As Baystate Republicans gathered in Worcester’s DCU Center last weekend to choose a gubernatorial candidate—former Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare CEO Charles D. Baker came away with a crushing victory over feisty ex-Mass Turnpike official Christy Mihos—it was no great surprise to see nearly as many signs for Scott Brown as for the actual candidates. Brown’s come-from-behind victory over state Attorney General Martha Coakley in January’s Senate race has energized the state GOP, standing as a symbol of what a relatively unknown candidate can achieve against the state Democratic machine at a time when voters are hurting and angry.
During his convention speech, Brown reprised some of the highlights of his campaign against Coakley. Perhaps taking a page from the playbook of Sarah Palin, who was in Boston for a recent Tea Party rally, Brown chose not to fight, but rather to exploit the less savory aspects of his media image
“Since our victory, a lot of candidates have come to me seeking campaign advice —a blueprint for victory, of sorts,” Brown told the delegates. “And I gotta tell you, it’s really not that hard. I will let you in on the secret, as long as you promise to keep it just between the thousands of us in this arena:
“Number 1: You’re going to need to buy yourself a pick-up truck. And if you’re really serious about winning, you need to get a green 2005 GMC Canyon and put 200,000 miles on it by campaigning around the state.
“That’s 28,000 miles per month until Election Day, folks!
“Number 2: Get yourself a barn jacket and wear it. Everywhere. Wear it all the time; on the campaign trail, on dates with your spouse, to bed, out jogging, to church, in front of your kids’ friends. Just wear it everywhere and never take it off.
“Number 3: And I take this last one very seriously. Don’t be shy about pulling out those old Cosmo pictures from almost 30 years ago. That even means you, Charlie Baker!”
Switching to a more serious tone, Brown offered his analysis of the Massachusetts polity. “People are yearning for candidates who believe in our free enterprise system, who want a government that is accountable and transparent, who will make job creation their main focus and who understand that a competitive America is one where taxes are low and government does not overspend and does not try to dominate or interfere in our everyday lives,” Brown said to 3,000 cheering Republicans. “That’s the message the voters of Massachusetts sent when they elected me to the U.S. Senate.”
Brown went on to point the finger at incumbent Deval Patrick for a whole host of problems in the state, including “higher and higher taxes, rising unemployment, chronic budget deficits, corruption, cronyism and patronage.” Brown, ignoring the 16-year succession of Republican governors who preceded Patrick, said the state’s current troubles represent “the sad legacy of the one-party political monopoly in Massachusetts.”
Brown ended his remarks by endorsing Baker, who served as a cabinet official in the Republican administrations of William Weld and A. Paul Cellucci, adding a call to “give [Baker] some foot soldiers to help him sustain a veto. We need more state representatives and senators to help.”
