Can Charlie Baker lead the Massachusetts GOP back to power?
Charles D. Baker Jr. uttered two words in a generic conference room this week - “I’m in’’ - that immediately jolted to life a state Republican Party that has struggled in recent years for its very existence.The party has no statewide office holders, no members of the congressional delegation, fewer legislators than ever before, and little in the way of signature issues.
But Baker’s campaign could prove to be a virtual stimulus package for the state GOP, not only putting consultants back to work, but bringing the party back to a brand of Republicanism that has proved to be politically successful in Massachusetts over many years, a blend of moderate social views and fiscal restraint.
It was the kind of platform that William F. Weld ran on, twice, and it was the platform that Mitt Romney ran on in 2002, but then abandoned as he stoked his national ambitions by adopting more conservative positions.
“There’s a pretty clear formula for electing a Massachusetts Republican in this economy, in this fiscal situation,’’ said former acting governor Jane Swift. “And with Charlie Baker’s credentials, it’s easy to see a win on the horizon. That’s what’s got everybody so excited.’’
On the Democratic side, there are many who believe the party is experiencing the exact opposite dynamic. With total dominance over the state’s governing structures, the party is awash in infighting. Governor Deval Patrick and the legislative leaders are constantly at odds over things large and small and occasionally disdainful of each other.
In the economic collapse that has left state leaders across the nation helpless, it is the Democratic leaders who will be blamed for the difficult solutions, read taxes, to the historic problems. Their success in Massachusetts, some said, could be a curse.
UPDATE: More from Howie Carr, National Review Online, the AP, the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald.
SECOND UPDATE: More from National Review Online, Michael Graham and Scot Lehigh.
THIRD UPDATE: More from the Patriot Ledger, the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Holly Robichaud, Peter Agnes Jr., the Harvard Crimson and WBUR.