Romney Reform: NIMBY

No real surprises in store on Tuesday. This is an incumbents' year. Plus this year there is a Democrat (Kerry) pulling up the ticket instead of a Republican (Romney).

State Races
Terry Murray goes back to the Senate. She's the Ways and Means Chairman, the first time in the Cape's history. Let the pork flow freely. She needs Rob O'Leary to cover her left flank on Cape though. (You can't defeat a W&M Chair from the right.) So he gets the nod too.

But let's be honest, Gail Lese ran the most sophomoric campaign ever. It's like she got a no-limit credit card from her dad, but forgot to do her homework. No amount of money can buy an election that's about issues. Christ, Lou Gonzaga ran a better campaign with no money. He had better issues.

Demetrius Atsalis, won re-election on election day 2 years ago. He learned his lesson about not taking an opponent seriously, did the work this time, and wins going away. It doesn't hurt to be running against the same opponent again either.

Matt Patrick survives his own rerun against an opponent who has no issue other than the wind farm to run on, again.

Cleon Turner comes from the right part of his House district. He's got the numbers to get elected.

Shirley Gomes spent her legislative career preparing to run against a challenger from P-Town. She has the liberal credentials to fend off even a gay-rights activist in a gay marriage year.

Jeff Perry gets to go back to the State House, like every first term pol who has a weak opponent. Eric Turkington goes back too, like every verteran pol who has a weak opponent.

The Romney Reform train leaves Cape Cod station without any passengers.

Federal Races

George Bush takes Florida and Ohio and wins an electoral victory. Popular vote doesn't matter, again. The boogie-man (aka OBL) conveniently reappeared the day before Halloween, just in time to scare all the kiddies, and mommies. The soccer moms have morphed into security moms.

Bill Delahunt fends off a decent challenger, for a change. Mike Jones made a credible case for sending at least one Republican from the Massahusettts delegation to Washington. The problem is that we'll just have to wait for Christy Mihos to be that Republican.

If you support Cape Wind, vote for Bush and Delehunt without a guilty conscience.

This may seen counterintuitive, but really, when does a President get to stick it to his opponent and his Senate nemesis, both at the same time. The wind farm sits directly between John Kerry and Ted Kennedy's summer homes. Besides, Kerry would have to kowtow to Kennedy if elected.

Delahunt is powerless if Bush is President. And the Republicans in the House will keep sticking it to him. Jones would have both a voice with the White House and the House leadership.