(NECN) - In the 2010 contest for Governor of Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick's approval rating is down, but he's still the man to beat. A Republican with State House experience and a flush campaign account is hoping to send patrick packing.
Charlie Baker, former President and CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and candidate for Governor joins Jim Braude on Broadside. Baker has chosen Senate Minority leader Richard Tisei as his running mate.
(NECN: Jim Braude) - President Obama is stumbling, and there is a new person to blame.
You remember this guy, David Plouffe, the mastermind of President Obama's 2008 campaign victory.
Well, as you know, he's back after getting a "S.O.S" call from the White House ... "Ship of State sinking fast."
Here's my memo to Plouffe on three things he needs to fix real fast.
First, either cancel your idea of a "spending freeze", or cancel the president's subscription to the New York Times.
Did you read the latest from Paul Krugman?
(NECN) - On the Braude Beat, a preview of what America will hear in President Obama's State of the Union speech, and should a ban on texting while driving be expanded to include all drivers?
Also more on the the Daniel Kerrigan death investigation. Mark Kerrigan, Nancy's brother, pleaded not guilty to assaulting his 70-year-old father, who later died.
Janet Guarino, Mark Kerrigan's ex-wife tells NECN that, "Mark made my life a complete a hell. I moved out of state in September of 2009. I moved for reasons that can now speak for themselves."
(NECN: Alison King, Roxbury, Mass.) - The political world's newest star is making the rounds.
Massachusetts Senator-Elect Scott Brown is making a few courtesy calls today -- first to the Mayor of Boston and then to a private meeting with African American clerical and community leaders in Roxbury.
It's all part of Brown's effort to reach out to his new, broader constituency, even though these are not necessarily the people who elected him.
"I'm trying to be the senator for everybody," says Brown.
BOSTON (AP) - Sen.-elect Scott Brown is targeting Feb. 11 as his swearing-in date.
The surprise victor in last week's election to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy believes that will be enough time for the state to complete its certification of his win.
Senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom says the focus now is hiring staffers for the Republican.
This week, Brown is also giving a series of media interviews. They include a sit-down with ABC's Barbara Walters that will air Sunday when she hosts "This Week."
WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing voter anger over mounting budget deficits, President Barack Obama will ask Congress to freeze spending for some domestic programs for three years beginning in 2011, administration officials said Monday. Separately, Obama unveiled plans to help a middle class "under assault" pay its bills, save for retirement and care for kids and aging parents.
The spending freeze would apply to a relatively small portion of the federal budget, affecting a $477 billion pot of money available for domestic agencies whose budgets are approved by Congress each
(NECN: Alison King) - Scott Brown's Massachusetts Senate victory a week ago has Democratic incumbents taking a fresh look at their campaign strategies. Among them, Governor Deval Patrick.
Patrick is dealing with a sluggish economy, low approval ratings, and suddenly a resurgent Republican Party.
(NECN) - Former Massachusetts State Treasurer Joe Malone is eying a run for Congress. Malone says he is in the process of announcing his candidacy, and should have a definite answer within the next month.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says the nation needs a Federal Reserve chairman who can continue making progress fixing the economy, and he is championing embattled Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as that candidate.
Obama defended his pick for the Fed in an interview Monday with ABC News, saying, quote: "He has my strongest support. I think he's done a good job."
Critics from both parties emerged in recent weeks, saying Bernanke was part of the problem as the economy tanked. But the White House says it has confidence in Bernanke and the criticism
(NECN: Brian Burnell, Wolcott, Conn.) - Bruce Brown is in security. His company is Northeast Surveillance and Communications, and he spends his days setting up security systems and spare time coaching his two children in sports. Last Tuesday night, though, he spent a little time in Massachusetts with his big brother at a little party celebrating Scott Brown's election to the U.S. Senate.
