Massachusetts DU'ers -tell me all there is to know about Bill Weld

[RFKHumphreyObama]

Perhaps this should be posted in GD but there are too many more pressing topics there at the moment

I've been intrigued by this guy for a long time.

(1) I’ve heard that he was an outsider for the 1990 GOP gubernational nomination. Is this accurate and, if so, what factors contributed to his success in defeating the other candidates?
(2) What was the campaign between him and John Silber like? Was Silber a good candidate? What were the factors contributing to a Weld victory?
(3) What were his successes and failures in office?
(4) Was he popular while in office? Was his reelection an easy one or was it a very tight race?
(5) What were the circumstances of his departure from office?
(6) Why did he lose against Kerry in 1996 (or whatever the year was)?

I'm sorry for asking so many questions but I'm just intrigued by this Governor and would be interested in knowing more about him

[MissMillie]

1. Let me see.... I'll answer what I know

1) I think he was an outsider because he didn't have a lot of experience in public office. He was considerably wealthy, and his opponent John Silber suffered from foot-in-mouth disease. Also, I think Weld was an outsider to the GOP because he was very liberal on social issues (ie gay rights)

2) Silber, I think, was labelled "unstable" much in the way that Howard Dean was. Weld had an amazing amount of wealth from which to finance a campaign.

3) I don't remember much of the specifics of his tenure, except that he tried very hard to balance budgets off the backs of state employees. He was big on privatizing a lot of services, but fortunately he wasn't as successful in this area as he wanted to be.

4) He was pretty popular. His re-election was a piece of cake.

5) He resigned, I think, believing he was going to have a job in the Clinton administration. I think he was even considered as an ambassador to Mexico, but some southern Senator (Helms, I think) put the kybosh to it.

6) He lost to Kerry because even though Weld was liberal on some issues, Kerry was liberal on all issues, and Massachusetts is a liberal state.


That's my take on it.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

2. Thanks MissMillie...you've been very helpful and I greatly appreciate

it

Just curious about one aspect of this though

<5) He resigned, I think, believing he was going to have a job in the Clinton administration. I think he was even considered as an ambassador to Mexico, but some southern Senator (Helms, I think) put the kybosh to it>

Why was the Clinton Administration prepared to offer him a position? Was it to do with trying to move him aside from Massachusetts politics to boost the prospects of the Democratic Party or was it to do with other factors? Could it have been because he wanted to reach out to moderate Republicans after the Gingrich Revolution? And why did Jesse Helms reject his nomination?

[sniffa]

3. good anaLysis

i Loved weLd when he was governor.... we caLLed him, and others of simiLar poLitics, "weLd repubLicans."

i'd Like to add a few to the items above.

1) no one reaLLy knew who the guy was. he did have money, but siLber had more.

2) siLber was unstabLe, and stiLL is. he's worse than a dino with his poLicies. the night before (it may have 2 nights before) the eLection he was on Live teLevision with a femaLe reporter (nataLie jacobson i think) asking him some questions. he took offense and caLLed her a bitch. (possibLy a stupid bitch... i was young and just starting to foLLow poLitics, so if anyone can get the quote)

that one gaffe was huge! not so much in that dems switched their votes, but dems stayed home.

aLso... weather was bad that day (this i do remember - we were taLking about the eLection in my 'worLd studies' cLass).. gLoomy and Lots of rain which favored the repubLican. they aLL came out to vote, whiLe dems didn't care.

3) 2 big things i remember: the cLean up of boston harbor, and tremendous strides in gay rights.

4) he was incredibLy popuLar, and basicaLLy set the tabLe for our next few repubLican governors. his reeLection was a LandsLide.

5) there's more to the resignation/cLinton ambassador story. weLd had pLedged to onLy serve 2 terms, and ran for the senate. (he Lost)
democrats assumed his Lt. governor wouLd be a waLk over and were giddy at the prospect of getting the governorship back.

then weLd backtracks on his 2 term promise and says he'LL run again. cLinton then offered him the ambassadorship so he wouLdn't run again. weLd resigns quickLy, and heLms hoLds up his confirmation. why? heLms says weLd is soft on drugs. others say it was because weLd was soft on crushing the gay agenda.

6) he was kiLLing kerry in poLLs running right up to eLection, and then bam, kerry stormed back in the finaL week.

[midnight armadillo]

5. What's with the capital L's?

Weld promised many things, such as smaller budgets and government. He delivered on none of them. As governor, he let his own party continue to deteriorate (unlike Mitt, who's working hard at improving the Mass Repukes' fortunes).

After Weld's first term, notable for its lack of accomplishments with regards to his campaign promises (and in general), he totally lost interest in the state and decided national politics would be the way to go. He spent so much time helping Pete Wilson run for governor of California that the Boston Globe had a "Weld Watch" feature to clock the few hours he spent in his office. He lost to Kerry because Kerry was the better candidate and he actually had an interest in the affairs of the state and its people.

Weld was a likable guy, noted for stunts like jumping into the Charles River fully dressed to demonstrate its cleanliness, but that's about it in my book. He always seemed to me to be playing at governor.

His attempt to become ambassador to Mexico was torpedoed by Jesse Helms because Weld had the audacity to support abortion and gay rights as a libertarian Republican.

[Loonman]

4. Big Red was an honorable man and a great governor

Mitt the shit, on the other hand......

[papau]

6. Man - the good PR one gets if you are a good drinker and end the day at 3p

Weld was known for poker and a nice drunk when with booze - a lot like our Bush -

And he was a liberal - and unlike our Bush - not a liar and not anti-gay or anti much of anything.

But the 3pm shutdown is what I remember him for!

[Kathy in Cambridge]

9. Where the hell have you been, Loonman?

you missed the People's Republik gathering...

[Loonman]

12. Away, on other boards, mostly lurking, here

Yeah, I missed the gathering.

I don't go to bars any more because I can't smoke in them, and I don't want my handle linked to a picture in an open forum. The Freeps have my name and I say some pretty inflammatory stuff in general, mostly against them.

[DS1]

7. Don't have much time, but you shouldn't leave out what

Jesse Helms did to him when he was suggested to be Ambassador to Mexico (I think)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

8. I voted for Weld-the only Republican I ever voted for

Silber-his opponent-was a DINO, and Weld was very liberal.

He was married to a Democrat (Susan Roosevelt) for a long time, so I think that may have influenced his outlook.

If only he was governor now, instead of that homophobic hatebag Mitt Romney...

On edit: I ran into Bill at Foley's in the South End once where he was drinking with some of the Southie Dem politicos. He was a very cheery drunk.

[sniffa]

11. i remember his daughter

big time punk chick, who was an outspoken activist who usuaLLy campaigned against him. she used to buy cigarrettes off me.

[-..__...]

10. "Big Red" was a bit of an oddity.

He was a big Grateful Dead fan and once jumped fully clothed into the Charles river to demonstrate that it was safe to swim in.

One of his most popular proposals was elimination of the DMV and being in support of life time drivers licenses.

His ambassadorship to Mexico was quashed (by Jessie Helms), in part because of Welds stance on medical marijuana (at least that's what Helms claimed).

[BigMcLargehuge]

13. on a personal note

there was a proposal to close several small community colleges in MA in 1990, my college, Cape Cod Community, was near the top of the list. Grace Grossman, trustee for the college, and owner of the Grossmans chain of DIY stores, suggested that we start raising money and see if he'd match the funds. She presented it to him as a challenge.

One afternoon, while I was virtually alone in the dining hall reading up on Medieval History Governor Weld walked through the dining hall and past my table. He showed up for an unnanounced tour of the campus to "see the real thing". He stopped at my table and introduced himself and asked if he could bounce a few questions about my time/experiences at CCCC. I said yes and fetched us each a cup of coffee.

We sat and talked about Cape Cod Community College, where I was from, New Bedford, and the general state of MA as I saw it, for almost two hours before someone from the administration office showed up and dragged him away.

Three weeks later following a series of fund drives, yard/garage sales, and private donations, he showed up to hand us a check for five million bucks in matching funds, and thus the campus was saved.

He was extremely gracious and personable.