Saturday, September 23, 2006

Healey: Know When to Shut Up

Okay, let's get it straight. One candidate for governor figures she'll try over two continuous days to demand that the other side rework its party personnel. Hmm.

We tried to ignore Republican Kerry Thin-Résumé Healey's call for the ouster of Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Phil Johnston. However, she apparently has never learned a lesson most of us pick up around three or six -- know when to shut up.

Following Healey's anti-immigrant rants, Johnston said:
I think the language that she's using borders on race baiting, and I think that's fear-mongering of the worst sort, and I think she ought to stop it and she should not run a campaign that plays to the worst instincts in people.
That's reminiscent of the Monty Python routine about the camel spotter in England. "How many camels have you seen?" "Nearly...one."

This promises to be a down and dirty six weeks plus of campaign. Johnston's calling Healey, well, sort of calling her, was pretty mild. Yet, she couldn't attribute that to Democratic candidate Deval Patrick.

She decided not to take the defensive. Heimmigrationon ploys are in fact aimed at people of color, even if she just uses the term immigrant without discussing their heritage and DNA. Word on the street is like in Texas with Mexicans, they come here to take our jobs and line up for welfare. That plays well in Republican political circles. So what?

What's odd here is that Healey figures she'll go on the attack yet again. Repeatedly, she demanded that Patrick call for the ouster, and of course, the subsequent restructuring of the party in the end game of a big campaign. She never discussed the underlying issues, just smeared Johnston.

Well Patrick laughed and said Johnston spoke for himself. Johnston apologized, but we're not sure for what -- nearly saying she was a race-baiter? Nearly one melanin-challenged race baiter.

Race is an underlying issue in this contest, as is class, as is gender. Everyone, his sister, nephew and daughter-in-law has to note that Patrick will be the first African-American or Healey will be the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts. You don't suppose this paragon of liberalism has voters who have held down the two sets they represent, do you? You don't suppose Massachusetts is long overdue to choosing the best candidate, regardless of skin color or chromosomes?

Healey needs to cut the crap. She may appeal to the voters she has sewn up with such drama-queen tricks. I don't see her making any headway with that 49% unenrolled with this. If she wants to play xenophobic to the detriment of children, she can expect to get called on it.

We can only hope when her ex-cop running mate and Republican party functionaries step up her already sneaky, nasty campaigns that Patrick doesn't try to meddle in the campaign organization. That's really not within her power. She has to learn when to make a point and move on.

Kindergarten is over.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

He laughed. Wasn't that just the best?

Another one of those, 'we have had enough of that!' moments.

That first debate will be interesting as she hurls all the sh*t she can hold in her delicate hands, and he responds to her like she is a 2 year-old having a tantrum.

Romney never treated her like she was a grown-up, so why should Deval Patrick?
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