There's already a ton of good commentary on last night's gov
debate at the Kennedy School--I recommend the postings at
Blue Mass
Group and
.08 Acres, as well as
this write-up by the
Globe's Lisa
Wangsness, who nails the weirdness of Christy Mihos's presentation.
That said, in the spirit of
Dan Payne and Wayne Woodlief, I'd like to
offer everyone but Kerry Healey some unsolicited suggestions for the next
time they rumble, heavy on the superficial but with an occasional bit of substance.
Christy Mihos: Expand your range--nobody likes tolls and taxes,
but you talk about them way, way too much. Cross your legs. Don't look
at the camera when you're talking. Don't praise Mitt Romney's disaster
management skills. Skip the tanning booth next
time. See Suggestion 2 for Reilly, below.
Tom Reilly: Don't dodge questions so much. Sometimes it's OK not
to smile. Don't tell Massachusetts voters we can just build LNG
facilities somewhere else in New England. The word "ideas" is
pronounced like this: "Eye-DEE-uhs." When the next debate ends, count
to three before getting out of your chair.
Deval Patrick: Repeat after me: "I am the
only candidate
who supports the wind farm in Nantucket Sound." Relax a bit--you're a
much better speaker than your stage mates last night, but that didn't
come through on TV.
Chris Gabrieli: See Suggestion 1 for Mihos, above. You love stem-cell research!
We get it!!!
Finally, you're better than any other Democrat at highlighting the
downside of the Governor v. Legislature dynamic the GOP keeps running
on. Mention it every single chance you get.