I may be from the South Shore, but I also like to see what papers/people in other parts of the state are saying. I thought this might be of interest (pasted below).
Reillys great deflate
AGs performance may have lost him the game
Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, who desperately needed to retake ground he has lost to Democratic rivals Christopher Gabrieli and Deval Patrick, left the podium after Thursdays gubernatorial debate even farther behind.
Mr. Reillys first misstep occurred early when he ignored the opening question about taxes. Instead, he charged that Mr. Gabrielis campaign manager had leaked information alleging that Mr. Reilly, contrary to what he had indicated at the time, knew about the financial problems of state Rep. Marie J. St. Fleur even before he announced she would be his running mate. Instead of projecting prosecutorial aggressiveness, he only succeeded in reminding people of his political gaffe. If he intended to impugn Mr. Gabrielis integrity, he failed badly.
The attorney generals stiff posture was in contrast to the confidence projected by the others.
Deval Patrick was eloquent and focused, although he was generally vague on specifics, such as how he would pay for the many new spending programs he has proposed. Throughout the debate he built on the image he has created in his ads, that of hope and a desire to show up and listen.
Mr. Gabrieli seemed to be appealing to moderate and conservative Democrats who are still on the fence and to unenrolled voters who outnumber registered Democrats and may well decide the partys nominee. He also seemed to be projecting beyond the Sept. 19 party primary, pushing on his campaign theme that he is a problem-solver who gets results.
Like Mr. Patrick, he proved to be an agile debater. He deflected a suggestion that he was trying to buy the nomination, for example, by saying that he is proud of his success and doesnt need the job, but rather wants to accomplish things for Massachusetts.
Just six months ago, Tom Reilly was in a race that seemed to be his to lose. Incredibly, with a week-and-a-half to go before the primary, the only seasoned politician of the group seems perilously close to doing just that.
