Tisei's sexuality: news or not?
Interesting, this: the Herald's story on GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker's new running mate, State Sen. Richard Tisei, doesn't mention Tisei's sexuality once.
The Globe, however, takes a different tack. Last week, Frank Phillips cited Tisei's orientation in a piece on Baker's shortlist of possible running mates--albeit in casual terms, as my Phoenix colleague David Bernstein aptly noted. And today's Metro Desk write-up of the Tisei pick gives four (!) grafs to the subject--yet concludes that it probably doesn't matter all that much:
The disclosure about Tisei's sexual orientation is not expected to make much of a ripple in the race for governor.
"It's not significant enough to have an impact, and probably for good reason," said Jeffrey M. Berry, a political scientist at Tufts University. "The state is tolerant, and it is way past that. We've accepted gay married as a part of life here."
It's not that simple, however. Remember: our last Republican governor of Massachusetts suggested--in a noteworthy national speech in 2004--that when it comes to dire threats to the USA, gay marriage is right up there with terrorism. That kind of rhetoric helped boost Mitt Romney's national standing, but it sure didn't help Kerry Healey.
In contrast, Baker has a reputation as a moderate. And the Tisei pick should help him maintain that--even as he stakes out a staunchly conservative position on illegal immigration--which will be a major boon if Baker gets to the general election. (The Tisei pick has interesting implications for the primary as well.)
If Tisei gets ID'd as gay in story after story, it'll start to seem gratuitous. But given the context of today's Herald story, the absence of that particular detail seems like an odd omission.
Cross-posted at Don't Quote Me.
Comments
Mercy. Why not send an engraved invitation to the Club for Growth to come on up and influence the election?
And am I the only one who finds it unseemly that Charlie Baker only became a household name from millions of dollars in siphoned insurance premiums that were used to advertise Harvard Pilgrim?
How many medical procedures would all that money have covered?
Anyway, the old gadfly Christy, and the new gadfly Cahill, are bound to gum things up such that the most incompetent Governor to serve in my lifetime will sail to re-election.
(Yes, Tisei's sexuality is news. He made it so himself, didn't he?)
Hi Adam, Harry,
Donna, Ralph too
Good Post Adam. Good Electorial Intrigue
If I had my choice offered up I would vote against him, yet I am presented with more and more Mass things that are SNAFUs that have nothing to do with the Will of the People.
Well we all had high hopes for Devolve after Mitt taking vacation for 2 years and maybe 6 months. Yet Patrick didn't seem to have high hopes or strivings for us in his work ethic. Yet he is nice looking and he always speaks well.
Geez Adam,
I was writing my post, went to relook at your links and Zippo
ST: Not Mitt, yet tid bits here and there.
From your link on Mitt: "At the same time, because every child deserves a mother and a father, we step forward by recognizing that marriage is between a man and a woman."
As a GOP person I do not like Mitt after watching him. He is about as irresponsible as one gets and should be a Democrat. I mean 2 plus years as gov and doing diddly squat as he ran around the country. More than Mitt I couldn't stand the media here that didn't attack him day and day again for Absence without Leave.
Still this comment reminds me of a TomA episode on OnPoint where homosexuals gave their points like: ' ' Kids here abouts think they are deprived if they don't have two mommies' ' or ' ' What you think we can't teach boys how to pee' ' I mean Mass is a HORRID example for the USA in many many ways and should strive to go "Back to the Future" rather than return to "Planet of the Apes"
The base here in Mass is more like Mitt than me so I do think it matters to them yet they are difficult to predict. They love Mitt which is odd for me.
Hi Adam, Ralph,
ST: Tags for Guest Starting Threads/Treads
As an Aside why can't you put tags on your post. This post of yours reminded me about an article you wrote about FOX-Beck that I still haven't read. If you were a tag I could easily scroll back like a speed skater/surfer.
This comment equally well applies to Dan Kennedy, Jon from BZ
Edit-01: Oops Kara too since she also has launched treads
Edit-02: OK read the Beck article, Wow those comments were better than your article. (Just because you bring a man to a religion doesn't mean he isn't the same man devoid of many key elements of his religion)
Hi Adam, Kara, Josh, , ,
GANG Regulars Joe, Dan, Callie, Emily
Blog Participants and B-t-Press Readers of 57 Varieties
ST: Have a Great Thanksgiving Day and WeekEnd.
Enjoy those for better, or those for worst, think plus + + and get some exercise.
I imagine Emily will do some sort of historical footage Show this Friday, yet I won't know till next week via my DVR.
AGAIN Happy Thanksgiving...