GenealogyDestroying the Myth of the Missing Liberal
Joan Vennochi of the Boston Globe has cast Deval Patrick in the "too liberal to win" mode. She is very diplomatic in posing this as a "conundrum" for Massachusetts voters, but it's very clear where she comes out on the issue -- she believes Reilly will win the Primary because he will stake the middle ground.
"That is the conundrum for Massachusetts Democrats. Do they let a career top cop drive a boring sedan down the middle of the road and assume he won't hit a pothole? Or do they bet that voters are ready to be inspired by a fresher, flashier model, even if it is veering left?"
NONSENSE! Veering left? Hello? This is Massachusetts!
Another laugher from Vennochi: "Reilly determinedly takes positions with independent voters foremost in mind." Again, nonsense! Reilly seems to be taking positions (note that he "takes positions" rather than "expresses beliefs") designed to appeal to Republican voters. In fact, I defy anyone to point out a single position that Reilly has taken that is different from his Republican counterparts, unless it is because he is farther to the right.
- Death Penalty: Romney; FOR Reilly; FOR Patrick; AGAINST
- Lowering Income Tax Rate: Romney; FOR Reilly; FOR Democratic Legislators; AGAINST
- Cape Wind Project: Romney; AGAINST Reilly; AGAINST Patrick; FOR
- Equal Marriage: Romney; AGAINST Reilly; AGAINST Patrick; FOR
- Continuing in Iraq: Neocons; FOR Reilly; FOR Patrick; AGAINST
I could go on, but you get the idea, and can probably supply your own examples. I've used Romney as the benchmark here, and the amusing thing is that his LG, the likely GOP candidate, has made efforts to move herself to the left of Romney's increasingly far-right positions. My guess is that she will likely end up to the left of Reilly on many issues!
Vennochi also attempts to perpetuate the myth, made up by the Republicans and parroted by the media, that somehow Massachusetts voters are stupid enough to think a Republican Governor provides a "balance" to the Democratic legislature. This, too, is utter nonsense, imho. There are a variety of reasons that the Dems have lost the past few elections, but this is not one of them.
And in 2006, if [perish the thought!] our AG manages to win the Democratic Primary, the Dems will lose again. Being an "independent voter" in Massachusetts does not equate with not being liberal. Many of my friends are "unenrolled" rather than being registered as Democrats just because they believe the Party has abandoned its liberal roots. As it happens, the platform of the MassDems is a very progressive document that liberals can be proud to embrace.
Our AG has stated that he believes the Party Platform "should not be a binding document" -- which is hardly a surprising view given that he disagrees with key planks. Deval Patrick, on the other hand, instinctively agrees with its progressive vision. In fact, a thorough review conducted earlier this year by the Progressive Dems of Mass failed to find a single instance in which Patrick's views deviated from the MassDems Party Platform.
The main reason the GOP has won this contest in the past few cycles, in my opinion, is that liberal voters have stayed home in droves. As Yogi Berra once said, "if people don't want to come to the ballpark, how ya gonna stop 'em?" This is especially true in western Massachusetts, where a combination of an inherent liberal bias and the alienation that comes from a Boston-centric political establishment combine to discourage turnout. In a recent study I've seen, the average city or town saw 42% of its Democratic voters participating in the Primary, but most of the towns in Berkshire County (I'm embarrassed to say) saw turnout numbers of half that or worse. Bringing liberals back to the voting booth will destroy the myth that Massachusetts voters are looking for "balance" and will affirm that what they want instead is bold leadership.
Right now, Deval Patrick's biggest challenge is name recognition, but if he can get his face (and his message) in front of enough voters between now and next September, I think we will see an end to the myth that being liberal is somehow "veering left" in Massachusetts.
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