Now lets all calm down…what the Repubs and Talkies are doing in their exploitation of the Laguer issue should be no surprise. The Repubs are loosing and when they are loosing they hit below the belt… what else is new? If they were not yelling about the Leguer issue they would have found something else to panic and frighten voters with. These cheap shots are to be expected and the rational, calm but firm explanation is the strong leaders proper response. Remember, the Repubs and talkies feed on panic and fright and its important, if not essential, for the Dems not to take the bait and sink to their level. Also, panic attacks such as the Leguer furor will irritate and turn off as many or more voters as it frightens into voting not for Patrick and Murray. Many voters will see this for what it is and will be turned off by irrational scare tactics from the Right – remember this is Massachusetts not …
I would suggest:
1. Don’t forget and please do point out that what Patrick and Silber and many others were doing was supporting Leguer’s and everyones right to fair legal process and the precious right to a proper jury trial – a right that goes back over 700 years and one of the main rights for which we fought the Great Revolution in 1776. Even if you disagree with Patrick’s actions and positions on this issue – he did no wrong and should not be shy about it or be defensive about it. As a well trained lawyer he was concerned about what all lawyers should be concerned about – proper judicial and legal proceedings for all citizens.
2. Tacticallly, time to rollout Murray on this issue. Murray speaks well and has made an effective point in his ads and speeches on how the Romney-Healy administration has removed over 500 cops from our streets. As a Mayor he can speak convincingly and with passion and expereince on how Romney-Healy have been actually weak and indifferent on the so called “crime and safety” issue. Minds well have Murray slam Hillman on the favors he has tried to get for his crony criminals while he’s at it. Let Murray lead with some toughness – he can handle it and if he wants to be Lt. Governor he needs to do it. Use him – thats what he’s there for.
3. Again, don’t over react on this issue – its what the Repubs want – its their “game” – Patrick is better than this. Relax…breathe….
Except the other problem that seems to be growing in significance is the mis-statments that the Patrick campaign has made about Deval Patrick’s involvement. They need to get the facts straight. He needs to make a strong statement about why he forgot the contribution he made and the number of years it has been since he was involved. I think they have been afraid of this story for ridiculous reasons and, therefore, have flubbed it. Now they need to deal with it. And they need to deal with it in the honest, open way that Deval Patrick has been dealing with the public for the past year and a half.
I’m not hitting the panic button, but now it is a two day story with the donation for the DNA test. This story will live for AT LEAST another news day and will certainly live in Healey ads for a good week or so.
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We have a fire. Time to put it out. And if the fire can’t be fully extinguished, let’s create a “controlled burn” and light a couple of other fires for Healey to deal with. There is plenty of material (like your point with the 500 laid off cops) to start Healey fires. Let’s do it.
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You dont win elections by sitting on leads 4 weeks out.
The LaGuer issue is that bad because of the mixed messages Deval is sending. They should have known this was coming and have been better prepared for it. They keep changing the facts – looks very bad. Is anyone surprised that Healey has borrowed Karl Rove’s playbook? The LaGuer story and unimpressive ads by Deval are not helping. His ads all sound alike and are putting people to sleep. Being Mr. Nice Guy is not working right now. It gives the impression that Deval doesn’t fight back. He looks weak.
This is brilliant. There is a problem with the Deval response, and that needs to be fixed immediately. We can’t let Kerry Muffy Healey define Deval, so we need to get a little more aggressive.
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Tim Murray is the ace in the hole. I would flood the air with Tim Murray in front of a police station in Worcester, or Leominster, or Gloucester, or wherever it will gain traction. He can talk about the cuts to police, and the results. Someone told me that Stoneham has only one car out on the overnights. Find the police staffing horror stories and tie them to the local aid cuts.
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Romney-Healey is soft on crime. Leguer won’t impact my life, but the reduced police staffing could very well put me and my family in jeopardy.
Pericles right that this will blow over.
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If it wasn’t Laguer, it’d be something else, and the voters who get peeled off by this ad would have been peeled off by a different one. If DP’s campaign answered right first time, this wouldn’t even be a BMG thread…but mistakes will be made, and this mistake was fairly small.
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Swift Boat attacked very foundation of Kerry’s bio appeal – heroic military service. Not true here.
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Roll out Tim Murray ads? Candidate is attacked, and you try to show that LG is somehow strong? Seems counterproductive. DP stand tall, that’s it.
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I wonder what Healey’s next move is. She’s so far behind, not that many moves to make. As Frank S. says, maybe one more day of news cycle on this, and then she rolls out next ad manana, a new wrinkle in her theme, finding some issue to amplify her message of Patrick = far left.
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But her team seems lethargic.
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Big Picture remains that Healey can’t gain traction with Christy “George Hamilton” Mihos in there.
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I wonder what next move is for Laguer. Temporary spotlight. What would you do?
I know he’s been silent for a while, but he seems like the best person to keep the heat on Healey for her association with the cop-killer. Deval should put himself above the fray and let the pit-bull do his thing.