As the Globe noted in its “Trail Report” today, Deval Patrick was in Pepperell this afternoon at a rainy fundraiser/meet ‘n’ greet. (The live band, which was the Globe piece’s main focus, was not really a factor, possibly because of the rain.) I was there, as were Lynne, Susan (who had to leave early so I didn’t get to see her), Rep. Mike Festa, Dick Howe, and many others (there were probably about 125 people).
I finally got to meet Patrick in person, and to re-introduce myself to his wife Diane, who I’m sure I met back in my Ropes & Gray days. And I heard the stump speech (again), which changes a bit every time. Maybe I hadn’t noticed it before, but I thought he articulated an important point really well, and maybe differently than he had before. He talked a bit about some policy points, and he noted that there are significant overlaps in the three candidates’ policy views (as well as some significant differences), and that each brings some good policy ideas to the table. But, he said, it’s really not just – or even primarily – about the policy. It’s really about changing our politics. If we don’t change the politics, he said, all the terrific policy ideas in the world won’t matter.
I think that’s right – and I suspect that the other two candidates would agree; they just have different ideas than Patrick about what it means to “change politics,” or about how you would go about doing that. Food for thought.
A couple of other observations from the event:
- Most frequently-spotted LG bumper sticker on the many cars I passed walking up from my distant parking spot: Andrea Silbert (who also got a nice write-up by Eileen McNamara today). Actually, I didn’t see any bumper stickers at all for either Goldberg or Murray, and I saw several for Silbert. Interesting.
- Most frequently-spotted car model on the walk from my parking spot: Toyota Prius. Sorry, but it’s true (for the record, I don’t drive a Prius). By the time I counted the fifth one, I was laughing out loud.
And I am not the only one. Deval may not be as totally liberal as his supporters appear to be, however, in life appearances are what people make judgments on. I think alot of people associate Deval with the Toyota Prius and all that goes with it. I, in full disclosure, am a Gabrieli supporter. I was however, with Deval up until the convention, and I cast my vote for Deval and rolled up my sleeves and went to work for Chris. There has been a lot of discussion on the moonbats (or something similar) and I think Devals supporters and there appearance to the general (non bmg reading population) could hurt him in the long run. Just an observation of mine that was confirmed by this post…
It’s getting to the point where when I see a Prius without a Deval Patrick sticker on it, it’s noteworthy.
My wife saw a Prius with a Healey sticker the other day!
It will also be the litmus test for voter apathy in this state. Will the more informed liberal Toyota Prius types who show up in Pepperell outnumber the other moderate apathetic Democratics on September 19? In my opinion the primary race so far has been a real yawner, which exacerbates voter apathy. All is to Patrick’s advantage because he could possibly steal the election for no other reason than lack of interest.
I didn’t count the Prius’ yesterday in Pepperell. Deval’s message is not just a liberal message. It’s a message that cuts across all party affiliations and philosophies. How do we make government work for everyone? How do we combat the cynicism of the general populace? As a local official, I’ve watched the corner office in the State House go to candidates more interested in their own political gains outside of Massachusetts than solving the problems of this state. The last candidate I was this excited about was the late Paul Tsongas when he first ran for US Senate and only 9% of the state (outside of Lowell) knew who he was. By the way, my car is a Subaru Baja. Onward to recapturing the corner office.
Bladerunner1
I was hoping to have a chance to meet your lovely wife. Not to mention just hang out with my pals, but a gal’s gotta do, what a gal’s gotta do. The Townsend Co-Coordinator and I had to blow out of the Pepperell event to help set up for the Fitchburg event. We had a really good turn-out for that as well which was great when you consider how rainy it was.
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Not surprising that you saw so many Andrea Silbert bumper stickers. Andrea was out early and often to the Pepperell neck of the woods (and as you know, I do mean woods!) and she keeps the momentum going with houseparties and networking gatherings in the area. Her supporters out this way are very active — she’s the only LG candidate canvassing this area, as far as I know.
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From all reports the Pepperell event was a huge success. Not even a little rain could dampen the enthusiasm. It was a great time, I just wished I had more time to hang out with everyone.
my lovely wife was not in attendance! đŸ˜‰