About that Patrick email / vlog...

Published Jun 15 2006, 06:09 PM by Adam Reilly

A few observations:

1. Clever physical set-up. Putting Deval Patrick on the same level as the people working in his campaign office reinforces his We're-all-in-this-together message.

2. Did the Globe go overboard in calling this a "high-tech offensive"? The Patrick campaign sent out an email, and that email linked to a video. What's the big deal?

3. It was obnoxious when Tom Reilly focused on Patrick's wealth, and it's obnoxious when Patrick does the same thing with Gabrieli. By claiming that Gabrieli's $15.36 million spending cap "reinforces the idea that politics is all about money and that elections can be bought," Patrick does an injustice to his opponent--and simultaneously reinforces that very idea himself. Yeah, Gabrieli's got a lot more money than his opponents, and he's willing to use it to get elected. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to talk about substantive issues.

4. A closing question: will this email do anything beyond reinforcing the conviction of the Patrick faithful?