Email us!
Lowell Area Bloggers/Forums
- adventures of the mohards
- Art is the Handmaid of Human Good
- Blog from the Office of the City Manager, Lowell MA
- Choosing a Soundtrack
- Corey Sciuto
- Downtown Lowell Blog
- Dracut Forum
- Dracut Musings
- Dracut Politics
- gerrynutter'slowell
- JackieDoherty.org
- Lowell Deeds
- Lowell for Free Calendar of events ranging from the arts to history to kids' activities.
- Lowell Police Dept WebNews
- Lowell Public Schools Blog
- Middlesex Community College Blog
- Mr. Mill City
- MV Homlessness Blog
- RichardHowe.com
- Right-Side-of-Lowell
- Tewksbury Issues
- The New Englander
Lowell Politics
Mass Bloggers
- - Leftyblogs MA Blogroll - Almost all of my favorite lefty blogs in Massachusetts can be found here. Linking here keeps my own blogroll short but still up to date! Below are some other MA blogs which are not listed at LB.
- H2Otown (Watertown, MA)
- MargeBLOG (Williamstown)
- Michael Forbes Wilcox (Western MA)
- The Gazebo (Worcester area)
Media in Lowell
- Chelmsford Mass News
- Community Connections The online archive of many of WUML's radio shows.
- LTC :: Our community cable access channel (8 & 10). Excellent people, I've worked with them before.
- Open Source :: Chris Lydon's new show, broadcast on WUML and WGBH locally.
- The Lowell Sun :: Love it or hate it, it's the big newspaper in town.
- WCAP radio :: Talk radio in Lowell - still locally owned, and in transition.
- WUML :: The student- and community-run radio station of UMass-Lowell. Lynne hosts a radio show, Thinking Out Loud, 10am on Fridays.
Media in MA
Other Daily Reads
Politics Online
- City Council Agenda Past City Council agendas, posted in a mostly timely manner
- Lowellma.gov Official city website
Progressive Local Orgs
Snark and politics
The Arts in Lowell
- 119 Gallery - Art gallery with exhibitions of many local artists, interesting events, and living, breathing culture.
- Arts League of Lowell (ALL) - Artist community group, a recent but welcome addition to the arts scene in Lowell.
- Brush Art Gallery - Come and meet working artists in their natural habitats!
- Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) - Great local calendar of events.
- Lowell Opera Company - Community opera.
- Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra - Local community orchestra.
- Lowell Poetry Network
- Lowell Rocks - List of live music events
- Merrimack Repertory Theatre - A local theatre "presenting an exciting mix of contemporary and new plays in historic downtown Lowell."
- OUtlET - Paper and online 'zine making a splash locally with events in art, poetry, music, and everything in between!
- Revolving Museum Contemporary, local, public art space with a plethora of children's programs and art by and for the community.
- The Fine Print - Socially aware, themed, arts and issues periodic publication available throughout Lowell.
- The Image Theater - Theatre company which puts on all original works by local playwrights.
- Whistler House Museum - A great collection of contemporaries of Whistler at his historic birthplace.
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:48 am
Lynne:
I will leave it to Eileen to respond. However, she discussed her position on healthcare on the Emily Rooney show on Monday. It did not sound to me like the ever-evolving Tsongas position; nor was it the Eldridge position.
As for the Lowell Sun article, I know for a fact that the reporter, who wrote the article, called her on her cell phone while she was travelling and spoke to her for about 3 minutes. I do not think that is sufficient amount of times and proper conditions to understand any candidates’ position on any issue, never mind something as complicated as healthcare.
And as you well know, I am a Donoghue supporter.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Well, Mimi, maybe you can get her to speak up, clarify and put it on her site. We note that she and Finegold don’t put positions up. It’s early, but next week, the race will officially start.
The closest I can find to a position beyond the stuff above was from her announcement last month. She said, “As your Representative in Washington, I will work to end the war in Iraq, make healthcare more affordable, strengthen federal support for public education, fight for affordable prescription drugs for our seniors, and encourage smart investments of federal dollars in the 5th district that will create jobs and opportunity for our people.”
That’s apple pie, with no specifics. Health care is expensive. I’ll work to change that. Hmm.
I’m in the fortunate position of not being a candidate for any office. Those who are need to let voter know where they stand, what they think and what they indeed to do.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Why should she explain, her position on single payer health care is correct. Eldridge on the other hand is trying to move the debate as far left as he can to paint himself as the “progressive candidate”. Demanding single payer health care will not get you elected, but it will get the pseudo-socialists’ vote.
May 2nd, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Turch and Lynne - good question about Jamie’s support for single-payer - let me take a stab at it, and if this isn’t good enough let me know:
Jamie Eldridge voted for the Massachusetts reforms and in favor making health care a right under the Massachusetts Constitution.
The new Massachusetts system is certainly an improvement in many ways, so it makes sense to vote in favor. But the Massachusetts system would have tremendous difficulty nationwide, especially in states with much less economic stability and a weaker middle class.
A Congressman has to decide national policy. The only way to solve our health care crisis on a national level is single-payer health care.
Jamie will be announcing his detailed policy proposal along with his official candidacy on May 10 - following Congressman Meehan’s resignation. We’ll be in Lowell, Lawrence and a couple of other towns around the district.
Stay tuned for more details, and keep up the great job of holding candidates feet to the fire to commit to exactly how they will solve this immensely important problem facing our nation.
-Mike Moschella
Campaign Manager
May 2nd, 2007 at 4:15 pm
I’m happy to have the opportunity to clarify my position on a single-payer system. I believe that if the political will existed in Washington to pass it, a single-payer system would be the ideal solution to our health care crisis and I would be the first one in Congress to vote for such a plan. My comments regarding my willingness to look at other policy solutions is rooted in my belief that the political will doesn’t currently exist and is unlikely to exist for sometime in Congress. This landscape may change, but I believe it is naïve to ignore the current reality. This campaign is just beginning and I’m very much looking forward to continuing the discussion regarding how government can help solve the healthcare crisis here in Massachusetts and across the country. I hope this clears up any confusion about my position on a single-payer system.
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Jacob you are so wrong.
First, it appears to me (I have no evidence to the contrary as yet and plenty for) that the candidates’ various positions on this seem to be acutally what they believe. It’s not “striking a position” for any particular purpose other than submitting their particular take on it. I just think that a) I want an advocate who’ll work hard for what I want and b) what I want is no where near anything to do with the for-profit market forces (not for basic, available health care anyway) for reasons I’ve gone over a lot on this blog.
Secondarily, single payer universal health care is actually supported by the mainstream of American voters.
Thank you, both Mike (for Jamie) and Eileen, for coming and posting and furthering your position.
Mike (and Jamie), for a while I was leary of the MA health care amendment, because I wasn’t sure that was the route to go. After a while, though, I became convinced that the simple addition of health care as a right in the state constitution could actually be a motivator and/or legal recourse for pushing the MA health reform further. I do think that the MA reform was better than nothing…but it fell so very short, too. A true revolution in health care it is not.
To Eileen, that’s definitely a good clarification, much welcome, thanks. I look forward to viewing your take on what the route to single payer might be. Obviously there’s several ways to get there, so I’d love to hear what you think is possible in the current climate.
I don’t know where it’s at right now, but I heard there would be a healthcare forum sometime during the next few months which I hope you all participate in.
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Excuse me for bringing up a prior comment (below), but I think it is worth repeating based on the current discussion:
One person (Ezra Klein) writes in his assessment of the health plan offered by John Edwards:
“Where the Edwards’ plan takes a big step forward is in mandating, along with the private options, that HMs offer “at least one plan [that] would be a public program based upon Medicare.” And the intent is explicit: “Health Markets will offer a choice between private insurers and a public insurance plan modeled after Medicare, but separate and apart from it. Families and individuals will choose the plan that works best for them. This American solution will reward the sector that offers the best care at the best price. Over time, the system may evolve toward a single-payer approach if individuals and businesses prefer the public plan.””
Isn’t this the best of both (single payer and competition) worlds?
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:48 pm
I’m not wrong about Eileen being correct.
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:01 am
Mike:
As Jacob says, rather than a conviction, Jamie’s position is starting to look like political expediency for the purpose of positioning himself and capturing the LEFTIST wing. Do you have some evidence, a quote at the time, a speech, a proposed amendment; anything that indicates that he expressed concerns with flaws in the system then? It sure seems that his perception of the flaws grew increasingly large (including his supporters similar blog comments) once Niki Tsongas took a different position.
I also think we should show some patience here for the candidates and watch the issue and the debate develop. Lynne is certainly showing patience for Eileen Donaghue (thanks for coming forward Eileen), more than for another woman candidate that has a similar position and is also the member of a health care board. I want some more details from Barry too.
The fact is, the so called paradigm shifted mightily in just the last few days:
*Senator Kennedy, a champion of health care just announced his plan which includes both government and private options.
*Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) just announced bi-partisan legislation to support individual state initiatives as a laboratory for coming up with the best national plan. This sure sounds like they want to use Massachusetts as a model. As we know, Massachusetts is a multi-payer system.
Here’s Russ Feingold’s press release link (and if Russ ain’t progressive no one is)–
http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/07/04/20070425.html
Now why would in the world would Feingold and Graham combine to sponsor a bill like this? Because they think it can pass. Did you know the first health care bill to put the government in charge of health care was introduced decades ago? Do you remember Hillary’s first attempt at government health care? As the father of a daughter in another state who doesn’t have any coverage through her employer, give me a good system sooner than later. Hell, I’d even be willing to give Lindsey Graham a pat on the back for that!
So to me, Niki and Eileen’s explorations seems honest, Jamie seems calculating and just a little smug, and I guess Barry’s is still in the delivery room.
Will W
May 3rd, 2007 at 1:32 am
[…] r, and not writing under the candidate’s byline) responds. Read the whole thing at Left in Lowell. In contrast: Niki Tsongas’ much di […]
May 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 am
waittil. That sounds alot like Germany’s system.
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=12683
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:22 am
Lynne,
The war was supported by a majority of American voters at one time as well. We can’t have policy created sticking our fingers into the wind, however, I know this is different.
I agree, single payer health care is ideal -it is. Call me jaded, though, because I just see too much pork, incompetence, and graft existing with our current programs to ever see a universal health care system working smoothly in this country.
May 3rd, 2007 at 11:05 am
Will,
How is it “politically expedient” and “smug” to support single payer when that plan is something that is NOT universally supported right now and will take a long time to pass? In my view, a political opportunistic position is to just say ‘well, that’s too hard, it won’t happen…’
Again, it is laughable to call Jamie’s view on health care opportunistic when he is calling for a solution that will take a lot more fighting to pass one day. That’s the very opposite of being “politically expedient.” Your attacks on Jamie continue to be 100% baseless and at this point, laughable.
Further, as I noted on BMG, I’m not sure we should all aspire to supporting legislation by Lindsay Graham. The same Lindsay Graham who was one of the House managers that led the impeachment of Bill Clinton. The same Lindsay Graham with one of the most conservative voting records in all of Congress. If Niki aspires to appeal to the “center” in Congress with leaders like Lindsay Graham, she might want to run in the GOP primary.
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
[…]
May 3 Eldridge and Donoghue on Health Care May 3, 2007 | Lynn got some serious follow-up by two of the candidates on th […]
May 3rd, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Winston:
Your response was very selective and misleading. When addressing my point that some in Congress are working together because of the priority of passing universal health care, you choose to mention Lindsey Graham and not his co-sponsor, Russ Feingold, who is one of the most liberal and progressive Democrats in the Senate. Why the omission? Then you link Niki Tsongas to Graham (again not Feingold) and, talk about a stretch, to the Clinton impeachment. From there you suggest Niki Tsongas should be in the Republican primary. Huh? Let’s put the mud and spin away and debate the issue seriously.
Will
May 4th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Will, in my view, the fact that Russ Feingold co-wrote the bill is irrevelent. If I was a Senator, I would strongly consider signing onto any bill co-sponsored (or sponsored) by Graham. Any man who has a lifetime rating of 90+ from the ACU and the Christian Coalition doesn’t share my values. And yes, I do remember that he was one of the leaders of the Clinton Impeachment. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I definitely remember that, and it colors my view of Graham, among others.
Wasn’t it you who called Jamie’s view “smug” among other silly things? What a joke. In your posts, you’ve been comparing Niki to Ted Kennedy, accusing critics of Niki of being sexist, and launching baseless attacks against Jamie Eldridge. You don’t have the credibility to be accusing others of name-calling.
Let me repeat: can you please say if you think Niki’s views on health care are colored at all by her membership on the board of a huge HMO, Fallon Community Health Plan? What about her chair’s ties to the hospital industry? Already, Mimi’s research has shown that Niki’s HMO ties may have played a role in her getting an endorsement (which, I know you disagree with), so I think we should be looking more deeply at what role Niki’s work with Fallon play in this race and the key issues.
May 4th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
And, incidentally Will, when you blasted Jamie’s website for lack of substance, you conveniently ignored all of the issues that had already been posted on www.jamieforcongress.com, focusing instead only on the issues that not yet been put up. So again, I don’t think you should be commenting on “selective” points.
Hopefully you’ve gone back to Jamie’s website, because they have posted his campaign lit piece which includes a full page on health care. I think they might have done that just for you!