( - promoted by EaBo Clipper)
While Team Ogonowski ponders its options after it failed to secure enough certified signatures to place its candidate on the ballot, the reality is that the O-Man has no chance of getting back into the game of taking on Kerry. Sure, Team Ogonowski can put the blame on a handful of town/city clerks for a variety of errors or hint darkly at being the victim of dirty tricks unleashed by political forces hostile to most of what Ogonowski represents. The blame, however, rests squarely on the shoulders of Ogonowski himself, his campaign manager, & whoever had the responsibility for collecting signatures for the O-Man.
Given the realities of this year's political season (especially a presidential year that might be a transformational one), it was imperative that Team Ogonowski get as many signatures collected as possible & submitted to the town/city clerks as EARLY as possible LONG BEFORE said signatures (once certified) were forwarded to the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
That obviously didn't happen & we now know the results. Can Ogonowski run a sticker campaign across the state? Sure. Will he win the primary? Only if Jeff Beatty allows it to happen. A sticker campaign is extremely difficult to pull off on the local level let alone doing it across the state. It requires an incredible organization - at least one that has the capacity to collect certifiable signatures in the first place. If Team Ogonowski goes forward with such a scheme, it will create intra-party strife & deepen the animosity between GOP activists that would be worse than the kind displayed here on RedMassGroup (RMG).
Most RMG readers know I took no sides on the Beatty/Ogonowski spat for the Massachusetts US Senate race against incumbent John Kerry (D-Davos). So I hope what I have to say will be heard objectively & respectfully by both sides. Right now, Ogonowski has been humiliated. However, the O-Man still can brush off the tarnish from his political reputation if he decides to get past this embarassing episode & move on to something new - specifically a political rematch with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (MA-05).
Ogonowski already has a built-in organization in the district thanks to his previous run. If Team Beatty is indeed politically savvy, it would help Team Ogonowski post enough stickers in the GOP primary to ensure the O-Man gets on the ballot to face-off against Tsongas. If the Beatty & Ogonowski teams work together in such a manner (which benefits BOTH factions), it will help ammeliorate the negative vibes that have characterized their political relationship thus far. Repairment of said relationship is crucial given the fact that 2008 is shaping up to be the "Year of the Democrat" both nationwide & here in the Bay State.
How could Ogonowski pull it off & still be viewed as credible? First, the O-Man should fire the people who let him down. He should then take responsibility for not being as forceful as he should have been with regards to how his campaign was run. He should proclaim that the experience has humbled him to the point where he is going to go back to the place that helped him achieve a positive reputation in national GOP circles - the Fifth Congressional District. Tsongas has already built up a record worth criticizing. Given his military background, Ogonowski can attack the "Pelosi Democrats" for (among other things) holding up a vote on FISA (which can only make America more vulnerable to our enemies). At the same time, he can articulate key issues (like energy independence) which illustrates his vision for the future - one that stands in stark contrast to the status quo supported by both RINOs & DINOs.
Can Ogonowski beat Tsongas? If Team Ogonowski does its job right, then yes he can. If he loses to Tsongas by a closer margin (say 47% instead of 45%), then Ogonowski puts even more pressure on Tsongas (especially during the so-called "Year of the Democrat") & sets himself up for another confrontation in 2010 - which might be a better year for the GOP in general & the O-Man in particular. If Tsongas continues to show weakness, she may be powerless to prevent her district from being carved up after redistricting (provided, of course, that none of her congressional colleagues move on, retire, or die). The redistricting confusion will only benefit Ogonowski if he builds a solid foundation for the future NOW. The O-Man is well liked; people want him to succeed. For that to happen, Ogonowski must throw his support behind Beatty & Beatty must throw HIS support behind the O-Man's run against Tsongas. |
