After a brief introduction from Murray’s communications director, Alec Loftus, Murray came onto the line around 8 p.m., greeting the reporters and outlining the logistical details of the event.
Obama will appear at 1 p.m., with doors opening at noon at the Hynes Convention Center on Boylston St. in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Murray informed the reporters that there will be, “airport style security,” at the rally, and then detailed what attendees can expect to hear from the President.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for us to kick off the final push, the final two-and-a-half weeks to election day to talk about our record of adding jobs,” said the Lieutenant Governor, who formerly served three terms as mayor of Worcester.
“We’ve created 65,000 jobs sine the first of the year, number one in the country in our job growth rate,” continuing to elaborate on the administration’s accomplishments and citing the Commonwealth’s health care plan, educational accolades and veterans’ care programs.
The rally will highlight, “our record of making tough decisions and bringing efficiency to government,” he said, it “allows us to bring some energy and get the word out and go in the final two weeks to help us spread that message.”
Lt. Gov. Murray then opened the field to questions from several reporters who remained on the line.
A student-journalist from the Boston University Free Press asked Murray his primary goals for the final two weeks.
“It’s really trying to identify our voters,” he said, “sway those who are undecided and really begin our ‘get out the vote’ efforts for the final weeks leading up to election day, continuing to push the message out, convincing the undecideds and appealing to our Democratic base and others to show up Nov. 2.”
Another journalist asked Murray what parts of the state budget a second Patrick-Murray administration would work to shave.
“If you’re talking about a $2-2.5 billion cut, virtually every area of the budget will be impacted,” said Murray, referencing budget reforms Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker has proposed. “But those areas I would see being most impacted would be local aid, which aids cities and towns, libraries, public health, Chapter 70, which gives Bay State aid to schools would be adversely impacted [and other programs].”
“You really are talking about $2.5 billion out of the budget; everything is impacted, some programs being done away with altogether, which is why the Governor and I are in opposition, we want people to be clear eyed about what’s happening to the state, and we think a more reasonable approach is that we continue to add jobs and get out of the recession,” he said.
Murray added that he and Patrick feel that once the Commonwealth has righted itself, the administration would be open to “having a conversation to move the sales tax back to 5 percent.”
The Collegian next asked Murray what he feels will be the most significant issues affecting the campaign up to election day.
“I hope it’ll be about jobs and what the respective tickets have to offer for solutions,” he said. “You know, there’s been, I think in the campaign a lot of rhetoric, and hot rhetoric, I would say, finger pointing, pretending there are easy answers to our problems, and in order to be talking about education, or talking about transportation, reform, welfare reform,” the Lt. Governor said, there need to be, “real solutions.”
Murray then attacked the Baker campaign’s record on health care and welfare reform, as Republican Lt. Governor candidate Richard Tisei led an effort to tighten welfare regulations in the early 1990s, and Baker served as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim health care.
“We’ve got a record of taking on the health insurance companies, and Charlie Baker was CEO of Harvard Pilgrim recently.”
“I’m hoping [the remainder of the campaign] is about real solutions and how we’re going to continue to grow jobs in Massachusetts,” he concluded.
Doors will open for the Obama appearance in Boston at noon Saturday, with the President’s speech kicking off around 1 p.m.
Sam Butterfield can be reached at [email protected].
