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The good news about last night's gubernatorial debate in Springfield was that the moderators and the panelists had the opportunity to remind the candidates that there's more to Massachusetts than Boston. The debate was also a more tasteful affair with a moderator – Jim Madigan of WGBY-TV - who seemed to relish telling people to settle down.
The bad news was that the debate wasn't nearly as exciting. The main goal was to keep Independent Christy Mihos and Republican Kerry Healey from tearing each other's faces off. After an early, but brief, tangle over the Republicans' closed meeting about health care law, Deval Patrick said, "All right, you two," just like a dad dealing with two bratty kids.
Patrick didn't escape a mild barb from Mihos, either. At one point, Mihos said, "I know, Deval, you'll go anywhere. You'll go to a letter opening." Kudos to Patrick for laughing at that one. If Mihos had said it to Healey, she would have frozen him into a block of ice with her death stare.
When Madigan wasn't keeping a lid on the brawling, Healey finally managed to take a good swipe at Mihos: "Who's been doing your debate prep? Oliver Stone?"
As for Green/Rainbow candidate Grace Ross, she had the chutzpah to wear the same blue-patterned outfit that she wore at last week's debate. In an era of endless candidate-packaging and obsession over presentation, Ross should at least be admired for bucking the trend.
Even the Boston Herald wrote, "She's making sense. It's starting to scare us."
Post contributed by Caroline Roberts
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The pathetic thing is that this is the only debate you'll see if you live west of Worcester. Healey seemed frozen, inaccessible, and unimaginativ, just spewing the party line. Mihos, although almost shrill, likes to bring about a dozen new ideas to each debate since he has nothing to lose. Patrick was also a bit more remote but still professional and focused. Ross was a nonentity.
good point Tom! though much of the Pioneer Valley does get boston's big three stations (ABC, NBC, CBS) I'm pretty sure they're getting Hartford's Fox (so no 25) but WGBH makes it through - though WGBY is certainly the preferred PBS station in the area.
But the Berkshires - people there probably know more about what's going on in Albany than in Boston. Stupid MSM!