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What Price Ignominy?

Ten million bucks. That's the sum, more or less, of her own money Kerry Healey spent to blow herself up forever.

Or rather, it was Healey's husband's money. Love isn't just blind, it can't add either. Never was such an amount spent so counter-productively. In terms of her political future, Healey could've achieved the same results much more cheaply had she simply robbed a gas station and pistol-whipped the attendant.

Healey was bound to lose. This wasn't a good year to have the little "R" after your name. If Democrats were winning in Kansas, they sure as hell were going to win in Massachusetts. The Lt. Governor had two options to deal with this dilemma. Lose in quiet dignity and take one for the team, or try the old Karl Rove playbook and demonize her opponent. As pols always do, Healey chose the course which allowed her a 1 in 10,000 shot at victory rather than the one promising certain doom.

That trait is what most separates politics from sports. People who run things in sports always consider the worst-case scenario. People in politics almost never do. Healey put her faith in negative ads, when a simple look at Deval Patrick's smiling mug should've told her this was ridiculous. It's impossible to fear a man who bears such a striking resemblance to Casper the Friendly Ghost.

The "Patrick for rapists" concept failed dismally. Healey is now trapped in her worst-case scenario, she lost in a way rendering her radioactive. No ambassadorship to Canada for her. No phony-baloney citizen's panels. She's headed straight for oblivion, a/k/a frequent appearances on New England Cable News.

So it's with some amusement I read the Globe headline this morning "Healey advisers defend negative campaign plan." I hope they didn't do that while MR. Healey was around. In fact, I'd give him a wide berth if I were them-at least until hunting season's over.

posted by Michael Gee @ 9:34 AM