A Fighting Chance (64 page)

more helping hands:
Caroline Kennedy offered to help, which I really appreciated. She joined Mayor Menino and me as we campaigned together in Charlestown.

Karl Rove was off the airways:
Common Cause conducted an in-depth study on the People’s Pledge and concluded: “The People’s Pledge drastically reduced outside spending.” Also, “The People’s Pledge resulted in substantially greater public disclosure of political donors.” Common Cause notes that other similar elections in 2012 had five times more “dark” or completely undisclosed money. “The People’s Pledge increased the influence of small donor donations relative to big dollar donations” and the pledge “resulted in significantly less negative advertising.” Common Cause also notes: “In response to the Pledge, outside groups did not run a single television advertisement for or against either candidate after the Pledge was signed.… In the few cases of print and radio advertisements financed by outside groups, candidates paid the agreed upon fine and the advertisements promptly ceased.” The report concludes that limiting “the impact of outside groups in elections is a fundamental first step to an electoral process that is more transparent, fair, and accountable.” Common Cause calls for future elections to have similar pledges, noting the pledge “should be replicated in elections going forward.” Tyler Creighton, “A Plea for a Pledge,” Massachusetts Common Cause, April 2013. At
commoncause.org
.

stood tall for
all
workers:
From early in the campaign, Lou Mandarini worked to connect me to union families throughout the state. Lou, a Boston labor lawyer and son of the president of the Greater Boston Labor Council, was Labor Director for the Campaign. He was tireless, making calls, passing along names, offering advice, and showing up at events, always with one goal in mind—get to know everyone in the Commonwealth. Lou is smart as a whip, but his advice was always straight from the heart: “You’re on our side—just make sure we all get a chance to see that.”

As the campaign progressed, so many union members put their shoulders to the wheel, carrying signs, working the phones, opening their union halls and homes to me and to my team, and fighting with heart and soul for the campaign. I was deeply humbled by their outpouring, and I will always be grateful.

One note: Whenever I was hosted by a union family or met at a union hall, I always talked about my belief in the right of workers to organize and to bargain collectively, but the cheers were always just as loud for protecting Social Security, equal pay for equal work, and helping our kids get a college education. In other words, we fought side by side for a future, not just for some of our families, but for all of our families.

In the end, Otis was my best coach:
Debate prep was frustrating and Otis was terrific, but my second-best coach was Jon Donenberg, who has since become the legislative director in my Senate office. Jon tutored me on policy issues and taught me an enormous amount about the US Senate. He played a key role, and I’m grateful.

subsidizing Big Oil.
In putting a spotlight on Big Oil subsidies, I have been pleased to work alongside the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, and so many other organizations dedicated to protecting our environment for our children and grandchildren. We should be investing in energy technologies of the future, not subsidizing Big Oil.

war whoops and tomahawk chops:
The video can be seen at
http://bluemassgroup.com/2012/09/scottbrown-staffers-do-indian-war-whoop-tomahawk-chop-youtube
. Brown soon issued a statement saying he “regrets” his staff’s “unacceptable behavior.” Katharine Q. Seelye, “Scott Brown says He ‘Regrets’ His Staff’s ‘Unacceptable’ Behavior,”
The Caucus
(blog),
New York Times,
September 26, 2012.

and lying about my family:
See Sabrina Siddiqui, “Scott Brown Aims at Elizabeth Warren over Native American Claim,”
Huffington Post
, September 24, 2012.

See also Glen Johnson, “Scott Brown Hits Elizabeth Warren’s Native American Claim in New Ad,”
Boston Globe
, September 28, 2012.

claimed I’d hurt asbestos victims:
For a link to Brown’s ad and my response ads, see
http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/warrens-role-in-asbestos-case/
.

payment for their injuries:
As more and more people who had worked around asbestos, particularly in shipbuilding and construction, developed a rare form of lung cancer, lawsuits began mounting up. If each victim had sued each company individually, more money would have been spent on lawyers’ fees. More important, the first people to develop cancer would likely receive payment, but at some point the companies would run out of money and the insurance coverage would be exhausted, so that later victims would get nothing. The solution was to create a trust and to fund it with all the money from the businesses and their insurance companies who would be held responsible. This way victims could get compensated while paying smaller legal fees and there would be more money available for all the victims, including those who developed cancer later. The trust system had been effective for many years, but it was challenged in the US Supreme Court. In this case, alongside an insurance company and the trusts representing thousands of victims, I argued that the trusts were the best way to compensate victims, rather than individual lawsuits. We won that case in the Supreme Court. Later, after I left the case, a lower court held that the insurance company didn’t need to pay as much money as it had offered, and the case was again appealed.

For additional information, see
Factcheck.org:
“Warren’s version of the case has been publicly backed by several attorneys representing the asbestos victims, as well as leaders of an asbestos workers’ union. ‘[Brown is] flat out misrepresenting the facts,’ Francis C. Boudrow, business manager for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Union, Local No. 6 told the
Boston Globe
. ‘It’s offensive to all these people who’ve lost lives’ to asbestos-related illness, he said.” See “Warren’s Role in Asbestos Case,”
Factcheck.org
, October 15, 2012,
http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/war
rens-role-in-asbestos-case/.

“father suffocate to death”:
See Marc Larocque, “Sen. Scott Brown Suggests Warren Uses Actors in Asbestos Ads, Then Apologizes for Remarks,”
Taunton Daily Gazette,
October 17, 2012.

owner of the West End Gym in Lowell:
Art Ramalho lives his values every day in the work he does for kids in Lowell. He and his gym were featured in
The Fighter,
a film by David O. Russell that starred Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. For more about his gym, see Karen Sackowitz, “Blood, Sweat, Cheers,”
Boston Globe
, June 10, 2010.

“moral objection” to such coverage:
See Scott Brown, “Brown: Conscience Exemption Was a Matter of Fundamental Fairness,” Opinion,
Taunton Gazette
, March 2, 2012.

For the counterargument, see Laura Bassett, “Blunt Amendment Is ‘Desperate’ GOP Election Strategy, Senate Dems Say,”
Huffington Post
, February 24, 2012. Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and NOW organized their members on this issue, and they played a critical role in the fight against the Blunt Amendment and the ongoing fight for women’s reproductive rights. As a woman, a mother with a daughter, and a grandmother of two little girls, I am deeply grateful for their ongoing leadership in this important fight.

gone on the offense, attacking me:
“(Warren) and her allies on the left are dictating to Catholics and other people of faith that they must do as they are told when it comes to health care or face the consequences, regardless of their personal religious beliefs,” Brown said in one fundraising e-mail. Steve LeBlanc, “Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren Aim to Win Over Bay State Catholics,” Associated Press, October 25, 2012.

to rally the troops:
Senator Mikulski was extraordinary. Her speech was energetic and focused on why we need more women in the Senate. She is the dean of the women senators, and she proved that she was also an effective campaigner to make sure the team of women gets bigger.

wowed the volunteers:
When Ethel Kennedy showed up, many of our young volunteers felt like they had a chance to touch history. Ethel was living very much in the future and she wanted to help me win this seat. She drove home for everyone the importance of who represents you in the Senate.

whipped out their cameras:
Adnaan Muslim managed our mailings, helping us reach people on a personal level. When women’s issues heated up, his enthusiasm, which always ran high, kicked into overdrive. Yeah, he was a guy’s guy, but he was the father of two beautiful little girls, and Adnaan was in this fight for their future too.

prolife groups that endorsed him:
See Michael Levenson, “Brown Stresses Prochoice Stance as Abortion Foes Offer Backing,”
Boston Globe
, August 23, 2012. “We consider him a senator who votes prolife,” said Anne Fox, president of the Massachusetts Citizens for Life. “We have to take his word for it when he says he is prochoice. But what we’re looking for is someone who votes prolife, and he does.” Brown said he would not reject the backing of Massachusetts Citizens for Life but reiterated that he considers himself a supporter of abortion rights.

See also Shira Schoenberg, “National ProLife Group Sends Out Mailers Supporting Scott Brown, Who Is a ProChoice Republican,”
MassLive
, October 25, 2012.

And for more on Scott Brown’s stated prochoice stance, see Amanda Terkel, “Scott Brown ‘ProChoice’ Message Undermined by Mailer from Group Opposing Abortion Rights,”
Huffington Post
, October 25, 2012.

for the first time:
On Election Day, Ted Kennedy’s sons, Patrick and Ted, came to deliver rousing get-out-the-vote speeches and add to the overall enthusiasm. It was so good to see them and for them to be part of this race.

up to the voters:
We had lots of help on Election Day, including from dear friends who came in to help out as poll watchers. Former students, and now law professors, Melissa Jacoby and Katie Porter came to work. Katie and Matt Hoffman brought baby Betsy Ann along. Damon Silvers also came to poll watch, ably assisted by his daughter Rosie. There were more, but in the blur of the day, I’m afraid I lost sight of many of them.

an astonishing 73 percent:
Noah Bierman, “Mass. Voter Turnout Sets Record at 73 Percent,”
Boston Globe
, November 27, 2012.

we raised $42 million:
The Massachusetts race was the most expensive congressional race for spending by candidates only. When combined with outside spending, the most expensive congressional race was the Virginia 2012 race for Senate. See “Massachusetts, Virginia Senate Among 2012’s Most Expensive Races,”
OpenSecrets.org
, November 6, 2012,
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/11/massachusetts-virginia-senate-among.html
. The Brown campaign spent $35 million, compared to $42 million for my campaign.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/elections.php?cycle=2012&cid=N00031174&type=I
.

$50 or less:
Mindy Myers, “One Year Ago Today, We Made History,”
Huffington Post
(blog), November 6, 2013.

Epilogue|

student loan debt got a little bigger:
While there are grace periods for some types of student loans, many loans have no grace period, and the grace period time for all loans is limited. For example, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans have a six-month grace period after graduation or withdrawing from school. There is, however, no grace period for certain PLUS loans. For more discussion, see
http://www.direct.ed.gov/leaving.html
. Some federal loans also allow borrowers to apply for forbearance in certain situations, which can include financial hardship. However, interest continues to accrue. See
http://www.direct.ed.gov/postpone.html
.

$1 trillion
in student loan debt:
Rohit Chopra, “Student Debt Swells, Federal Loans Now Top a Trillion,” CFPB, July 17, 2013, available at
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/newsroom/student-debt-swells-federal-loans-now-top-a-trillion
.

nine times
higher:
At the time of the speech, the interest rate available to the big banks through the Federal Reserve Bank Discount Window was about three-quarters of 1 percent. “Federal Reserve Bank Discount Window and Payment System Risk,” Federal Reserve, available at
http://www.frbdiscountwindow.org
.