The junior senator from Massachusetts is now the decided frontrunner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president. But even before John Kerry’s strong showing in three state contests over the weekend, some in the GOP had already resurrected an old line of attack, branding Kerry a “Massachusetts Liberal” who is “culturally out of step with the rest of America.”
These are fighting words. In 1988 they were wielded against Michael Dukakis, and effectively killed his candidacy. Since then the label has continued to be used to color a perception of Massachusetts as a breeding ground for precious, political elites better suited to the salons of Cambridge than the porticoes of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Guests:
David Nyhan, political analyst and syndicated columnist
John Aloysius Farrell, Washington bureau chief and columnist, The Denver Post.