2004-01-23 - 4:42 a.m.

You know what�s fun? Watching ads for the Democratic candidates. We never get those in Massachusetts.

Gore vs. Bush? Foregone conclusion. Of course Gore is going to carry Massachusetts.

Bradley vs. Gore? Foregone conclusion. Of course we�re going with Gore. He was with Clinton.

Clinton vs. Dole? Foregone conclusion.

Clinton vs. Bush? Foregone conclusion.

Clinton vs. other Democratic candidates? I don�t remember any ads. Maybe there were ads.

Massachusetts has always been with the Democrats. In 1972 we were the only state that picked McGovern over Nixon.

(With the exception of Reagan over Mondale in 1984--good year for Reagan) Massachusetts hasn�t chosen a Republican since Eisenhower in 1956. That�s almost fifty years--a half century. And you know what?

People better stop writing off this state. Because we�ve had a Republican governor here since after Dukakis got beat by Bush.

And we got Weld. And then Cellucci. And then Jane Swift. And here�s Mitt.

And Scott Harshbarger got beat. And Shann O�Brien too. Both would have been excellent govenors.

There�s smart people here, in this state, and many of those people vote and most vote well. And I haven�t been to the South, so I have no point of reference there. However, I know that I�m wicked sick of being disregarded by candidates because of my yankee status. I mean, how often does a candidate think well, this is a tough decision. I really wonder what the folks in Massachusetts would think about this issue.

Never ever.

Does anyone wonder at the injustice of this?

The democratic primary winner owns Massachusetts. 13 Electoral votes (or is it 11--I remember losing two to Washington around 1990)--whatever. 11 or 13--that�s still a prize. There�s a ton of people living in this state.

But Florida--that placegets all the promises �cause people can�t make up their minds there.

Whatever. It�s just fun to actually be able to see what a campaign video looks like. I like to see which Democratic candidate has the best look and feel to their ads.

Kerry�s is a straightforward ad.

Dean�s is a little behind the times for an internet crusader.

Edward�s looks so forced--he�s giving a �speech� but it looks like he�s a minister at a televised mass.

The Kustinich (sp?) ad is the best--an ever closing close-up at a photograph of his contorted face and it looks like an aggressive lawyer ad. And at the end, where the candidates have customarily been saying I�m X and I approve this message (to varying degrees of speed), a real live Kustinich (sp?) gets an extreme zoom as he proclaims do I approve this commercial? YOU BET I DO!

What I�m trying to say is 1) I�m really enjoying this and 2) Massachusetts is going to be a swing state in absolutely no time unless this keeps up--the ads. The Big Dig is almost over and we don�t have to kiss ass anymore. Our college students are imported from Texas and South Carolina as much as anywhere else. Don�t let the SJC ruling in favor of gay marriages fool you--Massachusetts is not a lock anymore--for every annoying public defendant sitting with a laptop in the Starbucks in Davis Square who thinks that the working class should get a break there�s three construction workers sitting on johns in the Dunkie�s across the street, $300 Bush rebate long ago spent, reading Heralds proclaiming Saddam�s capture, and proud of it, and three more patriots, constipated and waiting for their buddies to finish voting.