Reilly: "Let's focus on winning."

by Christopher Coletta

Attorney General Tom Reilly told a group of Democratic activists at UMass that if the Democrats want to change the twenty-year Republican hold of the governorship, they need to work together and focus on winning, "because elections have consequences as we see down in Washington," refering to the direction of the nation.

He called current governor Mitt Romney, "the most divisive and ineffective governor in decades."

The AG started off describing his background, saying that he is currently a Watertown resident, that he is the youngest son of Irish immigrant parents, saying "their youngest son has had the very best of what America and Massachusetts has to offer." He characterized himself as a fighter, dealing with the death of his father and two older brothers as a young man.

Running on His Record

Reilly was elected twice as the District Attorney of Middlesex County before being elected District Attorney of the Commonwealth. He is currently the highest elected Democratic official in state government.

He described his career as having prosecuted some of the most serious cases in the history of the state - not just criminal cases, but others rooted in social issues such as healthcare. The Attorney General took credit for placing the Harvard-Pilgrim health maintenance organization into financial receivership, "and not one person lost coverage." Harvard-Pilgrim has since emerged as an economically viable HMO in good regard.

Reilly said he'd "fight for those who don't have a voice, and for those who are less fortunate. He complemented the Massachusetts voter, and assured the audience that "they do sort it out - they know who's been there for them, and those who are nowhere to be found until election time."

He said that Massachusetts public schools have to be the best in the world, including public higher ed. He remarked that he wanted people to think of Amherst with the same high regard as other seats of major public universities such as Chapel Hill, Berkeley and Ann Arbor.

"I know how to win, what it takes to win, and it's about focusing on those issues that matter."

With regards to the Iraq problem, Reilly said he questioned the wisdom of going to Iraq, but added, "the fact of the matter is we're there," and he did not support an immediate pullout of troops. He cited his experience on the anti-terrorism task force, and said, "don't ever forget about what happened on 9/11. We're up against a people that are determined to anhilate us ... We can't pull out until we restore some sense of order. Pulling out now would be very dangerous."

Responding to a question asking if there is a difference between having a Republican governor and a Democratic governor, he cited the Republican Romney's veto of the stem cell research bill - a veto that the general court eventually overrode. "We have a governor who doesn't want to be here."

When asked what makes him different from his opponent in the Democratic primary, Deval Patrick, he said "I don't know much about my Democratic opponent ... I know how I am, and I have a very stong record which I'll run on."

Responding to a question regarding unfunded contracts negotiated by UMass employees, he said "when the state makes a commitment, the governor has to back that up, and [not funding the contracts] is one of the things that is holding this university back, holding public higher education back."

Reilly wants to bring into "close alignment" the education that community and state colleges provide with what our economy needs, "region by region and for the entire state." He said that UMass "is how you build up the western part of the state."

When asked whether he agrees with the state Democratic Party leadership that a resolution or platform plank passed at convention time should not be held as binding for the state party leadership to carry out that resolution or part of the platform, he responded that "a platform is a useful document, but not a binding document."

Reilly said that he has always been pro-choice. On the issue of parental notification, he said that he understood when there are times when a parent is not involved in the decision making. He says that we need to find ways to make sure that the choice is an educated one for someone who is under a lot of pressure, so that "she understands the ramifications, and plusses and minuses." He indicated that a judge may be the person to do that if parent cannot be notified. Whenever possible Reilly wants parents to be involved in the decision of whether or not an underage teenager should get an abortion, saying "I would hope my daughters would tell me and we would work it out ... that's the ideal situation."

In terms of sexual education, the Attorney General said it has been part of the state's education ambition to give kids as much information as possible with respect to drugs, sex, protected sex, and that these things should be "part of a curriculum that will help prepare them for the world."

Reilly came out as a strong supporter of charter schools. He described them as "experiments in finding new and innovative ways in education." He believes that the state can finance charter schools without negatively impacting public school funding.

Reilly aslo said that it was a priority to attract better math and science teachers, and to do that he said "there may have to be some incentives."

Convincing Independent Voters that Dems are Fiscally Responsible

His answer to restoring cuts in state aid was to grow the economy to generate revenue. He said that he would insist on fiscal responsibility and accountability, and he would ask "what measures are the cities and towns taking to be more efficient and more accountable."

"I think it's a worthy goal," said Reilly of universal healthcare. "We can't ignore the explosion in costs. We have to find ways to make the healthcare system more efficient ... I will insist on fiscal responsibility."

He said that rather than focus on the Democratic primary election in September, Democrats should focus on the November general election and convincing the independents that Democrats will be fiscally responsible. In closing, Reilly observed that he has been the only Attorney General in modern time that has ran unopposed. "That must mean that people think I've done a pretty good job," he said.