MASS. ELECTION RESULTS - MY TAKE...

“The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:33 King James Version)

“The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is the Lord's alone.” (Proverbs 16:33 New Revised Standard Version)

Last night’s election results in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts disproved Leo Durocher’s famous quote, “Nice Guys Finish Last.” (For you baseball and history buffs, Durocher made the statement on July 6, 1946 when he was managing the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was said about his crosstown rivals, the New York Giants.)
I don’t think Massachusetts has been more politically opposite from the rest of the country since we were the only state to vote for George McGovern for President back in 1972! The Republicans crushed the Democrats in most of America yesterday, but here in Massachusetts, the Democrats pretty much crushed the Republicans.

Serious political observers may be stumped about what happened in Massachusetts, but we forget that NOT every voter is a serious political observer nor a political ideologue. In fact, probably two-thirds of voters are neither. I think most voters vote for somebody they LIKE. Why did Massachusetts vote for Scott Brown back in January? There are a lot of reasons, but the fact that he was the father of Ayla Brown from American Idol fame AND the fact that he was a handsome, cool and very likable guy from Wrentham was a big part of it. I don’t think Governor Patrick has done QUITE as bad a job as many others do; but his performance has been no better than a C minus. Does a Governor with a C minus performance for his first term deserve a second term? I say “no”, but I don’t think his performance had much to do with yesterday’s vote. Deval Patrick is a very congenial, likable, and somewhat charismatic guy. When he ran the first time around, I wrote that he’s a guy you’d like to go out to lunch with or go to a ball game with. I still feel that way. People (especially women) like him. In fact, there was a HUGE “gender gap” in this election with men favoring Charlie Baker for Governor, while women heavily favored Deval Patrick.

I got several friends annoyed with me because I said I was voting for Tim Cahill and not Charlie Baker. And, yesterday, I DID vote for Tim Cahill. I think Charlie Baker would probably be a more competent Governor than Deval Patrick. But I just COULDN’T get excited about him. I tried, but I couldn’t. Baker was frankly NOT appealing to “social conservatives” at all. Mass. Citizens For Life, for example, endorsed Tim Cahill. I suppose it’s not fair to judge someone this way, but Baker came across as a rich elitist who’d had a sweet life and just couldn’t relate to the average guy. I don’t think his promise to lay off 5,000 state workers helped him, either. I have two friends who work for the state. Each of them dislikes Deval Patrick and each of them voted for Tim Cahill for Governor. I know I have to be careful trying to speak for my dead father, but as a career state employee, I don’t think he’d ever have voted for Charlie Baker. A number of people have pointed out that Charlie Baker reminded them of Bill Weld. There’s no question they’re a lot alike. So, why did Bill Weld get elected in 1990? His opponent that year was Boston University President John Silber (whom Howie Carr still refers to as “Herr Doctor”). Democrat John Silber was actually more conservative than Republican Bill Weld, and Silber kept making verbal gaffs on the campaign trail that became known as “Silber shockers”. The electorate DIDN’T LIKE John Silber, and so Bill Weld benefitted. I think Charlie Baker definitely could have beaten John Silber, but Charlie Baker has to work on that “likability factor” himself.

Republicans and conservatives in Massachusetts were very hopeful yesterday...TOO hopeful! The fact is these entrenched politicians like Barney Frank and Ed Markey are perceived as being powerful men with a lot of clout and most voters just don’t want to get rid of them. I voted for very few winners yesterday. I DID vote for Democrat Chris Walsh for State Rep. He’s a nice guy (yeah, there we go again with the nice guy thing) and has a real passion for Framingham. I did not vote for State Senator Karen Spilka. I’ll admit being somewhat torn on that one, but I ultimately voted for Republican Ed McGrath only because I think Spilka’s politics are just too liberal. Yet, I was torn because I really like Karen Spilka as a person.

I’m no “political pundit” making big bucks in the media and some may dismiss what I’ve written here, but for my final example I give you the late Ronald Reagan. How did a guy who was frankly a “pretty far to the right” Republican ever get elected President twice? That smile, twinkle in his eye, warmth, and sense of humor had a lot to do with it! Boy, could Massachusetts use another Ronald Reagan!