OTR Round Table: Debating Boston's economic plans

ROUNDTABLE THIS MORNING. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, JOINING US AT THE TABLE, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL ANALYST MARIANNE MARSH AND REPUBLICAN POLITICAL ANALYST JENNY BUCKINGHAM. IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU GUYS WITH US. IT’S A GUN. ETOWAH WAS IN THE CHAIR, AND HE’S TALKING ABOUT BOSTON’S ECONOMY AS IT WAS. AND MARY, WHO CONTINUES TO FACE PUSHBACK ON HER COMMERCIAL TAX PETITION FROM FROM BUSINESS LEADERS AS SHE FUNDRAISES FOR A REELECTION RUN. CAN SHE AFFORD TO HAVE DEEP POCKETS AGAINST HER? MARIANNE, I THINK SEGUN MADE A GREAT POINT. THAT EMPLOYEE EMPLOYERS LISTEN TO EMPLOYEES, AND THAT’S WHAT MICHELLE WU IS DOING. THERE ARE 633,000 RESIDENTS OF BOSTON 433, 35,000 VOTERS. AND THAT’S WHO SHE’S LISTENING TO. NOT LIKE A HANDFUL OF BUSINESS LEADERS WHO HAVE A HUGE MEGAPHONE AND SQUAWK A LOT, AND CERTAINLY HAD A LOT MORE INFLUENCE UNDER PREVIOUS MAYORS. SO SHE’S NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY TROUBLE RAISING, RAISING MONEY AT ALL. BUT IF SHE HAS TO DO A DOUBLE DIGIT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE ON RESIDENTS OF BOSTON, OF WHICH I AM ONE, SHE’S GOING TO HAVE A POLITICAL PROBLEM. SHE WOULD JINNEY, WOULDN’T SHE? PERHAPS. BUT SHE’LL ALSO HAVE A POLITICAL PROBLEM IF OUR ECONOMY DOES NOT CONTINUE TO RECOVER. AND THAT REALLY IS IN HER HANDS. GOVERNMENT CAN’T DO A LOT TO MAKE THE ECONOMY BETTER, BUT THEY CAN MAKE IT A LOT WORSE. AND THAT TAX SHE’S THINKING ABOUT PROPOSING THAT HE SUPPORTED. THERE’S COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THERE. IT’S THE EMPLOYERS WHO ARE GOING TO MAKE THE DECISION ABOUT STAYING IN BOSTON OR COMING TO BOSTON, NOT THE EMPLOYEES. AND THEY’RE GOING TO MAKE IT BASED ON THE OVERALL COST. BUT WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS NOW, WHICH IS ALL THOSE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS COULD CONVERT IT INTO HOUSING, USE. THE STOREFRONTS AT THE BOTTOM FOR BUSINESSES. THEY GET A HUGE TAX BREAK. AND GUESS WHAT? THEY’LL STILL PAY LESS THAN THE RESIDENTS OF BOSTON DO. SO NOW YOU HAVE A CAPTIVE. AUDIENCES FOR BUSINESSES, NOT CHAINS. MOM AND POPS, YOU HEARD ALL THAT TODAY. THAT IS A WIN WIN WIN FOR EVERYBODY. IT’S MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN SHE MAKES IT SEEM TO CONVERT THOSE BUILDINGS. EVERYONE HOUSING, EVERYONE SAYS THAT. AND THAT IS NOT TRUE. ALL RIGHT, PRESIDENT BIDEN TOUGHENED HIS BORDER POLICY LAST WEEK. GOVERNOR MAURA HEALEY, SHE’S HAD TO MANAGE THE MIGRANT SHELTER CRISIS. IT’S COSTING TAXPAYERS BILLIONS. HERE IS WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT HIS EXECUTIVE ORDER. WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN DID TODAY IS IMPORTANT. IT’S ABOUT STRENGTHENING THE BORDER. OTHER DEMOCRATS ARE SPLIT ON THIS. SENATOR ED MARKEY, HE SAYS ASYLUM BANS WILL CAUSE CHAOS. AND SENATOR WARREN SAYS WE CAN ALL DO BETTER. NOW, DID PRESIDENT BIDEN GET THIS ONE RIGHT OR WRONG? MARIANNE? UM. JENNY? JENNY. EXCUSE ME. UM, HE GOT IT VERY MUCH RIGHT FROM POLITICAL POINT OF VIEW, AND SO DID GOVERNOR HEALEY. I MEAN, ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES THAT TRUMP COULD RUN AND WIN ON IS IMMIGRATION. AND BIDEN HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO TOUGHEN UP HIS HAMMER ON IT. YES. AND SO HE HAD TO DO SOMETHING. AND GOVERNOR HEALEY KNOWS SHE WANTS PRESIDENT BIDEN TO WIN, NOT TRUMP. AND SO SHE DID THE RIGHT THING POLITICALLY. WHETHER IT’S THE RIGHT POLICY IS A DIFFERENT MATTER. BUT POLITICALLY, YES. THANK YOU. JENNY. AND NOW MARIANNE, THE ONLY POLICY THAT WOULD BE BETTER IS THE ONE THAT PASSED THE UNITED STATES SENATE WITH 70 VOTES, WHICH YOU CAN’T EVEN GET A POST OFFICE NAMED FOR THESE DAYS. RIGHT. AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR MORE COMPREHENSIVE BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE HAD MORE RESOURCES PUT AT THE BORDER, MORE JUDGES, MORE PROCESSING, ALL THE THINGS YOU NEED TO ACTUALLY FIX IMMIGRATION THAT REPUBLICANS DON’T WANT TO DO BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE ISSUE BETTER. AND YOU SEE IT IN IN POLLING HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS. THEY DON’T BLAME MAURA HEALEY. THEY BLAME REPUBLICANS IN, IN, IN, IN CONGRESS, AS THEY SHOULD. THAT’S THE RIGHT THING. YOU HAVE TO POINT OUT THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DENOUNCED DONALD TRUMP FOR DOING BASICALLY THE SAME THING. HIS RHETORIC WAS DIFFERENT AND UGLY. BUT BASICALLY THE POLICY IS THIS BLUNTS THAT ATTACK. AT THIS POINT. WHAT DO YOU THINK? WELL, I THINK IT ALLOWS BIDEN TO DRAW THE CONTRAST WITH DONALD TRUMP, WHICH SAYS HE’D RATHER PLAY POLITICS WITH PEOPLE’S LIVES TO BENEFIT HIM HIMSELF AND NOT HELP EVERYBODY ELSE. AND I THINK THAT’S THE BIG DIFFERENCE THERE. SO SO LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME NUMBERS. THERE’S A WCVB UMASS AMHERST POLL THAT SHOWS THAT THE BEACON HILL IS NOT DRAWING MAJOR VOTER HEAT OVER BORDER POLICY. 29% BLAME REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS, 27% BLAME PRESIDENT BIDEN IS ROUGHLY THE SAME 18% THE STATE LEGISLATURE, 13% BLAME THE MIGRANTS THEMSELVES. JUST 9% BLAME THE GOVERNOR. MARIANNE, HOW LIKELY ARE THOSE ATTITUDES TO CHANGE IF PROGRESS ISN’T MADE ON THE SHELTER CRISIS? WELL, NO. NO ADDITIONAL CHANGE IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE BORDER BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS AREN’T GOING TO VOTE ON IT. MAURA HEALEY IS DOING THE BEST JOB POSSIBLE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT FROM THE POLLING. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL ISSUE, IMMIGRATION MIGRANTS ARE NOT THE TOP ISSUE. EVEN IN MASSACHUSETTS, DEMOCRACY IS, AND IT HAS BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. AND BY THE WAY, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, THE MIGRANT NUMBERS COMING ACROSS THE BORDER SINCE JANUARY, DOWN 50% BEFORE THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER. THIS IS ALL ABOUT STAYING IN FRONT OF A CRISIS. PEOPLE DON’T BLAME HER. BUT IF SHE DOESN’T STAY ON TOP OF IT, AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO CHILDREN IN THOSE SHELTERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT’S GOING TO BE A PROBLEM. BUT AS LONG AS SHE’S AGGRESSIVE AND STAYS ON TOP OF IT DOESN’T HIDE FROM THE ISSUE, WHICH SO FAR SHE HASN’T. IT SHOULD STAY THE SAME. ALL RIGHT. WELL, REPUBLICANS ARE PROMISING A REVENGE TOUR AGAINST DEMOCRATS IF FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS REELECTED. NOW, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HUNTER BIDEN AND SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ HAVE TRIALS GOING ON RIGHT NOW, THE GOP CONTINUES TO PAINT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AS BIASED AGAINST THEM. IS THIS JUST TO PASS A TRUMP LITMUS TEST, OR ARE THINGS TAKING SORT OF A DARKER TURN? JINNEY. WELL, LET’S ASK MERRICK GARLAND, WHO NO ONE LIKES AND EVERYBODY’S MAD AT AND HE WOULD SAY THAT THEY’RE PLAYING IT STRAIGHT. AND I THINK THE VOTERS WILL DECIDE THAT, NOT US. WHAT DO YOU THINK, MARIANNE? I MEAN, WE’RE ALMOST IN YEAR TEN OF DONALD TRUMP AND TALKING ABOUT HIM AND ALL THAT. AND IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE HIM NOW, I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU BECAUSE HE TELLS YOU EVERY DAY WHAT HE WANTS TO DO. HE’S ASKED RUSSIA FOR HELP IN THREE ELECTIONS. HE SAID HE’S GOING TO END ABORTION AND PUNISH WOMEN WHO HAVE THEM. HE WANTS TO TURN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INTO HIS OWN PERSONAL LAW FIRM. I CAN GO ON. DONALD TRUMP WANTS TO CHANGE THIS COUNTRY FROM A DEMOCRACY TO A DICTATORSHIP, AND HE WANTS TO BE THE DICTATOR. AND THAT’S WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT IN 148 DAYS. WE ARE NOT DONE YET. MORE WITH THE ROUNDTABLE RIGHT AFTER THIS. THAT WAS A GOOD SPEECH.