Healey's undeclared GOP opponent
LIEUTENANT Governor Kerry Healey faces an unexpected opponent in the Republican gubernatorial primary. His name is Jim Rappaport.
He is not on the ballot. But Rappaport -- who was beaten 2 to 1 by Healey for the lieutenant governor's nomination in 2002 -- is running hard against her. And his line of attack benefits Democrats who are trying to win back the governor's office after 16 years.
The Massachusetts GOP, said Rappaport, is ''a disaster." It stands for nothing, he charges, not even fiscal restraint, because the party has no legislative clout. ''The raison d'être for the Republican Party in Massachusetts has been that you have to have a Republican in the corner office to protect the taxpayer. The reality is that it was Tom Finneran in the House who was doing it," said Rappaport, referring to the former House speaker, who now heads the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
About Romney, Rappaport said, ''He had an historic opportunity to change how Massachusetts delivers services, and he didn't take advantage of it." Rappaport said that when he tried to recall ''three accomplishments of the Romney-Healey administration," he could come up with only one -- Melanie's Law, which toughened drunken driving penalties.
Asked if he believes that the Romney-Healey administration failed the leadership test, Rappaport said, ''I have not seen them succeed." About Healey, he said, ''I have not yet been persuaded" that she is executive material.
In response, Healey strategist Rob Gray said, ''It's all about ego for Jim Rappaport. . . . He's obviously bitter about losing so badly to Kerry Healey in 2002 and backing a string of losers, including himself."
Rappaport is controversial and disliked within the Bay State's tiny Republican network. He is a wealthy businessman, tagged by the political media as ''Lord Jim." He ran against US Senator John F. Kerry in 1990, investing millions of his own money in an unpleasant, losing campaign. A former GOP state chairman, he lost a bid to become Republican national committeeman, then lost to Healey in 2002. In 2005, he was fined $60,000 for campaign finance violations.
Rappaport denies that sour grapes are yielding sour comments about the Romney-Healey era. He said he has been tough on previous GOP governors, adding: ''I've never been averse to being tough on political leaders who don't show leadership." He said he plans to continue his scathing critiques in a weekly political roundup in the Boston Herald.
This week, the Herald wrote about a 2002 debate rehearsal between Healey and a stand-in for Rappaport, during which Healey said she favored lowering the age of consent for abortion to 16 from 18. The newspaper obtained a copy of the video of the mock debate.
Asked about the video, Rappaport said, ''I knew about it," but he denied any role in getting it to the media. He said he did speak to people after hearing about a Healey proposal to raise the age of consent to drop out of high school from 16 to 18. ''I just laughed," he said, ''This is the same woman who thought we should lower the age of consent on abortion from 18 to 16."
Healey said she supports the current law on parental consent, which sets the age of consent for an abortion at 18 and denied any flip-flop.
However, the bloggers and then-Democratic state party chairman Philip W. Johnston jumped on the story as a way to challenge Healey's trustworthiness.
There is nothing wrong with asking Healey to own up to past statements about abortion -- just as, on the Democrats' side, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly should be asked about conflicting positions on the state income tax rollback. And there is nothing wrong with holding Healey accountable for the Romney-Healey administration. That is what this election is all about.
Still, it is ironic for Democrats to use abortion against Healey, given that the very question about age of consent tripped up Democratic gubernatorial nominee Shannon O'Brien in 2002. During a pivotal debate with Romney, O'Brien said she supported lowering the age of consent to 16. When moderator Tim Russert pointed out that the same girl would not be able to get a tattoo without parental consent, O'Brien quipped, ''Would you like to see my tattoo?" Neither the quip nor her abortion position helped on election day.
For Rappaport, déjà vu all over again on the abortion consent issue would be sweet revenge.
Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com. 
