Our least Treasured asset runs again
Sunday, July 14, 2013 By: Howie Carr
They have some mighty small shoes to fill, all these pols who want to succeed Gov. Deval Patrick.
The 2014 race officially began yesterday, as Democrats gathered in Lowell at their state issues convention — just reading those words, the eyes glaze over.
Speaking of which, state Treasurer Steve Grossman announced his candidacy, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Joe Malone, Shannon O’Brien and Tim Cahill, all of whom also ran, and were also-rans.
Sometimes the best bet is to stay where you are, but there’s no fool like an old fool, and Grossman will be 68 when the primary is held, notwithstanding his hair.
In the only poll done so far, two months ago, Public Policy Polling had ex-U.S. Sen. Scott Brown running ahead of Grossman, 46-34. Brown’s favorable-unfavorable numbers were 53-35, with only 11 percent of the sample expressing no opinion.
Grossman’s numbers were 20-14-66. In other words, two-thirds of the people didn’t know who he was. The Unclaimed Money List ain’t what it used to be.
Of course the PPP poll was flawed by the fact that they didn’t throw Attorney General Marsha Coakley in the mix. Foolishly, they apparently took Marsha at her word when she said last winter she had no interest in running for the Corner Office.
If she runs, of course, the Democratic nomination is hers. The gubernatorial field is shaping up as almost a carbon copy of the 2009-10 primary after Ted Kennedy’s death. If several men and one woman run, the woman wins. There’s even another Steve Pag-liuca rich guy — Sen. Dan Wolf, as well as two minor candidates vying for the Alan Khazei Mr. Congeniality Award.
Obviously, Marsha knows that she can beat 2010 GOP candidate for governor Charlie Baker. But I wonder if she relishes a rematch with Scott Brown, especially in an off-year, without the infusion of the million EBT-card-carrying low-information voters who put Granny Warren over the top last year.
I spent some time last weekend on the Cape with Scott Brown, and I got the feeling that he thinks he missed an opportunity when he passed up the chance to run against Son of a Milkman.
Back when Brown decided not to run in this latest special election, it seemed like the right decision. But now, not so much, not if all Ed Markey could manage was 55 percent of the vote against a weak rookie candidate. Brown didn’t say anything directly, but he gave off a slight vibe of regret, a grimace whenever anyone told him he should have been in the fight.
Brown is in an awkward spot politically — when you’re ousted from office, you’re in one-and-done territory. One more defeat and your career is over. So it’s natural to be cautious. But if you wait too long the parade passes you by.
The Democrats are cocky right now, and maybe they should be. If they can elect candidates as flawed as Granny Warren and Son of a Milkman, apparently anybody they put up can win. They have so far but ...
They say you can’t beat somebody with nobody. Whatever else he is, Scott Brown is Somebody. Is Marsha Coakley, four years later?