Why lefty activists are working with the GOP to challenge Massachusetts Democrats
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.
Far-left Democratic activists who want to transform the way Beacon Hill does business can't get the time of day at the State House, so they're looking to team up with another constituency that wants to end the status quo at the capitol — the MassGOP.
Why it matters: Nothing brings the two groups of outsiders together as much as the Democratic-controlled Legislature, which, they say, has opposed or stalled efforts to make lawmaking more accountable.
What they're saying: "You're seeing groups from both the far left and the far right kind of come together. The common denominator is a lack of transparency and accountability," MassGOP chairwoman Amy Carnevale told Axios.
Driving the news: The Coalition to Reform Our Legislature couldn't get lawmakers to hold a public hearing on its bills to decentralize salary perks for House and Senate members and to create an independent fiscal impact bureau, so it booked a room at a church across the street for its own "hearing."
- "There have been at least two decades, maybe three, of decreasing democracy in the institution across the street, and that's a tragedy," former Lexington Rep. Jay Kaufman said.
The coalition's goal is to reduce the control leadership has over members and make it easier to see the effects of bills without relying on interest groups to make projections.
- Coalition executive director Scotia Hille said the group couldn't find a single legislator willing to file either of the bills, something that is usually done without opposition.
Between the lines: Lawmakers won't touch the reform effort because they, for the most part, like things the way they are on the hill. After all, nearly every Democrat voted to reinstall Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka as leaders this year.
- It's hard to blame them since there's little public outcry over how the General Court conducts itself.
- About 10% of incumbents faced primaries last year.
- 20% of districts had competition from both Democrats and the GOP, the lowest rate in the country.
What's next: Electeds don't seem to care much for the proposed reforms. Neither do the voters who consistently put them in office.
- So activists are taking a page from the state auditor's book and looking at organizing a ballot question to give their effort some public backing.
Reality check: Lawmakers are still fighting to stop the auditor's ballot question to let her oversee some of their spending.
- A new measure that curtails leadership's authority, voter-approved or not, won't fare much better.