The funniest thing about lieutenant governor races is that candidates
don't have their own placards. Instead, their name is a footnote on
lawn signs and literature, a metaphor that hardly needs further
explanation. Nonetheless, the massive function room at Suffolk Law
School's Sargent Hall was jammed for today's debate, and, judging
from the high interest level, that might have even been the case had
organizers not provided box lunches.
At
least two sidekick hopefuls are more likeable than their
running-mates. State Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei – if you
can stretch your brain around the whole gay Republican thing – is
way cooler than Charlie Baker. Similarly; unlike his partner Tim
Cahill, who, in Tuesday's headline debate crudely proposed to handle
immigration with Arizona vigilance, former Republican state lawmaker
and independent candidate Paul Loscocco enlightened without pandering
to Tea Party bigots.
Standing
Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray was no slouch. His “Mass is number
one” in everything from ice cream to education schtick is
convincing – so much, in theory, that the Republicans should maybe
reconsider their “vote for the incumbents if you're pleased”
pitch. Sadly, the same can't be said for Green-Rainbow nominee Rick
Purcell. I'm a perennial third party supporter, but Purcell's lack of
relevant experience, ill preparation, and inattention to detail
reflect awfully on long-shot Jill Stein.
If the
mission in a wing-man debate is to clearly trumpet your
running-mate's goals and accomplishments, then Murray and Tisei more
or less tied. As Purcell noted, virtually all of their exchanges
echoed to the note those of their co-conspirators: Murray smacked
Tisei about Baker's shameful Big Dig and Harvard-Pilgrim
affiliations, while Tisei shot back about Democratic tax hikes, even
throwing in an RMV jab as the bell sounded between rounds.
But if
the point of such a showdown is to enhance the ticket, then Loscocco
dominated. From his sincere intro to his gracious closer, the
independent candidate addressed the roots of problems – such as
linking unemployment to healthcare costs – and made his opponents
look foolish in the process. Murray also scored, both with ideas and
specifics, delivering a well-calculated job creation anecdote about
his administration's support of the Winchendon-based sports equipment
manufacturer Mylec.
The
only real embarrassing moment for Murray and Tisei – aside from
when Purcell essentially called them both whores, but “good guys”
regardless – came when moderator Craig Sandler asked each candidate
to name an opponent's policy that they admire. Tisei couldn't conjure
one thing that impressed him, while Murray hastily applauded Baker's
pension cap proposal, but quickly noted that it was really his idea.
(Murray also refused to acknowledge a single issue on which he
disagrees with the governor.)
All
around, the joust was entertaining and even somewhat revealing. All
four candidates seemed passionate, and, in comparison with the
performance of their running-mates, they sounded relatively
unscripted. This is great news for commonwealth residents who
reluctantly prayed for Mitt Romney's health out of fear that
sub-human Kerry Healey might have to govern. It's morbid to imagine
death becoming our elected leader, but it's also a concern to be
considered in November.
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