Somewhat belatedly, I finally got around to watching Chris Gabrieli’s latest TV ad. It starts out with Gabrieli intoning:
We can make college more affordable by making college savings tax deductible.
As he finishes that sentence, the words “New Ideas” flash across the screen.
Hmm. Hard to see how the idea of making college savings or tuition payments tax deductible qualifies as a “new idea.” There are oodles of college savings plans kicking around already that have various tax advantages, and the idea of tuition payments being tax deductible has been around for years. In fact, a limited tax deduction for college tuition already exists under state law. One assumes Gabs knows all that – maybe he wants to expand or refine existing programs? Hard to say, ’cause he doesn’t tell us.
He goes on to say that we should invest in stem cell research and in renewable energy projects. Sensible, but not exactly original, positions.
But really, none of my quibbling criticisms of the ad matters very much. What matters is a couple of things. First, Gabrieli looks and sounds better in this ad than in the previous ones – you can easily understand all his words, for one thing – so he may be getting the hang of it. Second is just the fact that the ad exists and is running on TV and the internet. Gabrieli is spending lots of money now to create and run TV ads, which can’t be giving Deval Patrick or Tom Reilly much comfort.
In other news, Patrick can’t be too psyched about the latest Suffolk University poll (already noted by our own MaverickDem):
Two Democrats would beat Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and unenrolled businessman Christy Mihos if the gubernatorial election were held today, a new Suffolk University poll finds, with Deval Patrick the odd man out. The poll found 35 percent of likely Democratic voters would lean toward Attorney General Thomas Reilly in a primary, 20 percent would select former corporate attorney and Justice Department official Patrick, and 15 percent would choose businessman and education think-tank founder Christopher Gabrieli, the race’s newest candidate. Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed were undecided. In the general election scenario, both Reilly and Gabrieli topped Healey, while Patrick trailed her, 28 percent to 26 percent, the first time the GOP nominee has edged Patrick in a hypothetical match-up. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.
Most polling is probably still in the “almost meaningless” phase, and we won’t know details about this one until tomorrow when the whole thing supposedly will be posted. Nonetheless, even if Patrick’s hypothetical loss to Healey is within the margin of error, it’s not what Patrick partisans are looking for.
with your read on the ad. Content-wise, it’s sort of underwhelming. But it presents a smart, affable guy who wants to problem-solve, not politick.
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Keller likes it a lot and thinks Reilly and Patrick ought to be concerned.
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For a fair number of voters, Gabrieli is the first candidate in the race, not the last.
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As for the poll, as meaningless as it may be, it further detracts from the perception of Deval’s momentum. I don’t want to pile on the Ameriquest stuff, but in terms of the convention, consider: this stuff isn’t going away, and without the bucks to mount a sustained media defense (and then to do it all over again against Healey), Patrick’s candidacy has to be considered vulnerable. I think all left-of-centers should want Gabrieli on the ballot, if for no other reason than as a Plan B. The primary campaign, whether Gabrieli is in it or not, will reveal how viable Deval’s candidacy is. If Deval fades, wouldn’t it be nice to have Gabrieli as an alternative? But it’s a Catch-22 for Deval’s supporters: Gabrieli takes primary votes from Deval; but without him in, as liberals, they’re putting all their chips on Deval.
… if we had instant runoff voting đŸ™‚
I’ve seen the ads on TV lately, and I like them OK, just like the impression Gabrieli. I’m mixed about wanting Gabrieli there strategically, though I think it wouldn’t be an issue if he’d got in earlier. So far, he primarily has been taking support from Reilly, but I think you are right, come September, Chris and Deval could split the middle and left, so possibly “spoiling” the race for the right to make Reilly the candidate. That said, a real fair electoral system (IRV) would make this debate moot and progressives and moderates could vote for either one and send they second choice to other. If the Dems want them all there, they’ll vote that way in June. A two-way race between Patrick and Gabrieli would be an ideal and constructive primary in my view.
…on the West Wing
Toby’s had some good ideas (mayn of them on the show have). When I saw Deval a couple weeks ago, I kept thinking of Toby’s line about “government should be a place for people to come together”. He never said the whole line, but similar language and ideas were there.
Yes, let’s all vote for John Kerry in the primary. Clearly, he’s the most electable candidate!
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There are some instances where voting for certain candidates who clearly aren’t going to win could be a bad idea. However, none of these 3 democrats fit into that catagory. Anyone with a “d” at this stage of the election-campaign can beat Healey.
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Vote for who you think will do the best, not for who you think can win… Reilly could end up being just like John Kerry in the campaign – and he’s already shown himself very able to shoot himself in the foot bigtime. But, again, I’m not voting for him because I don’t think he could beat Healey… I think he could… I’m just not voting for him because of his positions.
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Deval Patrick is right on the issues. He’s the person the vast majority of us on these blogs agree with – and he’s someone who a lot of the general population has really taken a liking to, including people who are moderates and often even Republicans. I think he can make this state work and get tough legislation passed. I think he is the only one clearly supporting renewable energy.
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I hate that stupid electability question, it’s utter nonsense and NEVER HELPS US WIN!
If you hit “reply” instead of “post a comment,” your comment will appear indented as a response to whichever comment you’re responding to. I can’t really tell whom or what you’re reacting to – my post didn’t talk about electability.
I am wasting no more time reading threads.
I believe at the end of this ad, Gabrieli says
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“I got a lot of great ideas, and I can’t wait to get started”
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I almost spit up my cherrios when I heard that.
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Can’t wait to get started huh? Good thing you came to this conclusion in the middle of March.
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Since his late candidacy is an issue for me, should Gabrieli make references to “getting started” or things like ” I have always had these great ideas”?
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Or maybe it is unavoidable, so it doesn’t matter. Thoughts?
“get started” as the governor of the Commonwealth.
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I’m a broken record on this topic, but it keeps coming up. I think the timing of Gabrieli’s entry is substantively irrelevant. The guy wants to be governor and believes he’s the best person for the job. And once he get on the ballot, it’s electorally irrelevant. For the vast majority of voters, the campaign is in the fall. Getting in in March is early. The main reason to have an issue about it is because it affects your preferred candidate’s prospects. There’s no way to publicly complain about it without sounding insecure.