Thursday, June 15, 2006

You know, it's funny. I was expecting the cap set by Gabrlieli to be fairly high, $5-7M maybe. I was ready to accept it on some level - despite the fact I think all three should have gone with the cap. Hell, I was half expecting Reilly to forgo the cap, and was pleasantly surprised that he did. And ready to give Reilly credit for that.

I think what I'm offended about most is the crassness of the joke Gabrieli made with the number he chose. His silly comment "I don't want to waste taxpayer money" - well, why don't you let the taxpayers decide whether or not you wasted it, by jumping into the cap? Is he afraid his ideas won't fly if he can't outspend his opponants? Then he should step out of the race.

But to say he believes in spending caps and fair elections and then to make a joke of the whole thing was a gaffe on his part, especially given HOW Gabrieli got that number in the first place - $2.5M to on TV commercials to speak to less than 500 people, then an insider deal to clinch it where he couldn't get the votes on his own - with or without blowing his wad.

Instead, we will be once again left with an exhausted Democratic nominee, funding-wise - unless of course it's Gabby and his money-throwing attitude who wins, which is his point I suppose - "I'm richer than God so you know I can win!." Great way to choose a candidate. Sounds almost Republican. The fact remains that Gabby got in the race too late to run on his merit as a candidate or the greatness of his plans and ideas (and I am not saying he doesn't have any), and therefore, makes a piss-poor candidate in the first place. This wouldn't even be an issue if he'd done his homework, worked the caucuses, and gotten his kudos the old-fashioned way. Even Reilly, machine candidate that he is, did that much.

Re: #3 - It would be kind of silly if Bill Galvin's near $3 million limit were higher than the 1.5 if Gabrieli had signed on.

The truth of the matter is, talk of 15.36 is all inside-baseball. Nobody outside the political junkies cares how much a candidate spends on an election. Just ask the people who voted for Corzine in NJ. This campaign ought to be about ideas and progress, it ought to be about solutions to Massachusetts's tough problems (healthcare, housing), and it ought to be about peeling off the conventional wisdom found in the media and most mainstream Democrats.

Unfortunately, Gabrieli made it (temporarily) about campaign finance with the $15.36million cap. If he had made it 6 million, it probably would have gotten some of the same remarks from the bloggers and editorialists, but it wouldn't have made nearly the splash in the Reilly and Patrick camps had it not been outrageous.

But, as to your number 4: He doesn't have to. Patrick's campaign has a strong base, and part of his success will be mobilizing and keeping that base happy. What's interesting is how widespread his base is. The conventional wisdom is that it's mostly the Cambridge, Newton/Brookline, Northhampton type vote (read: progressive). But that can't all be true given that he got 57% of the delegates at the convention -- the state is liberal, but Cambridge liberals aren't over half of the Democrats.

As to your number 3 - It's Gabrieli who is focusing on his wealth. He had an opportunity to show that he wasn't just about money and focus on ideas and issues but he chose not do that. Phil Johnston begged him to keep the campaign spending limit under $5 mil, but all Gabs did was make a lame joke about his underwhelming showing at the convention, while giving the people who are concerned about out of control campaign spending the finger.

By setting the cap so high, he's sending Patrick and Reilly a warning that no matter how much money they can spend, he can spend more.

If Gabrieli wants to talk about the issues, what's stopping him? So far he comes across as a "me too" type candidate. Deval Patrick supports stem cell research. Gabrieli: me too. Reilly supports reining in health care costs. Gabrieli: me too. I like puppies. Gabrieli: me too.

Not terribly inspiring.

Props to you, Adam for using the word: vlog.

Gabby was telling folks he'll do what it takes to win. I respect his politics and I have no problem with him spending his money to win back the state house.

Deval is all freaked out about this because now he has a real race on his hands.

Deval doesn't have a single original idea.

He went to the Health Care for All website and said "I'm for those" and went to the MassPIRG website and said "I'm for those" and went to the Cape Wind website and said "I'm for that."

He hasn't had a single original idea.

Meanwhile, Chris Gabrieli is (and has been for years!) fighting to improve schools and create jobs. If Lynne and Susan ain't for that, fine, but don't pan it - some people want better education and more jobs.

Heh. That makes as much sense as, "I know you are but what am I?"