Friendly advice

Published May 19 2006, 03:03 PM by Adam Reilly

There's already a ton of good commentary on last night's gov debate at the Kennedy School--I recommend the postings at Blue Mass Group and .08 Acres, as well as this write-up by the Globe's Lisa Wangsness, who nails the weirdness of Christy Mihos's presentation.

That said, in the spirit of Dan Payne and Wayne Woodlief, I'd like to offer everyone but Kerry Healey some unsolicited suggestions for the next time they rumble, heavy on the superficial but with an occasional bit of substance.

Christy Mihos: Expand your range--nobody likes tolls and taxes, but you talk about them way, way too much. Cross your legs. Don't look at the camera when you're talking. Don't praise Mitt Romney's disaster management skills. Skip the tanning booth next time. See Suggestion 2 for Reilly, below.

Tom Reilly: Don't dodge questions so much. Sometimes it's OK not to smile. Don't tell Massachusetts voters we can just build LNG facilities somewhere else in New England. The word "ideas" is pronounced like this: "Eye-DEE-uhs." When the next debate ends, count to three before getting out of your chair.

Deval Patrick: Repeat after me: "I am the only candidate who supports the wind farm in Nantucket Sound." Relax a bit--you're a much better speaker than your stage mates last night, but that didn't come through on TV.

Chris Gabrieli: See Suggestion 1 for Mihos, above. You love stem-cell research! We get it!!! Finally, you're better than any other Democrat at highlighting the downside of the Governor v. Legislature dynamic the GOP keeps running on. Mention it every single chance you get.