Old Boy Capuano Flip-Flops on “Experience”

In an interview with the Boston Globe, Rep. Michael Capuano today called Coakley

someone who has no legislative experience at all.

 Flashback:  February 4, 2008: Capuano, along with Deval Patrick, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, takes to the microphone before a crowd of 9,000 at the World Trade Center in Boston to rally votes for Barack Obama.  Kerry says:

Experience is not defined by time in Washington or years in office.  Experience is defined by wisdom and instinct, by gut and courage. 

Capuano himself said the month prior that he endorsed Obama because Obama offers

the best opportunity to shake up Washington in the dramatic way that we need to.

Sounds like Capuano thinks that being a relative Washington outsider is a good thing doesn’t it?  So, let me get this straight.  When a female candidate is more experienced, then the Boys’ Club proclaims that the good kind of experience has nothing to do with time in Washington, but when a man is more experienced, the boys suddenly vow that time in Washington is the only experience that matters?

Hilarious!  Or Infuriating.  Or both.

(Aside – Esquire and the Watertown Tab reported that Capuano’s Obama endorsement also had to do with wanting to be on the winning team, but that’s another essay on courage vs. calculation.)

But OK, let’s take a closer look at that legislative experience thing Capuano brings up, specifically, the Library of Congress records for the last completed congressional session, the 110th.  You gotta love that Capuano sponsored a resolution congratulating the Red Sox for their 2007 World Series wins.  He also got two other bills passed on Congressional ethics & terrorism insurance.  14 other bills/ammendments died in committee. 

Is that an impressive record of experience getting things done?  I don’t know.  I’m a political neophyte.  But for reference, I checked out what the library says Senator Kennedy was up to during that same time period.  Kennedy’s listing of bills sponsored has 186 items — I didn’t crawl through them, other than to note the he also gets credit for congratulating the Sox.   Maybe a count of bills passed is not a fair comparison or measure, but it sure is interesting.

Now how about some other measures of experience?   Take management.  According to the Boston Globe, as Attorney General, Coakley manages 525 employees.  C-Span says the average house member manages a staff of 14.

In the Globe, Capuano mocked Coakley’s record as being ”blank slate” on critical issues:

What’s she done about the Iraq war?  What’s she said about health care?

Well, Representative sir, where’s your record of experience in

• Suing for equal marriage rights?
• Defending children against clergy sexual abuse?
• Winning settlements that protect consumers?
• Fighting those who are unfair to workers?

Let’s reveal Capuano’s “experience” meme for what it is — a shallow manipulation in order to belittle his opponent.