“Whither the GOP?” David S. Bernstein’s piece on that question was way off mark. There are a lot of great things happening in Massachusetts with the GOP. Bernstein called me in preparation for this article, but failed to mention any of the great things we talked about. For example, unlike 2006, when Kerry Healey had a media shut-out during the gubernatorial primary because she had no opponent, Jeff Beatty and Jim Ogonowski are waging a big contest to take on the waning Democrat John Kerry in one of the few races where Republicans hope to pick up a US Senate seat.
Bernstein didn’t talk about Keith McCormic, the strongest candidate yet taking on Senate President Pro Tempore Stan Rosenberg. After two cycles of token candidates, we have one who is raising money and spreading the word about Rosenberg’s long record of gerrymandering, attacking ballot initiatives that have passed and gutting the entire initiative process, leading junkets paid for by foreign governments for quid-pro-quo resolutions, and handing out deals to special interests that hire former legislators.
Deval Patrick promised property-tax relief, but our taxes continue to go up and our schools continue to struggle. People are aching for change, but Patrick is proving what four Republican governors have been trying to say. The problem is not the Corner Office, but the legislature that prevents common-sense reforms, such as merging the state transportation department with the Mass Turnpike Authority, lowering the nation’s fourth-highest corporate tax rate, and authorizing civilian flagmen.
It may appear dark in Massachusetts for the Republican Party now, but people are looking for results and are not getting it from the Democrats at the local, state, or national level. The GOP will revive in Massachusetts as people realize that Patrick was right when he said “together, we can” — he was just wrong about who “we” is.
Isaac Mass
Massachusetts Republican State Committee
This is how pathetic the state GOP is: in dozens of communities across the state, they failed to field slates of candidates for local ward and town Republican committees on the presidential-primary ballot. These are the building blocks of any statewide party organization. You only need three party activists to form a committee (chair, secretary, and treasurer), but Bay State Republicans can’t even do the basics of party building.
Matt L. Barron
Chesterfield
Beantown counter
My thoughts about Steve Bailey and his column are a lot less deferential than what was printed in the Phoenix. I don’t dispute how influential and well-read his column is. I think if you’re not from Boston, or work in the city but live someplace else, and your idea of Boston is the Esplanade, Faneuil Hall, the Golden Dome, or Charles Street, then Bailey is probably right up your alley. If you happen to live in the city, as I do, then it’s a different story.
To my mind, Bailey often takes the easy way on his writings and leaves the dirty work to others. His nickname for Deval Patrick, “Governor Slots,” is a perfect example. The biggest problems lie with our elected city and state officials in the legislature, especially the ones from Boston, who unfortunately run the Commonwealth. Bailey understands that it’s a lot easier to put all the blame and ridicule on one person than to dirty one’s hands going after the real culprits. He’s been playing this game for years. Same with a few of these so-called friends of his who have pillaged the state in property and land deals, and yet in his writings stand next to God. Bailey could have done a lot more to help this city, but chose not to. As far as I’m concerned, he’s just another hack writer who, when the going gets tough, can hunker down at the Four Seasons.
Mike Arnold
Dorchester
