Post-Patrick Panic Pending?

Lest Dems delude themselves about a monolithic, progressive Black electorate, Devon Tucker is out there to clarify another view. He and we read the same Bay State Banner on Deval Patrick's recent Boston rally and the Roving Camera question about his chances.

Note: These are not permalinks and die in a week. Then, find them in the archives off the front page.

Tucker is Black, 28 and out there. His first purpose for being on Friendster is Dating women. We think his blog is sincere. Then, does he represent a strong component of Massachusetts voters, at least of his race and age?

His very conservative blog posts on Patrick fascinate in several ways. We progressive sorts can cocoon. Deval's programs are so obviously, to us, therapy and treatment for over a decade of a do-nothing legislature and destructive Republican governors who push the tax burdens on towns and counties, simultaneously making public education and the commonweal suffer, while driving business out of state.

Whew, and for something completely different, consider Tucker's conclusion that Patrick is so extremely left that were he to win, this "would spark a mass exodus from Massachusetts." He writes that this would not be White flight, rather conservatives and independents fleeing like Okies from the Dust Bowl. He states in bold type:

In short, the government of Massachusetts, under the stewardship of Deval Patrick, will for all intents and purposes declare that anyone who is not a dyed-in-the-wool left-winger can go straight to hell.

Don't let yourself revel in the idea of a state abandoned by the right wingers, at least not too long.

Tucker also finds great meaning in the Banner's folk-on-the-street feature (see the content below to the question on Patrick's chances in the election). He picks three figures they are indicative of his broader conclusion that it is not Black voters who support Patrick, rather "leftwing whites, motivated by either 'white guilt' or a desire to see someone more liberal than Tom Reilly as the Democratic standard bearer." He figures Black cynicism "has already doomed his campaign in the eyes of the folks who should admire him most."

As nearly all these surprise-plain-people-with-dumbass-question columns are, this one is early and meaningless. You can see below that it would be easy to draw many different conclusions from this one. Yet, a valid question, as when JFK ran for president, can be, are the voters ready?

Still Tucker is splash of spring water. He is a conservative cynic himself. Like many undecided of all stripes, he'd need to see a strong showing at the DP convention as well as a victory in the primary to confess to his hopes.

Now you can go back to his Henny Penny vision of post-Patrick panic. Wagon trains of Republicans with their bags of gems and gold bars, rolling, rolling, rolling to Idaho would surely follow.

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I'’d say his chances are 45 percent. I'’m not sure if Massachusetts is ready for its first African American governor.	Mercedes James Financial Analyst Stoughton
He has a very good chance because he has put together a solid organization that has been able to capitalize on issues that affect the entire Commonwealth.	James Dilday Attorney Boston
Is that the brother? I don'’t know what his chances are but I'’m voting for him. And IÂ’m telling my daughter to do the same.	Laverne Krieche Post Office Clerk Stoughton
Considering the state that we live in, I think his chances are pretty slim. The state hasn'’t changed much when it comes to race relations.	Karen Guy Accountant Mansfield
Who? I've never heard of him.	Kenny Griswold Postal Worker Boston
He is a political outsider and will have a very difficult time to get the backing he needs from the democratic political machine. I don'’t think he has statewide political clout.	Subrina Wood CPA Cambridge