Herald (!?!) Endorses Tsongas

I just got an email from Team Tsongas; the Boston Herald endorsed her campaign. This, on top of the Lowell Sun's endorsement, is pretty stunning. Even the conservative rags don't see Oganowski fit for congress. Ouch.

The Metrowest Daily also endorsed her campaign today, though I don't know much about that paper's leanings. Add that to the list. Given the endorsements, debates, SCHIP fallout and a few other factors, it's looking like I don't need to be worried about a Tsongas victory after all. Barring some unforeseen disaster, it's in the bank - thanks to the fact that Oganowski rivals Kerry Healey in being the Worst Candidate Ever.

Globe: It's Not He Said/She Said

No matter how a Batman episode was turning, be it Joker finding the Bat Cave or the Penguin up to his usual schemes, it would be resolved within the last five minutes - resoundingly so.

The Globe endorsed Niki Tsongas in today's edition, mainly for Tsongas's support of SCHIP. No surprises there. However, this is the distressing part. The emphasis is mine.

Ogonowski has said he wants to expand the program, but opposes the bill on the grounds that, by eliminating a federal requirement for identification, it could provide insurance to the children of undocumented immigrants. Tsongas says the bill's wording clearly indicates it would not do this.

Sure, Tsongas "says" it, but it's also the cold, hard truth. Look, I get that newspapers want to seem impartial, but the fact of the matter is they're supposed to deliver the truth. The SCHIP bill clearly laid out that identification is required to participate. Is it too much to ask for a major regional paper to say, "Oganowski says the program could provide insurance to the children of undocumented immigrants, but is in fact wrong. The bill specifically states that participants must have proper identification."

The Globe doesn't have to call Idon'tknowski a liar; they just have to do their jobs and inform the public he's wrong. Why? Because he is, dammit. The public can determine whether or not Idon'tknowski is a lying liar or is merely inane. I'm going with both - and enjoying the fireworks as his campaign implodes like a house of cards hit with a brick of truth. Wham!

Friday's Important Things

Here's a list of all the things you need to know before you go home this evening:

• Don't vote for Jim "Idon'tknowski." David has two great posts on how the wannabe Rep won't be Repping the truth on children's health care, the S-CHIP program. Idon'tknowski says he wants children to have health care, just not undocumented immigrant children. Um, considering the program requires a valid ID, I fail to see how that's a problem. (Though, as David notes, the Globe's still confused.)
• Now Idon'tknowski says he just wants to rewrite the bill, which would effectively kill it (though you won't get that from him). The program would expire and hundreds of thousands of kids would lose access to health care. What a swell guy. Meanwhile, this was a completely bipartisan bill: no re-dos, Mr. Idon'tknowski.
• Why was this guy within 10% last poll? Expect that margin to increase, by a lot - and work for it too. Obviously, the kids can't afford Oganowksi Idon'tknowski in Congress (never mind the troops in Iraq).
• Meanwhile, for all those who were just dying to tear me a new one for being pragmatic on ENDA, you never can tell what will happen.

"Although Bush said during his 2000 election campaign that he does not support ENDA, neither he nor the White House has said whether the president would veto that legislation."

Now, I wouldn't expect him to actually sign the bill, but as I've said all along: we could send the blandest, worst ENDA possible to his desk and it would only help us in the long run if he vetoed it. I doubt most rational human beings know that glbt people can be fired from their job, in most states, simply for being gay, bi, lesbian or transgendered. There's no better way to put that issue on the map than a Presidential, George-W.-Bush veto, especially when the media can go on and on about how bland the actual bill was. Unfortunately, though, it's a lost opportunity: it seems we'll have to wait for a Democratic President to even have a chance on issues like ENDA, all because certain (loud) folks don't know how to be pragmatic and won't stand for anything less than a Titanic bill.

MA-05 Getting Close?

That's what Mike says. Apparently, the polls have tightened to around 10%. While that's not a landslide, I don't know if I'd be willing to say this thing is close quite yet. We'll see if it gets even closer, or not.

Still though, as Mike's diatribe points out rather well, it's certainly frustrating Niki is trying to be an outsider candidate of change instead of playing to her strengths. Republican-lite isn't the best strategy anywhere, because more people will just want the real deal. Here's hoping Tsongas stops hitting the snooze button, turns off the alarm and goes on the attack - no more miss nice gal when there are men and women dying in the thousands in Iraq. Mr. Oganowski would just keep them there longer and that's not going to be a popular decision anywhere in Massachusetts, even in the conservative-ish 5th.