Congressional Candidate Bill Shein Stops By
By Phil Demers
North Adams Transcript
Wednesday April 4, 2012

NORTH ADAMS -- Congressional candidate Bill Shein visited the city Tuesday for the third time since his campaign began, advocating across-the-board reforms and instituting more inclusive policies at the national level.

Shein is running for the new Massachusetts 1st Congressional District seat against opponents U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, who currently represents the 2nd Congressional District and former state Sen. Andrea F. Nucifero Jr. and has built a grassroots campaign that promises to visit all 86 cities and towns in the district.

Shein’s been attending house parties and discussions in places across the district for months and says response has been very positive, and the campaign’s been accumulating volunteers.

A native of Alford, Mass., Shein has been an activist and a writer -- penning a Berkshire Eagle column -- for years and is new to politics. Shein says he’s interested in fighting for progressive policies to combat the problems he’s spent years diagnosing.

One key way to enact change, according to Shein, is by electing candidates unassociated with the monied interests that feed into both major parties today.

"We know this district is going to elect a Democrat. So the question becomes: What kind?" Shein said. "Someone who offers substantive difference, or someone who’s spent their entire career within the system, relying on millions provided by the forces we should be fighting against. I’m anything but politics as usual."

"Race for new First Congressional District heating up"
By Robert Rizzuto
The Springfield Republican
March 14, 2012

Excerpt:

"In this race, campaign finance has also been an issue among the candidates. Both Neal and Nuciforo have, over the course of their respective political careers, collected hefty amounts of cash from political action committees, a sticking point which Shein has used to boost his image as an outsider.

"Last week, as Neal held a pricey fundraiser breakfast in the nation's capitol, Shein held a meet and greet at a Great Barrington coffee shop. In his invitation, Shein pointed out that to attend Neal's event, individuals, political action committees and hosts had to donate $500, $1,000 and $2,500, respectively.

"Shein's event invitation said that PACs and lobbyists weren't invited and the event was centered on discussing the economy, the environment and money in politics.

" 'If Democrats are going to be Democrats again, and be full-throated champions of the bold ideas we need to fix our democracy, transform our economy, and protect our natural environment, that’s precisely the kind of fundraiser we must stop attending,' Shein said in a statement. 'As Democrats, we can’t properly fight against the democracy-distorting power of wealthy and corporate interests if we fund our campaigns with their money. Period.' "

Had a good conversation with WAMC's Alan Chartock that was broadcast this week in two parts. Among other things, we covered the reasons why I'm running for Congress, an overview of the ideas I think are important, and why I believe we need Democrats to be Democrats again -- bold, outspoken and free from the stranglehold of corporate and lobbyist money.

Part 1: http://tinyurl.com/7wwv52l

Part 2: http://tinyurl.com/83qdnoy

By G. Michael Dobbs
THE REMINDER
March 5, 2012

GREATER SPRINGFIELD — While plenty of elected officials were visiting Baystate Medical Center last week as it opened its new facility, there was one Congressional candidate who spent time on the sidewalk with picketing members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United and Visiting Nurses Association. That visit by Bill Shein on Feb. 28 speaks to his politics and his campaigning style.

Shein, who describes himself as a progressive, is one of two Berkshire County Democrats challenging Congressman Richard Neal.

Shein released a statement about his participation in the protest and said, "A world-class hospital can't function without a world-class nursing staff. And ensuring a fair contract with good wages, benefits, and that doesn't strip collective-bargaining rights is not incompatible with offering excellent health-care services in a 'hospital of the future.' In fact, the two must go hand-in-hand to ensure two things that we all want: Delivery of quality health care for those who live in our region, and economic security for those who work long hours to provide that care."

Speaking to Reminder Publications following the protest, Shein explained the economic conditions brought about by the recession helped motivate him to make his first political run at this time.

Berkshire County man challenges veteran lawmakers for 1st District seat
by Ben Storrow
Daily Hampshire Gazette
February 21, 2012

Bill Shein is running for Congress because he thinks the Democratic party has lost its way.

A writer, information technology consultant, and former professional comedian who has never before run for elected office, Shein will face 11-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield and former state Sen. Andrea Nuciforo Jr. of Pittsfield in the Democratic primary Sept. 6 for the 1st Congressional District.

Shein, 45, who lives in Alford and announced his candidacy in January, says he is running for Congress because he believes corporations and lobbyists have too much influence on lawmakers.

In an hour-long interview at the Gazette last week, Shein called his two opponents prime examples of legislators whose loyalties are to their campaign contributors.

Shein said Neal is like many Democrats "who play the same status-quo game inside a broken system."

"They are not championing the kind of change we need to the system to successfully address the issues we face," Shein said. "As long as he is spending his nights spent at fundraisers thrown for him by status-quo interests that are looking out for the next quarter or the next [fiscal] year, then that's not going to change."

"I Want Democrats to Be Democrats Again"
Shein to Take On Neal, Nuciforo for Congress
By Gus Steeves
Stonebridge Press Staff Writer

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal has another opponent for the Democratic nomination in the reorganized 1st Congressional District race this year — Bill Shein.

“We really are at a crossroads. The future, if we make good choices, looks pretty good,” Shein said. “… The old way isn’t working, and now we have the opportunity to elect different kinds of folks” to federal office. Unlike Neal or the other declared candidate, former State Sen. Andrea Nuciforo,Shein takes pride in not being a politician. But that doesn’t mean he’s not politically active. The 45-year-old Alford resident has been writing humor-tinged political columns for the Berkshire Eagle for years, involved in anti-foreclosure and other efforts in Springfield and elsewhere, and describes himself as a long-time activist for peace, public election financing, and an “enhanced Medicare-for-All” health care system, among other things.

“I want Democrats to be Democrats again,” he said. “When voters get a ‘choice’ between a light carbon-copy of a Republican and a real Republican, they always choose the real one.” To him, that means Democrats need to stand up for progressive values and jettison the corporate money he feels has prevented crucial change.

Bill Shein on WGBY's "Connecting Point" on February 8, 2012.

Click here for the full hour-long interview with Pittsfield City Councilor John Krol on "Good Morning Pittsfield" (in Windows Media format).

Short clips coming soon.

By Robert Rizzuto, The Springfield Republican
February 4, 2012

Bill Shein, the self-proclaimed atypical Democratic candidate for the newly drawn 1st Congressional District in Massachusetts, released statements this week highlighting his views on campaign finance, insider trading in Congress and job creation.

Shein, a political humorist and activist who recently announced his intention to take on Rep. Richard Neal and challenger Andrea Nuciforo Jr., took aim at Neal's fundraising numbers this week, following the release of data by the Federal Election Commission.

The data shows that Neal brought in a total of $705,419 in 2011, including $535,450 from political action committees, bringing his war chest to $2.4 million.

Shein, who is only accepting political donations of less than $100 from individuals, said that Neal's numbers depict the "status quo" in American politics.

"That money isn't always reflected in a voting record, which is just a record of what comes up for a vote," Shein said in a statement. "No, that money means legislation that’s never introduced or co-sponsored, speeches that aren’t given, urgent political reform that’s simply not championed. As I've said, it's the silent killer of real change."

By Hope E. Tremblay, Staff Writer
The Westfield News
January 31, 2012

WESTFIELD – According to Bill Shein, we can do this better.

Shein is a Berkshire County resident who is running a campaign of a different color for the First Congressional seat in Massachusetts.

The seat represents 86 communities, including Westfield, and is a redrawn district that includes most of the district of U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and some of the districts of John Olver.

Among other things, Shein said the political process can be done better and he is trying to change the way campaigns are typically run and won.

For starters, Shein wants to take “big money” out of the mix. He will only accept donations of $99 or less and he will not accept any donations from any lobbyists, despite the amount offered.