Reality Bites by James Norton for the week of Sept. 20

I’m not beating a dead horse – I’m beating a dead Donkey, there’s a difference

It‚Äôs tough to kick the crap out of the Democratic Party when you‚Äôre from Somerville, but honestly, they make it so easy.  This year‚Äôs Democratic Primary is the perfect example of a Party gone crazy.
  Never mind the silliness that normally accompanies candidates and their respective ‚Äúpod people‚Äù ‚Äì that‚Äôs another issue altogether.  I‚Äôm talking about the movement of the ‚ÄúParty‚Äù and it‚Äôs obvious inability to stop the infighting and missteps that will undoubtedly lead to another four years of Republican rule in the corner office on Beacon Hill.

  It‚Äôs happened so many times in the past it isn‚Äôt even worth a snicker anymore ‚Äì plenty of posturing and politicking early on, with early frontrunners who fizzle out, but never know enough to leave, never mind leave well enough alone ‚Äì they have to fight to the bitter end and sling the mud and the dirty politics to the bitter end.  That‚Äôs the sad part.
  Then, when the dust finally clears and there is a nominee ‚Äì you get the ‚Äúwe need to work together to beat back the Republicans‚Äù the very next day.
  Talk about not getting it ‚Äì it‚Äôs obvious the Republicans get it ‚Äì if you go strong with one person from day one, then you go strong on the last day too.  I was talking to someone the other day who has been involved in politics for a long time and we agreed that the Democrats haven‚Äôt been able to field a candidate for Governor that had some kind of overall party consensus since before the Ed King/Mike Dukakis back and forth.
  So I have asked a few people, and they think my theory holds water ‚Äì which I hate to point out because Ed King was a great guy and a decent Governor and passed away this week ‚Äì but when Ed King attacked and hammered Dukakis with the income and property taxes issue (remember Proposition 2 ¬Ω?) and beat him, it created a fissure in the Party and a lot of hard feelings, especially after Dukakis came back and beat King to win his seat back.  The way the candidates in the Party moved against each other to this day remains the same ‚Äì attack, attack, attack each other ‚Äì and then claim Party unity when the Primary is over.
  Don‚Äôt bother to think about the aftermath, the hard feelings, the bad taste in people‚Äôs mouths.  No wonder Kerry Healey did what she did this past week ‚Äì it was a masterful shot ‚Äì she went after Gabrieli in a negative ad.
  And can anyone tell me what kind of sense it made to air that negative ad by the ‚ÄúPatriot Democratic Committee‚Äù or whatever the hell the name of that group is the night before the Democratic Primary ‚Äì attacking Kerry Healey ‚Äì when the Primary hadn‚Äôt even happened yet?  That makes NO sense.  But it doesn‚Äôt surprise you, does it?
  So the Primary has come and gone, and now we have a candidate ‚Äì that‚Äôs great ‚Äì and people will take a while to get the bad taste out of their mouth from all the dancing and sidestepping and mud throwing the Democrats did to each other ‚Äì and in one case ‚Äì to themselves.  And we will have more and more people registering as Independents, and not voting Democrat in the Final Election.
  And the infighting will go on, and there will be no Party unity, and the Democratic Party will remain a joke.  That‚Äôs too bad ‚Äì because it‚Äôs just not the same Party it was 40 years ago, and it never will be again.