Jasper White, average voter and max’ed out contributor to the Healey campaign, courtesy of OCPF:
01/31/2006 White, Jasper 45 Stonehedge Road Lincoln, MA 01773 $500.00 Chef-Restaurateur Jasper White, Inc. Healey, Kerry Murphy
Please share widely!
Reality-based commentary on politics.
Yeah. This was supposed to be a slow pitch (pun intended) evening for Healey to destroy the others. She had Wallace, Shonda, Jasper, backed by the Fox and the Herald. It was a perfect set up for her and she failed. If that is the best she can do she is done. I wonder how badly she will be in a fair fight where she is not being given the night on a silver platter.
I didn’t know fishing was such a hot issue in the governor’s race. However, it appears that Kerry Healey did, as she seemed to have a nicely rehearsed answer to Jasper White’s question.
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very FISHY debate questions!
…but I don’t think she handled it as well as Deval.
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The inside story (I think): One of Healey’s earliest supporters was John Bell, the Democratic Mayor of Gloucester. Fishing is a big deal down here (even though it accounts directly for only 7% of the city’s economy and 15% indirectly, although, my numbers may be a bit out of date). Anyway, I think that this was a way to try and get a fishing question in to the mix. The problem I see is that the question went over the heads of 99.99999999999% of the population. Very few people in Gloucester are even aware of how the fishing regulations impact fishermen. If that was her best shot she’s pretty pathetic. Wow, she does know a lot about fishing, I think I’ll vote for her. Who cares that she has no real world experience and has essentially done nothing with that spiffy Harvard degree she has.
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I think Deval and to some extent Ross did well with the question, especially Deval’s points about the LNG hook-up proposed right off the coast of Gloucester AND the fact that a lot of fishermen have substance abuse problems and the need for treatment on demand.
There was no good reason to bring up drug abuse in a discussion of the fishing industry. I thought it was a bit insulting to fishermen.
but drug abuse is a huge problem, as anybody who lives in a fishing community could tell you. Gloucester still maintains it “title” of having the highest per capita heroine addiction rate on the eastern sea board. We need treatment on demand. So anybody who says you should not mention the problem…well, I’ll refer you to Mihos’ commercial.
Living down on the Cape, I have seen several bumper stickers that say-
Chatham- a quaint drinking town with a fishing problem.
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The Cape ranks below state and national averages in binge drinking, but above both in heavy drinking.
…but I have family members in the fishing industry. I think I can say my experience is first hand. To say that there is not a substance abuse problem, NOT WITH ALL FISHERMEN, but with a significant number in the fishing industry, is to ignore reality. Why would a call for treatment on demand be a bad thing?
Still behind the subscriber wall, but pollster.com says it’s 57 Patrick, 24 Healey.
I have yet to see a poll with Healey at 30 or over.