Reilly picks St. Fleur for campaign

[pilgrimm]

I can't help, but feel like this was a purely calculated political move, but it's a smart move and I like St. Fleur.

Reilly picks St. Fleur for campaign
Running mate is seen as rising political star
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | January 31, 2006

Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly has selected state Representative Marie St. Fleur, a Dorchester Democrat who is the first Haitian-American to have been elected to the Massachusetts Legislature, to join him as his running mate in his race for governor, a senior Reilly campaign source said yesterday.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/governors/articles/2006/01/31/reilly_picks_st_fleur_for_campaign/

[Mass]

1. I dont know a lot about her and she may be great, but why does

Reilly want so much to have a running mate. Does he care so little about the ballotbox? Another bad point for Reilly.


I have to say I am always amazed to see Menino criticize other people's charisma. He may be right on Reilly, but he is one of the worst person to complain about that.

[pilgrimm]

2. St. Fleur is a progressive Haitian woman

Seems like Reilly is trying to entice some progressive Dems to support him over Patrick.

I'm not sure what you mean by the ballot box comment.

[TaleWgnDg]

9. Yes, Marie St. Fleur is one hell of a lady! Progressive and

.

Yes, Marie St. Fleur is one hell of a lady! Progressive and well-spoken. Insightful. And, did I mention, "progressive?" Reilly is working class. Son of Irish immigrants. He put himself through school. A small town college. Then on to law school. When out of law school, what did he do? Was hired by the state AG's office, then on to the Suffolk DA's office as an ADA which is what a lot of working class folks do who are fresh out of law school. It's one of the lowest paying jobs for an attorney who goes public instead of private law practice. But it's fantastic work experience, trial experience, and a great way to make head-way to one's own private law practice or as a furtherance in public service, that is, if you develop a good reputation. St. Fleur did this. Reilly did this too.

I like St. Fleur. She's one hell of a gal. She'll make an excellent Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Tom did a great job in choosing her.
.

[merbex]

12. I'd like to imagine a world where the vast majority of the electorate

chooses the Lt Gov

But that's just me

[merbex]

3. I am totally offended. Reilly thinks he's running for President - and that

he gets to name his running mate.

Let the Repugs act like this

I am offended on behalf of all who have been running for LT Gov. Good people all

They don't deserve this and the delegates (hopefully I'll be one supporting Deval Patrick) don't deserve this

Someone needs to tell Reilly that he already has the perfect job for his personality type: Attorney General,uber cop,his way or the high way

You've motivated me to work harder to defeat you in September Reilly

[merbex]

4. One more thing: I live in the suburbs and I'm trying to recruit people

to get involved in the Democratic Party

One person who is now involved said they felt better about becoming more active because Finneran is gone. I just read in that article that Rep St Fleur was tied to Finneran.

This is how the Repugs manage to beat us - by tying the ticket to Beacon Hill insiders.

We have a good crop of people running for Lt Gov. It says a great deal about Reilly that he doesn't think he can work with them

It says he wants someone as Lt Gov THAT OWES HIM

[janalfi]

5. What a clumsy move . . .

I am awestruck by the stupidity of this move. I am pretty naive politically but it seems that Mr. Reilly has shot himself in the foot so many times he will need a prosthetic device to run for anything.

He has managed to annoy all the Lt. Gov. candidates and their supporters. He has embarrassed a good man, Chris Gabrielli. Therese Murray, my senator, was working for him but I'm sure she's having second thoughts now after being mentioned as an "also ran" lt. gov. choice for Reilly. I've never heard of Ms. St. Fleur. She may be a great person, but this smells like tokenism. The Globe said she used to work for Reilly and was a Finneran lackey. That sounds like a very closed shop to me.

Maybe this will play well in Boston, but this is a state-wide election. I running as a Patrick delegate, too. I truly believe that Patrick is our only shot at beating the Repugs at this point.

Here's hoping I see you in June, Merbex.

Or tomorrow night. :>)

[paineinthearse]

6. janalfi

Welcome to DU. Glad to see new blood in the hood.

[TaleWgnDg]

8. I am shocked that you've made up your mind without

.

I am shocked that you've made up your mind without the advantage of fully knowing who is running and what they are all about.

Objective information is powerful. Knowledge is vital. How can anyone be closed-minded who is a delegate?

Indeed, it is very shocking. Then to lump all together as one merely because they have been public servants for us, the citizenry of the Commonwealth, doesn't behoove any delegate's position. Wha? Are only so-called "outsiders" credible? trustworthy? reliable? I shudder to predict what you will think of a candidate who is new to Massachusetts politics (as they all have been originally) but over the years will then become an "insider" however trustworthy and reliable and credible that politician has become. Again, it smacks of closed-mindedness!

The better road is to stay informed. Be open. Study credible objective sources carefully, not merely what each candidate says, or how his/her speech mannerisms may be, or how cute s/he may be, or young, or tall, or white, or black, or pink, or green . . . !!

All that being said, I wish your candidate well.

However, I sure hope that Deval Patrick (today's "outsider" tomorrow's "insider"?) will reveal his income tax returns as has Tom Reilly and his wife. We want to see the millions of dollars Ameriquest (and Coca-Cola, etc.) have given to Deval Patrick in exchange for his Board of Directors seats (on those corporations). As you are perhaps aware (despite Patrick's disclaimers), Ameriquest was hung up to dry in multi-million dollar and multi-state settlements for Ameriquest's fraudulent dealings with working class Americans including thousands within the Bay State -- all thanks to our hard-working Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly and other Attorneys General across America.

1.) http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/01/24/reilly_urges_consumers_to_avoid_ameriquest
(Attorney General Reilly Urges Consumer to Avoid Ameriquest, Boston Globe, January 24, 2006)
2.) http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=986&id=1589
(Attorney General Reilly reports from his AG Office)

BTW, this isn't the first time that Ameriquest has been charged with bilking working class Americans, and again Deval Patrick was aware of all of this when he opted to take Ameriquest's tainted millions. Patrick isn't stupid; after all, Deval Patrick has attended one of America's best prep schools (Milton Academy), ivy league college (Harvard, 1978) and law school (Harvard Law)!
.

[newyawker99]

14. Hi janalfi!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[TaleWgnDg]

7. I vividly recall Marie St. Fleur's impassioned speech from . . .

.
I vividly recall Marie St. Fleur's impassioned speech from the floor of the 2005 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention. She began by saying that she was an immigrant from Haiti, a devote Roman Catholic. But that she was going to vote to keep same-sex marriage legal in Massachusetts. Not only for her own constituents but for the entire Commonwealth, Marie St. Fleur stated: "This (same-sex marriage) is about civil rights. This is about democracy. This is about history." All eyes were riveted to the podium as St. Fleur spoke positively about same-sex marriage. St. Fleur did not want to amend our state constitution. She didn't want to put words of discrimination against gays in our state constitution.


State Representative Marie St. Fleur
mass.gov/legis/member/mps1.htm

I, for one (and there are many many people who), believe that St. Fleur has an excellent public service record and who also believe that she will make an excellent Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.

Walsh, St. Fleur back gay marriage

Boston Globe, Michael Paulson, Feb 11, 2005

Two Catholic state lawmakers, Representative Marie P. St. Fleur and Senator Marian Walsh, said yesterday their religious faith had inspired them to support same-sex marriage, despite pronouncements from Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley declaring that such marriages are incompatible with Catholic teachings.

Speaking as they were honored for courage by the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, the two Boston Democrats reflected publicly on the tension provoked by their decisions to support same-sex marriage during a heated vote in the Legislature last year. St. Fleur said she faced "a lot of anger" in her parish, and that some people placed "nasty" telephone calls to her home. Walsh talked about her difficult campaign for reelection in a socially conservative, heavily Catholic district.

"There were people whom I have known since I walked into that parish at 7 years of age, who could not understand how at this age I was moving away from all that I was born and raised ," St. Fleur said. "But I came to understand that I was not moving away, but was in fact affirming all that I had learned in all those CCD classes, and that it is one thing to read it in the Bible, one thing to go through the sacraments, but it is another thing to stand up and really support and demonstrate that the Bible too is a living word, just as the Constitution."

(bold-faced type and headline type added by TaleWgnDg)
. . . more at . . . http://www.mglpc.org/story.php?id=282
(Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Politicial Caucus, quoting the Boston Globe, February 11, 2005,
as last visited Wednesday, February 1, 2006)
.

.

[TaleWgnDg]

10. Well. Here's a twist. Marie St. Fleur is having "tax difficulties" . . .

.
Boston Globe reports that St. Fleur has had a long history of financial difficulties.

1.) student loan difficulties from law school
2.) a prior foreclosure of a home in Mattapan
3.) real estate tax difficulty w/ her present home
4.) income tax difficulty
5.) and there's some unsubstantiated talk about a lien not on file at the Registry of Dds.

. . . more at . . . http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/31/st_fleur_delinquent_on_taxes_loans/?p1=MEWell_Pos4

Waiting for more on this before coming to any conclusions . . . however, my first thoughts are that this "financial difficulty" isn't unusual coming from a working class environment then on to public service employment, meaning that the income wouldn't improve much one to the other.

However, that being said, it's difficult at best to accept such happenings from someone seeking the state's 2nd highest public service slot. At worst it could jeopardize her reputation, overall; and Reilly's bid to seek the corner office on Beacon Hill.

Awaiting more . . .
.

[pilgrimm]

11. I agree

I’m not one to hold financial difficulties against anybody (I have had my fair share), but it does raise questions about her ability to be responsible with tax payers money. Even if she’s not the one holding the purse strings, that’s how it will be perceived.

With that said, I love hearing her speak. She’s a little rough around the edges, feisty and intelligent.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.