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"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly." ~ Albert Einstein
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Gabriel Gomez: A 'New Kind of Republican?' Not Exactly. Not At All.
Gabriel Gomez has been running on biography, and not on the issues.
To the extent that he has discussed them, it has largely been to vaguely assert that he's different. He says he’s a “new kind of Republican," and wrote to Gov. Deval Patrick that he “stands with the President” on guns and immigration.
When I recently interviewed Gabriel Gomez on my radio show on WCAP, I knew all that. I'd read his letter to Gov. Patrick asking to be appointed interim senator. I had also recently interviewed Republican Dan Winslow, so I was very interested in the contrast.
The man I interviewed was not at all what I expected. When I asked him about guns, he told me he was "common sense on guns." But apparently that doesn't mean he really stands with the President on guns. He told me that while he supports closing the gun show loophole on background checks, he opposes a federal assault weapons ban, and opposes restrictions on high capacity magazines.
When I pointed out that Suspect No. 1 was stopped because he had to reload, and could have killed more police officers, escaped with his brother and detonated another bomb had he not stopped to reload, Gabriel Gomez was unmoved. I wish I had also pointed out that the Newtown killer would have killed another classroom full of children had he not had to stop and reload.
Rather than the moderate I expected on economic issues, he stands with Mitt Romney. When I said that voters may assume that his private equity investment background would make him another Romney, and asked him to distinguish his economic policies from his, he couldn't do it. He said he wants to create jobs. His answer on how he would create jobs? Deregulation.
I did not ask him about reproductive rights. But I hear him now saying that while he is personally pro-life, he does not favor overturning Roe v. Wade and he would not vote against a Supreme Court nominee who was pro-choice. That position flabbergasts me. If you believe that life begins at conception, how can you not favor overturning Roe v. Wade? If you believe that abortion is tantamount to infanticide, how could you possibly vote in favor of a Supreme Court nominee who would not overturn Roe v. Wade?
A key part of the biography on which Gabriel Gomez is running is his being a first generation American, who speaks English as a second language.
But when I pointed out that his father was a Stanford grad with a good job, and that he enjoyed a nice middle class life with all the opportunity that affords, he didn't know how to respond. I pointed out that even in America today the children of Stanford grads with good jobs have a wealth of opportunity that most children do not. He simply said that he wants everyone to have opportunity. Is that a bold stance for him? Has he been hanging out with people who don't want everyone to have opportunity?
To equate his story with the more common story of the lives of most first generation Latino Americans might not bother me so much if I hadn't spent the last 10 years of my life working as a public defender in Lawrence, and representing a lot of first generation Latino Americans. I heard nothing in what Gabriel Gomez said to suggest that he will do anything to make their lives better, except to make sure they can get their hands on a gun when they want one.
I've also interviewed Scott Brown, and while I didn't agree with him either I found him to be congenial, and a good sport. I asked him questions he liked and questions he didn't like. All of his answers were straight-forward. He didn't say he agreed with the President one day, and disagreed with him the next.
Gabriel Gomez can't run on bio and athleticism and succeed the way Scott Brown did. Scott Brown really was disadvantaged. He grew up hungry, neglected and abused. Those experiences should have made him a powerful advocate for the underprivileged, but while he didn't vote the way he should have on issues like Pell grants, summer jobs for teens, and unemployment benefits, at least you had the feeling he was casting those votes because of party pressure and that he was doing what he could.
Gabriel Gomez can't win on the issues either. We should expect Newtown families to confront him on guns, and the truth about his economic policies to come out. I'm already seeing him referred to as a "one-percenter," which he is.
For the record, the Democrats aren't scared. We're doing what needs to be done and letting people know who Gabriel Gomez really is: Mitt Romney dressed up like Scott Brown. There isn't an issue that Ed Markey doesn't beat him on, and contrary to what many believe "likability" turns out not to matter much in elections.
Mara Dolan is the host of “Twilight Talk” on WCAP and the Co-Chair of the Policy Committee of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee. Please send comments to MDolan@MaraDolan.com, and follow on Twitter @MaraDolan
http://concord.patch.com/blog_posts/gabriel-gomez-a-new-kind-of-republican-not-exactly-not-at-all
God Bless the President of the United States shared Jay Branscomb's photo.
To the extent that he has discussed them, it has largely been to vaguely assert that he's different. He says he’s a “new kind of Republican," and wrote to Gov. Deval Patrick that he “stands with the President” on guns and immigration.
When I recently interviewed Gabriel Gomez on my radio show on WCAP, I knew all that. I'd read his letter to Gov. Patrick asking to be appointed interim senator. I had also recently interviewed Republican Dan Winslow, so I was very interested in the contrast.
The man I interviewed was not at all what I expected. When I asked him about guns, he told me he was "common sense on guns." But apparently that doesn't mean he really stands with the President on guns. He told me that while he supports closing the gun show loophole on background checks, he opposes a federal assault weapons ban, and opposes restrictions on high capacity magazines.
When I pointed out that Suspect No. 1 was stopped because he had to reload, and could have killed more police officers, escaped with his brother and detonated another bomb had he not stopped to reload, Gabriel Gomez was unmoved. I wish I had also pointed out that the Newtown killer would have killed another classroom full of children had he not had to stop and reload.
Rather than the moderate I expected on economic issues, he stands with Mitt Romney. When I said that voters may assume that his private equity investment background would make him another Romney, and asked him to distinguish his economic policies from his, he couldn't do it. He said he wants to create jobs. His answer on how he would create jobs? Deregulation.
I did not ask him about reproductive rights. But I hear him now saying that while he is personally pro-life, he does not favor overturning Roe v. Wade and he would not vote against a Supreme Court nominee who was pro-choice. That position flabbergasts me. If you believe that life begins at conception, how can you not favor overturning Roe v. Wade? If you believe that abortion is tantamount to infanticide, how could you possibly vote in favor of a Supreme Court nominee who would not overturn Roe v. Wade?
A key part of the biography on which Gabriel Gomez is running is his being a first generation American, who speaks English as a second language.
But when I pointed out that his father was a Stanford grad with a good job, and that he enjoyed a nice middle class life with all the opportunity that affords, he didn't know how to respond. I pointed out that even in America today the children of Stanford grads with good jobs have a wealth of opportunity that most children do not. He simply said that he wants everyone to have opportunity. Is that a bold stance for him? Has he been hanging out with people who don't want everyone to have opportunity?
To equate his story with the more common story of the lives of most first generation Latino Americans might not bother me so much if I hadn't spent the last 10 years of my life working as a public defender in Lawrence, and representing a lot of first generation Latino Americans. I heard nothing in what Gabriel Gomez said to suggest that he will do anything to make their lives better, except to make sure they can get their hands on a gun when they want one.
I've also interviewed Scott Brown, and while I didn't agree with him either I found him to be congenial, and a good sport. I asked him questions he liked and questions he didn't like. All of his answers were straight-forward. He didn't say he agreed with the President one day, and disagreed with him the next.
Gabriel Gomez can't run on bio and athleticism and succeed the way Scott Brown did. Scott Brown really was disadvantaged. He grew up hungry, neglected and abused. Those experiences should have made him a powerful advocate for the underprivileged, but while he didn't vote the way he should have on issues like Pell grants, summer jobs for teens, and unemployment benefits, at least you had the feeling he was casting those votes because of party pressure and that he was doing what he could.
Gabriel Gomez can't win on the issues either. We should expect Newtown families to confront him on guns, and the truth about his economic policies to come out. I'm already seeing him referred to as a "one-percenter," which he is.
For the record, the Democrats aren't scared. We're doing what needs to be done and letting people know who Gabriel Gomez really is: Mitt Romney dressed up like Scott Brown. There isn't an issue that Ed Markey doesn't beat him on, and contrary to what many believe "likability" turns out not to matter much in elections.
Mara Dolan is the host of “Twilight Talk” on WCAP and the Co-Chair of the Policy Committee of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee. Please send comments to MDolan@MaraDolan.com, and follow on Twitter @MaraDolan
http://concord.patch.com/blog_posts/gabriel-gomez-a-new-kind-of-republican-not-exactly-not-at-all
God Bless the President of the United States shared Jay Branscomb's photo.
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