Massie is first to challenge Sen. BrownDate: 1/26/2011 Jan. 26, 2011
By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
Bob Massie is the first Democrat who has announced his intentions to challenge Sen. Scott Brown when Brown seeks re-election and the long-time activist believes, "the state of Massachusetts could do a lot better than Sen. Brown."
Massie, who spoke to Reminder Publications from his home in Somerville, is no stranger to politics. He was the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor running with Mark Roosevelt in 1994 and was defeated by William Weld and Paul Cellucci.
He formally announced his intentions to run on Jan. 11.
Despite the results at the polls, Massie has been active in politics, specifically in the presidential campaigns of Sen. John Kerry, Vice President Al Gore and then Sen. Barack Obama.
When asked why he wants to run now, he explained that a political campaign is the result o a person seeing his or her personal story coming together with an opportunity and a need in the electorate.
He believes that Massachusetts has a time now to regain a position of leadership as it had with the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
"I just can't think of one single thing Scott Brown has done on that quality of leadership," Massie said.
Massie brings to the race an interesting educational and business background. He received a master's degree from the Yale Divinity School and was ordained an Episcopal minister. He then received a doctorate in economics from the Harvard School of Business and became a faculty member at the Harvard Divinity School.
Time spent living in South Africa resulted in an acclaimed book, "Loosing the Bonds: The United States and South Africa in the Apartheid Years" and brought about an interest in politics, which eventually inspired his run for lieutenant governor.
He subsequently became the president of Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmental groups that worked to improve the environmental polices of large corporations.
Massie recently received a liver transplant. He was born a hemophiliac and suffered from Hepatitis C. The transplant has renewed his health.
He said that Massachusetts "is a strong state with a talented population that have a lot of natural strengths."
He said the time is now "to prepare ourselves to be part of the 21st Century."
"It's less about building things and more about inventing things," he said of the state's economic future.
While he believes that high tech will drive the state's economy, "you can't build an economy on it."
"You have to have high paying service jobs," he added. "Massachusetts must build and sustain service jobs."
He said he understands that most job growth comes out of small businesses.
"We must encourage people to take the risk to start new businesses. In order to do that we have to have the engagement of government and the capital. Banks have been reluctant to lend to small businesses," he explained.
He said in the national debate over the role of government, the Republican Party has focused on how money is spent. Massie asserted, "We are losing the ability to talk about investment."
Massie's philosophy includes the belief that in order to take advantage of the freedom this country offers, every citizen needs a foundation of having access to a place to live, healthcare, education and a job. Federal policy should fulfill these goals, he added.
While Brown has supported some measures that have helped the state, Massie admitted, the candidate believes the senator's lack of support for healthcare and his work against the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for carbon dioxide levels show he is "making decisions not for the long run of the United States."
Massie said he would be campaigning in Western Massachusetts and recently appeared at an event in Longmeadow commemorating the inauguration of President John Kennedy.
In his press release announcing his decision, Massie wrote, "To meet this historic opportunity for American renewal, we need leaders with courage, commitment, and common sense. In the 2012 election, the people of Massachusetts will be making a choice between muddled uncertainty and daring direction. It is a choice that will matter not only to our state but to our entire nation.
"I am stepping forward, with a blend of humility and confidence, in an offer to serve both you and our country. In the months ahead I look forward to meeting you. I hope to gain your confidence and earn your vote."
For more information, log onto http://bobmassie.org.
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