Connolly 41, Walsh 39. (Boston Mayor)

[No Elephants]

With a field of 12 or 13 in the preliminary election, Walsh got more votes than Connolly.

After the preliminary election, though, Connolly pulled ahead significantly. However, Walsh has been catching up steadilyl

I am now very sure I was correct in saying that Connolly is the candidate Republicans want. (No surprise, since Republicans love them some privatization of things government should be doing, especially public education and especially in Boston, site of the nation's very first public school.)

Keller, the local news political pundit who gave Elizabeth Warren such a hard time, was bemoaning and mocking the fact that Connolly had supposed outshone Walsh in a debate, yet Walsh's numbers improved significantly after the debate.

Shrugging his shoulders, palms up, as if to say, "No accounting for the stupidity of Boston voters", good ole Keller was way overacting his befuddlement.

Who could possibly imagine that a Republican TV pundit wouldn't get what ordinary people might see in a debate? After all, the pundits who decide who won a political debate aren't in careers like plumbing, are they?



I missed the debate itself, but I will try to catch a rerun on the local cable access channel which is good about such things.

Meanwhile, local media frames it as a class divide, with a side order of racial issues.

http://www.wbur.org/2013/10/10/boston-mayors-race-class

What the story doesn't mention is that, after "patrician" Mayor White, came the longest lasting Mayor Boston has ever had, Menino (20 jaw dropping years, with an 82% approval rating in 2012,, year 19!) Menino is the son of a factory foreman and a housewife, something similar to Walsh, and did not upgrade from associate's degree to college grad until after he had made it onto the City Council.





Meanwhile, I hope Marty Walsh's mum, who is responsible the most adorable robo calls you can possibly imagine, is happy. (Yes, I said "adorable robo calls.") If nothing else, the widow Walsh deserves it.

[No Elephants]

1. I guess I chose wisely. Capuano and Lynch, my former and current reps, endorsed Walsh, as did

Arroyo, one of my top choices for Mayor in the preliminary election.

I agreed with Capuano on most things, if not all; and I have come to respect Lynch, who gets a bad rap from "progressives" unnecessarily, IMO. Like Walsh, though, Lynch is a second generation union man. So that may skew Lynch's recommendation. Then again, I'm second generation union as well, though my parents were union in the days when unions were stronger.

Connolly is slicker than Walsh in debates, though.

Polling has been either within the margin of error or showing Connolly slightly ahead.

Connolly says his internal polling shows a tie.

GOTV is going to do it.

I can't wait until this election is over (next Tuesday). Too much for me: the calls from humans in campaigns, the robo calls from campaigns, the calls from pollsters and the robo calls from posters. Not as bad as when there were 12 candidates, but still way too much, especially from the wealthier Connnolly campaign.

If I had originally wanted to vote for Connolly, all the annoying calls may have made me change my mind.

[Enthusiast]

2. I don't like annoying calls.

:toast:

[No Elephants]

3. So far, the Walsh contacted me only once by phone, and that was his mum.

Connolly's campaign, however, has called endlessly, as have pollsters, some of whom are his.