to be a Republican
November 13, 2006
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
I took a few days to ponder the election results. On a national level, an anti-Republican spirit swept the nation, as citizens voted to express their displeasure with the current direction of the President. House and Senate losses changed a Republican-controlled Congress to a Democrat-controlled Congress. In Massachusetts, the election results were about what most expected - Republicans lost hold of the Governor's seat after sixteen years. Add to that a few losses of seats in the MA Legislature, and Republicans are now left with 5 of 40 Senators and 19 of 160 Representatives.
While some may believe this is the end of the two-party system in Massachusetts, I believe that with the right people in the right roles, the State Republican Party can recover. A Revolution in the State Republican Party is now necessary. Year after year of losses in the Legislature is now compounded by no realistic hope of capturing an Executive (Governor, Treasurer, Attorney General, etc..) or Congressional office. The State Party has forgotten how to grow the organization.
As far as Governor-elect Deval Patrick, I await hearing specifics of direction and personnel. The Boston Globe had a story this weekend about people for a Transistion Team. There are three key points to the story:
1. Transition Teams are typically 60-day appointments to assist in the determination of key people to ultimately be incorporated into a new administration. Individuals with strong business backgrounds always seem to be the choice in these roles. Perhaps because they are 'safe' choices, or perhaps because these teams needs to quickly be put together and businessmen know other businessmen.
2. More important than the Transition Team will be the names submitted to Governor-elect Patrick and his senior advisors. These names will be the people who shape the direction for the new administration. Especially interesting will be appointments in Education, Legislative Affairs and Administration & Finance.
3. The most important part of the story -- the names mentioned in the story is only the Boston Globe pontificating about the future. What I am waiting to see are the names of the individuals Deval Patrick plans to put in the various roles. Do not let the Boston Globe drive the discussion. The Governor-elect ran on a platform of "together we can". To me, this means that he is looking to be inclusive and seek out the many viewpoints and individuals to shape the direction of the new administration.
It has only been six days since the election. Even though I wanted someone else as the next Governor, I am willing to give Deval a chance to speak to his vision for the future. The appointments he makes will demonstrate the direction he will take the State in the next four years.
