Fear and loathing in gubernatorial politics

FOR KERRY HEALEY, it's time to fight charm with fear.

Recent polls show that voters like Deval Patrick, her Democratic opponent.

To try to change that, Healey is following a generic, right-wing Republican script. It goes like this:

If you're a Democrat, you are automatically in favor of breaking open the jail cells and letting every criminal run free. If you're a Democrat, you will let illegal immigrants flood the borders, driver's licenses in hand. If you're a Democrat, the first thing that you will do is raise taxes. If you're a Democrat, you are in cahoots with the Legislature, simply because you met with legislative leaders.

Forget about context, reason, or substance. Democrats are too liberal, too soft on crime and too eager to spend your money.

Governor Bill Weld turned to this playbook in 1996; but in Massachusetts, his constant hammering against ``crime, welfare, and taxes," failed to unseat US Senator John F. Kerry. Ten years later, the Healey campaign, following the national GOP playbook, is refining the issues as crime, immigration, and taxes.

In congressional races across the country, the stock GOP message could be undercut by countervailing political forces. Voters are unhappy about the Bush administration's Iraq policy. There is fresh outrage over the congressional page scandal involving Mark Foley, the Florida Republican who resigned from Congress last week.

But Patrick cannot count on the same dynamic in a state election. For him, it's time to fight fire with fire.

A press release from the Healey campaign yesterday carried the headline, ``Dear Ben . . . Best regards, Deval." It accused Patrick of lying about letters he wrote in support of Benjamin LaGuer, a convicted rapist serving a life sentence. Patrick wrote personally to LaGuer, and sent two letters to the state parole board, as one of several politicians, lawyers, and academics who embraced LaGuer's case. However, once a DNA test confirmed the prosecution's case, Patrick dropped his support of LaGuer.

Yesterday, Patrick said he now believes that ``justice has been served" and vowed that if elected he would not issue a pardon. His campaign also issued a statement that criticized Reed Hillman, Healey's running mate, for contacting the parole board on behalf of a friend who was accused of assaulting a police officer; charged that Healey skipped meetings of the Criminal History Systems Board; and noted that crime and violence are up during the Romney-Healey years.

However, you can bet the Healey campaign will do all it can to keep the LaGuer story alive. It scares the public and keeps Healey from having to account for the soft-on-crime policies promoted by the Romney-Healey administration -- those funding decisions that resulted in fewer police officers on streets across Massachusetts.

The same scare tactics underscore the Healey effort to scapegoat illegal immigrants. Patrick is starting to push back, stating in his closing argument during Tuesday's debate that the lieutenant governor and her administration ``talk about illegal immigration, but then hire construction companies that employ illegal immigrants and just look the other way."

Patrick is also fighting the charge that he can't wait to raise taxes by highlighting the basic intellectual dishonesty of Healey's argument. For all the current antitax braying, the Romney-Healey administration imposed several hundred million dollars in new fees over the last four years.

Healey also charges that Patrick is an insider beholden to Beacon Hill interests because he met with House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and Senate President Robert Travaglini. How does she think Romney convinced DiMasi and Travaglini to go along with the health reform legislation that the governor touts as a major accomplishment? By ignoring them, or by meeting with them? And Healey herself is surrounded by Beacon Hill insiders in an ad that promotes her ability to reach compromise on sex crime legislation.

All in all, you can tell Republicans are getting nervous about Healey's chances of beating Patrick in November.

The Republican National Committee is begging Republicans to vote early, by mail: ``Please make sure you get your Massachusetts absentee ballot application by clicking here now," GOP chairman Ken Mehlman wrote this week, in a plaintive e-mail missive.

The Republican Governors Association also began airing an ad that is supposed to boost Healey. Unfortunately for Healey, the ad reflects reality. Mitt Romney is the star and she is relegated to a secondary role -- by scaring people into voting against her opponent.

Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.