Be Like Ted? Where?

Even more obnoxious than the Globe’s endless support for our corrupt ruling class is the occasional piece of Beltway-based punditry attempting to explain wacky Massachusetts politics to a befuddled country.

Here’s a typical example, where author E J Dionne bases his 2009 assessment on events of the 1950s:

Fall River, my home town in Massachusetts, has been a bastion of devotion to the Kennedy family since John F. Kennedy’s 1952 Senate race. We were so faithful that the turnout slogan in my dear city could well have been: “Vote for the Kennedy of your choice, but vote.” It’s like that in a lot of places around the state. A factory worker with no political credentials got elected state treasurer in 1954 just because his name happened to be John F. Kennedy. When that JFK later ran for governor, party leaders were so alarmed he might win that they put two other people named John Kennedy on the ballot just to split the Kennedy vote.

[...]

All the Democrats are running on a Be-Like-Ted ticket, but there are degrees of Ted-ness. The candidate embracing the Kennedy legacy most fiercely is Mike Capuano, a congressman whose district includes Cambridge and Somerville. He’s running as the liberal’s liberal, not a bad bet in Massachusetts and the best strategy for a man competing with a woman for progressive votes.

The woman to beat is Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who has the most statewide recognition. Having voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in last year’s presidential primary, Massachusetts may well be in the mood this year to break with its history of not electing women to the top state offices. Coakley is also a former prosecutor, and a law-and-order woman scrambles the stereotypes.

I’m not going to dispute his childhood memories, but Be-Like-Ted? Where? So far, haven’t seen a trace of this from any of the candidates. Left, right and center are all ticked off at the Kennedy family’s move to install one of Ted’s friends as temporary senator. In fact, the most lingering criticism is from the left!

Is Martha planning a Be-Like-Ted candidacy? Hell no, she’s running the other way. She’s not stupid and intends to win the race. The Kennedy era is over, despite the four month extension by decree.

This kind of story is EXACTLY why I truly believe Scott Brown (top image) can win this race, because no one believes it is possible.

A combination of low voter turnout, an unmotivated Democrat base and a furious “unenrolled” center and right that is bursting for an opportunity to express their anger means this will NOT be a cakewalk for Martha & friends.

Remember, unenrolled voters now make up the MAJORITY of the Bay State’s electorate. Brown must immediately reach out to them to win without appearing as Democrat-lite. Stress independence from both parties.

Democrats win races in Massachusetts primarily because they lack effective opponents. But that’s not the case this year and they are in much worse shape than anyone realizes.

Pole-y Moly, Howie!

Howie actually did hit a pole? I thought it was a joke.

Sure enough, The Globies are all over it, actually expecting Carr to return their phone calls!

Note the reference to basketcase Patches Kennedy’s mishaps:

Herald columnist Howie Carr is apparently OK after crashing his car into a telephone pole in Wellesley at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. According to police, the 57-year-old scribe and WRKO talk-show host was driving south on Wellesley Avenue, between Oakland and Forest streets, when his 2004 Acura crossed into the oncoming lane, hit a curb, and slammed into a telephone pole. Wellesley police Sgt. Marie Cleary said Carr refused medical treatment and the car had to be towed.

(The pole was split in half.) Carr, who likes to poke fun at driving mishaps involving the elderly and pol Patrick Kennedy, was cited for a marked-lane violation. “There were no signs of alcohol or anything suspicious of that nature,” Cleary told us yesterday. “It’s a windy road there. I’m not sure if he was distracted for a moment.” Cops couldn’t say if Carr was talking on a cellphone or texting at the time of the accident. The ‘RKO yakker did not a return a phone call yesterday.

That telephone pole was no match for Howie’s new hip! Believe me, it wasn’t the tin can he was driving that saved him, that’s for sure.

A 2004 Acura? Times must be tough in the Carr household.

On the West Coast, by the way, only gangbangers drive Acuras. Not the case here?

Carr image: Boston Herald

Martha’s Gals?

While I agree with WTKK’s Margery Eagan that Martha Coakley probably has the strongest chance of winning the Democratic Party’s US Senate primary, beyond that, the rest of her latest Herald column makes little sense.

Here’s Exhibit “A”:

Martha’s pros: Every local Democratic woman still steamed about Hillary’s defeat is ready to touch the third rail for Martha. Ellen Malcolm, president of national fund-raising juggernaut EMILY’s List, and Cambridge fund-raiser Barbara Lee are among a who’s who of heavy-hitters expected at a fund-raiser this week. Plus there’s unconfirmed reports from Beacon Hill that Senate President Therese Murray, a Martha supporter, will not be ’dissed again.

You may recall she about decapitated her male Democratic colleagues for supporting Obama over Hillary last year. Murray warned she was sick of stuffing envelopes and licking stamps, for decades, for guys, only to have them dump every gal for a guy.

“Try it again,” Murray supposedly hissed at the quivering boyos. “I dare you.”

Martha’s cons: She’s never had a tough race. She has trouble giving short, straight answers. She could suffer from The Curse of The Middlesex County DA. That is: ex-DAs Scott Harshbarger and Tom Reilly, like her, both advanced to attorney general. But that was it.

Has Margery checked with her liberal female friends anytime in the past year or so? I’m willing to bet they’ve happily joined Obama’s cult since then and have forgotten all about Hillary. And they’ll be equally pleased to roll over and play dead if a male candidate moves ahead of Coakley.

Sorry, that’s been the pattern, so why should it be any different this time?

And what does Therese Murray know about campaigning? She runs unopposed in nearly every election cycle.

Coakley will probably secure the nomination because it’s a weak field, as the local Democratic Party machine is surprisingly devoid of up-and-coming talent.

Meanwhile, Republican Scott Brown is doing his best to generate headlines, this time with a winning issue that can generate a bit of campaign momentum.

He’s got to do this EVERY DAY in order to have a chance at winning.

Owner Of Cape Stations In Deep Doo-Doo

The Herald has the story here, it’s a bad situation for the owner of four Cape stations. A preview of what’s to come in Boston?

Why Scott Brown Can Win The Election (!!!)

Until this morning, that position could not have been asserted with a straight face (due to the partisan affiliation, not the quality of his candidacy), but it’s a whole different ballgame now.

By shoving the appointment of no-name Kennedy friend Paul Kirk down the throats of Bay State voters and taxpayers, Governor Deval Patrick has handed Republican State Senator Scott Brown an opportunity to capitalize on a profound sense of public disgust.

Patrick has even managed to divide the moonbats, many of whom wanted washed-up Mike Dukakis instead. His own re-election has never looked less likely and the long-moribund opposition is now energized.

How bad is the situation? Even WTKK’s Margery Eagan is decrying the governor’s partisan scheming. And a committed Globie also denounced it as “backroom politics”.

Kirk’s appointment overshadows the Democratic Party’s primary battle, preventing anyone from appearing destined to take the seat. Worse, the resulting disillusionment could result in key voters staying home on election day.

Yes, Scott Brown CAN win the special election. Without a primary battle, he can immediately focus on the general, as soon as those 10,000 signatures have been submitted.

There is NO ROOM FOR ERROR, however. Here’s how to do it, Senator:

— First, LOSE the prevailing attitude that Republicans can’t succeed in Massachusetts. Adopt a winning attitude.

— Get NOISY. Use the gifts that have been handed to you by Patrick. Paint the opposition as hopelessly tied to a dying, decrepit political machine that has no place in modern society.

— Position yourself as an independent-minded maverick ready to look out for taxpayers. That does NOT mean you should out-Dem the Dems, however, that approach fails every time. Instead, this is about separating yourself from political parties and machines.

— Focus on high-propensity voters, unenrolled (the majority of Bay State voters) and Republicans, contact them repeatedly to make sure they get to the polls on that snowy January Tuesday.

— Don’t be afraid to raise money on the Internet from all over the country. The left does this every day. When the press objects, simply point to the hundreds of examples from their side.

— Take on Globie sleaze directly. Use it to propel the campaign. If the paper begins to believe you might have a chance at winning, they will utilize every dishonest trick in the book.

— Continue to utilize talk radio as much as possible and reach out to bloggers and others in the new media realm.

— Particular issues are actually secondary to crafting an image as a maverick ready to clean up the mess in Washington and here at home. As a state senator, you’re already well-versed in them. Fiscal irresponsibility is a major concern of voters. ObamaCare is a wild card as we don’t know where it will stand as the campaign progresses.

Scott Brown can win by capitalizing on a combination of voter disgust and low turnout. When that occurs, it will be due to an effective campaign combined with the good fortune of Deval Patrick’s ceaseless ineptitude.

No Heavy Lifting Required Today

… At least if you’re a talk show host, the news cycle is driving the broadcast.

Questions:

— Given Senator Robert Byrd’s (D-WV) rapidly-declining health, what is the mad rush to make the Senate appointment here in Massachusetts? Dems would still be short of the 60 votes needed for complete control of the chamber. Byrd isn’t voting and could be down to his final days.

— How does a US Senate vacancy represent an “emergency”? Because Beacon Hill corruptocrats didn’t get the necessary two-thirds approval, Governor Deval Patrick must now request emergency permission from the secretary of state to make the appointment immediate. This is a stretch to say the least.

— Why are we allowing Vicki Kennedy to name his replacement? Are we living in a banana republic?

— Even worse, a non-resident of the Bay State, Ocean State Basket Case Patches Kennedy, is also pushing the underwhelming option of naming Paul Kirk to the seat.

Has WGBH Just Derailed Entercom’s Plan A?

Has Entercom’s WEEI salvage plan just been derailed by next-door neighbor WGBH? That’s what I’m hearing today.

Apparently, classical outlet WCRB 99.5 FM was set to become WEEI’s FM savior, but WGBH beat the Entercommies (NYSE:ETM) to the punch. How GBH can possibly afford WCRB given its current finances is a mystery, but it sure is good news for classical fans.

Another option for WEEI is said to be Plymouth’s WPLM-FM, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense, given WEEI’s current FM presence in Providence, where WPLM’s signal is strong. Other than that, WPLM primarily serves the Cape and South Shore.

The verdict: bye-bye, MIKE FM and millions in revenue!

Entercom’s inability to see spoken word’s move to FM is flabbergasting. Chalk it up to overconfidence.

One Quarter Of A Good Topic

There are half-baked topics, and others that are half as good as that.

With this gem of a subject, The Felon & Friends have aimed for the latter:

Gloucester is up in arms over the rejection of the Fisherman’s Memorial by the United States Treasury for the “America the Beautiful” quarter series, despite having been the first choice of Massachusetts citizens by a landslide of votes.

Petitions are circling, radios are broadcasting outrage, and local Web sites are inundated with angry commentary not just from Gloucester residents but even Lowell residents, whose National Historic Park was chosen to grace the new coins over the iconic Man at the Wheel statue.

“I live in Lowell,” wrote one commentator on the blog Good Morning Gloucester. “And I also voted for The Man at the Wheel …. The Man would of been much better.”

Local lobster dealer Joey Ciaramitaro, who runs Good Morning Gloucester, said he has also been receiving messages from people in Lowell who have decided to circulate the petitions asking Sen. John Kerry and Congressman John Tierney to petition Congress.

“I don’t know that it’s going to get changed but I’d like to see a fight,” said Ciaramitaro of the federal law which states that only federally maintained landmarks are eligible for representation on the new state quarters. “Our community is getting shortchanged by the state. The message from this petition might just be that we’ve got our eye on the government.”

On Boston’s WRKO radio station, hosts of “The Tom and Todd Show” expressed their own displeasure with the decision on the air last Monday, describing the Fisherman’s Memorial as “part of the real history of the United States of America.”

On tomorrow’s show: is your pet psychic?

Let me guess: “the phone lines were full”. Yes, THAT means it was a brilliant topic.

Senate race? Whatever happened to that?

Even The Felon Believes Mass Dems Are Screwing Up

Even The Felon believes his fellow Mass Dems are making a mistake on the US Senate appointment switcheroo. When have you EVER known him to challenge Beacon Hill corruptocrats on any issue?

It just doesn’t happen.

From The Globies:

Republicans are vowing to use the vote as a campaign issue at a time when Democrats are already feeling vulnerable over several Beacon Hill ethics scandals and a controversial increase in the state’s sales tax. Several mayors have lost recent preliminary elections, perhaps a signal that the political atmosphere is sour for incumbents.

Several state lawmakers grew more nervous when former House Speaker Thomas Finneran predicted that Democrats would experience some fallout.

‘‘Democrats are going to pay a price for this politically,’’ Finneran, who was at the helm when the law was initially changed in 2004, said on his WRKO-AM morning talk show.

And is there anything more absurd than appointing Mike Dukakis to the seat? Talk about reinforcing negative stereotypes regarding Massachusetts, that one takes the cake.

Dukakis image: AP

WRKO / Metro Slant ObamaCare Coverage

Here’s another prime example of slanted, one-sided news coverage airing on WRKO via Metro Traffic: