One key to this election -- Mass. is basically liberal and our GOP is not seen as "all that bad"

Armstead

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Mon Jan-18-10 01:14 PM
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One key to this election -- Mass. is basically liberal and our GOP is not seen as "all that bad"

Edited on Mon Jan-18-10 01:31 PM by Armstead

There is something that helps to explain why a Republican like Scott Brown is doing so well in a "blue" state like Massachusetts.

We tend to give Republicans more benefit of the doubt.

His image was pretty good in the earlier stages of all this, because we don't have the knee-jerk reaction against Republicans that exists in states where the partisan and ideological lines are more clearly drawn. He may be a right-wingnut, but in building his image statewide, he benefited from our state's tradition of Reasonable Republicans.

Republicans here tend to be more liberal than the national norm. They are generally reasonable, middle-of the road and open to liberal solutions as appropriate. That applies both on the level of politicians and on the ground. Our GOP Governors have tended to be bland and reasonable. (Yes Romney was a horrorshow. BUT to win in Massachusetts, he had to change his spots and run as a moderate and play ball with Democrats.)

Massachusetts IS basically a liberal state. Unlike some other parts of the country, the default political position here is liberal on most issues....Not that we are a bunch of rabid ideologues, but because liberalism is accepted as the pragmatic ideology of basic decency and common sense.

HOWEVER, that should not be confused with partisan. The liberalism here is not automatically associated with being a Democrat. Traditionally, the GOP versus Democrat battle line has been much less stark than it is nationally. And many people are independents, even if they are basically liberal.

The Democratic Party here is so entrenched that it is often seen as a corrupt political machine. We love our Democratic politicians like the Kennedys and often our local Congresspeople. But the party overall and Boston is seen as Boss Tweed -- and politicians often get themselves into hot water to reinforce that stereotype. (There is also a large gap between eastern Massachusetts and western Massachusetts, which is sometimes treated as the neglected stepchild by Boston.)

ALSO, the downside of liberalism -- higher taxes, more regulation -- tends to be more evident here because liberalism is the way things are done here. In other words, we don't have the knee-jerk fear of "socialism" that conservatives often confuse with liberalism. But instead of philosophical objections, but we do get pissed off at specifics when politicians recklessly raise our taxes or tighten regulations excessively.

People in Massachusetts also have an ornery, rebellious streak. So, if the Democratic powers-that-be seem to be overstepping the bounds, voters here will send a message. A Republican vote is not seen in the same way as it is other parts of the country, because we don't see it as voting against "those awful liberal heathens."

Scott Brown benefited from this. Because he was largely unknown, he had the image of being a basically reasonable guy rather than a crazed "teabagger." Coakley is seen as a business-as-usual Democrat. So independents may be tempted to send a message with Brown, rather than seeing it as supporting the GOP Right Wing Agenda.

Hopefully, enough Democrats will get scared of the real national implications of the possibility of Brown in the Senate that they will come out in enough numbers to push Coakley over the top.

However, to understand this race, it's important to see it in the unique context of Massachusetts politics and values.