By Joe Durwin On: 01:16PM / Thursday February 09, 2012
Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. formally kicked off his run for Congress on Wednesday with a bus tour through the 1st Mass district and a rally in Pittsfield.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Former state senator and U.S. House hopeful Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. at long last "formally" declared his candidacy for the 1st Massachusetts District in a five-stop, nearly 12-hour tour that began in Holyoke on Wednesday morning.
The candidate's excursion ended in his hometown of Pittsfield with the bus rolling up to Mazzeo's North just before 6:30, where a crowd of about a 100 people gathered to hear what he had to say.
In his address there, Nuciforo appealled to supporters as the candidate of "middle and working class people," in a speech centered around popular national themes of economic strife and general disatisfactions with Congress.
"The economy has been rigged against ordinary people ... Washington politicians of both parties have allowed a few individuals and corporations to increase their wealth and political power at the expense of everyone else."
"We need a break from the past, and a new set of eyes to look at things differently."
Nuciforo, currently Middle Berkshire register of deeds, listed key elderly issues as one of his top priorities, and pledged support to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the Veterans Administration.
"I will fight any effort to defund or privatize or blow up or compromise any of these important programs," said the aspiring congressman, who has drawn fire in the past for the level of funding received from insurance companies and a perceived pro-insurance stance in past legislative issues.
Secondly he called for a closer examination of the 2008 economic collapse.
"We need accountability for those, both in Washington and on Wall Street, that drove this economy into a ditch in 2008. We need to understand what happened: the deregulation of the financial market, the big influence of big money on Washington. We need to understand precisely what happened and who made that happen."
Corporate money and anti-incumbent sentiments have been a major theme for both of the Berkshire-based Democratic contenders for the redrawn 1st Massachusetts District, in a race that will pit them against 10-term U.S. Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield, whose popular base and funding currently far exceeds that of the other candidates.
Bill Shein, who announced in mid-January he will also seek the congressional seat, questioned the former state senator's credibility as the best voice for these issues.
"We're not going to make real progress on jobs, economic fairness, or any other pressing issue by replacing one typical politician with another typical politician," he said.
Shein said in a statement that he has been consistently advocating for years the kind of political change that Nuciforo has invoked in his opening campaign speeches.
"As a candidate for Congress I continue to say precisely the same things and promote the same ideas I always have. I didn't craft a new message or political persona to fit the public mood. Because that’s old way of politics, and we need a new way."
Several proponents of Richard Neal in attendance at Wednesday's Nuciforo campaign rally expressed similar sentiments to iBerkshires, saying that while they thought that both of the Berkshire challengers have raised points they agree with, Neal offers the kind of experience in national and international matters and political ability that will be needed if real legislative change is to move forward.
Neal supporters pointed to various organizations' rating systems to suggest that Neal is among the more "progressive" of the current crop of incumbent legislators. Various groups and scaling systems have rated Neal as anywhere from 47 percent to 95 percent.
The Democratic nominee will be decided in a Sept. 6 party primary held on the unusual day of Thursday.
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Shein must be giving Andy many sleepless nights because Nuciforo's record of being a handmaiden to the banks, insurance companies and financial services firms on Beacon Hill can't stand the light of day. That is where Neal's commanding money advantage really hurts Andy, because Neal will have the paid media firepower to cut TV and radio spots to remind voters of Nuciforo's decade as a state senate yes man for the Commonwealth's special interests. I'm betting that when Andy loses this primary, he'll be on his way to Boston to register as a State House lobbyist.
Sounds like Neal is one with sleepless nights.
To resort to posts that point blank say Neal with his Millions of Special Interests Money will buy the election.
Was handed a Senate Seat because of his father; Much more wealthier than he has let anyone know; Has investments in the industries he is complaining about; left the senate to work on his pension years; Voted against the DNA database on violent offenders; Voted against Campaign Finance Reform; Shook down Insurance companies and banks for donations while head of the Committee on Banks and Banking; Worked as counsel for insurance law practice while head of the committee; Governor Patrick refused to make him the Insurance Commissioner for the Commonwealth; bank presidents and others though they were being extorted for political donations while he was chairman; his former colleagues have gone to jail; the statehouse he served in is under investigation and many of his colleagues will go to jail; people who have worked with him over many years do not like him.
Nuciforo is a fraud and will be exposed for who he really is. Its unfortunate that the people of pittsfield will have to go through this, but it will also be good for them to finally flush this fraud out of politics forever.
The cities of Pittsfield and North Adams will hold municipal elections for mayor, city council and school committee in 2015
You may vote absentee: if you will be absent from your town or city on election day, have a physical disability that prevents you from voting at the polls or cannot vote at the polls because to religious beliefs.
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