Congratulations to Gov. Charlie Baker on his reelection.
Now, Tall Deval, it’s time to do the right thing – formally declare yourself a Democrat, because that’s what you are.
Why kid around any longer – you don’t like Republicans, unless they’re on the state payroll, or the Republican state committee, but I repeat myself.
Last week, in one of those televised debates that next to nobody watched, the moderator asked Tall Deval for three words to describe Donald Trump:
“Outrageous. Disgraceful. And a divider.”
That’s wonderful. Such courage! Such conviction! I wonder how the Republican-in-Name-Only governor forgot to mention “disappointing,” his one-time go-to word for the president. But I guess he determined that “disappointing” doesn’t express disdain and disgust as dramatically as “disgraceful.”
In those debates, he also touted his support from Planned Parenthood, his support of Rep. Geoff Diehl, the Senate candidate against the fake Indian, not so much.
Baker has a bipartisan approach, don’t you know. When the legislature passes, say, 60 percent pay raises for itself, he waits to announce he’s vetoing the bill until the hacks have rounded up enough votes to override his veto. At the State House, they call that reaching across the aisle.
He’s very concerned about the opioid epidemic, but not enough to do anything really meaningful to stop illegal alien fentanyl dealers from getting driver’s licenses that also enable them to go on welfare.
That’s the feds’ job – you know, the people who work for the outrageous disgraceful divider.
But now Tall Deval is going to be mentioned by the Never Trumpers as a potential GOP candidate for president against Donald Trump in 2020. Really? In 2014, he got 110,000 votes in his Republican primary in Massachusetts. Two years later, Donald Trump got 310,000 in this same state, running against 13 opponents in the GOP primary.
Go ahead, Tall Deval – make the outrageous, disgraceful divider’s day. Run against Trump.
Do you remember two years ago, when Tall Deval proudly announced at least twice, once at the State House, and then again on election day in Swampscott, that he was blanking the presidential ballot, because he just couldn’t bring himself to vote for either Hillary or Donald Trump?
Okay, but then, two months later, who did I see at all the parties in D.C. just before the inauguration? The self-same Tall Deval.
Like I always say, if they ever name a street after Charlie Baker, it’ll have to be one way.
Two years ago, I was perplexed by his decision to blank one of the top races on the ballot. Yesterday, though, I did the same thing – in the governor’s fight. I just couldn’t bring myself to vote for a guy who was running as a left-wing Democrat, and I certainly couldn’t cast a ballot for the other guy, a slightly further left-wing Democrat.
Blanking a big race – it didn’t feel so bad. I have a feeling I might do it again sometime – maybe if Karyn Polito runs for governor in 2022. But if Karyn thinks she’s beating Maura Healey four years from now, I have two words for her: Leigha Genduso, and I’m sure I can think of a lot more between now and then.
The Baker people don’t care though. They’re all close enough to the checkout counter, all they wanted was four more years, to pad their pensions. This may be last call for “Republicans” in Massachusetts, at least for a few election cycles, but what do they care?
Now that the campaign’s over, the feds can officially broom the groping case against his son, A.J.
And Charlie can go back to his so important duties in the Corner Office – making World Series and Super Bowl bets with other governors, expressing shock, shock at the latest State Police scandal, doing absolutely nothing about the disaster that is the MBTA.
I thought about ending this column by saying that Charlie Baker would be the last Republican elected governor of Massachusetts for a very long time. But then I realized, that’s not true. He was never a Republican.
The last Republican elected governor of Massachusetts was Mitt Romney in 2002, and even that’s a bit of stretch, to call Mitt a Republican.
Except when you compare him to Tall Deval.
Time to come out of the closet Charlie. You’re a Democrat.