Tim Cahill:Why This Fall Will Shape America’s Future

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tim Cahill, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Tim Cahill, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Some thoughts on the political races and campaigns whose outcomes will determine the country's direction for the next four to six years.

Mitt Romney has learned that under no circumstances will the media allow you to criticize Muslims or their religion. It matters not that they are burning American flags, attacking our consulates or murdering our ambassadors. Yet I heard little from our elected leaders and the media as to why we were so unprepared for these attacks on the 11th anniversary of September 11th.

Warren's Ad Blitz

After a summer of relentless television advertising with Elizabeth Warren laying out her talking points directly to the camera, her political advisors have come to the conclusion that it is time to push the mute button. My question is why did it take them so long to realize that the voters of Massachusetts were not as receptive to her voice and awkward gestures as Harvard Law students?

Fed Action

The Fed has put itself in the middle of the election with its bond purchasing plan and promise to keep rates at zero until 2015. The big question is will the rise in the stock market and potential rebound in the housing market offset the inevitable rise in inflation? What is more important to middle-class voters in November, the valuation of Apple at $800 or the price of a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk at $4?

Menino's Impact on Senate Race

Will Boston Mayor Tom Menino pull out the troops in great enough numbers to determine who wins the senate race? In all likelihood, Menino holds the trump card in this election. It is a given that Scott Brown will roll up big numbers in the suburbs, especially in metro-west and central Massachusetts. The question is, will Warren be able to make up those votes in the cities? I do not see great enthusiasm for her in the urban areas where minorities make up a large part of the vote. So, Menino's muscle, and whether he exercises it, will be crucial.

Crossing the Line?

John Walsh has learned the hard lesson: never make fun of men folding laundry. It was bad enough for the head of the Massachusetts Democratic Party to denigrate Scott Brown for folding laundry, but to call him an "honorary girl" for doing it went way over the line. As the parent of four daughters, if my wife or I didn't fold the laundry when the girls were growing up, it stayed wrinkled in the basket. When it comes to chores, both boys and girls are equal opportunity offenders.

Tierney and Tisei Getting Chippy

What is up with the dueling negative ads in the Tierney-Tisei congressional race? When the opposition attacks Richard Tisei on television they use the absolute worst pictures and videos they can find. He is a pretty good looking guy who looks monstrous in the Democratic attack. On the other hand, it looks as if the Republicans have used Tierney's own publicity photo in their attack piece. In an otherwise effective attack piece the candidate looks almost angelic.

Drug Accusations in Athol

And finally, at the end of the day, no matter how nasty the big, national races get, there is nothing so vicious as a good, old local political campaign to remind us why we remain fascinated with it all. In Athol, the incumbent state representative, Denise Andrews has accused her opponent of purchasing cocaine. Not only that, but she accused a police officer of going to the house of Susannah Whipps Lee and taking the cocaine and bringing it back to the station. It does not appear that any of it is the least bit true, but it should make for an interesting debate come this October. It will surely remind no one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Come this November, we will see if any of this makes any difference at the ballot box or in the direction of the country.

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink