Is Deval Patrick in trouble?

[Dan the Roman]

Well this should be interesting. Any Massachusetts residents want to game a 3-way race between Patrick (D), Baker (R), and Cahill (I)?

I'm not the best judge of these things, but I think Patrick's situation compares favorably with Rick Perry's in 2006. The Democratic base is big enough that he could win a 3-way race more easily than a 2-way race, I think.

you dont think cahill will drain (white) working class democrat voters from patrick?

no working class person should ever vote for a fellow like baker.

I think they would vote against Patrick which would be for Baker. Biw they have another option.

[JJones]

He should be but he'll probably skate by- it is Massachusetts after all.

[Brittain33]

Christy Mihos is talking about switching from the governor's race to the senate race, giving Charles Baker a free shot at the Republican nomination.

Cahill was featured in the Globe today. Talked about how he's a fiscal conservative, the party didn't listen to him, we need to live within our means, etc. However, he'd also recently said he'd sign a petition to eliminate all tolls on the highways. Some "tough love." I can't stand pols like that.

The Globe went to Philip Johnston for a quote on his viability as a third-party candidate, which seems just a little unfair.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Christy Mihos is talking about switching from the governor's race to the senate race, giving Charles Baker a free shot at the Republican nomination.

Cahill was featured in the Globe today. Talked about how he's a fiscal conservative, the party didn't listen to him, we need to live within our means, etc. However, he'd also recently said he'd sign a petition to eliminate all tolls on the highways. Some "tough love." I can't stand pols like that.

The Globe went to Philip Johnston for a quote on his viability as a third-party candidate, which seems just a little unfair.

The "eliminate all tolls" crowd isn't as fiscally irresponsible as you'd think. I know that anti-toll advocate Mary Z. Connaughton generally wanted to replace toll roads with a fairer gas tax. Even though I almost never use the Mass Pike, I do view it personally as fundamentally unfair—people out west are arbitrarily being forced to subsidize the Big Dig fiasco.

Though I can't really speak to Cahill's full position, because I don't entirely know it yet.

[Brittain33]

The "eliminate all tolls" crowd isn't as fiscally irresponsible as you'd think. I know that anti-toll advocate Mary Z. Connaughton generally wanted to replace toll roads with a fairer gas tax. Even though I almost never use the Mass Pike, I do view it personally as fundamentally unfair—people out west are arbitrarily being forced to subsidize the Big Dig fiasco.

Though I can't really speak to Cahill's full position, because I don't entirely know it yet.

I agree that putting all the burden on the backs of Mass Pike tollpayers is almost comically unfair. However, highway tolls are as close as you can get to a perfect tax. Not only do they raise revenue, they control traffic on the highways and keep them usable. A gas tax only solves for the revenue part. The direction we should be moving in is a more equitable distribution of tolls on different highways and peak pricing. Saying "let's eliminate all tolls" is pure populism that would make so many various situations worse.

That said, it sounds like he was asked a question on the radio and went with the good political answer, so I'm not going to skewer him if it's not actually part of his platform. I don't really expect any candidate for office to take such a question as an opportunity to educate the voters of Framingham and Natick why they should love their Mass Pike tolls.

Did you see who Christy Mihos's chief campaign consultant is?

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

The "eliminate all tolls" crowd isn't as fiscally irresponsible as you'd think. I know that anti-toll advocate Mary Z. Connaughton generally wanted to replace toll roads with a fairer gas tax. Even though I almost never use the Mass Pike, I do view it personally as fundamentally unfair—people out west are arbitrarily being forced to subsidize the Big Dig fiasco.

Though I can't really speak to Cahill's full position, because I don't entirely know it yet.

I agree that putting all the burden on the backs of Mass Pike tollpayers is almost comically unfair. However, highway tolls are as close as you can get to a perfect tax. Not only do they raise revenue, they control traffic on the highways and keep them usable. A gas tax only solves for the revenue part. The direction we should be moving in is a more equitable distribution of tolls on different highways and peak pricing. Saying "let's eliminate all tolls" is pure populism that would make so many various situations worse.

That said, it sounds like he was asked a question on the radio and went with the good political answer, so I'm not going to skewer him if it's not actually part of his platform. I don't really expect any candidate for office to take such a question as an opportunity to educate the voters of Framingham and Natick why they should love their Mass Pike tolls.

Did you see who Christy Mihos's chief campaign consultant is?

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one... personally, I feel that tolls create so much bureaucracy and pollution-causing traffic tie-ups that they're the worst possible solution.

(And yes, Dick Morris.  Lulz.)

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Supposedly, Mihos' people are saying he's not getting out of the Governor's race after all. Here's your daily Mihos mindfuck:

"Voters will now have a choice between a Democrat rubber stamp candidate ready to do the bidding of a very left of center president, or an independent, reform Republican like Christy Mihos who will work with President Obama when it's the right thing to do, and stand up as an independent voice when the president is wrong."
—Kevin Sowydra, Campaign Spokesman

"Contrary to news reports you may have heard last evening and this morning, Christy Mihos is a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts not for the US Senate."
—Joe Manzoli, Campaign Director