Friday, October 25, 2002
Debate and election tidbits: Watched a repeat of the gubernatorial debate this morning on NECN. Quick observations: Carla Howell and Barbara Johnson are indeed "kooks," especially Johnson. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to exclude them from previous debates. Mitt took every opportunity to go after Shannon, but I didn't think he was all that effective. He seemed to be trying too hard. His closing statement started off strong (i.e. about what he stood for), but veered into an attack on bilingual education and Shannon's position on Question 2. Leaving one to wonder: Huh? Shannon was Shannon: Relentlessly on message, thrown a little off script now and then by Mitt. Her closing statement was rote nonsense. Jill Stein: Overrated. Chet Curtis: As moderator, he handled the kooky Barbara Johnson quite well. ...
For those who want a recap, check out this overview piece; this Herald analysis; Joan Vennochi’s version; and Derrick Jackson’s report. I thought Derrick got off the best line by far, referring to Mitt and Shannon as “Mitt O’Brien” and “Shannon Romney,” respectively. Yep, that pretty much sums up the (non)differences some of us have noticed too. ... Note: Both Joan and Derrick say nice things about Jill Stein’s performance. Don’t discount the Green vote in two weeks.
But the best column of the morning goes to Brian McGrory, who’s been on a roll lately. Earlier this month, McGrory followed Mitt around and stumbled upon the now famous Cannoli Incident, proving beyond doubt Mitt is a nitwit. This week, McGrory followed Shannon around and found out she’s a robot. Here’s McGrory’s account of Shannon giving a speech to a friendly rally: “Then she goes in for the kill: 'I'm running for governor of Massachusetts because I want to do the same thing for the’ - and she looks down at her text - ‘the workers of the state.’ After that, she's not just glancing down, she's outright reading, saying, ‘In an uncertain economy, people are worried about themselves and their families ...’” ... (Ah, Shannon’s new campaign slogan: “For the workers of the state!” Yes, the hacks will get the message.) ... But McGrory wasn’t through. Here’s his open appeal to O’Brien: “Romney has shown himself to be a leaden campaigner pushing porous ideas, though less so in recent days. The thousands of people -- myself included -- who once viewed him as an agent of change are now waiting for you (O’Brien) to lure them back into the progressive fold. But they need a reason that you've yet to give them.” ... McGrory on a roll, indeed.
For those who want a recap, check out this overview piece; this Herald analysis; Joan Vennochi’s version; and Derrick Jackson’s report. I thought Derrick got off the best line by far, referring to Mitt and Shannon as “Mitt O’Brien” and “Shannon Romney,” respectively. Yep, that pretty much sums up the (non)differences some of us have noticed too. ... Note: Both Joan and Derrick say nice things about Jill Stein’s performance. Don’t discount the Green vote in two weeks.
But the best column of the morning goes to Brian McGrory, who’s been on a roll lately. Earlier this month, McGrory followed Mitt around and stumbled upon the now famous Cannoli Incident, proving beyond doubt Mitt is a nitwit. This week, McGrory followed Shannon around and found out she’s a robot. Here’s McGrory’s account of Shannon giving a speech to a friendly rally: “Then she goes in for the kill: 'I'm running for governor of Massachusetts because I want to do the same thing for the’ - and she looks down at her text - ‘the workers of the state.’ After that, she's not just glancing down, she's outright reading, saying, ‘In an uncertain economy, people are worried about themselves and their families ...’” ... (Ah, Shannon’s new campaign slogan: “For the workers of the state!” Yes, the hacks will get the message.) ... But McGrory wasn’t through. Here’s his open appeal to O’Brien: “Romney has shown himself to be a leaden campaigner pushing porous ideas, though less so in recent days. The thousands of people -- myself included -- who once viewed him as an agent of change are now waiting for you (O’Brien) to lure them back into the progressive fold. But they need a reason that you've yet to give them.” ... McGrory on a roll, indeed.
