Bay State still cringing under L-word legacy

The Boston Herald ^ | 3/1/2004 | Joe Sciacca

[Redcoat LI]

Bay State still cringing under L-word legacy By Joe Sciacca Recent Columns by Joe Sciacca Monday, March 1, 2004

Massachusetts gives John Fitzgerald Kennedy to this great nation and who does it give us back? Dennis Kucinich [related, bio].

At least the Ohio congressman, riding a wave of momentum after overtaking ``other/unsure'' in the polls, paid his respects to the Bay State in this campaign, unlike the other Democrats.

Where will John Kerry [related, bio] savor his Super Tuesday victory tomorrow? Tampa.

When the waitress at the Centro Ybor brings over the Coronas and asks where he's from, the senator's most likely response: ``New England.'' Massachusetts - he dares not utter its name.

One would have thought that after three Republican governors - well, four, if you call what Bill Weld did governing - Massachusetts would have shaken the Dukakis liberal thing. Throwing around the L-word won't work for this George Bush the way it did for his daddy, but that won't stop Kerry from running from it.

``Are you a liberal?'' demanded a suitably abrasive New York Times reporter during yesterday's CBS debate.

``Let me just,'' Kerry stammered.

``Are - you - a - liberal?'' she insisted.

Sounding like Sartre explaining existentialism, Kerry tried to apply the ``What defines a liberal?'' defense but out in middle America, some guy turned to his dog and said, ``They got him there. He's from - Massachusetts.'' It's just wrong, ladies and gentleman. It's just wrong.

``Did you ever hear a Republican point out that Ronald Reagan won Massachusetts not once but twice? No,'' Secretary of State William Galvin notes. ``It's not just a question of ideology, it's elitism.''

The Republicans will, as they have in the past, portray Massachusetts as a place where Cambridge is the capital, ignoring Lawrence and Fall River and Chelsea and Brockton and all the working-class suburbs in between.

True, they have a very good case, but it's all circumstantial. Yes, there's gay marriage, but the people haven't voted on it yet.

And yes, the pol voters want to take Kerry's Senate seat is Joe Kennedy, but the only time he's on TV these days is when he's giving away oil, not answering questions about things like gay marriage.

Still, that guy in middle America is saying, ``Massachusetts - now they want TWO Kennedys in the Senate.''

It's almost as if the Democratic National Committee ought to get Tom Finneran to cut some TV ads: ``As speaker of the Massachusetts House, I've been whipping the liberals in line for years. Sure I'm a Democrat but really, democracy is overrated.''

Even though Massachusetts isn't exactly a big player tomorrow, Galvin still predicts a ``respectable'' showing of voters at the Democratic primary polls. ``It does worry me that I keep running into people who ask me, `Oh, is that this Tuesday?' but I think we'll be OK,'' the secretary said.

In 1988, he notes, some 729,000 voters showed up even though Dukakis pretty much had the nomination wrapped up.

Because there was more time than usual between the New Hampshire primary and Super Tuesday, there isn't the buildup of attention, and because Kerry is the native son, there isn't the urgency.

But Galvin - noting that John Edwards [related, bio] will win some delegates here - is telling voters, ``Nothing is over until it's over.'' And if the race does end, ``Massachusetts voters can play a role in that,'' Galvin says, adding, ``How would you like to be sitting in New Jersey which is not going to be voting until June?''

So be proud, Bay State voters. Cast those ballots tomorrow even if John Kerry won't be here to see it, even if it really won't make much difference in who wins the nomination, even if the Republicans are going to unfairly tar you as a Kennedy-loving, marriage-mocking liberal.

And when they ask your address at the polling place, proclaim in a loud, unwavering voice, ``I live - south of New Hampshire!''

[jmaroneps37]

lurch will choke on the label "Massachusetts liberal". It will kill his campaign before it even really gets going.
The real fun will be watching the ratmedia make believe that the term has no effect, "Why, people are way beyond labels, they're all about jobs and health care and Haiti and...."
You get the picture.