Repaying Mitt Romney for years of insults about the people of Massachusetts, Boston's two daily newspapers*, the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald, have now both endorsed John McCain.
(*There are other much-smaller newspapers in Boston, but for all intents and purposes it's the Globe & the Herald.)
Globe's McCain endorsement here
Herald's McCain endorsement (today) here
What's notable about the Herald endorsement is that the paper, in stumping for McCain, is breaking
"with its decades-old tradition of endorsing candidates in both the Republican and Democratic primaries. In doing so we also address our words particularly to those millions of independent voters here, in New Hampshire and around the nation who can choose to cast their ballot in either party primary."
More below the fold... including the significance of today's Herald endorsement and why this could be a tipping point for McCain.
This has got to hurt Mitt Romney.
Mitt has been attacking other GOP contenders with hit pieces that say "those who know him best..." Well, it appears that those who know Mitt Romney best don't think much of the man.
Indeed, Romney's governorship of Massachusetts tells you everything you need to know.
He's ambitious. He wanted the governorship. He figured out quickly that you have to say a bunch of liberal-type stuff to get elected. He said what needed to be said, and looked good saying it on the Tee Vee. Enough of us Massachusetts residents (including my own beloved Mom & Dad, sorry to say) were fooled and voted for him.
Then, once installed, he didn't really give a shit about serving us, the citizens of Massachusetts. In fact he shattered the record -- absolutely shattered it -- for out of state travel by a sitting MA governor. It became clear to us all within a matter of months, if not weeks, that Romney was interested in the presidency and viewed governorship of our state as a stepping stone.
That's one thing. But he went further, insulting Massachusetts residents for cheap laughs from the Republican base around the rest of the country. Oh, it got back to us... every time.. often in the pages of the Herald, which is Boston's more GOP-leaning daily newspaper. I should explain -- the Herald's flavor of Republicanism is mainly anti-Democrats with an emphasis on showcasing examples of Democratic corruption and mismanagement; it's a snarling opposition voice more than anything else. On social issues, the Herald is middle of the road and, like most of New England, is not driven by religion.
The Globe has long been "carefully centrist-liberal" and was never in Romney's corner. But really, Mitt ought to have been the Herald's darling boy. He liked to chop budgets, cut programs, cut taxes, make snide remarks about "tax and spend Democrats", and imbue his decisions with a superficial sense of hard-nosed CEO-type pragmatism. While looking good. All of this right up the Herald's alley.
It speaks volumes that they loathe him. And more to the point: the Herald is very popular up in New Hampshire. Boston's two-punch renunciation of Romney and, in particular, the Herald's passionate endorsement of McCain (with no Democrat endorsement at all) is sure to lift McCain in New Hampshire. Tipping point today? McCain only needs a few more points to defeat Romney in NH. This could do it. Time will soon tell.