The Subliminal Debate

While Bostonist preferred the first gubenatorial debate in which Independent Christy Mihos and Republican Kerry Healey practically got into a knock-down, drag-out catfight, last night's debate at Faneuil Hall followed a more classic debate model, in which the candidates sent out messages that worked on an explicit and a subliminal level. Explicitly, the politicians appeared to focus on the needs of the people. Subliminally, Republican Kerry Healey's reputation as an animatronic aristocrat was sealed.

To capture the flavor of the debate, Bostonist has taken some of the best lines from the transcript and interpreted their hidden meanings. One of the top subjects was Healey's mudslinging commercials, which are so lame not even Karl Rove would like them. Christy Mihos said, "I'm absolutely just disgusted, with 98 percent of the other people here in Massachusetts, about these negative ads." To Bostonist, Mihos really meant, "At least my ads were funny."

The next verbal gem involved Deval Patrick's revenge on Kerry Healey (finally!) since she launched her embarrassing smear ads about who he defends in court. Patrick fired back with "And if you'd come down off that high horse of yours sometime and see how it works in the street, I'd be happy to show you around." What he meant was, "Then again, don't get off that high horse. Just ride it into the sunset and stop wasting my time. Thanks."

Healey tried all too desperately to regain ground by harping that Patrick will raise taxes (Heaven forbid we should actually pay for the public services we enjoy!). Healey snapped to Patrick, "Just be honest about it! You are liberal!" Her subtext? "If I keep pretending he's Dukakis, maybe he'll turn into Dukakis! There's no place like home ... there's no place like home ..."

Also in the department of casting spells, Healey kept chanting that she and Patrick were the only ones in the race. She went so far as to suggest that they should have a one-on-one rumble. She made a mistake by making it look like that decision was entirely up to Patrick, and he dismissed it outright: "I want everybody to have a place at the table. And respect is shown, it seems to me, in all kinds of ways, including by including all of the candidates in all of the public discourse." What's that mean? "Gee, Kerry, thanks for digging your own grave by saying you think you're better than Mihos and Ross! You make my job so easy!"

Image of Kerry Healey trying to exert authority over her fellow candiates taken from NECN screengrab.