Before I get too into reflecting on the campaign, I want to share with you our latest video of life on the campaign trail with me this week. Check it out here.
I left my job at Harvard Pilgrim and jumped into the Governor’s race about a year ago. Yes – time does fly. Back then, I had no team, no campaign money, no office space, and basically no one knew who I was. But I knew Massachusetts was heading in the wrong direction, and I wanted to do something to turn it around. I’ve learned a heck of a lot along the way, but I wanted to share with you five important things that are high on my mind:
1) This is a great state – filled with great people – and you all deserve better than you’re getting from Beacon Hill. When someone talks to me about cashing out their 401K to pay their mortgage, or putting their own money into their company because they can’t get a loan, or purposefully reforming their public schools because the kids in their community didn’t do well on MCAS, I walk away amazed by the imagination, guts and creativity that’s all around us. Despite it all, the people of Massachusetts are living within their means and making things work – for themselves, their families, their organizations and their communities. State government needs to play by the same rules everyone else is playing by, and stop living beyond its means.
2) This race is about what I call the pocketbook issues – jobs, spending and taxes. These were the issues most on my mind when I entered the race. Under Governor Patrick and Treasurer Cahill, the state’s once robust finances have crumbled, and the state now faces a $2.5+ billion structural deficit next year – despite 8 tax increases and billions of one-time federal stimulus and rainy day fund money. Our competitive position as a state – never great to begin with – has gotten worse over the past few years, and over 300,000 people are out of work.
I have the plans and the desire to dig into these issues and turn this state around. Governor Patrick and Treasurer Cahill cannot get it done. They both made the mess we have to fight our way out of, and oppose virtually all of the reforms I’ve proposed. That might be because they’ve been busy seeking and securing union endorsements that cripple their ability to reform much of anything.
3) Too many people in and around Beacon Hill can’t think past the status quo. I talk to folks who work up there about reform, and they simply shake their heads and say it can’t / won’t happen. They are good people, but they are deeply mistaken. They’ve been lulled to sleep by the increasingly low expectations of the Patrick Administration. When the Governor says, “These are serious issues,” or “there are no quick fixes,” that’s code for “it’s too hard to fix it.” I disagree. There are huge opportunities for reform in a crisis, and right now, Massachusetts is missing out on all of them.
4) Governor Patrick’s recent decision to walk away from 17 years of hard won progress on K-12 education is an outrage. I know this item doesn’t meet the “lessons learned over the past 12 months” test, but it still deserves mention. On so many issues, the Governor’s approach to Massachusetts is small-minded, but none speaks as loudly as this one. Instead of focusing on fixing all the stuff in state government that’s broken, he wants to change the one thing that works. We lead the nation in student achievement, and many businesses are here because of the quality of our schools and our workforce. Throwing our state in with some to-be-developed federal program for education reform is simply bad policy – for students and for Massachusetts. I will do everything in my power to reverse this decision if I win in November.
5) I know I can do this job. More importantly, I WANT to do this job. I’ve seen this movie before. State government is nearly bankrupt and mostly dysfunctional, just like Harvard Pilgrim was when I took on that challenge almost 11 years ago. I know I can put together a strong team, build a reform agenda that works, and get this state moving in a positive direction again. So much of this is about attitude and experience. I’ve got plenty of both – and I want to put it to work for the people of this great state.
Finally, there will be 100 days left in this election season on Sunday, and we will be up against all the forces of the status quo. No one should underestimate their intensity or their desire to hold onto what they’ve got. I will need your continued help and involvement to see this through to victory. Find 10 people who will contribute something – anything – to our campaign, and send them to our website to donate. Find 10 people who will show up at a rally in their neighborhood in the fall, and bring their friends as well. And make sure everyone knows that November 2nd is Election Day!
You’ve all been great supporters for the past 12 months, and I am awed and humbled by your help. But it’s the beginning of the fourth quarter folks. It’s time to make it happen.
Let’s go get ‘em!
Charlie