Charlie Baker and the Failing MBTA
After a summer of delays, derailments, and daily traffic congestion, commuters are nervously considering what a snowy winter may mean for them. Will they be unable to pick up their kids again because the T is delayed? Will traffic steal valuable time with family? Will their employer be less sympathetic if the Red line derails again? Baker has no idea what a real commute on the T is like and he’s even said he has no interest in experiencing one. Check out and share this recent column in the Boston Globe which calls Baker out for failing to do his homework and actually ride the MBTA.
- Baker says he’s not a “virtue signaler” but he has no problem breaking ground or cutting ribbons. It’s only when Baker would have to sacrifice a few of his luxuries that he has a problem with so-called “publicity stunts.”
- While the Governor spends his commute sitting in a comfortable motorcade, commuters across the state are stuck on disabled trains or standing out in the cold waiting 30 minutes or more for a train.
- It isn’t virtue signaling to understand what many of your constituents deal with every day, it’s doing your job. Baker can’t fix a system he refuses to take the time to understand.
House Dems Publish Impeachment Report
On Tuesday, the House Intelligence Committee published their impeachment report, which marks the conclusion of their investigation. The report found that Trump attempted to “use the powers of his office to solicit foreign interference on his behalf in the 2020 election.” Today the Judiciary Committee began its own hearings into Trump’s conduct.
- The Intelligence Committee’s report summed up what we already know: Trump schemed to extort Ukraine for his own political gain by withholding crucial foreign aid. Even those in Trump’s inner circle have admitted that there was a quid pro quo and that Trump himself ordered it.
- On top of testimony and other evidence, we have a transcript of Trump clearly threatening the President of Ukraine. You can’t get stronger evidence of a quid pro quo.
- Republicans know that Trump is guilty of attempting to enlist Ukraine’s help in his re-election, but they refuse to stand up to him and instead turn to Kremlin-approved talking points.
- In dangerously trying to extort Ukraine, Trump put our national security at risk and violated his oath of office in order to protect his political interests. Republicans are now doing the exact same thing in their defense of Trump.
Top Baker Administration Officials Knew of Serious Safety Issues at RMV
A new transcript released this week shows that prior to the deadly crash in New Hampshire, employees at the RMV had repeatedly warned leadership about the lack of resources and mismanagement of the Registry. One official even said that the intense focus on reducing wait times meant that “public safety was never a high priority.” She and others placed the blame directly on leadership within the Governor’s Office.
- The deputy chief of staff for customer service in Governor Baker’s office left key offices understaffed and threatened to fire employees who raised concerns about abandoning their core duties to accomplish the goal of reducing customer wait times.
- We can trace this failure of leadership that lead to serious safety lapses at the RMV directly to the Governor’s Office.
- Governor Baker paints himself as a businessman who’s an effective manager. But we’ve seen over and over again that this is false. Baker has demonstrated he is incapable of managing the most critical functions of our government, including the State Police, the RMV, and the MBTA.
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