GOP’s blue-chippers emerge amid losses
By Howie Carr | Sunday, November 7, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Cheer up Massachusetts Republicans. It could have been worse. Maybe not much worse, but it can always be worse.
But 2010 could have been a whole lot better, too. Sean Bielat was a great candidate. Imagine if he’d been campaigning on the North Shore against Johnny Pockets Tierney, or on the Cape against Bill Keating, who ran his campaign from the Witness Protection Program.
You’d be saying “Congressman-elect Sean Bielat.”
But Bielat ended up facing Barney Frank, with his extra-gerrymandered district and his $200,000 in personal funds.
Here’s another coulda-woulda-shoulda. Last January, a couple of days after Scott Brown’s victory, Charlie Baker sat down with two of the architects of Brown’s upset – Eric Fehrnstrom and Beth Myers. Charlie wanted a “download” of information.
Charlie already had his “team” in place, led by Rob Gray, whose resume includes the disastrous 2006 Muffy Healey race and Mitt Romney’s doomed 2004 effort to increase the GOP presence in the Legislature. Gray’s been running on Bill Weld’s fumes for years.
What if . . . Charlie had listened to Brown’s people and then said, “You know, maybe you guys oughta be running my campaign.” But he didn’t say that, and the Brown crew went to work instead for the Republican Governors Association.
What if . . . Charlie had figured out a way to use his running mate, Richie Tisei? He’s a good, veteran campaigner. But Tisei seemed to spend most of the fall trying (unsuccessfully) to help hold his own state Senate seat for the Republicans.
What if . . . Charlie had picked as his running mate Karyn Polito? Couldn’t have hurt him with women, could it? Usually the “gender gap” is a moonbat-media talking-point to bash Republicans with, but this year, in this state, Charlie Baker really had one.
What if . . . Mary Z. Connaughton had enough money to publicize Suzanne Bump’s Tim Geithner-like theory of paying taxes – namely, you don’t pay unless they catch you.
But enough of the recriminations. Let’s look at the small silver linings in the ominously large dark cloud. The GOP picked up 17 seats in the House, increasing their numbers (pending recounts) to 32. Nothing’s more local than a state rep’s fight, and the Republicans hunted down the weakest sheeple in Speaker DeLeo’s herd.
Unfortunately, in the Senate, the GOP will never get another perfect opportunity to eliminate the vivacious Therese Murray, who limped home with 52 percent of the vote. With redistricting about to begin, the Senate’s Miss Congeniality will dump Sandwich (hometown of her hard-working opponent) and the other Cape towns, after which she will annex most of Sen. Kennedy’s Brockton district. Tough luck, Tom.
Finally, Worcester County, where it was still Jan. 19 for the Republicans last Tuesday. They won the sheriff’s race, with a large assist from the Democrat, Tom Foley, who announced that he’d be keeping his $111,920.04 state pension in addition to the sheriff’s salary. The Worcester GOP held on to the outgoing reps’ seats, knocked off an incumbent rep and won the open Governor’s Council seat.
So it could have been worse. Thin gruel, I know, but the Republicans have been counted out before (think 1986) and somebody’s always come along to rebuild the party. Now comes the Rick Pitino question: Is there another Ray Shamie ready to walk through that door?
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