Numbers Game Shows Women at Risk of Losing Seats in Legislature

By Kyle Cheney

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 26, 2010-- The 2010 election is shaping up to be a mixed bag for women, with female candidates running for three of six statewide offices but with women at risk of losing seats in the Legislature, where they are already underrepresented, a News Service ballot analysis found.

Women hold 51 seats in the 200-member Legislature, but nine are giving up their seats to retire or run for higher office, and a tenth, Rep. Pam Richardson (D-Framingham), was defeated in the September primary by Chris Walsh.

In addition, 30 of 41 incumbent women lawmakers on the ballot next week are facing reelection challenges, while more than half of incumbent men - 63 of 120 - are coasting to reelection unopposed.

Female Democratic lawmakers also face an acutely high challenge rate from a mostly male field of Republican challengers. Of the 30 female incumbents running this year, 29 are Democrats. Of those, 26 face GOP challengers and three face third-party opponents.

Assistant House Majority Leader Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset), the highest ranking woman in the House and an active campaigner for Democratic women, predicted that women would lose seats in next year's Legislature, based on the number seeking office.

"It's certainly discouraging after a height of 26 percent across the two chambers," she said.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, women constitute 24.5 percent of the 7,382 state lawmakers nationwide. Colorado, Vermont and New Hampshire are at the top of the list, with 38 percent, 37.2 percent and 37 percent female lawmakers, respectively. At the bottom of the list: South Carolina (10 percent), Oklahoma (11.4 percent) and Alabama (12.9 percent).

Both major parties cited the difficulty of convincing women to run for office as an obstacle to greater representation.

"There have been studies that show that in order to get a woman to run she has to be asked five times," Haddad said. One of those studies is a 2009 report by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University that found women are "more likely than men to run for office because they were recruited rather than deciding to run on their own." The report also concluded that women who receive assurances of support by their political parties and women's organizations are more likely to run.

"Women tend to have this really interesting notion that you have to be qualified to run," said Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh said with a chuckle. "Guys are not constrained by that. Women need to be recruited more. They need to be encouraged, asked to run. I think the atmosphere for women is getting better every year."

Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Nassour said many women are dissuaded from running because of family obligations.

"As women ... we pretty much drive the bus when it comes to what's going on in our homes," she said.

But Nassour also pointed to Republican women running for office this year show she said "are able to be moms and able to be wives and are able to be career professionals."

Sixty-eight women - 41 incumbents and 27 newcomers - will be on next week's ballot, vying for 62 legislative seats. Many face veteran incumbents who have won in one election cycle after another.

Asked about the number of women running for the Legislature, Democrats and Republicans highlighted prospects in this year's crop of candidates: Patricia Lawton of Bridgewater, Gail Cariddi of North Adams, Patricia Commane of Andover and Denise Andrews of Orange on the Democratic side; Kimberly Ferguson of Holden, Kimberly Roy of Sutton, and Kara Fratto of Reading on the Republican side.

"I think we'd be better off if there were more women," said Walsh, the Democratic Party chair. "Of course, not Republican women. It would be better off if there were more Democratic women."

"Clearly, women are not proportionally represented either in Washington or Boston," Walsh continued. "Women win at the same rate as men. It's just that they don't run."

The parties also pointed to the state auditor's race, in which Democrat Suzanne Bump is battling Republican Mary Connaughton, guaranteeing that a woman will take the office for the first time. Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley is up for reelection against Republican challenger James McKenna. A recent Boston Globe poll showed Coakley up by 21 points with less than two weeks to go.

But the 2010 election is also just the second since 1982 that features no women running as Democrats or Republicans for governor or lieutenant governor. In 1986, Democrat Evelyn Murphy was elected lieutenant governor as Gov. Michael Dukakis's running mate. In 1990, Democrat Marjorie Claprood ran on an unsuccessful ticket with then-Boston University president John Silber. In 1998, Republican Jane Swift was elected lieutenant governor on the ticket with Gov. Paul Cellucci. In 2002, Democrat Shannon O'Brien ran unsuccessfully for governor against Republican Mitt Romney, who tapped Kerry Healey as his running mate. Gov. Deval Patrick defeated Healey in the 2006 race for governor. No women ran on a major party ticket in 1994, when Republicans Bill Weld and Cellucci defeated Democrats Mark Roosevelt and Robert Massie.

Nassour, the Republican Party chair, said she has sought women who would be "viable candidates" to break up "the Beacon Hill boys' club."

Only three incumbent Republican lawmakers are women - Rep. Karyn Polito of Shrewsbury, who is running for state treasurer, Rep. Elizabeth Poirier of North Attleborough, who is running unopposed for reelection, and Rep. Sue Gifford of Wareham who is facing a Democratic challenger.

Nassour said the fact that Republicans set their sights disproportionately on female incumbents wasn't part of a concerted strategy.

"It's just the way it shakes out," Nassour said. "There would be no reason why I would go after a woman. I am going after Democratic held seats that I think should be Republican held seats."

Nassour said women often face questions when running for office that men don't, citing her own quest to lead the state Republican Party as an example.

"At first when I was running, quite honestly there were a lot of people who said 'why would you do this, and don't you want to be with your kids?'" she said. "I'm able to balance everything. The crazier that my life is and the schedule is, the more I'm able to handle and put in perspective ... and spend the important moments with my family. It's been wonderful for my daughters. I think it's so good for them to have a role model."

Advocates for Massachusetts women in politics suggested another reason for the long odds for legislative gains this year: an increased willingness by candidates, campaign officials and commentators across the country to level gender-based attacks on women running for office.

"One of the trends that we're seeing that's concerning to us is the type of political discourse that's happening on the campaigns," said Priti Rao, executive director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, pointing to "the number of inappropriate comments being made about women candidates."

Rao cited an exchange in the California gubernatorial race in which an aide to Democrat Jerry Brown called Republican candidate and EBay founder Meg Whitman a "whore." Rao also pointed to a similar incident in the Melrose Senate race in which a comedian, speaking at a fundraiser for Republican Craig Spadafora, called his Democratic opponent Katherine Clark a "whore."

A third example, Rao said, came last month when WRKO producer Bill Cooksey described Rep. Polito as having a "tight little butt," leading to an on-air rebuke from Polito herself.

"When these sort of sexist comments are being made ... it not only affects the woman running for that position, it affects all women," she said.

Rao said the caucus hopes to encourage more women to run because when women run, they win.

"When women overall decide to run, they're winning at equal rates as men," she said. "There are fewer women who are choosing to run."

Although the loss of seats is still up in the air, the loss of experienced, veteran women lawmakers is a foregone conclusion. Among those leaving or who have already left: Sen. Joan Menard (D-Fall River), a lawmaker since 1979; Rep. Lida Harkins (D-Needham), who has served since 1989; Sen. Marian Walsh, who has served in the House or Senate since 1989; Sen. Susan Tucker (D-Andover), in the Senate since 1999; and Rep. Marie St. Fleur (D-Boston), who left to join the Menino administration earlier this year after 11 years in the Legisalture.

Several veteran women departed two years ago as well: Mary Rogeness, a Longmeadow Republican; Rep. Patricia Walrath, a Stow Democrat and Pamela Resor, an Acton Democrat, who compiled a combined 57 years of legislative experience.

Only one female newcomer is guaranteed a win on Election Day: Democrat Gailanne Cariddi, who is running unopposed to fill the North Adams seat vacated by Rep. Dan Bosley.

A Message from the Women's Media Center: Name It. Change It.

With the midterm election just one week away, sexism against women candidates is accelerating towards an all-time high. At the Name It. Change It. campaign, we've had our work cut out for us, fighting to curb misogynistic media coverage case by case. In fact, we've responded to 13 incidents in the last two weeks!

We've found sexism everywhere--from opposition attack ads to magazine cover illustrations, from television pundits to "private" conversations, from men's magazines to iconic fashion publications. We've been hard at work, standing up against misogyny directed towards all women leaders, whether they are State Senators or former Vice Presidential Nominees, Republicans, Democrats, or even Green-Rainbow Party candidates. Name It. Change It. has embraced its mission to help all women running for office, irrespective of their political party--because an attack against one woman is an attack against all women.

Sexist jabs have become so rampant that we've uncovered some surprising perpetrators: women themselves. In recent weeks, female candidates have engaged in gendered mudslinging by urging their male opponents to "man up" or accusing male leaders of lacking "cojones." Even the California NOW President approved the characterization of gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman as a "whore." Sexist slights, no matter who uses them, perpetuate a toxic political environment and reinforce the barrier to women's political participation.

Though we continue to be frustrated by ubiquitous sexism, we are also tremendously inspired by the strength and resilience women candidates have shown by taking a stand against sexist attacks. Thanks to you, together we flooded the WRKO station in Boston with hundreds of calls, while MA State Treasurer candidate Karyn E. Polito reprimanded the crew of WRKO's Tom and Todd Show for discussing her "tight little butt" on air. And all total, Jay Leno received 1,372 emails after making an inappropriate oral sex joke. NC State Senator Margaret Dickson was joined by women leaders and organizations in a press conference denouncing her opponent's sexist attack ad, and U.S. Congressional candidate Krystal Ball made headlines across the nation for her valiant response to media sexism. Even our own WCF President/CEO Siobhan "Sam" Bennett, who faced breathtaking sexism in her bid for U.S. Congress in 2008, proved her valor when respondingd to a blogger who reposted a deeply misogynistic quote about her.

Name It. Change It. not only combats sexism in the media against women candidates, but empowers women in media and politics by encouraging them to stand up for themselves and for all women. During this last week leading up to the election, we're asking you to tell your friends to join us in taking a stand against misogyny by reporting and responding to sexist media coverage. Together, we can work to create a more equitable political environment and a more inclusive media landscape.

Visit NameitChangeit.com for more information on ways to get involved.

Contrite Lenny Clarke apologizes for 'bad joke'

By Gayle Fee & Laura Raposa
Monday, October 25, 2010

Cambridge comic Lenny Clarke wants everyone to know he's sorry. So very, very sorry . . .

The "Rescue Me" star caused an uproar in Malden last week when he called Democratic state Senate candidate Katherine Clark "a whore" in a joke he told at a fund-raiser for her opponent Craig Spadafora. The two are vying to succeed lieutenant governor wannabe Richard Tisei.

"I'm sorry. I apologize. It was a bad joke, but it was a joke," Clarke told the Track. "I don't know her. I had no malicious intent. But my mother would be ashamed of me. My oor dead mother."

Clarke, who is known for his off-color stand-up routine, opened his set with the crack, "I don't support Katherine Clark because she's my aunt and she's a whore." He then added: "I'm just kidding. She's not my aunt."

Spadafora was forced to apologize for the joke after the bipartisan Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus got all up in his grill.

"Mr. Clarke's remarks, and your tolerance of them, have no place in a campaign, whether as an attempt at humor or otherwise," wrote Priti Rao, executive director of the caucus, in a letter to Spadafora.

The flap came on the heels of a controversy in California when an aide to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown was caught on tape referring to Republican candidate Meg Whitman as a "whore" for cutting a deal to protect police pensions.

"I'm so sorry," Clarke repeated. "And I feel bad for the guy who hired me. He never saw this coming. But I never know what's going to come out of my mouth until I say it."

Spadafora issues apology 'to anyone offended' by comedian's slur

By Carol Brooks Ball and Jim Haddadin/melrose@cnc.com Malden Observer Posted Oct 21, 2010 @ 07:30 PM

Malden — Craig Spadafora, the Republican candidate for the Middlesex and Essex state Senate seat, is doing damage control after learning this week that a comedian hired for his recent birthday party/campaign event referred to Spadafora's rival — state Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose — as a "whore."

In a terse letter from Priti Rao, executive director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus (MWPC), Spadafora was asked to issue an immediate "disavowal" of the comment made by comedian Lenny Clarke, one of two comedians hired to entertain at the political event on Friday, Oct. 15, which was also a celebration of Spadafora's 37th birthday.

***

Editor's note: In the opening moments of [Friday night's] recording, provided to the Melrose Free Press by the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, comedian Lenny Clarke is reportedly heard calling Senate candidate Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, a "whore," during his comedy routine at an Oct. 15 fundraiser for Clark's Republican opponent, Malden city councilor Craig Spadafora. Spadafora distanced himself from Clarke's comments on Thursday, Oct. 21, and said he was not in the room when the comment was made.

***

"Mr. Clarke's remarks, and your tolerance of them, have no place in a campaign, whether as an attempt at humor or otherwise," Rao said in her letter, written on Wednesday, Oct. 20. "The statement in Mr. Clarke's 'act' was degrading, slanderous, and sexist, and offensive to all men and women who would not tolerate the use of such ugly language about women." When contacted by the Melrose Free Press on Thursday, Spadafora said that he was not present when Clarke made the comments, and only caught the last 15 minutes of Clarke's act.

"I wasn't in the room," Spadafora said. "I didn't make the comment. If I heard the comment, I probably would have said something." Spadafora said a female comedian also performed at the event, going on before Clarke took the stage. During that time, Spadafora said, he left the fundraiser and went downstairs to speak at another event honoring Italian American sports figures that was also taking place at the restaurant, Anthony's of Malden.

"Once the girl comedian started, I went downstairs to talk, and see the event that was happening downstairs at the building," Spadafora told the Free Press.

***

Statement of Craig Spadafora to the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, sent to the Melrose Free Press Oct. 21:

"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. I was in fact double booked on the night of my Oct. 15 fundraiser, and I was speaking at another event during the first half of Lenny Clarke's act. Upon receipt of your letter however, I was able to receive confirmation through my own sources that there was in fact an off-color joke made about Katherine Clark that included a derogatory term that I object to. On behalf of my campaign, I apologize to anyone who was offended.

"As a husband and a father to a 1-year-old daughter, I do not condone Mr. Clarke's joke that refers to Katherine Clark in a derogatory manner. Mr. Clarke gave me no advance notice that he would be using such material. If he had, I would have asked him not to use the joke.

"Please know that Lenny Clarke does not work for my campaign and his involvement at this event was strictly entertainment in nature. Again, I am sorry if Katherine Clark or any of my guests were offended by jokes the comedian made during his comedy act, and I assure you that Lenny Clarke's remarks are not representative of the spirit of my campaign." — Craig Spadafora

***

Spadafora said he was contacted Wednesday night, Oct. 20, by Sen. Richard Tisei, a Wakefield Republican and candidate for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker, and asked if he'd received an email from the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus regarding an issue at the fundraiser.

Spadafora said he only read the email message the next morning, Thursday, Oct. 21, after finding the message in his junk e-mail folder. Spadafora said he then contacted two family members who were present at the event and who verified Clarke's comment.

Spadafora said he was in the process of drafting a letter of apology to Clark, though he stopped short of taking responsibility for the incident.

"I can't control Lenny Clarke, to some degree, and it is not a reflection of the Craig Spadafora campaign. We don't condone those kind of messages from anybody."

Rep. Clark was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.

According to the State House News Service, a person who attended the fundraiser said Clarke's joke began with the declaration, "I don't support Katherine Clark because she's my aunt and a whore."

"I'm just kidding," Clarke continued. "She's not my aunt."

Monica Medeiros, Ward 2 alderman and Melrose Republican City Committee vice chairman, told the Free Press Thursday that while she was invited to Spadafora's fundraiser, she was unable to attend because of work commitments. Medeiros said she was, "not really in a position to comment," on the incident, but noted that the comment was not made by Spadafora or his campaign workers.

"I don't know all the facts ... but comedians are comedians," Medieros told the Free Press. "They normally don't check with you on what they say. It's clearly not an appropriate comment, but I think it would be a lot different if Craig said it."

Rao at the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus told the Free Press that she and other MWPC officials viewed a video of the comic's routine. The SHNS reported that one attendee at the event, Michelle Rolph, 22, of Boston, a supporter of Rep. Clark's candidacy, said she was "shocked" at the joke. A partial video recording of the event, viewed by the SHNS, includes the comedian's "whore" remark, and shows that the audience laughed and hooted after the lines were delivered.

"I understand he's a comedian and he's supposed to be funny but it wasn't funny," she told the SHNS. "I thought it was out of line to be name calling in a campaign like that."

Rolph added that she wasn't familiar with Lenny Clarke's comedy before attending the fundraiser, and added that while she supports Clark for the Senate seat, she does not work for the representative's campaign.

Copyright 2010 Malden Observer. Some rights reserved

WOULD-BE TISEI SUCCESSOR REJECTS COMEDIAN'S COMMENTS

By Kyle Cheney and Matt Murphy STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 21, 2010—Craig Spadafora, the Malden Republican running to succeed Sen. Richard Tisei, distanced himself Thursday from remarks made at a fundraiser last week by a comedian who, during a routine, referred to Spadafora's Democratic opponent Katherine Clark as "a whore."

Clark, a second-term state representative from Melrose, declined to comment on the remarks by comedian Lenny Clarke at the Oct. 15th Spadafora fundraiser at Anthony's, a Malden restaurant. But the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus called on Spadafora to repudiate them.

"Mr. Clarke's remarks, and your tolerance of them, have no place in a campaign, whether as an attempt at humor or otherwise," wrote Priti Rao, executive director of the caucus, in an Oct. 20 letter to Spadafora. "The statement in Mr. Clarke's 'act' was degrading, slanderous, and sexist, and offensive to all men and women who would not tolerate the use of such ugly language about women."

In a phone interview, Spadafora said he was not present when Clarke made the comments but said he intended to issue a letter to "apologize on behalf of the campaign."

"I don't agree with what Lenny Clarke said," he added, calling Rep. Clark "a fantastic person." "Where we disagree completely is how to get the state back on track."

A person who attended the fundraiser said Clarke's joke began with the declaration, "I don't support Katherine Clark because she's my aunt and a whore."

"I'm just kidding. She's not my aunt," added Clarke. A partial video of the routine obtained by the News Service confirms his use of the word.

The flap follows a recent controversy in California when an aide to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown was caught on tape referring to Republican candidate Meg Whitman as a "whore" for cutting a deal to protect police pensions.

Spadafora said the comparison between the two comments doesn't apply because he wasn't even aware of the comment until Wednesday night. "It wasn't between anybody on my campaign," he said.

One attendee at the event, a supporter of Rep. Clark's candidacy, said she was "shocked" at the joke. A partial video recording of the event, which includes Clarke's "whore" remark, shows that the audience laughed and hooted after the lines were delivered.

"I understand he's a comedian and he's supposed to be funny but it wasn't funny. I thought it was out of line to be name calling in a campaign like that," Michelle Rolph, 22, of Boston, told the News Service in an interview.

Rolph said she was not familiar with Lenny Clarke's comedy before the fundraiser. Though she said she was supporting Rep. Clark, she said she did not work for the representative's campaign.

Comedian Kathy Griffin also found herself in hot water earlier this summer after delivering a botched joke on CNN calling U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's daughters "prostitutes."

With ‘friends’ like Sal DiMasi. . .

By Dave Wedge
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Link to Boston Herald article

Colorful Taunton Rep. James Fagan has a fight on his hands in November with a challenge from scrappy upstart Republican Shaunna O’Connell.

O’Connell, a court reporter and mom of two, has been whacking away at Fagan, painting him as the embodiment of Beacon Hill insider politics. This week, O’Connell hammered Fagan for repeatedly voting for indicted former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, along with former Speakers Charles Flaherty and Thomas Finneran, both of whom left in disgrace and were convicted of felonies.

Of the criticism, Fagan said: “I have no regrets over my support of them at the time.”

He also called DiMasi a “friend” and said he plans to stand by him and will reserve judgment until his federal corruption trial is over.

“Friends in my definition are the people who stand by you when things are tough. It’s very easy to be friends with people when they are on top,” Fagan said. “But if the charges against Sal prove to be true, I will be extraordinarily sad that he would have that lack of regard for the position.”

Bumping along

Suzanne Bump continues to rack up the endorsements in her bid to succeed state Auditor Joe DeNucci, including winning support in one of her Democratic opponent’s own back yards.

Bump, Gov. Deval Patrick’s former labor czarina, landed the endorsement this week from Boston’s Ward 4, which includes the South End neighborhood where her opponent, Mike Lake, lives.

Lake shrugged off the neighborhood snub, calling it “a classic example of institutional politics backing a career politician.”

MCAS Deval-ued

Republicans this week pounced on Gov. Patrick for backing new education standards that critics charge will set the state back and harm strides made by the MCAS tests.

The GOP accused Patrick of election-year politics for pandering to the teachers unions, which have opposed MCAS, and criticized a pair of Patrick’s top attack dogs on the issue: former education commissioners Robert Antonucci and David Driscoll.

Antonucci hauls in a taxpayer-funded salary of $222,406 a year as president of Fitchburg State College, while Driscoll is an Obama administration appointee who chairs the National Assessment Governing Board - an organization that makes key education reform decisions. Driscoll has also shilled for Pearson - a top education testing company.

“Everyone who supports this move is tied to financially benefit from it,” said Massachusetts Republican Party spokeswoman Tarah Breed. “Patrick wants the teachers union’s money, and these guys want the teachers unions as clients.”