Posted on 11/02/2010 6:56:32 PM PDT by Rebelbase
Part of the district is well-off liberal professional types, and part is union-dominated regular party machine Democrats. Those two groups always vote for Barney and everyone else doesn't really have a say.
Also, Barney's voters don't have the same information we do. They rely on the Boston Globe and other pro-Frank sources of information, which simply accepted his excuses as the whole story. Even when they do hear otherwise they dismiss what's said as coming from Republicans, who they don't like or trust.
Partisanship can twist people that way, whatever party they're in. What's different here is the tradition of the "rascal king." In some parts of the country people like disreputable politicians. They figure all politicians are crooks or bastards and they'd rather have a crook or a bastard on their side.
Is Barney "on their side"? For some of them that's true. Certainly for those union leaders and die-hard Democrats and the Democratic machine -- and for Barney's liberals, as well.
If there's a dictator inside every activist liberal, somebody who likes to give orders and push people around, there's also somebody who likes to get away with bending or breaking the rules and admires a shady fellow liberal who doesn't get caught. And I guess there are enough people in those groups to get him to 52%.
We’ll see. Howie Carr’s opinion was that after losing this race, which she was tailor-made for, that might be it for her.
Wow, that’s a NEW record low for the MA State Senate, now hitting exactly 10% (well, rather, should say tied for the brief period Brown vacated his seat, but the Dems didn’t have 90% outright, now they do).
As for the MA House, we’ve now gone from 10% to 20%, and although that’s slightly better, that’s only where we were during the last year of Dukakis’s term and when we were in freefall during Weld’s second term. But for heaven’s sake, that’s still only TWENTY f*cking percent ! The Democrats STILL have 80% !
It does prove my point that had Socialist Baker won, he would’ve had no power to back him up in the General Court with sustaining vetoes.
A great deal of the blame lay with the fact the MA GOP is a powerless party run by left-wingers that don’t want to win (and even if they did, there is no apparatus in place to make it happen). The center-right political grassroots needs to take control of the state party and build it up from the bottom. Until such time, we really shouldn’t be terribly surprised at what happens there.
You pegged this scenario, what, a year ago DJ?
Good call.
I expect, too, that those 20% will be targeted for elimination via redistricting. I have to admit that in almost any state, the minority party should be allocated at least 20% of the legislative seats because I don’t believe it’s good for Representative Democracy to have at or near a 100% one-party state.
Just as a reverse model to MA, I noted Idaho was on track to nearly wiping out the Dem minority in the ‘90s, although there are some pockets of strength, but thinking that once you have 85% or higher, you’re permanently shutting out the opposition (for good or for bad), and there should be some allotment made to guarantee them a seat at the table. With few instances, no locales tend to vote 85% or higher for one party, and if you’re too timid to allow 1 seat out of 5 for the opposition, it means you’re not very secure about the validity of your viewpoint. I think it also tends to discourage members of the opposition covertly operating within your majority party merely for the purposes of getting elected. Just my opinion, of course...
Good point about the 20% getting aborted. I can certainly see the MA Rats doing that.
Interesting thoughts on allowing the minority party a seat at the proverbial table. It would never happen in MA, but I can see your point.
Always thinking, you are.
Yes as much as I hate the democrats, they need to exist. Other wise all the liberals would just join the GOP.
It’s the reverse in MA where some of those rats in the State House may be closet Republicans who wanted to win.
Possibly - on the potential of MA Rats in disguise.
Howie Carr article - shout out to Ray Shamie:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists//view.bg?articleid=1294590
He’s right it’s too bad Bilet wasn’t running the 10th, he would have won.
So the GOP picked up a couple seat on the Governor’s Council? That’s nice. I’m sure it’s been a while.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/11/bay_state_man_b.html
And one of the Republicans beat...his own brother? LOL.
Yeah, the last two were elected in 1990, one was Black, both defeated in 1992, hence all Dem since 1993 (thanks Willie Weld).
Massachusetts: like sh*t, it happens. I like that - possible new tag line.
The GOP pickups on the Governor’s Council, combined with the 2 semi-sane Dem board members (Devaney and Manning) could bode very well. And yes, brother beat brother.
Regarding Snot Brown: His plea that Obama moderate shrieks of desperation. I maintain that he's done in 2012.
Also regarding Senator Snot: One of my Korean War buddies contacted his office ~5 months ago (and attempted two followups since) for assistance with the VA. Never one followup. Nothing. So much for serving his constituents. As big of a dick as Teddy was, his office did get back to people. Bye Snot, you suck.
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