Election Day has passed. The people of Westfield, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the United States of America have spoken.
Last week, in this very column, I made some predictions as to what I believed the outcome of the elections would be. It was risky, but all my sources and analysis led me to make the predictions I did. I was right on a few things but wrong on the top two races on the ballot.
My personal prediction for the presidential race was that Mitt Romney would prevail over Barack Obama 52-48 percent. I said that Governor Romney would win the popular vote and the Electoral College vote. That did not happen, as we all know.
I predicted that Scott Brown would best Elizabeth Warren by a very tight margin for the United States Senate seat. She ended up beating Scott statewide by a comfortable margin, although a majority of Westfield voters did vote Brown.
I was more accurate in predicting the outcome of the three ballot questions.
Question 1, the Right to Repair law, passed by a huge margin, as I had predicted.
Question 2, the so-called “Death with Dignity” question, was defeated by a narrow margin. I had thought the question would fail but I was surprised that it got as many votes as it did. I also predicted that voters should plan to see it again in the future. It will be back before them in some form.
Question 3, the medicinal marijuana law, passed, and did so by an even larger margin than I had predicted. Now it will be incumbent on the legislature and governor to implement the law. With the conflict between state and federal law it is going to be tricky. I further predict there will be complications, abuse, and unintended consequences.
I would like to thank the people of Westfield who turned out on Tuesday to vote. Nearly three quarters of all eligible voters went to the polls in the Whip City. By comparison, only 65 percent of voters in Boston made the effort to cast their ballots.
Speaking of Boston, when the Massachusetts House of Representatives reconvenes in January for formal sessions it will do so with four fewer Republican members. Three of my GOP colleagues were defeated, one chose not to run again and his open seat was won by a Democrat, and the last one ran for the State Senate and lost. One Democrat seat was flipped by a Republican bringing the tally to 29 Republicans – 131 Democrats. The numbers didn’t change at all in the Senate. There are still only 4 Republicans – 36 Democrats.
Massachusetts is, if possible, an even bluer state now than it was before November 6. The imbalance of power remains. Democrats hold both US Senate seats, every congressional seat, every Constitutional office, and a large majority of both houses of the legislature.
Happy Birthday, Marines! Semper Fi. Saturday, November 10, is the 237th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. From Wikipedia: “The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States. In the civilian leadership structure of the United States military, the Marine Corps is a component of the United States Department of the Navy often working closely with U.S. naval forces for training, transportation, and logistic purposes; however, in the military leadership structure the Marine Corps is a separate branch.
“Captain Samuel Nicholas formed two battalions of Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as naval infantry. Since then, the mission of the Marine Corps has evolved with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. The Marine Corps has served in every American armed conflict and attained prominence in the 20th century when its theories and practices of amphibious warfare proved prescient and ultimately formed the cornerstone of the Pacific campaign of World War II. By the mid-20th century, the Marine Corps had become the dominant theorist and practitioner of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises gives it a strong role in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy.
“As of 2010 the United States Marine Corps included just under 203,000 active duty marines and just under 40,000 reserve marines. It is the smallest of the United States’ armed forces in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The United States Coast Guard is smaller, about one-fifth the size of the Marine Corps, but it does not normally operate under the DoD. The Marine Corps is nonetheless larger than the armed forces of many significant military powers; it is larger than the active duty Israel Defense Forces and the active duty British Army for example.”
Sunday is Veteran’s Day. The Westfield Veterans Council will once again host their annual Veteran’s Day ceremony at Parker Memorial Park at 11 a.m. Please join me as we honor and thank all veterans of the American armed forces, past and present.
The fact that we could all vote last Tuesday for a peaceful transition of power in our country is a tribute to our military men and women who have fought and sometimes died to protect our American way of life.
Have a great week.
Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Maura Cassin may be reached at their Westfield District Office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, (413) 568-1366.
Representative Don Humason may be reached at his Boston office, State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803.
Email address: [email protected]
Website: www.DonHumason.org
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield News.
