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.

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Last night, Governor Baker delivered his State of the Commonwealth speech, and as expected, he failed to address the many crises created by the Baker/ Polito administration's complete inability or unwillingness to manage our state government.  

The MassDems took to Twitter to call out Baker on his misleading statements and to bring attention to the things Baker avoided talking about:

• Baker’s actions continue to speak volumes. He’d put the health and safety of his constituents at risk for corporations--Baker cares about keeping his rich friends happy, and not the people of Massachusetts.

• In December 2019, a bombshell report on the MBTA was released, that clearly demonstrated that safety is not a priority and fear of retribution prevents employees from raising serious safety concerns. 
• This MBTA Safety report proved what we all already knew— Charlie Baker doesn’t care about the MBTA or  those of us who rely on it.

• From derailments to track fires, 2019 was a near-constant stream of serious mechanical failures and hazards on the MBTA.  In 2020, there is no sign of these problems subsiding, and public transportation users, as well as those on our roads, continue to suffer.

• 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.

• Since taking office, Governor Baker has failed to give these dangerous bridge issues and others the attention and investment they require, and Massachusetts residents are feeling the backlash from this failure of leadership.

• This year, Baker and his administration withheld crucial air quality data on the controversial Weymouth compressor during legal proceedings. The hearing officer was outraged after discovering that Baker and his team hid the fact that eleven previously undetected toxins were found after additional testing. 
• Andrea Honore has sat in his office for more than 200 days in an effort to speak to the Governor about the compressor. While the Governor seems to have corporations on speed dial, he refuses to meet with or acknowledge her as he passes her in his lobby.

Statement from Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford Reacting to State of the Commonwealth

“When was the last time you had a conversation about politics for 30 minutes, and never spoke of Donald Trump? That’s what Charlie Baker just did in his major annual speech tonight. Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito continue to nibble around the edges and refuse to really take on the critical issues we face.  This “victory lap” tonight felt like it was in slow motion. When people ask themselves if things have gotten easier or harder over the last five years, I don’t think Baker and Polito are going to enjoy the answer.”