Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Primary Day

Today's primary day, so remember to get out and vote! Polls are open from 7AM to 8PM, but vote early because it may get wet in the afternoon. I won't make any predictions, but my hope is that Deval Patrick's grassroots operation (of which I am a cog) will win the day for him. Anything could happen, though, and while the polls have Patrick ahead, we have plenty of experience in Massachusetts with candidates coming from behind at the last minute.

I don't know what an "endorsement" from a blog really even means, so I'm just going to lay out who I'm voting for tomorrow and why.

Governor: Deval Patrick
I've been volunteering for Deval Patrick's campaign for it seems like ages. I've never volunteered for a candidate before. After the 2002 and 2004 elections and the 2005 town council races, I decided that it was time to stop sitting on the sidelines. If a candidate I like loses, it's not going to be because I personally didn't do enough.

Better people than I have described why they think Patrick is the best candidate, so I won't try to duplicate their efforts. I will repeat something I remember him saying during one of the many speeches or interviews he's done over the course of the campaign. He talked about meeting with a group of business leaders who complained to him that every time that politicians set up one of those meetings, the same half-dozen or so faces were there. Unless I'm misremembering, Patrick was the first one to bring a different set of people to the table. That's how I feel about Massachusetts sometimes. We're so focused on looking inward for solutions that we miss out on input from other sources. I feel like that's Patrick's campaign in microcosm. He's the breath of fresh air and injection of energy after staring out at the same faces for far too long.

This is the election to go for it. The way Republicans have won in the past was to woo disaffected Democrats and center-right independents to vote in the Republican bloc. Thanks to Christy Mihos, there is a safety valve this year. Those who have read this blog for a while will know that I've done the math. If even a small percentage of those Democrats and independents who decline to vote for a Democrat end up with Mihos, the Democrat will end up winning. If Mihos runs even a semi-credible campaign, and with Bill Hillsman doing his ads, that is likely to me, Healey will have very little margin for error.

Lieutenant Governor: Tim Murray
I went back and forth on this quite a bit. Andrea Silbert is a great candidate, but I'm not sure that she balances the ticket with Patrick as much as Murray would. At the end of the day, I'm just not comfortable having two candidates on the ticket who are running for their first elective office. Silbert is very good, though, and I would hope that she would find a position somewhere in the Patrick administration (not to count my chickens). I was impressed by Deb Goldberg the first time I saw her, but I have to admit that her full-page ad to the Brookline TAB complaining about their endorsement pretty much closed the door on her for me.

Secretary of the Commonwealth: John Bonifaz
I just had the following conversation with my wife:

Her: I think I'm voting for Bill Galvin.
Me: Why?
Her: Well, I know Bonifaz is good on voting rights and elections issues, but the Secretary of State's job is more than just that. He seems like a one-issue candidate.
Me: I agree. But, he's not going to win the primary. Voting for John is a great way to send a message to Galvin that voting issues are important to you without having to do your due diligence on the other aspects of the Secretary's job.
Her: Good point.
Me: Plus, I don't like how he ducked out of doing any debates.
Her: Okay, maybe I'll vote for Bonifaz after all.
That convinced her. How about you?
Middlesex County Clerk of Courts: Michael Sullivan
I hadn't given a second thought to this race until I saw the fake jury summons Bruce Desmond was sending out to primary voters. That was a big turnoff. Sorry Bruce, you should have stuck with the lit drops.

I will be guest posting today on the esteemed Blue Mass. Group from the Patrick post-primary party. The blogfathers made me an offer I couldn't refuse! Stop by over there to get the bloggers-eye view of primary day, or just to say hi.