POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook BAKER up, TRUMP down in new poll — POT SHOPS go cash-only — KORNEGAY new MassHousing chief
01/10/2018 06:57 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Rebecca Morin (rmorin@politico.com; @RebeccaMorin_)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Sunny and clear in Boston today, with highs still above freezing.
TRUMP STILL DOWN, BAKER STILL UP, AND CHALLENGERS STILL UNKNOWN - "Incompetent," "childish," "crazy," "unfit," and "idiot" - all words used in a statewide survey of Massachusetts voters to describe president Donald Trump from a new poll out from MassINC and WBUR out this morning. It should then come as no surprise that Trump continues to see incredibly low support here, with 62 percent believing he is unfit to be president and 65 percent disapproving of the job Trump is doing as president.
Meanwhile, Gov. Charlie Baker has managed to hold down a 74 percent job approval rating, described as "honeymoon numbers" by MassINC Polling Group President Steve Koczela. That approval even factors in Baker's handling of the MBTA: 45 percent approve, while only 19 percent disapprove. And 45 percent believe the T is doing a better job handling the winter than in previous years - a number sure to be touted by the Baker team after last week's MBTA victory lap.
It's all bad news for Baker's Democratic challengers, who continue to struggle to build name recognition against the governor: 65 percent of those polled had never heard of Bob Massie, 68 percent had never heard of Setti Warren, and 72 percent had never heard of Jay Gonzalez. In an interesting coincidence, similar numbers are seen among Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Republican field of challengers: A solid 80-plus percent of respondents had never heard of Beth Lindstrom, Jon Kingston, Geoff Diehl, or Shiva Ayyadurai.
FUN NUGGET - Former Governor Mitt Romney has the support of Massachusetts voters in his potential US Senate bid in Utah: The poll finds 54 percent of respondents say Romney's run is a good idea.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
TODAY - Gov. Charlie Baker, Secretary of Public Safety and Security Daniel Bennett, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta, executives from Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, and approximately 100 job seekers to visit Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries' quarterly "Clothing Collaborative," according to Baker's office - Centro Presente holds a TPS solidarity rally at Boston's City Hall, with expected speakers including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and City Councilors Josh Zakim and Lydia Edwards - Democratic LG contenders Jimmy Tingle and Quentin Palfrey participate in a forum put on by the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee.
** A message from New England Clean Power Link: Poised to supply Massachusetts with 1,000 MW of clean, renewable power, the New England Clean Power Link is ready to roll. The only project with a Presidential Permit, full site control and full host state support, the innovative buried project will help Massachusetts meet its legislative requirements for lower carbon emissions. More **
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "MBTA's GM 'updates' Twitter account after briefly blocking reporters," by Matt Stout, Boston Herald: "MBTA General Manager Luis Ramirez briefly blocked local transportation reporters and advocates on his Twitter account this morning, before later resurfacing under a different name on the social media site. The unusual maneuvering came just days after Ramirez posted and then swiftly deleted a pair of controversial tweets in which he defended the T's performance amid last week's wintry weather, saying the system wasn't built to operate in 'Siberian temperatures.'"
- "Mass. business confidence index hits 17-year high," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service:"Consumer confidence climbed again in December and ended 2017 on a high not reached since the beginning of the millennium, Associated Industries of Massachusetts said Tuesday. AIM's Business Confidence Index rose by one point to 63.5 last month, capping the year off by reaching the index's highest level since November 2000. Through 2017, the index gained 3.2 points and employer confidence levels remained 'comfortably within the optimistic range,' AIM said.
- "Marijuana shops in Mass. go cash-only with fear of federal crackdown," by Dan Adams, Boston Globe: "A majority of the state's medical marijuana dispensaries were forced to stop accepting debit cards from patients Tuesday, after threats of a federal crackdown prompted a key payment processing company to pull out of the Massachusetts cannabis market. The disruption is exactly what marijuana patients, activists, and businesses feared after a recent tightening in US marijuana policy ordered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions: that the mere specter of prosecutions could subvert the state-regulated cannabis industry, whether or not federal agents actually start arresting operators of licensed dispensaries."
- "Kornegay chosen as MassHousing executive director," by Andy Metzger, State House News Service: "A top Baker administration policymaker will take the reins of MassHousing, a quasi-public agency that has provided more than $22 billion for affordable housing since it was created more than 50 years ago. ... Chrystal Kornegay, the undersecretary of housing and community development, will become the first woman and the first person of color to lead MassHousing, according to the agency's board chair. "
- "A Musician Laureate For Massachusetts? Beacon Hill Is Considering It," by Andrea Shea, WBUR: "There are poet laureates, so why not a musician laureate? That's a question Cinzi Lavin has been asking for six years. Her quest to present legislation for a Massachusetts musician laureate is finally coming to fruition. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, Lavin - a musician herself - will testify on Beacon Hill for Bill S.2225.
TRUMPACHUSETTS -
- "Governor Baker tells U.S. attorney no evidence pot contributes to opioid use," by Matt Stout and Dan Atkinson, Boston Herald: "The Bay State's top federal prosecutor should focus on fentanyl - 'the thing that's killing people' - Gov. Charlie Baker said, instead of threatening legalized marijuana."
- "Mitt Romney's biggest backer wants him to jump into Senate race," by Matt Viser, Boston Globe: "As Mitt Romney considers whether to run for an open US Senate seat in Utah, the person who can most influence him is encouraging him to get into the race: his wife, Ann. Ann Romney - a confidante for nearly all of Romney's adult life and frequent catalyst for his political ambitions - is fully supporting a campaign for Senate, another strong indicator he will run, according to four people close to the Romneys. Her own battle with multiple sclerosis is not a major factor, with all signs indicating that her health remains strong, the people said."
ON THE STUMP -
- "Republicans Make Campaign Stops In Deep Blue Berkshires," by JD Allen, WAMC: "Berkshire County Republican Association Chair Tyler Hastings says he had three main takeaways from the party's planning session in Pittsfield: the region is in dire need of better infrastructure funding, incentives to attract businesses and economic development growth, and a feasible healthcare and law enforcement strategy to curb the opioid epidemic."
- "Mass. Primary Is Set For Sept. 4, Galvin Says," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Massachusetts will hold its state primary elections on Tuesday, Sept. 4, the day after the Labor Day holiday. Secretary of State William Galvin was required by law to move the primary to an earlier date than it would otherwise be set - Tuesday, Sept. 18 - in order to avoid a conflict with Jewish religious holidays."
THE TSONGAS ARENA -
- "3rd District candidate Koh raises another $800,000," by Chris Lisinski, Lowell Sun: "Building on early fundraising success, Dan Koh announced Tuesday that he raised $810,000 between October and December, bringing his campaign total to about $1.6 million less than five months into the race to succeed Rep. Niki Tsongas."
THE WARREN REPORT -
- "Senator Elizabeth Warren sidesteps questions about Oprah 2020 presidential run," by TMZ: "We got the Massachusetts Senator Monday at Reagan National Airport in D.C. and gave her several openings to echo the sentiment held by a number of people after Oprah's historic Golden Globes speech, but she wouldn't go there."
- "Dem-ordered study to expose illegal online gun sales backfires," by Brooke Singman, Fox News: "Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, had commissioned the Government Accountability Office report to look into how online private dealers might be selling guns to people not allowed to have them."
- "Elizabeth Warren gives lukewarm response to Beth Lindstrom jab," by Chris Cassidy, Boston Herald: "Bay State U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren vowed to 'change' the GOP tax cuts she claims hands 'giveaways to billionaires and giant corporations,' but stopped short of calling for a full repeal if Democrats win back Congress in 2018 - responding to jabs from GOP rival Beth Lindstrom. 'The Republicans have just crammed through a tax bill to give $1.4 trillion dollars in giveaways to billionaires and giant corporations - and they expect hardworking families across this country to pay for it,' said Warren, predicting 13 million people will be knocked off their health care coverage."
MOULTON MATTERS -
- "Moulton To Trump: Focus On Allies, Not Tweets And 'Buttons,'" by Tori Bedford, WGBH: "Following President Trump's Twitter war with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Rep. Seth Moulton called on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and others in the administration to develop stronger alliances with foreign nations. 'Gen. Mattis himself was my division commander in Iraq, and we talked about 'no better friend, no worse enemy,'' Moulton said in an interview with Boston Public Radio Tuesday. 'We've got to live up to that. We've got to show that we mean business, that we're not just going around on Twitter comparing the size of our buttons.'"
WOOD WAR - Herald: "A BAY STATE WATERGATE," "Nancy's new turn." - Globe: "From Trump, compromise, confusion on DACA," "Pot outlets go cash-only with fear of crackdown," "GETTING THE BUGS OUT," "Virtual assistants lend ear to doctors," "Flu season off to a bad start, bringing fears of what's next," "Wife reported on board for Romney run."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "The Airbnb gold rush is on," by Jack Sullivan, CommonWealth Magazine: "City officials agree the growing shift is putting pressure on the housing stock, though they estimate the number of units lost so far at about 1,500 to 2,000. Airbnb insists only about 300 units listed on its website have been removed from the housing stock, but an examination of the listings suggest the company is grossly underestimating the number. All of this real estate churn is occurring right under the noses of city and state officials who have been slow to respond even though Airbnb has practically begged lawmakers to regulate the industry and start collecting taxes on the rentals. It's another case where technology-as well as the entrepreneurs who seek to make a buck off of it-is moving much faster than lawmakers on Beacon Hill and policymakers at Boston City Hall."
- "Woman allegedly killed by husband in North Adams was well-known transgender advocate," by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: "The woman allegedly murdered by her husband in their North Adams home was a longtime transgender advocate who helped create a beauty pageant for transgender women, friends and activists say. Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, 42, was also the first transgender woman murdered in the United States this year, according to advocates, including GLAAD, a longtime civil rights organization for the LGBTQ community."
- "Old guard of Massachusetts politics bids farewell to a former state treasurer, Robert Q. Crane," by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: "The old guard of Massachusetts politics came out in full force to pay their respects to former state treasurer Robert Q. Crane, who died Friday at 91. Politicians and power brokers gathered at St. Paul Church in Wellesley Tuesday and paid a rousing tribute to the longest-serving state treasurer, who was remembered for his generosity, charismatic smile, and colorful personality."
MEDIA MATTERS - "Why John Henry cleaned house among Boston Globe senior leadership," by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: "A total of eight top executives on the newspaper's business side have left the paper since last summer, according to multiple sources familiar with the inner workings at the paper. In a candid interview with the Business Journal, John Henry described the turnover as an effort to "reset" the business culture of what he sees as a largely wasteful and inefficient business."
A PICTURE-PERFECT, VERY GOOD BOY - "Museum of Fine Arts will use a puppy to sniff out pests that could damage its collections," by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: "Riley, a Weimaraner puppy, was recently acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts on a volunteer basis to detect insects and other pests that might be hiding on existing or incoming collections at the gallery."
MAZEL! - Welcome to the world, Tremont Strategies - From the new firm: "Two Boston-based lobbying firms today announced plans to come together to create Tremont Strategies Group. ... Tremont Strategies Group combines the principals and staff of two well-known government relations firms, Beacon Strategies Group and ADS Ventures. Senior leadership of each respective firm -Michael Morris and Michael Bergan, co-founders of Beacon Strategies; Liesl Sheehan, President of ADS Ventures; and Chet Atkins, founder of ADS - become partners in the new entity."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Chris Buchanan, director of public affairs and state and local government relations for Walmart, and Samantha Hooper, media relations manager at Massport.
THE HOME TEAMS DID NOT PLAY.
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** A message from New England Clean Power Link : Poised to supply Massachusetts with 1,000 MW of clean, sustainable power, the New England Clean Power Link is ready to roll. The only project with a Presidential Permit, full site control and full host state support, the innovative buried project will help Massachusetts meet its legislative requirements for lower carbon emissions. The entire line will travel underground and underwater, and is expected to deliver low-cost electricity to the Commonwealth over the next 40 years. Massachusetts can expect to reap $19.9 billion in benefits over the next 20 years alone, while ratepayers can expect to save $655 million a year in energy costs. Most importantly, the project is 100% privately financed and comes with a fixed-price bid, protecting taxpayers and ratepayers alike from any cost overruns. The project's developers have also established a $20 million fund to assist low-income ratepayers in western Massachusetts. More **
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