Sunday, November 06, 2005

Time to Call an Audible

Things don't always work out as planned.

The Massachusetts Democratic party should be commended for attempting to get its political house in order. Especially in light of the debacles of the last 4 gubenatorial elections. They've had the means to do so, they've just lacked the will. Until this year.


Relegated to political irrelevancy since Phil Johnston took over the party machinery, the MassDems almost got it right this year. To most it might appear as an act of desperation, but it was actually a pretty shrewd move, frontloading the party calendar. First to nominate a candidate early enough next year to set up a head to head race with the incumbent Republican well before the primary.

And a couple of other changes to create party discipline, like the 15% recent rule on the first ballot at the convention to keep non starters out of the race, this knocked Secretary of State Bill Galvin out of the race. And the "Nominee Designation" on the primary ballot in September, that was designed to scare away money (political donations) from going to any other challengers.

The party favorite was Tom Reilly, current office holder and party stalwart. Despite his personal failings, let's face it he's dull, and his institutional ones, the last Attorney General elected to higher office was John Volpe, he's managed to amass a warchest largely because the regular Dems thought they were going to have to run against Mitt Romney next year.

The problem is that Romney's not running for re-election. Now the Democrats are getting wedding night jitters. Not so much because they might lose with Reilly, but because they might win with him. He's the wrong guy. They're not in love with him.

THE Democratic party of Massachusetts is largely made up of liberals. And not the run of the mill kind. The hardcore, in your face, lefties. Most of us outgrew this phase of life when we started making money and having kids. But not the party insiders.

A marriage of convenience with Reilly was OK with the liberals so long as the honeymoon was going to be in the Corner office. But now that Romney has cleared the way back to the Statehouse, the wedding bed doesn't seem so inviting anymore.

With Romney no longer the obstacle, the Dems could whip likely Republican nominee Kerry Healy with a liberal. Only thing left to do is convince the independents (the majority of voters) that a liberal won't give away the store, in other words, give in to the legislature. (The liberals retook the two houses of the legislature since the last election with the ouster of moderates Finneran and Birmingham.)

Ironically, the best way to stand up to the Statehouse mafia is not with a Republican but with a Democrat that didn't need their support to get elected Governor. Dimasi and Travaligni are not so much about tax and spend liberalism as they are about patronage, pork and power, self interest and special interests. Find a Democrat that will stand up to that, even from the left, and you've got a Governor.

Enter Deval Patrick. A historic candidacy in the making. And not just for the obvious reason. But also for a compelling story of the rise to political power that rivals any immigrant son's. And for the tale the Dems will get to tell of how they won back the Governor's office with a real liberal.

The Dems set up at the line of scrimmage with one play. Now they have to call an audible. Will they do it?

1 Comments:

At 10:05 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

But who would step up? There is talent but its working and not risk taking.

 

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