Embarrassing Mittens

From his catbird perch atop the Republican Governors Association, Mittens has been generously spreading his largesse among the early primary states. No need to tell you why.

The big ugly fly in Mittens' 2008 prospects? His approval rate in his own "home state":

Romney was viewed favorably by 40 percent of those surveyed and unfavorably by 48 percent, the worst rating since he took office in early 2003. In March, 49 percent of voters surveyed by the Globe's pollster gave Romney a favorable rating, and 41 percent viewed him unfavorably.

Asked about the direction of the state, 57 percent of the voters surveyed said they believe Massachusetts is seriously off-track, and 34 percent feel the state is headed in the right direction. In March 2005, a Globe poll suggested that 47 percent said the state was on the right track and that 40 percent thought things were headed in the wrong direction.

The remedy? Chris Cillizza:

The RGA -- through its independent expenditure arm -- is spending nearly $900,000 on ads touting Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey (R) -- ads that indirectly seek to shore up Romney's legacy in the state. The governor's image is all over the ads as a narrator casts the successes of the "Romney-Healey team," including a balanced budget, job creation and health insurance for all. "Why would we want to turn back?" asks the narrator at the ad's conclusion...

...Don't underestimate Romney when it comes to organization muscle. Aside from Arizona Sen. John McCain no Republican eyeing the 2008 race has spread as much money around in key states and recruited the depth of staff talent. Romney has used the last year to position himself as the McCain alternative in the field and barring some sort of major misstep he will start 2007 in great shape to make a run at the nomination.

Hey, Massachusetts! What do you say we go ahead and pull that rug out from under Mittens' shiny hopes?

Deval Patrick in a landslide.

It's a win-win for us. We get a governor who actually has some vision for the future of the state and at the same time we throw a big old bucket of slime on that carefully crafted, made-for-TV Romney golden aura.