Tagged: Election 2012

Since it's Friday we looked at stories from community papers and online outlets that didn't get big press.

Julio Varela and Marcela Garcia joined Callie Crossley in Studio 3.

Guests:

• Marcela Garcia, journalist and regular WGBH contributor.
• Julio Varela, founder of Latino Rebels.

In the last presidential race, former Gov. Mitt Romney tried selling himself to voters as "CEO-in-chief" — as a business leader ready to lead the nation to a better future.

As we know, the pitch ultimately fell short. But if we reversed the situation, could business leaders learn something from our presidents?

Another week, another set of title changes. Hillary Clinton will be “former” Secretary of State, and it’s now “Secretary” John Kerry, thank you very much. William “Mo” Cowan will be Senator for the time it takes to vote in a permanent replacement.

It's been a good couple weeks if your name is Hillary Clinton. Clinton emerged relatively unscathed after giving a full day's testimony on Capitol Hill about the Benghazi terrorist attacks. Later, she and Pres. Obama sat down for an interview on the CBS show 60 Minutes, which came across as either a victory lap for a now-retired Secretary of State, or a high-profile endorsement for a 2016 presidential campaign — depending on your point of view.

At long last, Massachusetts residents and lawmakers have their answer: William "Mo" Cowan, attorney and former chief of staff for Governor Deval Patrick, will be the state's interim senator. This follows weeks of speculation over Patrick's pick. Earlier this week, Senator John Kerry was confirmed as Secretary of State, thus vacating his long-held seat.

It was no secret that now-retired Rep. Barney Frank petitioned Gov. Patrick for the interim position. Frank said as much on more than one occasion.

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority had a better election night than Mitt Romney, banking $750,000 in profits from the Republican presidential hopeful's Nov. 6 party at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The $1.2 million in gross revenue from Romney's event and the $750,000 profit was an unanticipated bump to the authority's budget, helping to put the MCCA $3.5 million above projections, according to MCCA chief strategy officer Johanna Storella, who briefed the MCCA board on the budget on Thursday.

It was a historic week in Massachusetts politics, as Elizabeth Warren was sworn in as the first woman senator from Massachusetts.

Looking back, it took unprecedented work from thousands of volunteers to help Warren get elected, and one of them, Nina Wootan of Belmont, was moved to tears when she watched her candidate being sworn into office.

Like the other volunteers who spent weeks knocking on doors for Warren, Wootan thought she had heard the last of Republican Scott Brown, and she planned to hang up her volunteer hat for good. 

It's been a wild start to 2013. Washington careened over the fiscal cliff but still hammered out a mid-plummet agreement. On Thursday, Elizabeth Warren became the first Massachusetts woman to serve in the Senate. Joseph Kennedy III was also sworn in.

Who can remember this headline from January 1, 2012: "Disputes Over Television Fees Lead to a Few Blackouts"? How about "Iowa Caucus Voters Lack Enthusiasm"?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission was a landmark Supreme Court case with huge political implications. In the wake of Citizens, super PACs became the cash-raising vehicle of choice for parties and their candidates.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the 2012 election. Billions were spent by super PACs, from the presidential race and down the ticket. With few exceptions, no race was immune to the spending.