More on MA

Piggybacking on Eric's post just below, please note this item from today's Boston Herald. It seems that Mitt is hurriedly steering leftward after his made-in-South-Carolina trial balloon pretty much bit it in Boston.

A day after a federal minimum wage hike died on Capitol Hill, Gov. Mitt Romney [related, bio] said he would support raising the state wage in step with inflation.

"I know that there are a number of bills that are looking at raising the minimum wage in Massachusetts," Romney said yesterday. "I want to see that process continue."

The Boston Herald being the voice of Boston's right wing (such as it is), it's safe to say his re-election would be in serious doubt. In fact, the biggest thing he has going for him right now is that the Republican bench in Massachusetts is so anorexic that he may be the best candidate they can field. In the meanwhile, his Massachusetts-bashing field trips and his election activities against Kerry and for the locally very unpopular shrub have won him no friends in what he calls his home state.

State Democrats are also floating a plan to move the primary to May, in order to give the Democratic nominee time to raise money and unify the party before the fall election. Since MA Democratic primaries are often brutal and Repugs hardly ever have any fight at all, this could be an excellent way to level the playing field in the governor race.

BOSTON - Massachusetts Democrats are considering changes to their convention rules that would make it harder for candidates get on the statewide ballot, part of a strategy to try and return a member of the party to the governor's office.

      The 376-member Democratic State Committee was expected to take up the proposal by former Gov. Michael S. Dukakis - the last Democratic governor, who left office in 1990 - and U.S. Rep. James McGovern, at its meeting Wednesday night.

      A key change would require each candidate for statewide office to win at least 15 percent of delegates' support on the first ballot at the state convention. Currently, candidates who don't make 15 percent are given a second try.

      Party leaders also want to reduce the number of delegates at the convention from 6,257 to 4,777, and move the primary from September to May or June.

I say, whatever helps get rid of Mitt sounds good to me.