What We Learned From Last Night’s Debate

By Dan Payne
Oct 26, 2010, 8:31 AM
Comment

Gubernatorial candidates, from left, Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein, Republican Charles Baker, independent Tim Cahill and Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, are shown before their debate on Monday. (AP)

1 - The four candidates represent four strains of Massachusetts politics. Jill Stein, the Green-Rainbow candidate, carries the banner of alienated, lefty, anti-corporate eco-obsessed voters. Tim Cahill, treasurer and independent, stands for urban, socially conservative/Catholic, small business, blue-collar Massachusetts, sometimes remembered as “Ed King voters.” Republican Charlie Baker represents the downtown-business-elite, kinda-Brahmin, tight-with-a dime, power-point-loving, well-off, male voters. Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick leads the socially-liberal, well-educated, knowledge-based entrepreneurial hotshots that care about social justice and renewable energy.

2 - Baker last night was his usual wonky, bloodless, numbers-cruncher who can’t explain in human terms how his administration would help people. Given a golden opportunity to show how he’d benefit people from all walks of life, he talked about visiting “gateway communities” and developing a “work plan” with mayors that would focus on public safety and education. Wake me when it’s over.

He was put on the defensive when — as he undoubtedly knew beforehand — his 1998 memo as the top financial aide to Gov. Paul Cellucci came up. The memo proved that, contrary to his earlier exertions, he knew his Big Dig financing plan would require “draconian” cuts to other construction projects around the state. Cahill chimed in, making Baker’s memo a matter of integrity, saying he should have made its contents public and not worry about an upcoming gubernatorial election. Sure, Tim.

3 - Patrick was again a master of language and personal testimony, but he sometimes misses the money part. He told of visiting Mattapan after the recent brutal slayings. He said the survivors wanted to know, “Where is the sense of community?” and he argued that people everywhere deserve “a great school within their reach.” But he was forced to admit he didn’t keep his promise to put 1,000 more police on the streets because of a shortage of state funds; he said what was needed was an end to hopelessness and despair. Not quite what people in crime- and drug-infested neighborhoods want to hear.

4 - Cahill always has the clear point of view of a guy who started a sandwich shop in Quincy, won local office and became a county treasurer, then lucked into the state treasurer’s job because of a dopey TV commercial. Treasurer Cahill is proof of the Peter Principle, which says people rise in an organization until they reach the highest job for which they are not suited. He has plainspoken passion; his best line, uttered with sincerity and strength, was: “We have let the city of Lawrence go to hell!”

5 - Stein should not have been in this final televised debate. She skidded to just 2 percent in the most recent Boston Globe poll, yet took up one-fourth of the time to repeat her rants about shopping malls.

6 - Big name moderators can be overbearing and under-informed. Charlie Gibson, former anchor at ABC News, was too much a controlling presence and had no feel for the texture of the campaign. He failed to let the brand-new revelation of Baker’s Big Dig memo blossom into an exciting exchange. The governor clearly wanted to use the memo to prove that Baker was quite a bit more than “one of 50 people” that Baker claimed was responsible for Big Dig financing. Cahill was likewise ready to pounce.

Cahill might also have been steered to discuss Baker, whose party effectively knocked him out of the race early, stole his running mate, and whose campaign conspired with traitorous handlers in Cahill’s camp to embarrass him by leaking internal memos that urged stepped-up use of the state Lottery’s advertising dollars. Cahill might have continued to criticize Baker for supporting GOP congressional pariah Rep. Jeff Perry, who stood mute while he allegedly witnessed an illegal strip search of a teenage girl when he was a police officer. Joe Malone, who lost to Perry in the Republican primary, yesterday had advice for Baker and “anyone who has a daughter, anyone who cares about decency.” Of Perry, Malone said: “Stay away from this candidate.”

7 - It’s all about whether you think the glass is half-full or half-empty. For Patrick and supporters the future will be better because the state is doing better than most other states in health care coverage, uniform school test scores and state revenues. For Baker and friends, the Patrick administration is overspending, overtaxing and over-regulating, and unless we have a new governor, it will go over a financial cliff.

Here’s how I see the choice. If you’re out of work or worried you might lose your job, do you really believe cutting state spending is going to get you back to work? Would you rather put your faith in a governor who sees hope and a brighter future, or do you choose a candidate who sees government as purely numbers and believes Massachusetts is on the conveyor belt to economic hell?

8 - The debate was moved to avoid conflicting with tonight’s opening game of the Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat. Smart move. If the debate had been on opposite the Celtics, very few, including your humble servant, would have watched it live. Let’s hope the C’s have a better night than Charlie Gibson.