carnival

MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale recently took issue with the enforcement of the MBTA Communities Act:

“The MBTA Communities Act was never intended to be a stick-first approach by the Commonwealth. What we’ve seen in the attorney general’s office is a knee-jerk reaction to sue first and ask questions later […] As communities continue to voice their concerns about the implementation of this law, Governor Healey and Attorney General Campbell are failing in their duties to partner with cities and towns to respond to our housing crisis. This kind of cavalier attitude toward enforcement mechanisms is exactly why voters will agree with Republicans in 2026: One-party rule has sent Democrats on a power trip.”

If Massachusetts voters are opposed to one-party rule on a power trip, they certainly won’t turn to the party holding all three branches of federal government and constantly attacking Massachusetts for being a “blue” state.

Maybe if MassGOP differentiated themselves from their national platform, they could put up a competitive alternative to the Massachusetts Democrats and offer some alternatives that are compelling to voters. Instead, they seem content with ivory tower internet clapbacks and ludicrously tone-deaf messaging.

But are they right?

No! This is not only poor political positioning, it’s not even a fair criticism. Following the law isn’t “knee-jerk”, a poor choice of words given that they endorsed a 34-times felon for president, who is ordering federal agents to raid Massachusetts communities for spectacle and symbolic, pyrrhic “wins”. And calling it “cavalier” is bold when it takes aim at solving the Massachusetts housing crisis, the very issue she claims will lead voters to deliver them a 2026 victory.

So, I don’t know who this messaging is for, other than maybe a small core already-loyal audience looking for chum in the water. I can’t imagine that’s going to flip a million Democrat voters by 2026, though.