View this email in your browser ([link removed])

Dear Activist,

Our goal with the Wednesday Wire is to give each of you the tools to take on the Republican Party and help boost Democrats in Massachusetts - so we encourage you to use these talking points on social media, as the basis for a letter to the editor of your local paper, in emails to your personal network, or in conversation with your friends and neighbors.

If you have any questions about this program or would like to see more about a specific issue area, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Communications Manager, Patrick Coyne (mailto:[email protected]) .

Please share the articles below with your networks and please also be sure to use the hashtag #Mapoli or #BakerFail when sharing this information on social media.

You could count on one thing from the Baker-Polito administration in 2019: consistency in demonstrating a complete inability - or uninterest - in running state government. Baker’s State of the State address is under two weeks away, and unless he plans to talk about the many scandals and crises that plague his administration, expect the speech to be extremely short. Here are some things we don’t think you’ll hear Baker talk about.

Baker the Lame Duck?

As 2019 ended, reports from Boston.com ([link removed]) & WBZ ([link removed]) show that Baker has less than $1 million in his war chest, while Karyn Polito has a campaign account holding over $700,000 more than Baker. Looks to us like this is Charlie Baker’s last term driving our government into the ground with his failed management. Unfortunately, “Governor Karyn Polito” may even be more damaging to our state than Baker has been.
* Remember when Polito was the key figure in a scandal in which 68 of the first 100 low-number specialty Red Sox license plates were awarded to people with ties to Polito? Refresh your memory about Plates Polito. ([link removed])
* More recently, multiple outlets including the Boston Herald ([link removed]) and The Boston Globe ([link removed]) reported on Polito’s patronage pipeline, which has resulted in many within Polito’s orbit landing high-paying state jobs, including to the court system.
* It’s pretty clear Polito and Baker are rigging every system they can to reward their friends and major donors, and we cannot have this corruption for another four years.

Baker’s Achilles Heel: the MBTA Safety Report

In December, a bombshell report on the MBTA was released, highlighting in concerning detail the leadership failures that have created a poisonous culture at the MBTA. As the report clearly states, safety is not a priority and fear of blame or retribution prevents employees from raising serious safety concerns.
* This report proves what we all already knew— Charlie Baker doesn’t care about the MBTA and he doesn’t care about those of us who rely on it.
* It’s easy for Baker to be lenient on safety and not prioritize fixing the T because he travels by motorcade. But the one million commuters who rely on the subway system, buses, and commuter rail to get to and from work each day do not have that luxury.
* From derailments to track fires, 2019 has seen a near-constant stream of serious mechanical failures and hazards on the MBTA. There is no sign of these problems subsiding ([link removed]) , and public transportation users, as well as those on our roads, will continue to suffer.

Baker’s Failed Transportation Plan: Say Nothing, Do Nothing
In 2019, voters felt the effects of our failing transportation system and our crumbling infrastructure. Their frustration was warranted, given the release of a report finding nearly 500 bridges in Massachusetts are “structurally deficient” and growing concern over the deteriorating Alewife parking garage.
* Baker told voters that he would bring a businessman’s perspective and skills to Beacon Hill. But he has been the Governor since 2014--our infrastructure and transportation have become growing disasters.
* He has failed to give this issue and others the attention and investment they require, and Massachusetts residents are feeling the backlash from this failure of leadership.

Another Baker Blunder: The State Police Scandal

Investigations this year revealed not only that State Troopers were lying about their hours to get paid extra overtime salaries, but they were also “regularly ordered” to do so by their supervisors.
* Every new revelation about the corruption and scandal at the State Police makes it more and more impossible to believe that the Governor was not aware.
* Baker’s lazy and laissez-faire leadership undermined our criminal justice system and wasted thousands of tax-payer dollars.

Baker’s RMV: Chaos and Calamity

All too similar to the State Police scandal, in 2019 we saw the horrible effects of mismanagement of the RMV. Leadership had been warned repeatedly that their aggressive efforts to reduce wait times sacrificed safety, but they refused to listen or change their approach.
* Under Baker’s watch, officials in his administration left essential roles unfilled and threatened to fire employees who raised concerns about abandoning their core duties - putting public safety at risk for months.
* Baker’s managerial incompetence has led to serious safety lapses. He touts his past as a businessman but it’s abundantly clear that Baker is unable to effectively lead our government in 2020 and beyond.

============================================================
** ([link removed])
** ([link removed])
** (massdems.org)
Copyright © 2020 Massachusetts Democratic Party, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you joined the Challenge Baker Social Media Activist List.

Our mailing address is:
Massachusetts Democratic Party
11 Beacon Street
Suite 410
Boston, MA 02108
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.