dairy farmers seek to double tax credit," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle Tribune: "Beleaguered dairy farmers could be getting more money from the state to offset losses from souring milk sales. A bipartisan proposal gaining traction on Beacon Hill would double the state's dairy farm tax credit to $8 million, which supporters say would prevent more farms from going bust. The measure, which was cleared two weeks ago by the Legislature's Revenue Committee, has support from dozens of lawmakers."
WARREN REPORT -
- "Warren focuses on Democratic unity at town hall," from yours truly: "Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told a packed town hall Sunday that her party has grown more unified since President Donald Trump's inauguration, despite the recent eruption of intramural fights over the 2016 presidential election. 'We have come together as the party of opposition,' Warren told reporters after the town hall in western Massachusetts."
MOULTON MATTERS -
- "Democrats back military veterans as candidates in their battle to retake the House," by Maryalice Parks, ABC News: "Exactly one year before the 2018 midterm elections, one of Democrats' key strategies to retake the House is coming into focus. In a wide range of districts around the country, Democrats are placing their bets on military veterans. 'There's no doubt that veterans have unique qualifications and experiences that give them important credibility with Democrats, independents and Republican voters alike,' Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Tyler Law told ABC News."
ON THE STUMP -
- "Entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai will run for Senate as an independent," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "The field of Republicans vying to unseat Democratic US Senator Elizabeth Warren just got smaller. Entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai, who had been campaigning as a Republican, announced Saturday that he planned run as an independent."
- "Can this underdog candidate unseat America's most popular governor?" by Matt Foley, OZY: "The son of a Korean War veteran and civil rights activist, Setti Warren knew that he too wanted to make a difference. To hear him tell it, he felt called to a life of service. So, naturally, he set his sights on medicine. Except, 'I was way too squeamish to be a doctor,' Warren, 47, tells OZY, chuckling as he thinks back to the path that led him to politics. 'But it was all about, 'How can I help people?' My dad would often say that you weren't a full-fledged citizen unless you served in some capacity.'"
- "Churches on front lines of signature drives," by Christian M. Wade, Salem News: "The Rev. Robert Murray's politically active parishioners are trying to galvanize support for a constitutional amendment calling on lawmakers to ban public funding for abortions. Murray, pastor at St. James and Immaculate Conception Church in Salem, welcomes them to use church property to gather signatures for the proposal, whose supporters are rushing against a Nov. 22 deadline to collect nearly 65,000 signatures to put the question to Massachusetts voters in 2020."
- "THE COLUMN: Nuon, Lay, Chau tell big story of election," by Lowell Sun: "The headline in last Wednesday's Sun following election day in Lowell was 'Downtown Dominates.' It captured accurately what transpired: candidates, but not all candidates, who supported keeping Lowell High School downtown got elected. But the other trend that emerged was how well Lowell residents of Southeast Asian descent did."
THE TSONGAS ARENA -
- "One way to avoid Boston real estate? Run for Congress in Lowell," by Frank Phillips, Boston Globe: "An open congressional seat in the Merrimack Valley offers a prime opportunity for aspiring pols - enough so that several have moved into retiring US Representative Niki Tsongas's district to run for the seat. If history is any guide, this will not work out well - but that hasn't stopped a slew of Democrats with varying levels of roots in the district from such attempts."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "'GOING UP THE CHAIN,'" "BLOCK AND AWE" - Globe: "Visions for new rail line clashing," "A juror's regret: Doubt compounded by verdict," "Step by oblivious step," "'I felt like a prisoner,'" "Cellular pioneer Vanu Bose dies," "THAT MILE-HIGH FEELING."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
THE RARE DEVAL PATRICK INTERVIEW - "Doing Well By Doing Good: From Governor of Massachusetts to Bain Capital Managing Director, Deval Patrick is Finding the Best Way to Do Good," by Alexandre Mars, Huffpost: "Former Governor Deval Patrick does not believe that all the answers to social problems can be found in one place. For him, only a collaborative approach across sectors can address the biggest challenges that men and women face in our society. After his career as Governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, he joined the private sector. Now a Managing Director at the multi-asset alternative investment firm Bain Capital, with over $75 billion in assets he heads a new investment platform focused on social impact."
- "North Adams Armory dedicated to Michael DeMarsico II," by Adam Shanks, Berkshire Eagle: "Melanie Rancourt remembered the time when, as a high school student, Michael DeMarsico II had his caricature drawn. He asked that it be as a soldier. 'I can still see that drawing in my head. He was determined to serve his country, and that was his future,' said Rancourt, a teacher of DeMarsico's at Drury High School. The North Adams Armory site was dedicated to Army Spc. DeMarsico, who was killed in action in Afghanistan at age 20 in 2012, in a ceremony outside the historic building Saturday."
- "Wrentham town meeting deciding on pot questions Monday," by Stephen Peterson, Sun Chronicle: "Residents are being asked to decide on several issues at Monday's fall town meeting, including banning recreational marijuana businesses. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at the high school off Franklin Street (Route 140)."
- "Dispute over Berkshire Museum art sale moves to next stage," by Larry Parnass, Berkshire Eagle: "A month from now, lawyers who clashed in court over the Berkshire Museum's sale of art will meet again, this time in Boston, taking what has become a national issue to a higher legal arena. While opponents of the art sale had reason to celebrate Saturday, the 30-day pause secured late Friday through intervention by the attorney general is no guarantee that the museum will not prevail in the Massachusetts Appeals Court."
MEDIA MATTERS - "The Codcast: Filling the news hole," by CommonWealth Magazine: "Everyone knows about the retrenchment and redistribution of resources by media outlets, especially newspapers. While some regions have filled the vacuum with blogs purporting to be news but are really opinion pages in disguise, true local news and events often go uncovered. Here in Boston, though, some web sites have sustained long enough to become the go-to destinations for neighborhood residents who want those old 'refrigerator stories' that were once the staple of local newspapers, articles about friends and families and events that would be clipped out and hung on the refrigerator door."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Gov. Charlie Baker, NECN and Bay Windows' own Sue O'Connell, Sudbury Rep. Carmine Gentile, and Politico alum Jonathan Topaz, now at Harvard Law School (h/t Ben Schreckinger).
DID THE HOME TEAMS WIN? Yes! - The Patriots beat the Broncos 41-16. The Celtics topped the Toronto Raptors 95-94.
NEW: POLITICO is accepting applications for its fifth session of the POLITICO Journalism Institute (PJI), an educational initiative focused on newsroom diversity . The intensive program, which is designed for college students, will be held May 29 to June 9, 2018. It features hands-on training for up to 12 recent grads and university students interested in covering government and politics. Students also will have an opportunity to have their work published by POLITICO. All expenses are paid for the program, reflecting POLITICO's ongoing support of journalism education, newsroom diversity and recruitment of top-notch talent. Admissions are made on a rolling basis, so APPLY TODAY but no later than Jan. 15, 2018. https://www.politico.com/pji
FRESH OUT OF THE GATE: AN EMERGENCY RESULTS EDITION OF THE HORSE RACE - Election Day has come and gone and we're here to parse who landed in the winner's circle across the state. Also, a surprise appearance by Sam Hammar, chair of the Melrose Democratic City Committee, to discuss why a partisan city committee got involved in a non-partisan municipal election. Subscribe and listen now on iTunes andSound Cloud.
- And more details are coming soon about the live Horse Race event at Ned Devine's in Boston on Nov. 28. No actual horses, just a lot of jockeying for #mapoli insights. Plus, there will be swag!
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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** A message from PhRMA: Are middlemen really holding down the cost of medicines? Ever wonder who decides what you pay for your medicines? It's not who you might think. Biopharmaceutical companies set the list prices for their medicines, but it's your insurer that ultimately determines how much you pay out of pocket. More than one-third of the list price of a medicine is rebated back to middlemen, like insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). These rebates and discounts create savings of more than $100 billion, but these savings aren't always shared directly with patients. Patients share the costs. They should share the savings. http://onphr.ma/2AB3jW4 **
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