Governor Hogan of Maryland has bipartisan support because he sees issues in a bipartisan way. He is practical, reasonable, popular with both Republicans and Democrats because he cares about important issues that people across party lines agree with him on. He has been good for business, good for the environment, makes reasonable decisions,and is pragmatic and well spoken on issues that matter across party lines. As this article says "he is pro choice, pro gun safety, pro marriage equality" and seeks solutions, listens, and acts on good ideas. Under Hogan the state of Maryland has gained tens of thousands of jobs.
10
If Democrats are smart in these races, they will make gerrymandering a prominent issue in their campaigns. Whoever wins this election will be in power for the upcoming 2020 census, and will therefore be able to ensure that districts are drawn fairly (or at least in a way that favors Democrats, which given the ways things have gone lately with Republican voter suppression efforts and whatnot, can arguably be considered "fair").
12
Hogan does all he can to defund public schools at the expense of for profit "charter" and parochial. Hogan does all he can to dismantle unions. Hogan will follow Trump in disbanding government employee bargaining and benefits. Hogan knows how to play politics and puts on a good front. Too bad the news media don't look very deep for his deep red radical conservative motives. (Just like this puff piece!) They will write their more serious stories after he has duped thousands of Democrats to reelect him.
16
Baker will be amazing for MA until he’s not. The Republican Party and it’s politicians have shown that once push comes to shove, they will place the party before the country. This does apply to ‘moderate’ republicans of the northeast. Charlie Baker is a wolf in sheeps clothing. A tepid support for moderate progressive ideas does not make Baker middle of the road or somehow above his parties dangerous and radical ideology. Ultimately I might not vote for a Democrat (I will be this election) but anyone who belongs to the party of Alex Jones, white nationalists and Trump is unqualified to walk my dog let alone govern.
7
Avoiding liberal tendencies?
Which means.....what?
Giving the cops free-reign to bust heads?
Selling the municipal water source to Nestle?
Paving-over everything green?
Privatizing the jails and the DMV?
Permitting a chemical disposal facility adjacent to the salmon stream?
More Wal-Marts?
Coal mining?
Tracking chips for welfare recipients and all brown people?
What is the conservative/republican manifesto these days besides "I got mine!"
11
The best way for Blue States to get along is to unite in an effort to secede. The only obstacle standing in the way to great prosperity in the Blue States are the Retrograde States, which haven't changed an iota since the Civil War. The Blue States could have the quality of life of Switzerland or Germany if left alone. Without the Retrograde States, the US would be the Earth's best friend, rather than her greatest enemy. The time to leave is now.
8
It's true that the GOP has moved right, but that's also because the Democrats have moved far left. It used to be that there were many Democrats who supported the 2nd Amendment. Now every single Democrat is a gun grabber. And no, they don't just want "reasonable" restrictions. They are calling for restrictions that would amount to a full ban.
2
As a former resident of Vermont I’m concerned about Republican Governor Scott for a number of reasons. Why is he taking so much money from the Koch brothers? Vermont has two older senators. Who would he appoint if one of them died? A republican? And why if he opposes so many of Trump’s policies is he still a republican? I’m sure he could stay in office as an independent!
4
Do NOT vote for a Republican under any circumstances. If he or she is Democrat-like, he would BE a Democrat. Not one of these people should be elected. The Trump experiment failed and it must be over.
7
Honestly, I'd like to elect the best person for the job, one who is experienced and knows many of the players, but is not corrupt or so beholden to cronies that he/she votes against the interest of the majority or the vunerable. Or one who is new but has conviction and integrity, but is also flexible and able to listen and use research to make decisions. In other words, I'd like to elect good leaders! This seems like an almost impossible ask in these times. At the federal level, however, it seems that having all Republicans in office poses a danger to the lives, rights, salaries, pensions, health care, housing, and environment of the majority of Americans. We do need a strong progressive pull left to overcome and overturn the illegal, corrupt, cowardly, and immoral decisions and policies of many Republicans in office.
4
Governor Hogan is a breath of fresh air in Maryland. He works well with all constituencies in doing the best for the people of Maryland. This independent will be voting to give Governor Hogan a second term.
4
Most voters are independents in both red and blue states. It is comforting to know that these voters select those who are reasonable and pragmatic ..not married to a dogmatic ideology that gets in the way of getting things done.
3
One of the best things ever to recently happen within the state of MA was done by GOP governor, Mitt Romney. Medical care for all.
Charlie Baker will win again there. They love him. Whereas the last guy, 'Tax it all Deval', a Dem, not so much.
The blurring of the Democrat and Republican parties shows how far right the Dems have gone. Both parties are turning into one and the same two headed snake.
7
As a moderate left of center Democrat in the State of Vermont, full of left of left thinking, Gov. Scott certainly doesn’t fit the mold of what I would call a ‘national republican’ aka the lunatic fringe. He passed some common sense gun legislation and has never sided with trump and never equivocated to earn votes. So for that I respect him. He has terribly antiquated views on animal rights and the environment however and in Vermont thats a big problem. He’s up against a transgender Democratic candidate, Christine Hallquist, that is a business woman and CEO, and a good candidate all around, so it’s too early to say Gov. Scott is going to win. I haven’t decided yet.
5
With ongoing, depressing revelations of more and more graft and greed among elected officials, it's great to see truly GOOD people in office.
I don't care if someone is Republican, Democrat, Independent, Socialist or Green—if they are truly working for the benefit of all their constituents, making rational decisions that move the country towards solvency, good relations with other countries, respect and maintenance of the natural environment, higher education and adequate health care for the citizens, then I'm for 'em.
5
I’ll likely vote for a moderate Republican governor here in MA as a check on our otherwise Democratic legislature, to make sure we stay fiscally sound. If we go too left-wing and crash, it’ll tar the Democrat brand badly.
3
The Times is cherrypicking to create the anachronistic image of moderate, collaborative Republicans. Larry Hogan in Maryland has tilted state transportation spending away from transit and towards roads. Many of Hogan's roads projects will have clear sprawl inducing impacts. Among transit projects, Hogan chose to continue funding the Purple Line light rail in the Washington DC suburbs. But he eliminated funding for the Red Line subway extension in the city of Baltimore. This is not what I'd call the path of moderation and government serving all.
4
Even though it is unlikely, New York State might do well to elect a republican governor. I am still looking to learn more about Marc Mollinaro. We already know about Andrew Cuomo.
2
As a resident of MD, which is a state about as blue as they get, I actually think Larry Hogan is doing a pretty good job. I am a registered Democrat and Hogan earned good marks from me for rejecting Trump right from the start. On this he has never wavered. He has not followed the path of Republicans like Rubio and Cruz who have literally sold their souls to the devil, in my opinion.
When someone has battled a potentially life threatening illness, they look at life a little differently. You see your own mortality staring you in the face and as such, you follow your own moral compass- unaffected by which way the wind is blowing. I have read that some readers think Hogan will revert to the "party line" but I am not so sure. What I like about Hogan is he seems to be his own man.
6
Perhaps because they are competent managers and adapt to the desires of their citizens, rather than being locked into progressive / socialist policies. Some dems in congress might try that.
5
The willingness of these Republicans to get along is term-limited, not durable. As was the case with former Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, their willingness to get along and not succumb to the GOP's extremism only lasts while their political ambitions are inside their home state. Mitt Romney is another example. Once they develop national aspirations, moderate values are forced aside in order to comply with extremist institutions like NRA, Koch funded lobbyists, anti-tax fundamentalism and Fox TV commentary. Don't give GOP governors undue credit. They will be forced to succumb to GOP extremism.
17
Frank,
Don’t those same principles apply to democrats? With the wave of democratic socialists on the rise, are you afraid the moderate Dem will pivot and adapt extreme left positions?
Politicians from both party’s will assume any/all positions that provide them the best chance...even ones that fly in the face of their personal beliefs.
Neither party is to be trusted...
4
It's perplexing that so many Americans end up thinking about this in all or nothing terms. Democrats aren't ever going to snuff out Republicans, and vice versa. There will always be at least two sides, who will always approach the issues with very different priorities.
Moreover, local elections are quite different than national ones. Many people would be hard pressed to name the members of Congress that represent their state, even with a gun to their head - it's easy to lose track of just how closely their votes actually align with our best interests. We usually have more nuanced opinions about the handful of hyper visible and highly divisive members of Congress who we have no relationship with at all.
It's much easier to grasp whether a state level official is actually as moderate as they claim to be. If they are, and their record proves it, there's nothing to be gained by voting in an untested, unknown quantity just because they belong to the Democratic party. The scope of a governor's power is much narrower than someone in congress, which means their right or left stance on certain issues has no practical application or relevance.
4
Here in Maryland, Republican Gov. Hogan is popular. But only because many of my fellow Marylanders are shortsighted.
To Hogan's credit, he is not a radical Republican, he is more of the old, old, old-school Republican Party. That said, he is doing our state no favor by cutting tolls which funded infrastructure maintenance and projects.
Immediately after he came into office he terminated the long planned Red Line leg of the Baltimore subway. The new line would have connected East Baltimore to the downtown and West Baltimore, providing reliable mass transportation for city commuters, shoppers and tourists.
The Red Line project had a long planning history, had joint federal-state funding approval and had the approval of former Dem. Gov. O'Malley, even Rep. Gov. Ehrlich. Maryland's early cost share of the project was budgeted. The project was ready to begin.
But Hogan thought it was too expensive and found other uses for Maryland's budgeted funds. He divided them among very rural Eastern Shore and Western Maryland counties. The traffic congestion in and around Baltimore City was totally ignored.
And that's the problem with even old-school Republicans. They don't like funding services to improve the lives of citizens. Baltimore City and the surrounding county lose big time, drivers on the heavily traveled Baltimore beltway lose, while those crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge save a buck on a toll. Very shortsighted.
We all like low taxes, but civilization is not free.
35
Vote all the Republicans out. They have stood by, complicit, while our democracy tanks, turning away from dealing with obvious corruption. They are pro-death in that they do not believe in common sense gun control. They are removing environmental protections jeopardizing Earth. They need to go. Now.
9
Charlie Baker may call himself a republican but on all the social issues that MA holds dear he is right there with us, not the right wingers. He is a good businessman and when he occasionally disagrees with the democratic legislature they can always override him. People feel he has their best interests - not the interests of the national party - in mind. He seems to be a good manager. Despite having mandated health insurance and probably the best schools in the country, our state is in the black financially. Many of us feel Baker is a republican in name only.
33
As someone who grew up in New England, I remember northeast Republicans as being rather moderate. They were a good check on the party--fiscally prudent and not tending to extremism. And in fact, what passes for a Republican moderate today was considered very conservative 25 years ago. I remember thinking Jesse Helms was an extremist, but he would seem mainstream now.
Unfortunately, on the national level, Susan Collins is the only one left who even comes close to being moderate. But the Lowell Weickers, Lincoln Chaffees and Olympia Snowes are gone.
My late father, who voted Republican for years, switched to Democrats later in life. When I asked him why he rejected the Republican party, his reply was:
"The got in bed with the religious right and spent all my money." He would be spitting tacks right now if he saw what was going on.
38
I perhaps am older than you so I remember when there were not only moderate N.E. Republicans but actual liberal ones like Senator Aiken of Vermont. Margaret Chase Smith was one of the first senators to take on Joe McCarthy (I don't see any Republican senators today who are willing to condemn Trump's McCarthy like tactics).
Susan Collins may masquerade at times as a moderate but remember she has voted in lock step with her fellow Republicans on major issues like the original vote on ObamaCare (funny how she now wants to keep something she originally opposed because of how much it has helped the people of Maine. If it had been up to her, they never would have had it) and for McConnell as majority leader.
As to Jesse Helms being considered a Republican moderate now, Barry Goldwater, considered to be on the far right fringes of American politics when he ran for president in 1964, could, because of his stands on abortion and gay rights, no longer even be a Republican.
23
@Steve I remember when in the south there was no Republican party, those Dems were Republicans.
@Bill As another ex-Republican I can't agree with your father more. I left for the exact same reason. Republicans ceased to be financially prudent and became the morality police, as long as their morality only pertained to others, preferably just the lower classes.
4
Back in the olden days that's how the parties got along. Today, the quest for ideological purity means that there's more division and good ideas get tossed aside.
Evidence of this absurdity is the former colleague who reportedly said that, if Al Gore was for action against climate change, he was against it. There are more examples.
Winning is the only criterion and it has seemed as if the Republican example of punishing anyone who deviated from the party line worked. Democrats emulated their example; they just weren't so good at it. That gives me hope.
The press has contributed with their narratives of how the parties are tearing themselves apart. It sounds more dramatic to say that and we know that reporting has to be edgy and exciting. That takes away some of my hope.
Slicing and dicing the electorate to drill down to basic emotions has been assisted by technology. The messages have been custom-designed and targeted. Social media are very good at emotion, not so good at information. Dangerous times.
7
The folks who tell us that Republicans are always to be shunned are making a mistake. The states referenced here are deep blue. And history shows that single party government is plagued by corruption. Illinois Democrats are notorious. Maryland Democrats aren't far behind. The Democrats aren't alone, of course. Southern Republicans are plenty bad. Anytime one party dominates it is particularly hard to keep them honest. Those who write off one party, even the moderates among them, are politically naive. In Russia there is basically one party. If that's what you want for us, I know someone with close ties to the Russians who can help you fix elections to get your way.
16
With the MBTA literally falling apart, Charlie Baker does not deserve reelection. #BlueWave
5
Ask retired Maryland State Employees if they will vote for Hogan after he ended their prescription drug plan.
14
@Robert Kinsey I live in Arizona. We have lots of retirees from Blue States and Canada. Since they don't send their kids to school here or derive benefits they routinely vote for hard right Republicans who are against property and income taxes.
I suspect many of the Maryland retirees have left for Florida and other low tax states and deprive working people and children the right to good benefits and public schools by voting for tax cutting and benefits cutting Republicans.
Benefits, like taxes are often in the eye of the beholder.
4
The sooner we get away from this "red and blue" labels in our politics, the better. It should not be and has never really been a binary choice. Limiting to just two choices is limiting and dangerous. Maybe the press should stop using the red vs. blue language.
25
Unfortunately this binary choice is the reality we currently live in. so those who vote third party are essentially voting against one of the two binary choices. For example, the Jill Stein/Gary Johnson voters assisted/caused Trump's election. Of course we now know that some of this was part of an infiltration to our social media campaign by Russians to sow division among Bernie/Hillary people and others.
5
Actually there is a better case to be made that elements in the DNC and the FBI has used "Russian interference" to hinder Donald Trump from his mission of making our country great again.
Shocking! Elected representatives doing what their constituents want them to do!
9
Illinois is broken and has been for sometime. I am one liberal who actually voted for Rauner last time hoping that he would be able to shake things up just enough to help the state move forward. He has not (the problem has long been the Speaker of the ILL house, Mike Madigan, and his power base). I will vote for Pritzker, though not happily. I'm tired of rich guys spending millions of their own dollars to buy the offices - hardly government "by the people."
The fight is dirty. As to the mansion sans toilets, as a Trib article explained, Pritzker bought and gutted the mansion in order to rehab it. The tax break is given by the state in order to encourage the rehab of properties in need of that. Both sides have been throwing mud for months. I hate it, and at this point pretty much loathe both candidates for such behavior. Why can we not have politicians who spend more time and money expounding their own positions than they do trying to tar & feather their opponent?
23
Like you, I voted for Illinois GOP Governor Rauner in 2014. He’s been awful. We had no state budget for 2 years, and frankly it’s not accurate to blame our House Speaker Madigan. Madigan offered pretty decent deals to Rauner, but Rauner refused them Rauner hates unions and would only agree to a state budget if he could bust unions. Madigan refused. The only reason we finally got a budget this year is a few Republicans tired of Rauner’s budget games and voted with Democrats so there was a veto proof majority.
I’m also voting for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate this year. But, unlike you, I look forward to to. I’m sick of Republicans messing up everything they touch.
12
@Anne-Marie Hislop. It's pretty convenient to blame Madigan who seems to be a reliable Republican boogie man. Other Republican governors worked with Madigan and got things done. The problem with Rauner is that he is too inflexible and unable to compromise. No one can govern like that and win.
I too wish that the role of big money would go away in elections. That's not the world we live in now days. We have to vote with the person who can be flexible and know when compromise Andy working with your legislature is a good thing.
1
While I'm sure that they're the best of a bad lot, they are still part of that bad lot. With the 2020 census coming up and the redrawing of the boundaries for seats in the House of Representatives following close on its heels, I don't think we have the luxury of leaving one Republican in office that we don't have to. Gerrymandering and voter surpression are forever floating on the horizon.
18
I am undecided between Hogan and Jealous.
Hogan has only done tax cuts for special interest groups such as seniors and government employees. So I don't hold a high opinion of him.
Jealous offered the moon in order to win the Democratic primary and I don't want to pay for more junk.
The government in Maryland is highly corrupt.
Baltimore has a reputation for gun violence, a lot of corruption, and it has always been run by the Democrats.
The Republicans have Trump and he is a bad President.
10
The entire East coast is a corridor for gun running - it’s not a Rep/Dem issue, it’s a gun issue.
4
Don’t be fooled. Voting for Republicans in a blue state (in any state) is voting for wolves in sheeps’ clothing. And make no mistake, the wolves’ prey is the average working class and middle class American. The only people Republicans care to help is rich people.
Tax cuts for the rich, health care cuts for regular people, and more of the nation’s wealth in the hands of corporations and the already rich—what more proof does a person need? Republicans DO NOT care about regular people. The proof is in what they put into law and action when they have power.
Vote for Democrats - their policies are on the side of regular Americans.
33
@Margaret
Your view is that all Republicans are cut from the same cloth. And all Democrats are on the side of regular Americans. Maybe you could apply that to Arlen Specter and Ben Campbell, who switched parties. I assume they went from all bad to all good, or vice versa. Maybe you could write an essay about how that happens.
4
@Margaret, thank you but you underestimate the voters in these states. We know what we are doing.
9
BUT—like Susan Collins of Maine, who many held out so much hope for—these governors are still Republicans.
[Collins went ahead and let herself be steam-rolled as she foolishly voted for the trillion dollar tax cut for the ultra rich, citing various "assurances", as she usually does. She also seems poised as a moderate GOP experienced woman, to unbelievably vote for Kavanaugh, and I'm sure she'll again cite "assurances" he made to her in her office.]
42
As a D from Baltimore I find Larry Hogan to be an appealing personality who fought his cancer with admirable bravery. I will never vote for him however because of his cancellation of the federally supported Red Line. This light rail project would have provided transportation links between the city and county giving car-less people access to many jobs now out of reach.
He has been funding rural roads that will play well to his constituents in the burbs while doing nothing to bridge the city/county divide. It drives me crazy as someone who has happily lived downtown for over 30 years to hear people say they would never enter Baltimore because it is so dangerous. Until we can dispel these prejudices we will never get to know each other, always have ghettos, always be a nation of us and them. I so wish our Governor had actively fought against these terrible divides instead of bowing to them.
29
This is a Stark Wake-up Call like none ever before. What is at stake is far too precious to take any risks.
We will never know what any of these people, Dem or GOP, will feel in their heart and guts but we have seen the history and either we learn from it or we will all surely perish.
A few people who are otherwise good thinkers equate Trump as just a correction to Obama. This is NOT a correction, this is a demolition of all the good promises of a good America for all its people and all who reached its shores.
ALL MEMBERS OF THE GOP MUST BE TURNED BACK.
16
I came to Washington as a Goldwater Republican in 1966 to work on air pollution control in the U.S. Public Health Service. I learned the hard way that I was wrong to be a Republican. I found Republican policies were deadly. See
https://www.legalreader.com/republican-racketeers-violent-policies/
24
All in the Northeast (Maryland is close enough - still north of DC and the Mason / Dixon line).
These guys would never get elected Alabama, Oklahoma or Texas.
6
@HR That was the point of the article. Did you miss the part where it said “Republican governors in blue states”?
5
This is proof that many Democrats - voters and politicians - are willing to reach across the aisle if the other side does as well; unlike too many Republicans, who have been increasingly hard-liners for decades, and are most responsible for the current political breakdown.
13
Proof that Democrats don't know what politics really is...go for the jugular.
Mitch McConnell, et al, know how to play politics. You kill your opponents and then shoot them a few more times to make sure they are dead.
This article is proof that Democrats don't know the game they are (supposedly) playing.
16
This happens only in the Northeastern states. Rauner in Illinois ‘closed down’ the State Government for 2 years so he could defang the Unions.
7
I agree with fellow Marylander Marty below. We had a very competitive primary and Ben Jealous won fair and square. He is the Democratic nominee and many establishment Democrats are doing whatever they can to sabotage him. Jealous went directly to the REAL base of the Democratic Party. These people can be found not at steak houses and country clubs.But in the poorest neighborhoods in Baltimore. He courted the Hispanic hospitality workers in Prince Georges County and those hard working Black men and women standing at bus stops early in the morning going to work at hospitals and nursing homes. He addressed teacher pay and pensions and showed up at the gay pride festival(Hogan was a no show for this by the way) where he hung out and talked to people most of the day.Not just a quickie waving photo op.It is disgraceful that he is not getting the unified support he so meticulously earned. Governor Hogan is a likable guy but his faults are many.His neglect of Mass Transit,poor city neighborhoods(other than to provide more police),the environment(Conowingo Dam) and the recent problems with voting systems in the primary elections is disturbing. What part of that record should earn him the support of the opposing party?Larry Hogan is smart he has given plum jobs to prominent Democrats and stuck his finger in the wind on issues and controversies involving Trump.These envious Democrat also- rans should stand down and let the voters(many of whom they neglected) of Maryland decide.
23
Massachusetts needs to change its governor. Mr. Baker is being lucky.
1. Public Transportation - his first winter, the worst in record, he was given a pass because it was his first winter. Second winter, it didn’t snow. Third winter, very moderate winter and even with all that, trains failed. This week, twice the same week, a train line collapsed and people did not get to work on time. About two months ago, around 300 people got stranded waiting for some shuttles to replace train.
2. Roads - the only improvement we have had in 3 years is the elimination of toll booths on the pike. This was planned since last administration but he got the credit. If you are from out of state, painted lanes don’t seem to exist. But we are so used to it that we forget that is part of his job, infrastructure.
3. Cost of living - curving the cost of living by promoting other areas in the state with a push of the airport in Worcester is basically something non-existent.
4. At National level, the governor had to be shamed as he was sending National Guard to separate families. He was shamed so he backpedaled before getting into real trouble.
5. Opiods- he understands the crisis. However, they only show the statistics that people are not dying (thanks to the drug). But they have failed to provide hard data to see if what he has done is truly significant.
Honestly, i don’t know why this is such a brainer for democrats in the Commonwealth.
5
Fortunately, my state is presently not faced with this dilemma. However, if I were, as an example, in Maryland as a Democrat, several issues would determine my vote. The first is the governor's loyalty to Mr. Trump. Recently the Times had a very fine opinion piece about Larry Hogan. Although I agreed with a number of his policies, his criticism of Trump was weak. I find Trump to be undeniably morally bankrupt, ignorant, and inept. Any leader, Red or Blue, who is worth his salt and puts the welfare of his constituents first should overtly stand up to this corrupt president.
Next, I would look closely at not only the character of the Democratic challenger but also his ability to govern and to answer the needs of the people he hopes to represent, hoping that he passes both tests.
And finally, I would take a hard look at the legislative branch of the state. We can have both of the above, but if the GOP holds the majority....well, that too needs to change. Long story short, good luck, my friends, we together have a lot of work to do between now and November.
6
I like my Republican governor. I voted for my Republican governor. I am a registered Republican. But I will never vote for another Republican. Not after the disgusting refusal of the Republican Congress, who are under the control of the same Republican billionaire donor plutocrats as all Republicans, to protect this nation from Russian cyber warfare, or to protect working Americans from the assault of the right wing rich on Social Security and Medicare.
21
Any Democrat is better than any Republican now that GOP has pledged allegiance to Trump. GOP is corrupt; vote out GOP Ray Sipe
13
Gov. Hogan is not, as far as we know, corrupt, and he has not been divisive. He has, however, failed to tangle with Trump, at all, whatsoever, which is what we need. He has therefore morally failed. Beyond that, the Republican Party has to be punished, top to bottom. If Republican politicians have a centrist position, let them become independents or Democrats. The national Republican party is now a fascist and white supremacist party. There is no virtue, and much vice, in being in a fascist party, even on the fringe. All Republicans should be defeated until there is a fundamental change in the national Republican party - preferably non-existence, followed by the emergence of a new moderate center-right party to take its place.
8
In the age of Trump, it is morally irresponsible to vote for any Republican for any reason whatsoever.
Anyone who has an R after their name helps strengthen the wannabe dictator who is trying to overthrow our democracy and has done unfathomable damage to our country already.
11
Look beyond the labels and you will find your prejudice unjustifiable. It's just like a Republican saying he would never vote for a Democrat no matter what the candidate's actual policies and voting record indicates about him/her. Here in Vermont this Democrat is a loyal supporter of Governor Phil Scott..a courageous and smart fellow who challenged his base by signing gun control and cannabis legalization laws. Meanwhile, he has managed to slow the rate of state spending increases as proposed by our rather spendthrift legislature.
3
There are plenty of Republicans who sound reasonable especially when compared to Trump both in Congress and as governors, but you don't dare turn your back on them for a moment. These are the GOP politicians who change their spots in a moment when they think nobody is watching. Romney presented a health plan that is a model for the ACA which is far from perfect but a step forward, but behind closed doors he preached to his rich patrons the evils of the lower 47 percent of our population.
Listen to their words, butt watch their actions. Perhaps it is better for our sanity not to vote for them at all.
11
Just like Chris Christie was bipartisan in New Jersey? Oh wait! He wasn't, and the voters learned that the hard way. Eventually.
8
They play to the center (whatever that is now) because they have to to keep their jobs. It is all about the money.
4
Sure, go ahead and vote for the "reasonable" Republican. Then, watch how THEY vote. I am specifically speaking about the Complicit Sisters, Senators Collins and Murkowski. Their acting skills are fabulous, with all the expressions of " concern " and " promises made ". They vote as they're told, PERIOD. As for the Governors, I really can't point fingers, check MY address. As for me, I would vote for a GOP candidate only if IT was the very last one on earth. Just to say Good Riddance and Hallelujah.
Seriously.
15
I have always had liberal views and voted that way my entire adult life. I have voted for Republicans in the past. No more, the GOP today is not to be trusted, imin my opinion. If they love their party so much why don’t they stand up against the forces that have overtaken it to undo bipartisan progress that has made this country great through the years. Their defense of social prorams to me is just hollow. This is the party of Trump, it is not enough to say they support the ACA and other parts of the social safety net while he stands as the party leader and has so many of them under his thumb.
They would not be able to wrest power from the Trumpists because they are vastly outnumbered and marginalized by the leaders.
3
I do not mean to offend but this narrative of the responsible, sensible center is nauseating. It is for comfortable, older suburbanites who are badly misinformed and as a result unduly frightened of change.
America is in deep trouble.
Our democracy has been captured by corporate interests. Every serious political observer knows this from Republican Congressman Dave Brat of Virginia’s 7th U.S. congressional district who is a harsh critic of “crony capitalism” to Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island who wrote an influential book about the “corporate capture“ of our American democracy.
The corporate capture of our government at all levels has caused or aggravated every problem we have seen in the news this summer from wealth and income inequality to stagnant wages to gun violence (check out what’s happening in Chicago’s inner city) to human-caused climate damage.
The domination of a nation’s political, economic and social order by wealthy corporate interests is the result of a rightist movement. It can only be cured by a leftist movement. This does not mean that the Democratic Party has resisted capture. Far from it.
Sorry, the centrists are simply naive.
14
New Jersey learned a valuable lesson when our ambitious governor wanted to run for President. It meant no new tunnel for us.... that decision killed our housing market for ten years. Who wants to live in state that refuses to I invest?
I will never vote for any republican ever again.
5
@Deirdre, of the many bad things that came from Christie I don’t see the “killed” housing market in NJ. It remains red hot. Basically unaffordable for many. But I don’t think the new tunnel (which shd have been built) would do anything to cure the core problem with housing in NJ
2
It doesn't matter if these Republican governors are nice people and have done some good things for their citizenry. They need to be voted out of office and Democrats need to win so that Democrats will be in charge when Congressional districts are redrawn following the 2020 census. Otherwise, the Republican governors will likely find a way to gerrymander the districts and make it harder for all their states' residents to be truly and fairly represented.
11
@Teachergal, Vermont has one state-wide Congressional district. Even if the Democrats did not have firm control of the state legislature, it wouldn't matter because there is no Congressional-level gerrymandering possible in Vermont.
There is a long tradition of sensible Republicans from northern New England, such as Jim Jeffords (who eventually left the Republican Party to become an independent after the abomination of Bush-Cheney and the Iraq War); Bob Stafford (who helped draft foundational environmental legislation like the Clean Water Act), etc.
Vermont's Governor Phil Scott is in this tradition.
6
Many voters in blue states do not want to give the Democrats unlimited control. They figure that if there is nothing to stop them, the taxes on a $300K house will go up to $15K, and they'll be in the same pickle as NJ.
5
That’s a specious argument. New Jersey had a REPUBLICAN governor for years and years - what did he do about the state’s problems? Lots of nothing. A typical example of the Republican governor’s poor judgement and lack of ethics and class was when he shut down the government (including state parks and beaches) over a budget disagreement and used his power to take his family to enjoy the closed-to-the-public state beach!
4
Everyone is tired of the canard that Democrats raise taxes and Republicans are fiscally responsible.
11
@Robert
But in MD it is true. Our last gov raised every tax and FEE he could. Middle class just trying to stay above the waterline here.
Gov Hogan has actually lowered tolls I pay and rolled back many fees such a Birth and Death certificates from $25 to $10.
Gov Hogan Gets It. It is not the government's money.
While Massachusetts is thought of as v. Liberal and blue, I think since Dukakis it has only elected one Democrat as Governor Deval Patrick. For the most part the GOP governors there are socially liberal and somewhat fiscally conservative. In many other states they would probably be considered liberal. A GOP senate refused to confirm Bill Weld as ambassador. And even Mitt Romney passed Romneycare ( the model for the ACA) and was pro choice once. They are also held in check by a Democratic legislature.
32
Some of this discussion does not surprise me. I have, in individuals, note a characteristic.
Democrats normally vote for who they see as the better candidate. Not always,,, but usually there is a flexibility in who is voted for, Rep. or Dem. or other.
But the reverse does not seem to be the case. Republicans strongly seem to favour voting Republican. The Republican Party association out weighs voting for who they see as the best candidate for the job.
Republicans are frequently elected in seeming Democratic states,,, and I haven't a single doubt that many to most Democrats would elect a Republican governor and Democratic Lieutenant Governor, IF they were indeed the two best candidates for the jobs.
Republicans never would.
I would have,, I wanted to vote for McCain, but Palin as being a heart beat away from the presidency,,,, no.
Red, Blue, Green? I don't care,,, just please give me competence.
38
Red/Blue/Green: show me your plans! Top 5 priorities, supporting data, economies of scale. Top 5 global priorities tied to local income/industry. Top 5 American industries in venture/vision.
I want to teach English in China. In defining my steps, I don't care about Red/Blue/Green, only about what party has the best path to wages, housing, and health.
5
I'm sorry, what part of the disease do you leave in the body? I thought you removed it all. If a foreign mass in the body acts benign but could turn malignant, doctors let it hang around? Actually, those vines hanging on trellis are damaging the trellis.
14
I don't know how many of the GOP Governors in DNC states have their seats as a result of the DNC vote being split the way it was here in Maine, but we have a solution that LePage has tried repeatedly to avoid: Ranked Choice Voting.
Ranked Choice Voting is the best way to ensure the most voters are the most satisfied with the results of their election. Splitting the vote is nullified with Ranked Choice Voting.
Demand Ranked Choice Voting. Vote in every election.
50
I want to vote Dem, but will keep voting for Rep Rauner until Dems here in Illinois learn to be responsible with tax payers’ money. Talk about shooting yourselves in the foot...
13
@Anne "Talk about shooting yourselves in the foot..." That's exactly what you are doing if you believe that trump and republicans are spending tax payer money responsibly. You can't really believe that the tax give-away to the richest few percent and the large increase in federal debt under trump is a consequence of the democrats who have minority status in the House and Senate. Can you?
1
@Anne Like endless giveaways to billionaires, a useless environmentally destructive wall, a space force? Seriously?
4
Romney and his staff walked out of the state house in Massachusetts with all of their computer hard drives. Romney claimed, with a smirk, that they paid for them. Then, out of the other side of his sleazy mouth, claimed with another smirk that he had already shipped 3000 plus boxes of documents to the state archives, so there were paper records of everything.
Who wouldn't be friends with the guy?
27
As I see it, the GOP has been complicit in setting our democracy on fire. Too many of them have watched party "leaders" like Mitch and Ryan model complicity and complacency and its started to infect even the good ones. It's time to douse the fire with a blue wave. Hopefully, on the other side of such an event, reasonable Republicans can make their return so we can have a functioning government system that balances it's priorities for a diverse range of views. Again, "hopefully," this happens this November so that we have a chance at adverting some catastrophic event like war or global depression.
This Fall, I'm asking my moderate Republican friends and family members to not let "perfect" get in the way of "good." By this I means I am asking them to vote D in 2018 knowing they can vote R in 2020 if they aren't happy with how it goes.
50
It’s going to take a lot longer than two years to clean up Trump’s mess. The effects of his administration and his GOP enablers on the social fabric and our (hitherto) cherished institutions will be felt for at least a generation, and Republicans have proven that there’s no low they won’t stoop to in their pursuit of power; they’d fight a Democratic House every step of the way during the next two years. The right-wing propaganda mills aren’t going anywhere, either.
Moderate Republicans will be useful for only so long. The fact that they even require convincing to take a mere hiatus from a party headed by a hate-mongering, conspiracy obsessed, blatantly corrupt, vindictive, and just plain cruel demagogue who holds the Constitution in contempt pretty much says it all. The long-term future of the country lies with the political rise of a generation scarred by the GOP and the decline of the generation that has kept it in power.
1
@Aleutian Low
We don't want "reasonable" Republicans to emerge out of the sewer they created, and return to anything or reconstitute anything, especially their poisonous mafia masquerading as s political party. There are no "reasonable" Republicans and haven't been since that fiend Newt Gingrich weaponized politics, demonized the opposition and degraded and poisoned our political rhetoric. They made politics war and now they are freaked out because they are going to lose. And it's going to be no more clean slate no more forgive and forget. We don't want to reform, reconstitute, work with, or compromise with the Republican Party - we want to END the Republican Party, for once and for all, and see these criminals behind bars, where they have long belonged.
Members of the GOP who wish to be elected in Blue states know well that they have to govern in a moderate manner to remain in office. On the other hand, when the GOP secure the control of state governments of Red and Purple states, they vigorously pander to the "Religious Right", the NRA and other similar groups. After securing funding and additional resources, the GOP gerrymander their districts to guarantee control of Congressional elections and Electoral College votes for generations to come! As all of the current and former "friends of Trump" can well display, the majority of the GOP avoid negotiations whenever possible, their impulses are totally self-serving, they cultivate the "Alt-Right" groups who actual loathe democracies as we know them, and wish to seize control of every lever of government for the benefit of those who fund them, as well as themselves. With few noted exceptions, the existing GOP define "the swamp"...and they nurture and bathe in it every day!
28
Here in Maryland, I find it disgraceful that too many Democratic Party leaders have endorsed the Republican incumbent instead of supporting their party's nominee, Ben Jealous. The Democratic Party nominee won the primary because his progressive platform is supported by the majority of the state's Democrats. These traitors stand opposed to the Democratic voters who put them in office. I hope their opponents remind voters of this in the next primary.
49
@marty Welcome to politics.
Shame on anybody who believes they must stand with "their party." That's how we've ended up in the mess we're in.
For all our sakes, start thinking for yourselves.
6
@marty
Mr. Jealous did not in fact receive a majority of the Democratic votes cast. He got 40% of the Democratic vote. 60 percent of the people did not vote for him, a majority.
The gentleman received a plurality of the vote.
2
By default any republican is an extremist considering their ideology (often where they vote in lockstep) is to vote for lower taxes for millionaires, billionaires and corporations in lieu of social programs that would uplift the rest.
Everything flows through that one aspect of conservatism.
The republican Governors that are ''hanging on'' are going with the popular mood of the state they preside over. They cannot implement their extreme social agenda, so they just sit there and sign (or veto in many cases) the bills that come their way.
If those same Governors had a clear majority republican legislature behind them, then you can bet your bottom dollar that they would be just as extreme as any other republican Governor presiding over a clearly red state.
I think no matter how they might have seemed conciliatory on the surface, there is a going to be a massive blue wave that is going to wash them all away.
21
thank you for your optimism. It's catchy!
2
You aren’t from Massachusetts, are you? Don’t paint all GOP governors with the same brush, and folks from the other side of the aisle won’t classify Democrats the same. We independent voters (and there are many) prefer judging by actions, not party label.
6
@historyRepeated
yep. And Baker isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Wouldn't put it past him to run against Moulton or Kennedy for Warren or Markey's seat in the future though.
“My answer to anybody who doesn’t like the direction our Republican Party is going is to elect good Republicans."
I equate "good Republican" with getting rid of Trump as quickly as the judicial process can do so, whether it is by impeachment or or quitting by making it obvious that everyone culpable around him is going to jail. This country is running out of defense mechanisms and survival tools.
15
The headline of this article reminded me that the US Constitution can be amended by agreement of two-thirds (33) of the states. Currently, 33 states have Republican governors. I then thought, "What is the possibility of a constitutional convention?"
6
@Emmy Ari They need 35 states and believe me they are moving toward that goal, specifically touting it in Texas where Gov. Abbot and the lunatic right-wing legislature agreed to this idea. There is only one problem and conservatives know it - you cannot limit or specify the topics for the convention. That means liberals could jam the convention with ideas that are wildly popular among the electorate like universal health care, job guarantees, criminal justice reform, etc.
9
@Emmy Ari Why would the Constitution be amended?
@William Smith There are various groups attempting to get enough states to vote for a Constitutional convention. The most successful to date is one backed by the Koch Brothers. They want a balanced budget amendment. Others want to eliminate birthright citizenship. And there are lots of others as well. As @RS noted, once a convention is convened there appears to be no brake on what could be introduced and voted on and become part of the Constitution. Google it. You'l be surprised at how close they are to getting enough states. And how scary it could be.
1
I've been impressed with how Charlie Baker has gently steered Massachusetts away from the various efforts to build state-tax loopholes that would mitigate the blue-state punishments of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
While other states work to engineer frameworks that would
avoid the SALT cap, Baker has faced down legislators and voter, steely-eyed, and made things clear: "This is your punishment for voting D. Stand up and take it like big men, not little boys. Are you brave enough men to take this? I know you are. There you go, good voters, very good."
11
@Michael In MA the Democrats could beat any veto by the governor. The GOP governor has very little power.
1
In other words, Republicans stand for what is good for the party, not for the country as a whole. I already knew that, but it’s good to hear you all but admit that out loud.
3
They’re still with The Party of Trump, ergo are dangerous to the American people. Replace them all!
65
As a Massachusetts voter and a Democrat, I have mixed feelings about voting for Charlie Baker, and that’s only because he’s got an “R” after his name.
We’ve had Republican governors throughout the entire forty years I’ve lived here. But the times have changed. Baker aligns himself with the GOP, so I assume there has to be a reason. I’d like an explanation. And it better be a really good explanation, because otherwise I have to assume Baker accepts at least most of what the modern GOP stands for — which I don’t accept.
Many, many MA voters are registered as “U” (“unenrolled”). I’d be fine with Baker if he changed his designation to “U” or Independent. Why doesn’t he?
37
@JBL Because, as a typical politician, he wants it both ways.
8
@JBL Does it really matter?
11
Enough. Stop voting republican and being complicit with Donald Trump locking away children and giving rich people huge tax cuts.
1
This is such nonsense. Don't be fooled. Republicans are Republicans and regardless of how they might position themselves to attact moderate and liberal voters when the chips are down they'll still vote to shovel money to the rich, cut benefits to the poor, cater to religious nutjobs, promote guns for their NRA owners and vilify, demonize and slander their opposition. They may speak with phony civility and pretend they care about people other than their rich owners but in the end they are just what all Republicans are: thieves, liars and since 2018, traitors.
88
Take a look at Hogan’s extended family by marriage. His wife is a Korean immigrant, and her three daughters are married to a Korean, a Puerto Rican American and a white American guy. He’s no racist, and not an extremist hiding inside an affable business guy.
8
I live in VT, consider myself fairly progressive and will vote for Gov. Scott in November. It's not just that he's a moderate Republican who has worked w/ the other side, although if he weren't he wouldn't get my vote. It's also that Democrats have majorities in both chambers of the legislature (and won't lose them anytime soon), and we're already a very progressive state (we're not going backward any time soon). I think there's a lot to be said for balanced government. I shake my head in disbelief when I read about ultra red states where the Republicans have a stranglehold on the government. While I could no doubt live with the "blue" equivalent far more easily, I also think that either side can go too far. Progressive policies and ideas are great, but you have to pay for them, and in a small state like VT, there's only so much revenue to go around. Taking back Washington DC from the extremists seems far more important for the good of my state and the nation than having a Democratic governor just because that's my party.
21
@Andrew N - Interesting perspective. I live in Vermont and while Scott is OK he's still a Republican and he's still in denial on some crucial issues. The fact that he takes money from the Koch brothers means he doesn't care about the environment.
11
Couldn't agree more, as a VT resident for much of the year. Balance is absolutely needed here and Phil Scott provides it.
5
@DR
That may be a little bit of a black and white perspective. Many Democrats take money from big finance and big pharma but that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't care about working people or greater equity in healthcare.
No, among progressives, Charlie Baker's popularity does not rival fried clams. Of course he supports the ACA -- this is the state whose previous Republican governor, Mitt Romney, enacted its equivalent. And he does not support Trump. But a Democrat would definitely be an improvement.
27
Unless these governors are willing to call out trump for his many crimes and demand his resignation or impeachment, they deserve to get the boot this fall.
56
@Casey Penk And here in Maryland, Hogan has been absolutely silent on Trump. But the day after Ben Jealous won the primary election, Hogan began with non-stop negative TV ads. It should be noted that Hogan has not ran one ad that attempts to point out what he has accomplished in the yrs he has been in office - just negative ones against Jealous.
2
I'd be pleased to support any Republican who opposes Trump and Trumpian Republicans. Unfortunately, there are too few.
11
When I argue with my 85 year-old previously liberal but now Fox-brainwashed dad, I mention to him I indeed have voted Republican because they keep the lid on our allegedly majority-Democratic legislature. Frankly, our Massachusetts' house and senate is replete with DINOs (Democrats in Name Only) who are in many cases, more conservative than Mr. Baker, who my dad accuses of being a RINO. So there you have it: A RINO is the CEO presiding over the DINOs. Only in Massachusetts.
23
I sure hope Ohio is one of the " toss up" states! Dewine would be a weak next governor.
Cordray would be excellent!
9
First, of all my tomato vines can't cling to any trellis - they need ties and supports. And if .."congressional Republicans are clinging to the president like tomato vines to a trellis" how can "Republican governors running for re-election in the heavily Democratic states of Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont and, [cling like tomato vines to a trellis] to a lesser degree"? The simile had a poor start and an even worse ending.
6
Nevada's Republican governor Sandoval has been pretty great, using actual data in the decision-making process and doing what he thinks is best for the state rather than pandering to either party.
As a result, most Republicans consider him a RINO.
10
"whose popularity in his state rivals that of fried clams"
I was born and raised there, raised the kids there for 17 additional years. To place Baker at the same level as fried clams is about the best compliment one can receive. My oldest sister always liked to remind me at our clambakes, don't forget I like the ones with the "big bellies"
We always tell folks we're going back to MA to visit family, that's a fib, we go there for the clams, fries, and haddock.
18
You left out lobster, cod, and bluefish.
13
Our "brand" as America is on the line and the only way we can begin to get it back is to send the broadest message possible that what this Republican Party stands for is not America. Vote Democratic and let the world and your neighbors know that our country is stronger than this scourge on our society. Shame on all republicans for abdicating duty to our country. Pathetic...
12
I probably will not vote for Charlie Baker but I could vote for him if faced by a Democrat who had dictatorial leanings like John Silber or an social conservative like Ed King. In those elections the vast majority of progressive Democratic voters in Massachusetts voted for the Republican. It's Charlie Barker's lack of Trumpists attributes that keeps him so popular in Massachusetts not any lack of liberal attributes. We used to have many Charlie Bakers but unfortunately for the country they are now a dying race.
31
a Marylander here. I have voted for a total of one(1) Republican congress person in the last 45 years.I see no reason NOT to vote for Gov. Hogan for a second term. If it ain't broke,don't fix it.
13
Great article - my lesson - good governance is not a partisan issue.
31
@Mark Arizmendi
Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, we are not under normal circumstances, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Politicians who act cautiously, prudently and in keeping with principles of comity, decency and respect for the rights of the individual are what used to be known as, "conservatives." Here's to the rebirth of that brand of conservatism.
20
The GOP, as a political brand, must suffer heavy casualties in the wake of what it has become. Wipe them out wherever they can be removed until they get the message and reform.
175
If Larry Hogan was independently minded, he would have run as an independent. He is a republican. When it counts, you better believe he will act like one.
74
@Nicholas Balthazar
Actions speak louder than words and our Gov Hogan is supporting the middle class.
Blind partisanship is what got us in this mess and realists like Hogan will get us out. This isnt WDC it is state level.
Give them the boot just the same. Those Republican governors might seem conciliatory now, but they will ultimately default to prioritizing their party affiliation and extreme ideology over their constituents and nation. The past 10 years have demonstrated that repeatedly.
204
I am from Massachusetts and my comments are that "our" Republicans (like Charlie Baker) are generally moderate, Eisenhower-type Republicans as opposed to what seems to pass for a Republican in other States these days.
Also, as one would expect, our State legislature is dominated by Democrats but, as seems the case in all States... Blue or Red, the members of the legislature are a bunch of small time crooks. We tend to favor Republican governors in the hope that they will tend to keep the level of thievery down... I suspect a lot of Red States elect Democratic governors for the same reason. :)
62
@Engineer
" the members of the legislature are a bunch of small time crooks. We tend to favor Republican governors in the hope that they will tend to keep the level of thievery down..."
Absolutely. That's why i voted for Baker first time around and will again. As long as social issues aren't a problem (and they aren't with Baker), in a corrupt solid blue state, i'll take the reasonable Republican as the lesser of evils.
15
They have no choice if they want to survive politically. In Illinois Bruce Rauner has not tried to get along. He will be gone in November.
21
Is the lesson that a Republican can achieve a bipartisan acceptance only if he abandons Republican dogma?
5
@Arthur
And also if they have a Democratic majority legislature.
9
The blue state voters should elect Democrats in November. The balance of power must be shifted back. Party does matter in today's America despite some feel good notions to the contrary. The situation in Washington and the country has been so poisoned by the man in the White House that big change is needed.
154
@Steven Morrell The situation here in MA is much different from Texas. Charlie Baker would not be considered a Republican if he were to run in Texas, that's for sure. In Texas, he'd be considered a Liberal Democrat. So, in reality, we ARE going to elect a "Democrat". LOL.
20
@MarkKA
And, we may be a solid blue state, but we're still 51% registered Independents.
3
What's a "Liberal Tendency"? The opposite of a "Conservative Tendencies," those being racism, bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, sanctioned corruption, disrespect for inconvenient laws, disdain for science, denial of Facts (climate change is real; trickle-down economics is a scam that has always failed), mendacity, an obsession with guns, false piety, hypocrisy, dismissal of history (too fact-based), authoritarianism -- oh, the list of conservative tendencies could just go on and on. Is the point of this article to tell us that there are "good" Republicans, ones that don't use "Democrat" as an adjective but still, openly or tacitly, support Trump for all his vileness and his foul policies?
16
@Ace
I agree that words like "liberal" and "conservative" have lost all categorical meaning. The former is a right wing dog whistle, and the latter as a term is now utterly inapplicable, in that modern conservatives seem loath to conserve anything at all save perhaps white male privilege.
1
Imagine that. Republicans working together with Democrats to improve the lives for everyone!
33
@Juliëtte What makes you think the Republicans are doing it by choice?
Charlie Baker is an open joke. He vetoes things and the legislature just overrides them. He cried poor when the state is flush with cash. He is an ideologue’s ideologue who got in to office because the Democrats ran a very bad candidate. sound familiar?
97
@LobsterLobster why do you suppose democrats can’t run and win a bad candidate but republicans do it all of the time?
5
Rauner is toast in Illinois. He has subjected the state to fiscal chaos since taking office in 2015. Rauner didn't sign his first full state budget until three years after taking office. Three years of suffering was endured by state workers, state agencies, medical professionals who accept Medicaid, and many more. We want him gone.
77
I’m not voting for Rauner (or any Republican ever again), but if the guy renounced the GOP and ran as an Independent I’d consider it. Pritzker (whom I’ll nevertheless vote for) gives me serious Blagojevich vibes. I bleed blue, but the Illinois state Dems are so incompetent I barely associate them with the national party. Mike Madigan is a monster and more responsible than any other elected official for the state’s dire finances. I mean, the guy has been House Speaker for 35 years! And no other Dems stand up to him! I doubt Pritzker will be any different.
The last couple Republican governors here in Massachusetts gave us health care reform (Romney) and a $15 minimum wage (Baker). Not bad. In general, I prefer a Republican governor in such a blue state as I feel it balances things out.
47
And that "rise" in the minimum wage: The bill will increase Massachusetts' minimum wage from $11 an hour to $15 an hour by 2023. That must be his latest five-year plan. In five years, that less than $1 per hour raise per year will be wiped out.
13
@matty
You're right, but you have to start somewhere. The Boston area is a fairly tight labor market for lower paying jobs, many many service jobs already have to pay quite a bit more than the minimum to attract and keep help.
3
@misterdangerpants
Some issues aren't balancing acts; they are absolutes. National health care for all and no capital punishment are but two policies that don't require balance. Btw, what are you balancing? Partial health care? Selective capital punishment?
4
Scott has done a great job here in VT, finding a true middle-of-the-road, common sense route through all the partisanship. A lot of voters are tired of both sides just screaming at each other all the time and just want to see politicians making the effort to do what’s good for the people—what a concept. I would like to see his brand of republican politics more prevalent across the country, but it seems unlikely.
17
@D Plaine "Mr. Scott and Mr. Baker have openly criticized the president’s policies" The question is do Mr. Scott and Mr. Baker acknowledge that Donald Trump is a liar? A tax cheat? A 2 year old in an adult body? A serial molester of women? A man so childish and so lazy that he spouts utter and complete nonsense on a daily and hourly basis? This D Plaine is the Republican party of today. So my question is why would anyone of any of the most bare and basic integrity or ethics be a Republican?
119
@D Plaine - I consider Scott a decent human being but I wouldn't say that he has actually accomplished very much.
The fact that he takes money from the Koch brothers should (hopefully) be enough to end his political career here in Vermont.
11
@John I think your response proves the point I was making. A lot of people are tired of the hysteria and want elected officials to do what they were elected to do: find ways to act in the best interest of ALL their constituents, regardless of "party". The GOP owns Trump; they created him, they can't get away from that. But I refuse to lump all conservatives--at least at the state level--in with the worst of what the truly disastrous house and senate GOP have done to the nation at large.
2