Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren to Debate Tonight on WBZ

The two candidates for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts will square off for the first time in a live televised debate at WBZ studios in Boston.

U.S. Senate candidates Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren will go head to head on tonight in a live televised debate at WBZ studios in Boston.  The debate, the first in a series of four, will take place on Sept. 20th from 7 to 8 p.m. on WBZ-TV, WBZ Newsradio 1030 and CBS Boston.com.  Jon Keller, WBZ-TV News’ Political Analyst will serve as moderator of the debate.  “Debates are an opportunity to get beyond the sound bites and find out where the candidates really stand,” said Senator Brown in a statement. “... I am pleased to accept this TV debate offer so that Massachusetts voters will be able to see these differences for themselves.” Warren told CBS Boston she plans to “Talk about what I’ve been talking about all around the Commonwealth for…

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New Polls Show Warren Edging Ahead of Brown in U.S. Senate Race

Two recent polls show Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren has more support from female voters, but Sen. Scott Brown has more support from independents.

According to two separate polls, Democrat Elizabeth Warren leads Republican Scott Brown by several percentage points in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race. One poll, conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute from Sept. 6-13, found that 50 percent of people interviewed would vote for Warren if the election were to be held today, while 44 percent would vote for Brown. Six percent were still undecided. The poll's margin of error is estimated to be 4 percent. The other poll, conducted from Sept. 13 through Sept. 16 by Public Policy Polling, found Warren leads Brown by 48 percent to 46 percent among likely voters.  Tim Vercellotti, director of the Polling Institute and a professor of political science at Western New …

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Data: Warren Takes Beacon Hill in Second Quarter

Warren narrowly leads Brown in Boston fundraising.

Elizabeth Warren outraised Sen. Scott Brown in Boston in the second quarter of 2012, according to recently-released Federal Elections Commission data, but not by much. The challenger hauled $451,000 compared to Brown’s $405,000, capturing 18 of the 30 Boston zip codes represented in the last quarter’s filing. While Brown may have come close to outraising his challenger in the city—grabbing 47 percent of all funds raised—Warren appears to be far ahead of the senator in Boston supporters. Her campaign recorded a total of 850 transactions compared to Brown’s 497. While some of those transactions are refunds to donors who have given too much, they serve as a rough barometer for total number of supporters. Brown made his strongest showings in …

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Warren Beats Brown on Beacon Hill Through March

Warren raises more of Boston's money than Brown did.

If Boston’s dollars alone determined the outcome of this November’s Senate race between Republican incumbent Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, Warren would win. According to data from the Federal Elections Commission through the end of March, Warren pulled more dollars from the city—$674,840 vs. Brown’s $562,329. The Harvard professor and former appointee of President Barack Obama also led Brown on the simple number of contributions—1,364 compared to Brown’s 909—but her victory was far from complete. The candidates gathered contributions from residents in 32 Boston ZIP codes, and Brown outraised Warren in 17, but not on Beacon Hill. Brown’s Boston supporters also displayed greater enthusiasm, giving an average of $619…

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Police: Scott Brown, Suffolk DA Office Receive Suspicious Envelopes

Police news on and around Beacon Hill, Feb. 27 to March 1.

Both Senator Scott Brown's and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's offices received envelopes that contained a suspicious white powder. Brown's office, at 15 Sudbury St., on Monday at 11:30 a.m. received a letter containing "statements, wording and threats similar to other letters sent to various senators. The folded paper contained, in the creases, a substantial amount of unknown powder," according to police reports. The envelope had a Oregon return address and was postmarked in Portland. The mailroom manager secured the room and the three employees there while the building's HVAC system was shut down and Haz Mat specialists packed the letter to transport it to state labs. The lab later reported that initial test showed …

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PHOTOS: Senior March Against Government 'Gobbling Up' Social Security, Medicare

Dozens of senior citizens donned turkey outfits and marched to Sen. John Kerry's and Sen. Scott Brown's offices to urge them not to cut programs the elderly depend on.

In response to Congress' failure to reach a deal on how to balance the budget, about 50 senior citizens dressed as turkeys rallied outside of Sen. John Kerry and Sen. Scott Brown's offices Tuesday afternoon. The seniors met with the senators' staff to tell them not to 'gobble up' social security, Medicare and Medicaid in their attempts to solve the country's debt crisis.  "I think folks understand that the threat to these programs is really strong," said Carolyn Villers, an activist with Mass Senior Action Council, which organized the protest along with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare. A simultaneous rally was held at Kerry's office in Springfield.  "Without Medicaid, Medicare, I wouldn't have any hope," Mary …

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Jan Paulsen

1:22 pm on Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Entitlement is a misnomer for some government programs. Social Security and Medicare are true entitlements, because people paid into them for years, and are now truly ENTITLED to the benefits. It would be nice if people stopped using the word "entitlement" as if it was a dirty word, a derogatory term. Thirty years ago they started using the word "liberal" as if it was a dirty word, and over time…   more ›

Building Blocks

Opinion: It Gets Better, Except for Scott Brown

Much was made last week after U.S. Sen. Scott Brown declined to appear in an anti-gay suicide video put together by the Massachusetts' congressional delegation. But he's being unfairly criticized.

I never imagined I'd be in the position of defending Senator Scott Brown, but I guess I have no choice. First some background: Several American teens committed suicide last year, the apparent result of being bullied because they were gay or because their peers suspected that they were gay. Dan Savage, an ex-video store clerk turned sex-advice columnist and TV personality, reacted by putting up a YouTube video. Savage told a Miami Herald reporter that, “I was just stewing on the kids, and the reaction you always have as a gay adult is ‘I wish I could have talked to that kid,’ to have been able to tell him it gets better.” “You can have a totally wonderful, rewarding adult gay life. A lot of gay kids don’t know that. You wish you could tell …

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