Liveblogging the Smackdown!

Keller: Mihos strafed Romney at presser today, saying Romney’s been in the tank with Bechtel. Only problem is that this is coming from Christy.

David: Future of Matt Amorello? Romney will start proceedings to fire him, but after Mihos vs. Swift, what happens?

Reilly: Swift case was different. Romney wouldn’t have gone to SJC to get advisory opinion if 2002 JSC Mihos/Swift opinion had been clear on Amorello.

David: SJC said it’s not enough to say “I don’t like these guys” — have to show malfeasance. Can Romney make the case?

Keller: Reilly could be key player. This is first time he outright agreed with Romney that Amorello should go. That’s Amorello’s own lawyer. Not complying with document requests could be pretty serious.

Reilly: Gabrieli’s statement?

David: Mihos could have run for auditor. Why run for gov?

Keller: He could get a bounce out of this. God forbid there’s another problem. There’s talk about closing the tunnel for several days.

David: Can a Democrat win without rolling back the income tax to 5.0%?

Reilly: You mean can Patrick win? Failure to recognize that people get pissed off when they can’t roll back tax. Patrick keeps talking about property tax. Intellectually it’s defensible, but it says to voters, “No no, you don’t understand.”

Bob: Fatal issue?

Reilly: Kerry Healey will run ads, saying that he hadn’t ruled out raising income tax (RKO interview?). I think he was being painfully naive.

Keller: Fatal, maybe no. Question is whether he comes across as tax-and-spender — and he does. At least he’s honest — better than playing it both ways. Look at polls — Reilly’s strength is older voters and males, who tend to be anti-tax.

Charley: Is Patrick charismatic enough to overcome that?

Reilly: Patrick needs to tweak his script on taxes. The way he frames it needs work.

Keller: Silber never led in 1990, but he was hitting hot-buttons. “Welfare rolls” was dress rehearsal for immigration.

Charley: Is Healey hitting that hot-button?

Keller: Healey is really bland. What is she doing well? I went to her pension reform rollout; she did forced march through script, she doesn’t read well, no passion. You need to whip her with a bullwhip to get her passionate about something.

In fairnes, she’s articulate, knows her stuff, Reed Hillman can’t get a word in edgewise. Hopefully for her this is spring training.

Reilly: Off the record, I found her very likeable, not brittle or boring. You get the sense these days she’s hewing very closely to the script. I wonder if she’s being overmanaged.

Keller: Yeah, she kind of freezes up on camera. She’s gotten somewhat better. She’ll be no shrinking violet come the debates. She tore Gabrieli a new one.

Reilly: Where did she draw blood?

Keller: AMG — she started in on Gabrieli’s business. She had him back on his heels.

David: Patrick’s got to explain better how he’s going to get people property tax relief, like Schweitzer in MT. Could give some directly back to the taxpayer.

Keller: Mihos has had cleverest idea: waive all activity fee for public schools. That’s a terrific idea. It amounts to a tax cut, hits people where they live.

David: Where does that tax cut come from?

Keller: Mihos would pay for it coming out of local aid. Politically catchy.

David: Immigration — you’d think this was super-hot topic nationally and locally. Yet, in SHNS poll, wasn’t a big issue. Overblown?

Keller: Talk radio can be very revealing. Howie, Michael Graham wouldn’t be hammering away if it wasn’t good for ratings. Says to me there’s a signficant slice of population — in Milford, Quincy, Sandwich — that have been affected by baggage from immigration. If you don’t live there, you don’t care. But if it’s next door, then it’s #1. But it’s very un-PC.

Reilly: Look at how Dems are rushing to look tough on immigration. But it’s a loser for them. Healey’s anti-immigrant shtick would be helped if there were some tragedy involving an illegal immigrant. Could get tremendous emotional resonance. Listening to morning radio — what about immunizations, etc.

Keller: (imitating Clinton) “Everybody’s gotta play by the rules.”

David: Phoenix called Reilly “Jim Crow” apologist, I called it a disgrace.

Reilly: If there were a popular vote, and if voters approved full marriage rights, that would be a PR coup. But that being said, if you imagine yourself as a gay or lesbian, you can appreciate how raw the emotion is. Former co-worker here is in that position. Hypothetical: What degree of risk would you accept if you knew that if it went to ballot, people would reject gay marriage? Would you be less emphatic?

David: Kind of an unfair question…

Bob: It’s a smackdown!

David: Well, my brother is gay, and it affects my family. Not just an academic question. But if I knew that people would approve … I have a hard time advocating that the lege disregard a plain duty in the constitution. Slippery slope.

Keller: As you watch the hard right take over the

Supreme Court, do you want to live in society where balance of power is so skewed? I take your point, Adam — Who am I to go to Foxwoods and bet someone else’s marriage? I’m a supporter of gay marriage, in spite of the havoc it’s wreaked on my marriage (laughter). Two pain-free years have convinced most people that it’s OK. Defang the homophobes by taking away their only remotely reasonable argument. If voters validate it — even through representatives — that’s all.

Reilly: What about Brown vs. Board of Ed? Would desegregation have happened if put up to ballot?

Charley and Bob: Civil Rights Laws of 64-65.

David: Health care: What happens when middle-class folks get socked with personal mandate $$$$?

Reilly: Why don’t you answer it first? My eyes glaze over.

Keller: Whole thing smells like a sham. Romney used health care for national platform.

Reilly: Dems are really suckers for going along with Romney’s photo-op.