I’M WATCHING the Sept. 21 gubernatorial debate, moderated by CNN’s John King, and the topic is the state budget deficit. Charlie Baker is clearly explaining the problem to me. With a possible deficit of $2 billion, spending has got to be cut. He’s put some concrete proposals on the table (well, to be precise, on his web site) that go well beyond the standard “savings’’ claims most politicians make. I’m sold. Charlie’s my guy.
But then Deval Patrick just as clearly explains that it’s not only about cuts. That works for the short-term, he explains, but it’s long-term growth we need. Moreover, he says, real people are hurt by these cuts — it’s not just a theoretical exercise — and I think, yes, absolutely. Deval, I’m with you.
There are now four weeks to go. I’ve watched or listened to most of the debates and I still have no idea who to vote for.
I do know, however, who I will not vote for: Tim Cahill and Jill Stein. It’s not that either has no chance of winning — although that’s clearly a consideration — but that neither seems up to the job. At a Sept. 7 debate hosted by Jon Keller, Cahill promises that the first — first! — thing he’ll do after being inaugurated is to sign a casino bill. I’m taken aback. I don’t mind gambling, but does Cahill really believe the Commonwealth’s economic salvation is truly to be found in a roulette table?
And as for Stein: I cringe. She may be a wonderful physician and perhaps sitting around the kitchen table she’s some sort of public policy genius, but she is rambling and inarticulate. A favorite moment: moderator King invites Stein to ask a question of the governor. She gives a nervous laugh, says, “OK, yeah, great’’ and then pauses while she tries to think one up. It almost seemed as if she were surprised to be at the debate at all.
But enough of those two. There were five debates last month and will be more before the election. Patrick and Baker are both good debaters. They’re smart, know their material and each is making a lot of sense. Take education. Baker worries that the state joining the national core curriculum will dilute the MCAS exam. Patrick believes Massachusetts’s success should become the model for the entire country. I find I agree with both. Or how about employment? Baker says the surest route to more jobs is predictable tax policy, reined in spending and a stable regulatory policy. Patrick says economic growth is tied to investing in comprehensive healthcare, education, and jobs stimulation. Again, both are right.
Therein the dilemma. In their debates, neither Patrick nor Baker comes across as strongly ideological. They’re highly competent managers who look for solutions that work. I suspect each knows that the policies of the other also have merit — for instance, at various points it’s Baker who espouses better education while Patrick advocates for cutting spending. For those of us somewhere in the middle, willing to vote for either party depending on the candidate, it’s tough.How much easier it would be if we didn’t have these debates and I could just rely on political ads where — unlike face-to-face confrontations — it’s far easier to demonize the other guy.
Still, it is possible to tease out some overarching theme to each man’s campaign. Baker — who once served on Patrick’s transition team — is deeply worried: We’ve lost our way, the crisis is upon us, and we’ve got to get back on track. Indeed, he says, that fear of near-disaster is why he left his job as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and got into the race.
For his part, Patrick is the sunny optimist. Sure we need to improve, he argues, but it’s not all broken. Massachusetts, he claims, has turned around — the state economy is among the strongest in the nation and we’re tops in educational achievement.
Unfortunately, just as with their policy proposals, I find I agree with both. I like Patrick’s energy and his embrace of the future; I like too Baker’s Mr. Fix-It focus on the present. Election Day looms and I find myself wishing I could vote for both.
Originally published October 4, 2010, in The Boston Globe, op-ed page.