Thanks, Mitt! We lay this hideous loss at your feet. Jim Rappaport, who could well have been victorious yesterday had Mitt allowed him to be his Lt. Gov., had this to say. (And no, it's not just "sour grapes" -- it really is about whether or not Republicans stand for principles, or simple lust for power and pocketbooks.)
"For Republicans in Mass., a feeling of out and down," Boston Globe, 11-8-06:
Romney's popularity has sagged badly during his frequent travels, but Manning [a Republican consultant], who has worked on Romney's Massachusetts campaigns, said a national candidacy could restore some pride among Republicans and GOP-friendly independents back home.
James Rappaport , a former state party chairman and frequent Romney critic, took a harsher view. "Locally, this is a rebuke to Mitt Romney and checking out within six months after being elected and having accomplished almost nothing," said Rappaport, whom Romney rejected as a running mate in favor of Kerry Healey four years ago.
"Mitt Romney, through his stalwart efforts, has managed to bring our party back to where it was in 1986," he said. "What brought us back then was a commitment to principles; not just lower taxes for the sake of lower taxes but because we were chasing businesses out of the state," he said.
