The mud and the message
THE FOUR gubernatorial candidates debated last night for the first time in 16 days, navigating a race that has shifted dramatically. Fueled by one of the ugliest media campaigns this state has ever seen, Republican Kerry Healey has controlled the conversation with relentless attacks on the front-runner, Democrat Deval Patrick. Discussion of Healey's negative ads -- and what they might say about her own character -- dominated the first half of last night's debate at Faneuil Hall, and distracted the discussion from the many other crucial issues facing Massachusetts.
Healey's latest ad, in which a woman's voice questions why Patrick ``would compliment a rapist," hovered over last night's debate like a dark cloud. Independent candidate Christy Mihos said he was ``disgusted," and strove for a Reaganesque moment when he called upon Healey to ``pull down those ads."
For his part, Patrick answered the ad's charge that he had advocated for a convicted rapist, Ben LaGuer, admitting he had defended unsavory characters in his legal career but refusing to apologize for it. ``That's what puts the justice in our justice system," he said. He added that he would answer negative attacks against him ``forcefully and firmly but with dignity." Whether inviting Healey to ``come down off that high horse of yours " was an example of that or simply red meat for his faithful is unclear.
We believe that Healey's negative attacks will backfire, and the tension was evident last night between her desire to tear her opponent down and her need to establish a positive reason for people to vote for her.
The second half of the debate involved more substantive issues, and perhaps most salient were property taxes and local aid to cities and towns. Mihos was forceful in his criticism of the Romney-Healey administration's cuts to local aid. Healey said Patrick had ``no plan" to lower property taxes. Patrick tried to flesh out his proposal, explaining that he would expand the circuit-breaker limit on taxes for seniors. But it is still not clear how he would ``condition" local aid on property tax relief; individual communities have control over their own budgets.
Education also got a few minutes of airtime, with the beginings of a useful conversation on charter schools. Green Rainbow candidate Grace Ross spoke about energy and the environment. But soon enough it was time for closing statements.
For all the words that have been uttered in this campaign, voters still need to hear more. Specific details are needed, not more mudslinging or what Mihos fittingly called ``sweet nothings." 