2009 MA Senate Primary Debate: on Budget & Economy


Scott Brown: People are angry over tax and spend mentality and $12T debt

Q: You're probably gonna win the primary. But you probably will not win the general election in a Democratic state. So why go through this?

A: I respectfully have to disagree with you this is not a Democrat state; it's not a Kennedy state; it's the people, and right now they're angry. They tried the tax and spend mentality and don't forget we already have twelve people down there right now [in Massachusetts' delegation to the U.S. Congress] that are voting the same way on the same special interest there. Taxing and spending us to a twelve trillion dollar national debt. People are telling me around the state that they want somebody different has been an independent thinker and talker. I have been representing now the state house's fiscal conservative watchdog so I have to respectfully disagree. You should come and see the enthusiasm and excitement to put somebody down there [in D.C.] who is not like the others.

Source: NECN Good Morning Live interviews on 2009 MA Senate race Nov 30, 2009

Martha Coakley: Economic system spiraling out of control; go after Wall St.

Coakley said that the nation has "great insecurity" about the future. She noted that Pres. Obama invited her to Washington last week because she is one of four prosecutors nationwide who had tackled financial institutions that contributed to the economic crisis. "We are frankly in a mess," she said. "We have an economic system that is spiraling out of control. I think we want someone who is going to go after the Wall Street that created the economic situation, as well as lack of regulation in Washington.
Source: Boston Globe coverage of 2009 MA Senate race Oct 13, 2009

Stephen Pagliuca: Managing director at Bain Capital; trained as accountant

Pagliuca, the managing director at Bain Capital, told his personal story as the grandson of an Italian immigrant who urged him to get an education and succeed. He said his grandfather had wanted him to be an accountant because they were the only people with good jobs during the Depression. Now that the United States is in the worst economy since those times, he said he would fight in Washington to make sure today's children would have the same opportunities that he did.
Source: Boston Globe coverage of 2009 MA Senate race Oct 13, 2009

Scott Brown: Let private enterprise try to get us out of this mess

Q: Today is the one-year anniversary of the start of the financial crisis in the U.S. It was one year ago today that Lehman Bros., the investment bank, went belly up, and within days the U.S. economy was pretty much in a full-scale panic. Where are you on that?

A: It's all about the economy and jobs. Pulling back on the financial [regulations], I think if you do too much too soon, it doesn't have a chance to catch up and see if we can work out of this ourselves through free enterprise, through private enterprise, intervention and creativity. So I'm all in favor of just holding back for a little bit and letting private enterprise try to get us out of this mess.

Q: Is another government stimulus plan a good idea?

A: I don't think so. We are leaving a legacy, amassing amazing amounts of debt, passing it on to our kids and grand-kids, and at some point we are just going to be top heavy.

Source: WBUR interview on 2009 MA Senate primary debate Sep 14, 2009

Scott Brown: No cap on bankers' salaries

Q: Congressman Barney Frank has been a leader in a movement on Capitol Hill to make financial industry executives more accountable, hold their salaries in check in the process. Do you think that's a good idea?

A: I don't agree with Barney's proposal on that. We should let the free-enterprise and the business market do what it needs to do to get our economy back and running. I'm concerned that government intervention into private businesses is just crossing the line.

Source: WBUR interview on 2009 MA Senate primary debate Sep 14, 2009

  • The above quotations are from 2009 Massachusetts Senate Primary Debate among Coakley, Capuano, Khazei, and Pagliuca on Democratic side; Brown and Robinson on Republican side.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Budget & Economy.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Martha Coakley on Budget & Economy.
  • Click here for more quotes by Michael Capuano on Budget & Economy.
Candidates and political leaders on Budget & Economy:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 02, 2018