Old News Roundup

I spent most of Easter weekend in a car or otherwise out of Internet communication so this is a good an excuse as any to clear my desk of some of the things I meant to talk about previously, but never got the chance.

Michael Dukakis Interview: Basie! has an interesting interview with former governor and 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. The focus is mostly on national politics, but he has some interesting things to say about the need for Democrats to build the grassroots.

Healey part 1: For those of you who have not yet heard about Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey's recent remark that seniors who are "overhoused" should move into smaller residences to avoid paying higher property taxes. As always, Romney is a Fraud has the best rundown of her comments and how the governor is distancing himself from them. One has to wonder if Healey would apply the same solution to other problems should she become the acting governor. If the solution to the problem of high property taxes for seniors on fixed incomes is for them to move, is the solution to the health care crisis telling people to move to Canada where medical care is free? Should a company complain to the acting governor of high corporate taxes, will she suggest they move to, say, South Carolina?

Healey part 2: Last month I idly wondered if there was more to Ian Bayne's criticism of Kerry Healey. As it turns out, Bayne's consulting group conducted a Poll of Romney campaign donors. As of mid-Feburary, 230 of them had responded to the following question:

Question: Should Lt. Governor Healey resign over a recent incident where she used a state police vehicle to get her through traffic to a social event?

6%	YES (she should resign)
81%	NO (she should not resign)
13%	No Answer/Not sure

I wonder if he got the answer he was looking for.

What if they had an election and no one came: An article in Cape Cod Today from last week speculated that if Romney ends up sitting out the 2006 election, Democratic gubernatorial candidate frontrunner Tom Reilly will end up facing much stiffer competition in the primary.

[If Romney does not run for reelection,] Tom Reilly probably won't get the Democratic nomination either since he's perceived by Democrats as strong against Mitt but an "also ran" against anyone else. We might end up with decent candidates in both parties instead.

While I do think Romney will run, it is true that the dynamic of the race would change completely if he quits. I would imagine that a number of the people who have already said they're taking a pass this year (Joe Kennedy and Mike Capuano, for instance) might change their minds should this turn into an open seat.