Massachusetts Republicans Come Back

HOUSTON--Massachusetts alternate John Harris remembers 1986 all too well. And it's not the Red Sox flop that makes him shudder.

Harris, now a member of the Governor's Council, says he ran for the same post in that year and "went down with so many other Republican candidates" in a Dukakis landslide.

"That was definitely a tough time to be a Republican, but it also served as the birth of a new party in Massachusetts," said Harris, an Andover resident. "We started localizing at the city level, and everybody saw what happened four years later--a revolution.

In 1990, William F. Weld '66 became the state's first Republican governor in 20 years. A large number of seats in the Massachusetts legislature were turned over to the Republican Party. And Harris won his election--the first time in 30 years a Republican has held his post.

Republican politicians and citizens who have journeyed here from Massachusetts, including Harris, say the recent climb in Republican influence in the Commonwealth has rejuvenated their political spirits. Not only do most of them say it's much easier to be a Republican in Massachusetts these days, but they describe it as "fun."

State Sen. Richard Tisei, a delegate from Wakefield who served in the House served in the House from 1984 to 1990 before moving to the Senate, says that the sparse number of Republican elected officials used to make things very tough for him in the legislature.

"Times were tough when I was elected in 1984. I was the only Republican within [Greater "Boston]," said Tisei, who ran Gov. Weld's campaign in 1990.

"But now, with Governor Weld in office and the turnover in the legislature, it's a good time to be a Republican--the best time in the last 20 years," He says.

And the new attitude extends beyond the elected officials and into the Republicans' private lives, according to Kent Lage, an aide to the delegation from Charlestown.

"It was bit of struggle to be a Republican after the gubernatorial debacle in 1986," Lage says. "But now with Governor Weld in office, we command a great deal more respect."

Some delegates also point out that having a Republican lieutenant governor, Paul A. Cellucci, and a Republican state treasurer, Joseph D. Malone '78, only adds to the comfort from having a Republican governor.

In an interview with The Crimson, Malone said the state's new Republican leadership is making progress in turning around the problems left behind by Democratic rule in the state, and that only produces more support for the Republicans.

"In Massachusetts, given the fact that we have great institutions of higher learning, top medical and research centers and a good geographical location, we just needed to give the people the proper incentive to go the extra mile," Malone said.

"And now we're starting to see that," he said.

While many of the Massachusetts, residents here say that they find it easier to be a Republican in Massachusetts, the feelgood words don't come from across the board.

Marilyn E. Rollins, a delegate from Boston, said she has always found it difficult as a Republican in Boston, especially because she is also a Black woman. Rollins, who supports Weld, said the Republican governor's presence and the recent emergence of Republican representation hasn't improved her situation.

"With a Republican governor in office, it's still not significantly better for me," Rollins said. "I would like to see more people of color active in the Republican Party, because that might help do away with the racism that still sits in the city."

Other delegates said the changes in Massachusetts politics haven't affected them. Mary Rogeness, a delegate from Longmeadow, said her part of the state has traditionally been a Republican one. "But it's good to see the party prevailing elsewhere too," Rogeness said.

Jefferson said she has never found it hard to stand out as a Republican in Massachusetts because she is "not influenced by what others do or say."

The Massachusetts delegates who did say it is now easer to be Republican, attribute much of Weld's success to the increasing number of Republican in the State House. "Not only do we have a Republican governor, but we also have the senators to sustain the vetoes," Tisei said.

State Rep. Augusta Hornblower said she had been "waiting all along for Governor Weld." And she said that now, with the addition of more Republican legislators, the state party can accomplish more of its goals.

"Now it's piece of cake. Our message has been correct all along: We can turn it around," Hornblower said." "One party has been the rule in Massachusetts for so long, but now we have the balance we need for open debate."

Hornblower and many others said that if President Bush had the similar balance in the U.S. legislature as Weld has in Massachusetts, a "cooperative congress," he would be able to make more progress--and he would have waltzed through the November election instead of enduring the dogfight with Clinton.

Blaming a Democratic Congress for Bush's problems with domestic matters, Massachusetts Republicans like Jerry Robbins said they think Bush will have a tough time coming back from his deficit in the current polls.

"I'd like to see us all walk out of here on Thursday with a lot of unity," said Robbins, who traveled to the convention from Danvers to help Weld. "We have good men up there, but the campaign is still lagging. I just hope [James] Baker will help turn it around."

The majority of the Massachusetts stronghold here this week want Bush for "Four more Years," and have swept their fears under their hotel beds. Many said they are confident that the convention will send Bush back to the top of the polls and secure his reelection. Margaret Dwyer, an alternate from Wakefield, said she heard a poll on TV Tuesday morning that showed Bush is "already closing the gap."

"We're going to do it in November," Dwyer said "It looks like the president is going to pull off one of those great Celtics comebacks."