So, why can't Mass elect a Dem governor?

[curse10]

We were just talking about this at the Boston gathering on Saturday. And, lo and behold, the globe puts an article out!

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2003/11/02/why_cant_the_bay_state_elect_a_democratic_governor/

"IT'S MASSACHUSETTS'S LONGEST-running mystery. The Democratic Party dominates all levels of state politics -- from state representative to US senator -- but cannot capture the State House corner office. A year after losing their fourth consecutive gubernatorial election, Democrats are still asking themselves: Why?

Elaine Kamarck, a lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a former domestic policy adviser to Al Gore, seeks to answer the question in an article published in the summer 2003 issue of CommonWealth magazine. Examining Election Day exit polls from the last 12 years, she found that independents were most likely to split their tickets when voting for governor and president.

But the bigger news was the impact of the state's changing demographic makeup. Kamarck found that Democratic candidates, both state and national, fare best at the lower end of the income distribution (with voters from households earning less than $75,000 annually) and at the top of the educational spectrum (voters with masters' degrees and doctorates).

That's a problem for Democrats. People with advanced degrees may constitute the fastest-growing portion of the state's population, but it is still the smallest portion. And on the income side, the news for Democrats is even worse: The under-$50,000 bracket, where Democrats do best, shrank from 64 percent of the electorate in 1992 to 37 percent in 2000." <snip>

It just doesn't really make any sense- supposedly one of the most liberal states in the nation and we can't even get the top state official from our party! Since I just moved here I'm not completely hip to local politics, did we run a bunch of losers against the repugs here?

[blm]

1. I heard it's just the underlying fairness of Mass. citizenry.

Many don't like to be pigeonholed as anything and bend over backward to be evenhamded.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. I think Repukes are Elected to Balance the Finnerans and Bulgers

of the Mass. Legislature. The Governor is in effect a figurehead here in Mass-Finneran is the most powerful guy in the state. The same was true during the Weld/Cellucci/Swift administrations.

Romney also ran a nasty campaign against Shannon O'Brien, complete with sexist language and mudslinging. He is much more conservative than our previous RINO governors, and an asshole to boot.

[welshTerrier2]

3. Right on the Money as Usual

that's exactly the problem ...

democrats keep running either lightweights like Mark Roosevelt or they run people who are very "on the inside" ... this doesn't sit well because of the stranglehold that Finneran (a democrat for you non-Mass people) has on the legislature ...

i'm afraid voters are seeking a system of checks and balances ...

if we really wanted a democratic governor, we should give some thought to a marty meehan or maybe a barney frank ... i'd actually like to see barney run ... he'd make watching the local news fun again ...

ultimately, I see Finneran as the main obstacle ...

[seaglass]

4. Marty Meehan was going to run for governor but Finneran

threatened him with eliminating his district, so he decided against it.

[Forkboy]

5. Chris Matthews would shit

if he saw the "hardball" that get's played here in Mass :)

[bicentennial_baby]

6. You're in MA?

I had no idea! Well here's a big shout out for my fellow Masshole Forkboy!

[Forkboy]

7. Well blow me down!

Up in Fitchburg...home to many potholes :)

Great emoticon btw!!

[creativelcro]

8. Look....

MA needs some more Republicans. I'm not a republican myself, but the old guard democrats are totally corrupt around here... It's totally incestouous... They need to get scared a little... Sorry, I just see waste left and right... And then complaints that there is a budget problem... -C

[bicentennial_baby]

9. I'm in Greenfield

Otherwise known as the crossroads of Rt 2 and 91, cause that's about all there is in this crappy town.

Btw, the emoticon is from this great site:

http://www.emoticons4u.com/index.htm