She's Back

I just saw former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey on tonight's Greater Boston with Emily Rooney. I'm not sure why she was there, other than to perform her familiar job of talking up Mitt Romney, this time in the context of his Presidential campaign. I will give her credit, though. Rooney gave her two opportunities to go after current Governor Deval Patrick, who defeated her in November for that job. Healey did not rise to the bait. She said, simply, "Governor Patrick has been in office for one month, I think it would be premature," and that she should let him file the budget. I thought that was classy from someone who's campaign last year suffered because of its perceived classlessness.

Anyway, she was touting Mitt's conservative credentials, particularly the way he fought marriage equality, stem-cell research and plan B contraceptives. It got me thinking. Is that going to be the official Romney line? He's a true conservative, and here are three high-profile battles that he lost. He failed to stop gay marriage or the other conservative bugaboos. Is that going to be very reassuring to people who believe in these causes? "He failed in Massachusetts, but he fought the good fight!" doesn't seem like a compelling battle cry to me.