… because you might get it. Kerry Healey’s now got ads out attacking Chris Gabrieli — doubtless because they fear him the most in the general election. What other possible reason could there be for running ads against only one of the Dem candidates?
She should be careful about that. Sure, polls do indeed say that Gabrieli has the widest lead vs. Healey. But we’re still eight weeks from the November election — a lot can happen. As David points out, the “electability” issue is really a wash.
Healey’s camp can’t actually know that Patrick would be easy pickin’s; it’s that superfically, he looks like the kind of candidate they already know how to fight: Taxes, taxes, taxes. This is not mysterious.
But we’re seeing in the polls that Gabrieli’s positioning and money are not guaranteeing a walk in the primaries. And they wouldn’t guarantee anything like that in the general election either. You can be an absolute saint and genius, but any political strategist worth his salt will find some sludge to sling at you. Healey’s got immense amounts of money to spend for that.
But I’m convinced that Patrick’s charisma is the trump card in this race. Patrick has addressed the tax issue head-on for months, even addressing it in a widely-admired and effective ad. And charisma can get you enough money to stay present on the airwaves. Patrick will get badly outspent, but he won’t get badly out-messaged.
So let’s not confuse the supposed comfort level of Healey’s advisors with their opponents’ actual electoral chances. They don’t know any better than the rest of us.
coastal-dem says
There is NO other reason she would be going after Chris and Chris alone if that were not the case.
lolorb says
it’s a blatant effort to show that Gabs is the Dem Healey’s consultants want to go up against. Gabs already lost a race to their meme. Maybe they want to repeat history.
politicaljunkie says
Healey running ads against Chris makes total sense:
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1. It helps Deval, and it is widely known that Healey wants Deval to be the nominee because her camp thinks that it will be easy for her to differentiate herself from him – much more so than if one of the other two candidates were to win the nomination.
2. If Chris does end up pulling it out and becoming the nominee, she has already spent time weakening him, so he shows up for the general with a few extra bumps and bruises.
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She has the best of both worlds. Very smart of her. The one thing this move really does show is that she is convinced that Reilly won’t be the nominee.
johnmurphylaw says
I just saw Healey’s ad. She ends with a tag line that describes Gabrieli as a “Beacon Hill insider”. THAT’S why she went after him first, because she has some great mud to sling at him. He IS a Beacon Hill insider, or at least the tool of the insiders.
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If you don’t think she’ll keep hitting this point if Gabrieli wins, you don’t understand the current political climate. Voters in Massachusetts are fed up with Beacon Hill and politics as usual. That’s why Deval Patrick is the best candidate in the primary or the general election.
charley-on-the-mta says
The Lieutenant Governor, of course, is no such “Beacon Hill insider”. In fact, she’s hardly ever seen on Beacon Hill at all.
peter-porcupine says
MITT is the gadabout – she’s there most of the time.
charley-on-the-mta says
aside from the Forrest Gump appearances, where is she? Mitt’s pretty much kept her in the closet.
progressiveman says
charisma. Healy only has the hope to differentiate herself from Deval. He has to start saying something that shows he understands their struggles and concerns. Not everyone is going to be a partner in a big downtown law firm.
strid8 says
Deval has done it all.