Well, sick enough that the Boston Globe-Democrat notices and seems to almost care.
In the two election cycles since 2004, as Massachusetts Republicans lost the governor's office, every congressional race they contested, and a net of five seats in the Legislature, it was tough to imagine that things could get any worse for the chronically beleaguered state GOP.But they have. Measured by its ability to field candidates, the Republican Party in Massachusetts is weaker than ever. While the state's top Democrats have few major legislative victories to point to, despite having a lock on Beacon Hill, Republicans are contesting only 29 percent of the 200 legislative seats in November, according to a preliminary list compiled by the secretary of state's office.
So let's summarize - the Demos have done nothing positive in spite of the fact that they control the Governorship and every statewide office, the entire congressional delegation, 88% of the state legislature, and nearly every city and town in the Commonwealth and in spite of all that the best the state GOP can do is manage to find candidates for 29% - a little over a quarter - of the seats in the state legislature.
Sort of brings pathatic to a whole new level, eh?
In addition to the bleak state legislative picture, there are Republican challengers running in just five of the 10 congressional districts, and possibly the most vulnerable - US Representative Niki Tsongas, who has held the seat for only six months - is going unchallenged.
Well, that sort of argues against Jimbo running an almost certainly Quixotical campaign against Jean Francois Kerry (D-Windsurfing) and running instead against the latest addition to the Speaker-in-Law's Dinbat Brigade - but unfortunately that ship has already sailed.
Historical tends are working against Republicans. Democrats, for example, are backed by entrenched interests such as labor and teacher unions. The state's large and small cities remain heavily Democratic, while rural and suburban communities, more likely to have Republicans and independents, are still catching up in terms of population and clout.
What the Globe is also not saying is that many of these suburban towns are overflowing with smarmy, holier-than-thou, nouveau riche limousine-liberals who are far more likely to be sporting the latest/greatest OBAMA! sign on their manicured lawns and "1/20/09" bumperstickers on their Lexus SUVs than to ever even considering voting for a Republican.
"It's difficult, now that we've lost our toehold on the corner office, to build enthusiasm and certainly to raise money," said Jane Swift, former acting governor. "That's not an issue that's going to resolve itself until we have a strong Republican gubernatorial candidate running in the next cycle."
Uh, Jane? How well did that top-down approach work for the GOP after 1990, eh? Are we not seeing the unhappy and perfectly logical end-result of such strategy? Sure, it is easier than the icky work of building a party from the ground up - you know, having to actually deal with voters and not just people who can write big checks to a campaign. But how well has it worked?
The Republicans this year are generally avoiding incumbents by chasing open seats and are focused on conservative-leaning areas such as Cape Cod, the North Shore, and areas along the Interstate 495 corridor. Many of those towns have led the surge among unenrolled state voters, a shift away from Democratic identification that has given a lift, and at least hope, to Republicans.
Gotta tell you, given what we're up against here I cannot find much fault with that strategy. Continuing...
Still, party stalwarts say it has been difficult to recruit Republicans to run."It's tough to say to your family: 'I'm running for office. I fully expect I'm going to lose. Please give up your summer, your time, and send money you'll never get back,' " said Representative Bradley H. Jones Jr., the House minority leader. "That's tough to encourage people to do."
It also doesn't help, Brad, that you and some of your colleagues managed to shiv us over the marriage vote. Just saying.
Memo to sympathetic readers in California, New York, Illinois and perhaps Michigan - Behold! Your future!
Unless you do something now to change it, that is.
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