When the candidates at last week’s Herald/Fox25 gubernatorial debate were asked to name living political leaders they most would want to be, Deval Patrick named NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Democrat who became a Republican and then an Independent (and grabbed a third term by changing the city’s term-limit law, not exactly a good-government move).
Cahill, a Democrat posing as an Independent, chose a Republican as well, Bush I.
Baker chose Rudy Giuliani, a Democrat and Independent in the 1970s, and a Republican since the 1980s.
Well, there it is. There is little difference among the three of them, the party labels are meaningless. What’s important is that none of them want the voters to expect liberal or progressive agendas from them.
Deval said, as soon as he was elected in 2006, that the greatest misconception about him was that he was a liberal. It’s still the greatest misconception.
Even though he’s now plainly declared that he’d most want to be a politician who started as a Democrat, then saw the light and converted to become Republican — will that change the Deval devotees’ unwaivering loyalty? If not, what on earth would it take?
I think at this point Devalniks are being loyal to their self-blinding illusions.
From Tim as well (he should have gone with Bloomberg). I won’t read too much into this about Deval’s ideals, but rather about his unwillingness to lead his party by even mentioning a Democrat. If he’s too cowardly to name a current pol, Harry Truman is always a safe choice.
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p>I think this says more about his courage and political smarts than his ideology.
I can’t imagine Tim earns anything by naming Bush I. But Baker with Giulliani is just a safe answer. Alternatively, he could have gone with Reagan.
the question specified “living” politicians. That’s why they all had such a hard time with it.
My first answer would be, “Can you please repeat the question?”
To me it shows that there may be a glimmer of hope for working together to solve problems. I have more respect for all three of the answers given than I do for a lot of politicians, even if I don’t always, or even often, agree with them.
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p>I’m an unapologetic supporter of the Governor and not the least bit blind to a record that he has every right to be proud of in terms of moving this state in the right direction during difficult times.