For months now, all eyes have been on the commonwealth’s 7th congressional district, where longtime US Congressman Mike Capuano is facing an exceptionally formidable opponent in Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley. We’ve been belly up to the main show, taking in debates and media galore.

 

Though there are many differences between the life and job experiences of Capuano and his challenger, one major theme of the race has been the extent to which they essentially agree on everything politically. Which led us to wonder, Just how similar are Pressley’s ideas to the incumbent’s ideas anyway?

 

The most accurate way to determine which of their hearts is closer to one’s own, it seems, is to cast aside whatever prejudicial love or hate one has for either candidate, and evaluate them without attribution. So we extracted these quotes, categorized below, for you to peruse blindly and thus perhaps determine who you agree with more.

 

Check the bottom of the page for answers (and no cheating!).  

 

 

From the WGBH debate

1—Women’s rights …

1. “My opponent … supported extending [an] amendment, which prohibits access, mostly to low-income women, to abortion. I also would have cast a different vote on the Blue Lives Matter legislation.”

 

1. “I wouldn’t have got 100 percent from Planned Parenthood and NARAL had I voted for the Hyde Amendment as proposed.”

 

2—On compromising …

1. “I will sit at the table, and compromise, and work with anyone in the name of progress, but there are things that I am unwilling to compromise and negotiate on. And that is: the rights of women, of immigrants, of workers, and the LGBTQIA community.”

 

1. “In the United States Congress, you have to be able to work with all kinds of people: people that don’t think like you, people that don’t look like you, don’t worship like you. In this district, there is a majority of no one.”

 

3—On gun control …

1. “Majority and seniority means nothing without leadership.”

 

4—On a DREAM act compromise with wall funding …

1. “It’s great to be perfect, but Senator Warren, Senator Markey, and Senator Sanders, all voted for a comprehensive immigration reform bill. … It would have saved a lot of hassle for people on Temporary Protective Status, the Dreamers, and the mothers and children separated at the border.”

 

1. B) “I cannot look in the face of parents if it is not a clean Dream Act, and say we are going to save some children but not all of them.”

 

5—On the criminal justice system and racism …

1. “Most people in the criminal justice system are trying to do the right thing and trying to get it right. A lot of the problems they have are the laws that are passed. A lot of the problems they have are mandatory minimum sentences. A lot of the problems they have is after a person serves that time, they have to carry that burden for the rest of their life. All of that.”

 

1. B) “We’re not talking about people; we’re talking about institutions. And just to be clear, mass incarceration is a by-product, it is the manifestation of discriminatory and racist policies and the confluence of those things over time. It’s modern day slavery. The lion’s share of people who are incarcerated are black and brown men and women, and low income folks. … There’s just so many injustices; this is racist.”

 

6—On NFL protests …

1. “I support their right to protest, absolutely, 100 percent. … I personally think that if you’re going to raise an issue like that you should do it in a way that actually brings people in … I thought that that particular action divided America … because he chose to do it on the National Anthem. … I actually agree with the concept of what he’s doing, I just thought it could have been done in a way that would have brought more people into a discussion.”

 

1. B) “I support both [the cause and the tactic] and it is necessary that we are disruptive right now and making people uncomfortable. The issue of police brutality and disproportionate brutality and murder of black men: this strikes at the soul and the consciousness of the country. And this should be of consequence and concern to everyone.”

 

7—On healthcare / taking money from Big Pharma …

1. “I have been one of leading advocates for Medicare-for-All … There is no one in the world who thinks that anybody who takes money from anybody… is always suspect, but when you have a record, you can go back and look at what I’ve actually done.”

 

1. B) “This is the time to be bold. This can be our darkest hour or our finest … Right now, we are at a watershed moment, we are at a crossroads in our country, and we have to be bold. When I look at an issue like single-payer … this was not a position that most Americans even supported [in 2016].”

 

8—On unity …

1. “The biggest problem we have is the internal fights within the Democratic party. We have to stop that if we have any hope and desire to defeat Donald Trump. … You can disagree with someone … I just don’t think you should be calling them names.”

 

9—Role of government in Catholic Church scandal …

1. “As a survivor of sexual abuse myself, and standing in solidarity with my survivor community, one of the reasons why I am running … is the opportunity to codify this activism in lawmaking. To make sure that survivors can get on a pathway to healing, to the justice they deserve.”

 

10—On race/representation …

1. “I do believe government cannot be for and by the people, if all the people are not represented.”

 

1. “On these issues, I can simply only quote Reverend King: people should be judged on the content of their character and not the color of their skin. Period.”

 

 

From the WBUR/UMass Boston/Boston Globe Debate

11—On running …

1. “My record speaks for itself. My record … of not just voting the right way but also advocating for the right things, pushing for the right items, not just nationally but also locally. That’s why I have a 100 percent rating from the NAACP, 100 percent from Planned Parenthood, 100 percent rating from the ACLU and on and on. … Those are not just given out because you happen to show up and push the right button. It’s about leadership.”

 

1. “These systematic inequalities existed long before that man occupied the White House. The 7th Congressional district is one of the most diverse districts, but it is also one of the most unequal … I’m running because this district deserves, and these times require, bold activist leadership: a vote, a voice, and a partner. I will be a visionary leader focused on undoing these disparate outcomes throughout the 7th Congressional district.”

 

12—On race and youth …

1. “Race is a factor in everything … I am a leader and I’m a problem-solver and that’s what this district deserves. … I’m not going to pretend that representation doesn’t matter. But it doesn’t matter so we have progressive cred about how inclusive and representative we are. It matters because it informs the issues that are spotlighted and emphasized and it leads to more innovative and enduring solutions. That’s why it matters. You cannot have a government by and for the people if it is not represented by all of the people.”

 

13—On Nancy Pelosi and leadership …

1. “I don’t know who is going to be in office. We need to get past these midterm elections. We do not have consensus and agreement on who we even are as a party. “

 

1. “I really respect Nancy Pelosi very deeply. At the same time the most important thing to me is not about an individual, it’s about an agenda, and the agenda needs to pushed forward effectively by the person who can do it.”

 

ANSWER KEY: 1—A) A.P. B) M.C.; 2—A) A.P. B) M.C.; 3—A) A.P.; 4—A) M.C. B) A.P.; 5—A) M.C. B) A.P.;  6—A) M.C. B) A.P.; 7—A) M.C. B) A.P.;  8—A) M.C.; 9—A) A.P.; 10—A) A.P. B) M.C.; 11—A) M.C. B) A.P.; 12—A) A.P. 13—A) A.P. B) M.C.