Stick Mosquito Challenges Chinese Ballots

No matter where you come down on the issue of ballots being printed in languages other than English, you have to admit that this is hilarious:

In Mandarin, for instance, [Secretary of State Bill] Galvin said, his own name could be translated either as High Prominent Noble Educated -- or Stick Mosquito.

According to the translators whom Galvin consulted, [Boston Mayor Tom] Menino's name could be read as Imbecile in Chinese. Or Sun Moon Rainbow Farmer. Or, in the worst case scenario for the mayor, Barbarian Mud No Mind of His Own.

[Former Governor Mitt] Romney's name can be seen as Sticky Rice or Uncooked Rice, Galvin said. If former US Senator Fred Thompson jumps into the Republican presidential race, Sticky or Uncooked Rice has the potential of appearing on the March presidential primary ballot in 49 of the Boston's more than 200 precincts, battling with Virtue Soup.

I know there are serious issues about making sure that citizens who are not literate in English are able to vote, while at the same time limiting the potential for shenanigans. Still, I never laughed so hard at a Frank Phillips article.

The obvious solutions are mentioned in the article -- use the transliterations that appear in Chinese-language newspapers or let the candidates pick them themselves (within reason). It seems to me that Stick Mosquito just doesn't want to be bothered with making any accommodations for citizens who only read Chinese.

Galvin's Out! Who's Up? Who's Down?

The Fray scooped the rest of the blogs (and the Boston Globe) with the news that Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin has announced that he's running for reelection and not for governor in 2006. So, how are things looking for the rest of the Democratic candidates now that one of them has changed his mind?

Tom Reilly: Up. Tom Reilly polled two-to-one ahead of Deval Patrick in the most recent poll that had just the two of them in the Democratic primary.

Deval Patrick: Down. I really thought Deval Patrick's best chance was if a couple of uncharismatic insider candidates split the vote, allowing him to get the victory. In a head to head matchup with Reilly, Patrick has his work cut out for him.

Cam Kerry: Down. The brother of the Senator was planning on running for Secretary only if Bill Galvin decided to run. Now it looks like Kerry will have to find something else to keep him busy in 2006.

John Bonifaz: Down. Bonifaz is now running against Galvin in the Secretary of State primary. He had an uphill climb running against Kerry, who is an unknown borrowing his brother's name recognition. Running against a well-funded incumbent is going to be many times more difficult.

Bill Galvin: Up. Galvin lives to fight another day, almost guaranteeing himself a job until 2010 when he'll toy with running for governor again for a few months before finally deciding against it. Does anyone else sense a pattern?

Every other elected Democrat: Up. I just can't believe that there are no Democratic office holders in a state full of Democratic office holders who are willing to take on Tom Reilly for the gubernatorial nomination. I would have imagined that there would be a long list of Democrats salivating at the chance to take on Kerry Healey for the corner office. Maybe they are just holding back until Governor Romney makes his own announcement, but I'm really surprised that not more candidates are surfacing to take a chance against a wealthy but uninspiring and gaffe-prone Lieutenant Governor.

Two Candidates in Two Days

Last week I had the opportunity to see two of the possible 2006 Democratic Gubernatorial candidates in two consecutive nights. On Wednesday, I popped into a Deval Patrick fundraiser in Boston and on Thursday, Secretary of State Bill Galvin spoke in front of the Watertown Democratic Town Committee. I had wanted to post about these events earlier, but pesky distractions like oral surgery and sewage-flooded basements intervened.

Patrick said much of what we've heard before, bringing up mostly his economic stimulus plan and his recently unveiled health care plan. One theme that resonated through the evening, though, was Patrick's willingness to engage the private sector in solving problems. Many Democrats fall into the trap that the Government is the be-all and end-all when looking for policy solutions. Not so with Patrick, who is determined to bring all of the players together when crafting his plans. Perhaps this is the way policy used to be crafted, but in today's hyperpolarized political atmosphere where people on both sides are certain that they have all the answers, it was refreshing to hear someone talk of compromise and thoughtfulness as a virtue. Patrick also told the audience that he wanted his candidacy to also be their candidacy. That is, he wants to know about people's concerns so he can be involved in solving real problems. This, I think, is why Patrick has gotten traction among some progressives. It's not because he's checked the right boxes in a list of policy positions; it's because he's willing to listen and he seems genuinely interested in getting the input of all of the stakeholders, not just the usual cadre of the politically connected and powerful.

On Thursday, Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin spoke in front of the Watertown Democrats. Fellow Watertown blogger H2OTown has some quotes from his hour-long talk. In light of recent news about state revenues, this quote is particularly relevant:

"While state revenues are going up recently, we continue to have very serious problems with the economy in Massachusetts; the main indicator of that is population loss, which I feel reflects loss of jobs. It's no secret the many companies that have moved out of the state."

I was also at the meeting and Galvin came across as wonkish, but capable. He was much better speaking off the cuff in a small group than I've seen him on television or in front of larger audiences giving prepared remarks. Galvin also spent a lot of time telling us that being an "insider" was an asset, since people familiar with the system are more likely to be able to maneuver within it to get things done. He admitted, however, that independent voters were unlikely to find that argument convincing. Galvin also advocated lifting the $500 per year contribution limit to be equal to the Federal limits under McCain-Feingold, which I happen to agree with. Campaigns are not getting cheaper, so limiting individual contributions just means that incumbents who have years to build up their campaign chests and people who can self-fund have huge advantages. While I'm loathe to inject even more money into campaigns, the current system makes it too hard for those who are not multi-millionaires to raise enough money to be competitive.

Galvin in Watertown Tomorrow

Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin will be speaking at tomorrow night's Democratic Town Committee meeting in Watertown. The meeting is tomorrow at 8:00 pm in the lower meeting room of the Town Hall and is open to the public. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it, but I will try to get some impressions of the candidate from people who are attending. If you are in the area and interested in hearing what a potential 2006 gubernatorial candidate has to say, I'd encourage you to stop by.

Bill Galvin Responds

Others have already noted gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick's reaction to the certification of the gay marriage ban ballot initiative. Today's Boston Globe has reaction from another of Reilly's 2006 rivals, Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin:

Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who is also considering a run for governor on the Democratic ticket, declined to offer an opinion on Reilly's decision, but said he sees no reason for voters to support the ballot question.

"I think this is one of those instances where the institution of gay marriage may be less divisive to society than the referendum campaign will be," Galvin said. "The emotions that this kind of issue brings out can be very detrimental to society. It has been around for a year and any honest person can conclude that it has not been detrimental to society."

Galvin is exactly right. We're being subjected to three years of poisonous rhetoric (on both sides) for what? To stop a handful of gay couples from being happy.

Galvin As Storyteller

Herald Business Editor Cosmo Macero Jr has a great column today (sub req) on the gubernatorial prospects of Secretary of the Commonwealth, Bill Galvin. From the column:

A good candidate has a good story to tell. And right now Galvin has one of the best.

The Brighton Democrat has spent much of the last two years dogging corruption on Wall Street, rooting out scams in the mutual fund industry, punishing banks for taking advantage of senior citizens and picking street fights with the icons of corporate greed.

I agree with Macero that this could very well be a compelling story in 2006. The question I have is whether Galvin is a compelling storyteller.

The Statehouse News Service poll has him in Deval Patrick territory. According to a Suffolk University Poll, a quarter of the MA population has never heard of him, despite him having been Secretary of the Commonwealth for over a decade. It's true that he has been fighting for Massachusetts consumers against greedy CEOs, but how many people are really aware of that? While Galvin may have an impressive record of accomplishment, it won't do him any good to show up and say "look at all these things I did" -- people will naturally wonder why the first time they're hearing about it is a few months before an election. Tom Reilly, at least, has a gift for calling a press conference and getting on the news (to a fault, some would say). Contrast Galvin with New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer who is well on his way to being coronated as that state's governor in 2006. Spitzer has been doing the same thing as Galvin, albeit on a larger scale, and has been getting much more media attention -- including national media attention -- and has such formidable poll numbers that incumbent governor George Pataki has decided not to run for reelection rather than face him. Spitzer (who, as of this writing graces Bill Galvin's campaign website) clearly has something that Galvin does not -- call it charisma, media savvy, something -- and it may be too late for Galvin to find it.

In addition to his advice to Galvin, Macero has this advice for the Massachusetts Democrats, should Harvard Pilgrim HMO CEO Charlie Baker end up as the 2006 Republican nominee:

Two words to keep in mind: Opponsition research.

All those claims, all those patients, all that paperwork, heck, anything can happen.

It only takes one good sob story to grab the voting public's imagination.

Of course, capturing the voting public's imagination is easier said than done. However much I admire the man for what he's done, it is his inability to capture the imaginations of Democrats with a populist economic message that is my chief concern with a Galvin candidacy. If he can't motivate the people most receptive to his message, how will he be able to motivate suburban and swing voters in the 2006 general election?

Phoenix on Galvin

The Boston Phoenix has a good article about Secretary of the Commonwealth and presumptive gubernatorial candidate Bill "Prince of Darkness" Galvin. Galvin's non-campaign seems to be slowly kicking into gear. This Sunday, he spoke out against the Democratic plan to push the state primaries back to May. Tuesday, he hosted a private fundraiser at Anthony’s Pier 4. Plus, Galvin is getting press over his looking into the Procter & Gamble buyout of Gillette on behalf of shareholders. Unlike Tom Reilly's Big Dig cost-recovery operation, Galvin's investigation has largely not been accused of political maneuvering since his campaign for Governor has largely operated under the radar. According to the Phoenix, this is exactly how Galvin wants it.

"He's a master at being low-key while getting headlines at the same time," one Democratic observer says. "Galvin is one of the smartest people I know, and he's smart enough to know that the minute you become a candidate, you start getting killed by the press."

The rest of the article is worth reading, too, as is the March, 2001 bio of Galvin the Phoenix published prior to his entry in the 2002 governor's race.

One thing that I do like about Galvin is that, of all the current candidates, he's the only one who I have heard talk about solving the population loss in Massachusetts. In a January editorial in the Globe, he wrote:

We must act quickly to get Massachusetts moving again. We need to address the root causes of our population loss: high housing costs and job losses.
[...]
[T]he records in my office which trace the outmigration of voters to other states show that the largest age group leaving Massachusetts are men and women 30 to 49 -- not just recent college graduates looking for a career but more established younger people who were the most productive part of our workforce.

Stemming the population loss in Massachusetts is very important, not only for the state, but for progressives nationwide. If the census were taken now, Massachusetts would lose one of its Congressional representatives. Not only does that mean that the people of Massachusetts will have less of a say in our Federal government, but that's also one less safe Democratic seat in an increasingly partisan Republican House.