Friday, February 26, 2010



The late leslie Glass is the brunette in the center

From my archives, here's a piece I wrote and NEVER GOT PAID FOR! Got to love the life of a writer! It was published in 1996 but appeared only in a magazine on the West Coast.

The long dark hair. The finely shaped features. The creamy complexion. Acclaimed Penthouse model Leslie Glass has got what she describes as "the Anne Rice look"

"Don't you think I'd make a good vampire?" she asks with a laugh.

Well, at least Leslie makes a fine vampire vixen from Venus. Leslie stars with Michelle Bauer, Theresa Lynn, and J.J. North in the Ted Bohus horror spoof Vampire Vixens from Venus which is now available on home video.

"I really wanted to get into acting," explains Leslie on why she made her acting debut in the low-budget romp.

The tall brunette model who has graced the cover and interior pages of the acclaimed men's magazine many times, and has been in several of the Penthouse videos, has long harbored an interest in acting. She hadn't acted on her ambitions until Bohus' production company called Penthouse looking for talent.

"They called Penthouse, and told them they needed some models with good bodies," recalled Leslie, who fits that casting call as any reader of the magazine certainly would agree.

Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that Leslie is just another centerfold star and would-be "scream queen." Leslie is bright, articulate, and uses her much of her earnings for the passion of her life of helping animals.

Leslie has founded a non-profit center in her native Baltimore, MD to care and treat strayed and abused dogs and cats. This center is the dream of her lifetime, as over the years she had helped 600 animals get the medical treatment and the homes they need. Still under construction, the [name] center will open this year, and will feature the world's second cancer treatment center for dogs and cats. Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione has helped by allowing Leslie to use the trademarked "Penthouse Pets" name in her fundraising "Pets for Pets" campaign.

Get into a conversation with Leslie, and it's easy to understand why Penthouse has often asked her to represent the magazine in various public appearances around the world. Besides being a knock-out, she's a smart and savvy spokesperson. Her recent promotional trips have included Russia and Hong Kong. So popular is Leslie that she holds the title 1994 International Pet of the Year. But, does she ever have problems with people who think of a centerfold model as a "bimbo?"

"Sure, but if you talk with me for any more than a minute, you'd know I'm not a bimbo," Leslie says emphatically.

Describing Leslie as goal-oriented is something of an understatement. She has worked hard to achieve her fame at Penthouse, and to reach her personal goal of building her animal shelter and clinic. There is a new world for her to conquer, though, and that is acting.

Although she's had plenty of experience in front of a camera with her appearances in Penthouse videos, Leslie realized she needed more experience, and gladly accepted the role in Vampire Vixens from Venus.

The film was shot in two weeks in July 1994, and features Leslie as one of the three title characters. Leslie admits she had some doubts about the movie during production.

"I thought it was cheesy," she says candidly. "But when I saw the film I was pretty impressed. The special effects were great, and it's was really comical."

The film does feature several topless scenes, and although Leslie has appeared nude in print and on video before, she'd rather do roles in which nudity is not included.

Leslie, Theresa Lynn, and J.J. North star as the titular vampire vixens. Their mission on Earth is to extract the liquid part of human bodies, and to do that they transform themselves from their hideous natural state to forms more pleasing to horny men. Once a guy is interested, they waste little time strapping a helmet to his head extracting his precious body fluids and leaving him resembling a pitted prune.

As they leave a trail of dried remains around New Jersey, the police begin to investigate under the barely competent leadership of one Detective Lieutenant Oakenshield, played by Peter Grimes. His efforts to get to the bottom of the mysterious deaths is sidetracked by a not-so-chance meeting with a lovely woman played by scream queen favorite Michelle Bauer who just happens to be the ugliest Venusian of them all.

The emphasis on comedy rather that t-and-a or gore is refreshing to see in a low-budget genre film, and that's what director, writer and special effects artist Ted Bohus had in mind. Bohus, who has made a name for himself with films such as The Regenerated Man and The Deadly Spawn, wanted to do something "light" instead of horrific, and wrote the script for the science fiction comedy.

Bohus is a big fan of Michelle Bauer and he was impressed with Theresa Lynn, and J.J. North. For the last alien, Bohus had decided on actress Stacey Warfel, but she had an untimely motorcycle accident which sent him looking for a replacement.

After sending out casting notices, Leslie auditioned for the part, and Bohus knew he had his fourth alien. "She was very enthusiastic, looked great, and carried some weight with her title of 1994 International Pet of the Year," he recalls.

Although she lacked acting experience, she did impress Bohus in front of the camera. "She came prepared," Bohus says. "With a low budget film, actors have to come prepared and know their lines."

The production of the film went smoothly, according to Bohus, except for a scheduling mix-up which prevented Leslie from being on the set the night the opening scene was shot. This scene introduces the three aliens who transform themselves into beautiful women. Without Leslie there, the scene couldn't work, and on a low-budget film, time is most definitely money.

"I went through the roof," Bohus admits. " I told everyone to leave me alone for a while and I thought of a way to work this out." Bohus' solution? The transformation device for the third alien isn't working correctly. When Leslie was able to join the production, Bohus shot a scene in which the vixens manage to get the device to transform one ugly Venusian into the beautiful Leslie.

Bohus was impressed enough with the newcomer that he would certainly consider Leslie for another role.

For the time being, Leslie is taking her new acting career one day at a time, and is very grounded about her future.

"I've got to start at the bottom, and work my way to where I want to go," she states. Yet, Leslie is going to tackle acting the same way she has worked in modeling...on her own terms.
By living in Baltimore, she believes she "misses a lot of roles," but yet she doesn't want to live in Los Angeles.

"I don't want to get caught up in the politics of it all," she explains, alluding to the competitive pressures of getting a role. "I know a lot of the women out there are clawing each other on the way to the top."

How does she evaluate herself in her first acting job? "I was impressed with myself," she says with a laugh. "I memorized everything in the script."

Hard work doesn't bother Leslie, nor does paying her dues, and this writer is willing to bet Vampire Vixens from Venus is the start of her new career.

Postscript: Leslie died in 2000 at the age of 36 after a two-year bout with cancer. Vampire Vixens from Venus was her only non-adult film.


© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Monday, February 22, 2010

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

"


Here are some photos of things I saw at the Toy Fair. The last image is for a line of plush animals called "Tushems." The front of the toy is a fairly standard stuffed animal while the backside was a disturbing detailed and large ass. I told the guy he was at the wrong kind of toy fair.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Monday, February 15, 2010




Being a stripper has changed greatly since the days of Gypsy Rose Lee, seen here in her writer mode.

I’ve been very hesitant about posting anything about the labor relations issue at the Mardi Gras strip club in Springfield as some readers might say something along the lines of “How dare he! He represents The Reminder! etc.”

When one writer at The Reminder did a story about the de-criminalization of prostitution, I received an angry letter from a reader that her young son reads every word in the paper and that we had ruined that pleasure for him by printing an article on such a subject.

I wondered how this woman must shelter her son from stuff on television and in other newspapers and magazines. Can you imagine five years in the future when American history classes are discussing Clinton’s presidency how a teacher will deal with his indiscretion? Will they discuss how Monica proved their affair happened with the physical evidence of her blue dress with a stain?

So allow me to once more say, “This blog is my words alone and does not reflect the opinions of my employers, my staff or the advertisers of the newspaper that employs me.”


Go back now. You’ve been warned. Potential brain damage.

If you’ve not heard, a group of dancers, bartenders and deejays have brought a class action suit against the owners of the Mardi Gras for illegally treating them as independent contractors. Dancers were required to give part of their earnings to the deejays and bartenders as well as pay a shift fee to work at the club.

The thing that bothers me the most about the issue of a strip club illegally categorizing its dancers as independent contractors when they, by law, fit the description of employees is how people have reacted to it.

Instead of having some shred of human understanding, the all-too common reaction is “So what? They’re little better than prostitutes.”

So, because what they do for a job that crosses a comfort threshold for some people, they shouldn’t have legal rights?

I’ve gone to strip clubs. I’ve written about strips clubs. I’ve interviewed dancers and club owners. I’ve become friends with some dancers.

I would never recommend this line of work to any woman. It is amazingly difficult. While the financial rewards might be great, it takes a strong person to stay away from the numerous pitfalls presented to dancers.

Could you imagine being in a line of work in which your income solely derives from someone making a snap judgment on your appearance? How about having to push drinks on customers who want to get you drunk? Being in a constant party mode with sexual overtones can take a toll on a person.

I’ve known women who worked toward a goal, then left the field and never looked back. I’ve known women who have stayed in too long. I also know women who used dancing as a way to pay for college and returned because they couldn’t find work or enough work to pay their bills.

Most of us wind up doing something that makes us feel bad during our work careers. When I was a sales rep at the Daily Hampshire Gazette – I took the job thinking I would be in a position to get a reporter’s gig; I was wrong – one of the reporters came over to me and asked if it was true I had a degree in journalism.

I affirmed that was true.

“How does it feel being a prostitute?” she replied and marched across the room to her desk.

I was too stunned – and too green – to tell her my efforts were what paid her salary. If I could remember her name I’d Google her and tell what I think now.

Certainly there were other times when employers made sure to put people in their places, such as the Christmas when I worked at the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram and all of us had to buy a Christmas present for the publisher and then frickin’ sing him a Christmas carol.

The scene was straight out of Charles Dickens. We received no bonus, no party and no gift in return.

Please bend over and say with me, “Thank you sir. May I have another?”

By the way, I can honestly say my present employers are the best I’ve had in my career in media.

In the realm of human feelings and morale, I, like most people, have felt at times exploited and abused by employers. But perhaps some people believe they are superior because no matter how degraded their boss may make them feel what they are doing is somehow more legitimate than taking off their clothes for money for the amusement of strangers.

I guess I believe that if you know what it is to work for a lunatic, shouldn’t you feel some sympathy for people whose job presents an even greater challenge than yours?

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Thursday, February 11, 2010



Okay, those who know me very well, know I'm a big Fritz Lang fan and that I'm postively goofy about "Metropolis." Like the complete "Greed," a complete version of the film has been one of the cinema's Holy Grails. UFA made cuts to the film after it ran for two weeks in Germany in 1927. Paramount made additional cuts for the American release.



I first saw the version assembled with a rock score by Giorgio Moroder in 1984 and was blown away. The scope of Lang's imagery of the future married to the story that as technology advances so must the human condition made the film instantly one of the my favorites.

Despite the criticisms of the Moroder version – purists didn't care much for the rock score – the film was able to bring "Metropolis" to a new generation.

One of my best moments as a film fan was being invited to a screening of the restored version of the film released in 2001. I saw the movie in the former Columbia Pictures screening room in New York City and again was blown away.

Now here is great news.

Anyone out there wants to finance my trip to Berlin?
© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Podcamp UnConference Western Mass. 2

So I’m back ahead of schedule from the second Podcamp UnConference Western Mass. I really like the idea of the UnConference – people getting together to share their expertise and questions on new media and social networking topics – and the first one taught me a lot.

This time the UnConference was presented at Westfield State College and the facility was quite good for the workshops.

I attended two very good sessions in the morning – one that proved to be a good Twitter refresher course by Jason Turcotte – while the other was an eye-opener about posting video on your blog. Author Steve Garfield did a great job and I’ve got a lot of ideas I’d like to do.

The lunch was excellent and the company around the table was good. How could I go wrong sitting next to the Springfield Intruder himself, Bill Dusty?

Now, foolishly thinking I had something to offer, I spent time this week preparing a Powerpoint presentation titled “Citizen Journalism 101.” Traditional media has slashed its content and as a result people working with the new media tools have taken up a little of the slack.

As a Jeffersonian kind of guy I applaud people deciding they are going to report on a local topic or create a beat for themselves. The issue facing them is establishing the professional chops – if they are not professionals to begin with – and to gain the credibility they need to do their job.

I was going to address these issues in my nuts and bolts presentation. Unknown to me until about five minutes before the show was to go on, I saw my time and space was to be shared with someone who would be speaking on the “The Future of Journalism.”

Ah, huh.

The guy, who never introduced himself, seemed friendly enough and said we could split the time. He took it all but ten minutes. He didn’t offer an apology, but said I could take the rest of the time – how large. I said thanks to the group, packed my stuff and got the hell out of there.

I don’t need this crap at this stage of my life. With my schedule at work every free minute is precious. As far as I could see on the workshop board I was the only person they did this to. If the goal of Podcamp is to help build a community of people, it failed with me today.

There were two guys who actually chased after me because they were interested. I told them I would post my notes on my blog and I gave them my card. Thanks for the interest guys. I appreciate it.

Citizen Journalism 101
What the hell do you want to do?


What kind of blog are you planning? Do you want to cover a town, a neighborhood, and a beat? Written, video, audio?

There are generally two kinds of blogs out there – those that cover a topic and those that reflect the interests of the writer. Granted the one that cover a topic exist because they are an interest to a writer, but other approach tends to present a more personalized view.

Someone interested in become a reporter is better served by the first approach and by developing a beat. What is going under-reported in your community? What do you see as a need? The answers to these questions should guide you in determining what you want to do.

A beat can be covered through photos, videos and audio as well. The freedom of the Web is the ability to present the same information on multiple platforms at the same time.

Do you want to stick to professional standards?

If you want to be taken seriously by members of governments, businesses and other institutions, you have to have a level of professionalism in your writing. The attribution of sources and quotes demonstrates professionalism.

I’m old school. I believe in making the newsmakers tell their story and stand by their statements.

Check out this site for a great discussion about on and off record rules.

Libel is another issue. There are some people who think somehow the standards governing what you say about a person may not apply to the Web. Think again.

Here is a great site for guidelines.

Here’s a solid definition about who is a public figure. Remember public figures are not as protected as much by libel laws as those who private.

Who is a public figure? A public figure is someone who has actively sought, in a given matter of public interest, to influence the resolution of the matter. In addition to the obvious public figures, government employee, a senator, a presidential candidate, someone may be a limited-purpose public figure. A limited-purpose public figure is one who (a) voluntarily participates in a discussion about a public controversy, and (b) has access to the media to get his or her own view across. One can also be an involuntary limited-purpose public figure or example, an air traffic controller on duty at time of fatal crash was held to be an involuntary, limited-purpose public figure, due to his role in a major public occurrence. Examples of public figures:
• A former city attorney and an attorney for a corporation organized to recall members of city counsel
• A psychologist who conducted "nude marathon" group therapy
• A land developer seeking public approval for housing near a toxic chemical plant
• Members of an activist group who spoke with reporters at public events
• Corporations are not always public figures. They are judged by the same standards as individuals.


A citizen journalist also needs to know his and her rights concerning the Open Meeting laws.


The Open Meeting Law gives "any person" the right to attend the meetings of governmental bodies, with exceptions for closed sessions discussed below. Massachusetts law does not limit access to meetings to a specific category of people or a profession, such as "the traditional press." Anyone may attend, including non-residents and non-voters. The Open Meeting Law does not give the public a right to participate or comment during open meetings. As a matter of practice, however, governmental bodies often allow members of the public to comment during public meetings. No one may address a public meeting of a governmental body without permission of the presiding officer, and all persons must be silent upon request of the presiding officer. See Mass Gen. Laws. ch. 39, ァ 23C.
Go here for more detail

Tools of the trade

These are things I carry. You might want to arm yourself with them as well:
• Mp3 audio recorder
• Flip video camera/ tripod
• Decent still camera

A tripod is vital as it allows you to have a free hand to take notes while you are shooting video or photos. I know it sound pretty obvious, but many reporters I know try to juggle all of this technology at the same time. You don;t want to drop your camera while fiddling with your notebook.

How do be taken seriously

Okay this is a huge issue as there are millions blogs out and bloggers have to prove themselves with people and organizations used to dealing with traditional media.

So here is what I suggest: Call the newsmakers on your beat and ask to be put on their media lists. If they do, then show up if you can at their events. When you go to an event, make sure you say hello to the PR person and hand them your card.

The more events you attend the more stories you write and the more times you follow up a story with an email to the newsmaker containing a link to the story, your credibility will grow.

So these were the topics I was going to present if given the chance. There is much more to be discussed to prepare someone who wants to undertake this role and I hope to do so in a book I’ve been thinking about.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Boy am I freaked out! This guy works at the McDonald's on Allen Street and has served me many meals over the past few years. He always punched the register with a little too much enthusiasm. This is the first time I recognized someone from a mug shot sent to me!


SPRINGFIELD – At 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, the Springfield police were dispatched to an “armed robbery in progress” at the Citizens Bank located at 950 Main St.

Charles L. Watts, age 42 of 536 North Main St., East Longmeadow was arrested on charges of attempted unarmed robbery.

According to the report release by Police Sgt. John Delany, “A description was given by the caller that the bank robber was a large white male wearing a red coat. The caller stated that the male was still in the bank.

“Officer David Standen was very close by and first on the scene within seconds of the dispatch. Officer Standen was the ‘walking patrol officer’ assigned to that beat. Officer Standen walked into the bank in full uniform and observed right away a large white male wearing a red jacket in front of a teller talking with her.

“He also observed all the other tellers and the bank manager huddled in a far off corner away from the bank robber. The bank manager observed Officer Standen and pointed out the bank robber as the one robbing the bank. Officer Standen quickly placed the suspect into custody. The robber passed a note to the teller demanding all the money. No weapon was shown, only implied and no weapon was recovered.”

Watts will be held arraigned in Springfield District Court.

Monday, February 01, 2010

Here's the finished story from this weekend covering Republican politics in Western Massachusetts.

A couple of observations: I will find it interesting if Brown's supporters don't share the stance he has taken as an independent voice who will not always vote with his Republican colleagues. His comments about abortion have already caused some comment – he is against federal funding on abortions, but supports a woman's right to choice.

And the fact we have a gay Republican running for lt. governor is also one that social conservatives here might have a problem with.





Brown meets his supporters.



Charles Baker, State Rep. Don Humason and State Sen. Mike Knapik



The Republican spotlight was on Western Massachusetts last week with two events signifying a renewed interest in the GOP here.

Senator-elect Scott Brown kicked off a “thank you” tour of the state with an appearance in Chicopee on Friday that drew over 500 people. On Saturday, over 200 supporters met Republican gubernatorial hopeful Charles Baker and his running mate State Sen. Richard Tisei at a campaign event at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

***
The bitter cold didn’t keep them away.

The lines were around the front of the He Ke Lau restaurant in Chicopee on Friday morning with people waiting patiently to enter the restaurant showroom to see Brown on the first of several stops around the state to thank supporters for sending him to the Senate.

Even as the doors were open and the event was underway, people still kept coming. Local officials who attended included Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette, Chicopee City Councilor Jay Croteau, George Moreau, Frank LaFlamme, and Charles Swider, Chicopee School Committee member Adam LaMontagne, Springfield City Councilor John Lysak, State Sens. Michael Knapik and Stephen Buoniconti and State Reps. James Welch, Michael Kane, John Scibak and Thomas Petrolati.

It was evident, though, the event was far less about Brown meeting with other elected officials and more about greeting the people who voted for him.

The event drew not only local press but also reporters from Boston television stations as well as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press.

Both Buoniconti and Knapik, who served with Brown in the State Senate, praised him for his bipartisanship and his willingness to listen and participate in debate.

Buoniconti said that in political circles Chicopee is a “bellwether community.”

“How goes Chicopee, goes the state,” he said. He added that when he learned Chicopee had gone for Brown he knew Brown had won the race.

Knapik said that Brown is “the real deal, a regular guy.” He added that in Massachusetts, Republicans have to work with Democrats to get legislation passed and that is a lesson Knapik predicted he will carry to Washington, D.C.

Knapik added Brown’s election was “a wake-up call to both parties.”

Driving himself from his home in his now famous truck, Brown was on time for the noon event, and appeared on stage after introductions from local businessman Brian Corridan and comedian Steve Sweeney, a friend of Brown’s.

Brown joked the last time he was at the Hu Ke Lau he could fit all of his supporters in one booth.

Brown said that with the boxes of cards, e-mails and text messages from supporters, “I have to tell you I’m so humbled and so honored to be here to say thank you.”

“Right now all I say is that I’m everybody’s senator for almost the next three years. It’s my job to make sure we have full representation down there for everybody,” he said.

After his short remarks, Brown stepped off the stage and into what quickly began a mosh pit of supporters, eager to say hello or grab a photo and an autograph. Many people carried the Brown yard signs from their lawns, while others had photos taken during the campaign and newspaper clippings.

Although Brown did have another stop in Chicopee, he stayed at the Hu Ke Lau considerably past his scheduled time so he could greet everyone there.

***
The next day area Republicans gathered in an event room at the Basketball Hall of Fame to listen to the man who would like to be the Republican nominee for governor.

Charles Baker served as the Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci and was more recently the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. He said he understands the problems of municipal government as he served on the Select Board of his hometown of Swampscott.

Baker’s message to his audience this weekend was the Patrick Administration and the Democratic controlled Legislature has made Massachusetts “a really tough place to do business.” The increase in taxes, the complexity of regulations and permitting and the mid-year budget cuts have resulted in the state not being a “reliable, predictable, dependable partner” for businesses, Baker said.

As an example, he cited the state has changed the corporate tax policy four times in the last seven years.

Richard Tisei is the minority leader of the State Senate. He represents the Middlesex and Essex District, which consists of Lynnfield, Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield. He won his first election in 1984 at the age of 22, becoming the youngest Republican ever elected to the Legislature. After serving six years in the House of Representatives, Tisei has been re-elected to ten consecutive Senate terms. He owns a real estate firm as well.

As a realtor, Tisei said he personally has heard the stories from people who have been forced to move out of the state either because they had lost their jobs here or because the cost of living is much more affordable elsewhere.

Tisei is openly gay – having come out in a Nov. 19, 2009 interview with the Boston Globe – and fought for marriage equality in the state. How social conservatives across the Commonwealth will view his candidacy remains to be seen. Clearly no one who attended the event this weekend seemed to care about Tisei’s private life, as he and Baker were warmly greeted.
Baker said the state shouldn’t rely any longer on one-time revenue sources such as federal stimulus money to stave off a problem. He said he would undertake structural reform to lower the cost of government.

He also promised to lower the sales tax back to five percent and bring the income tax to that level as well.
“You don’t need the Legislature to do a lot of this,” he said.

Baker’s approach to economic development would not be by manufacturing sector, but by region. He said that in his travels across the state he has seen how the economic development issues of Pittsfield differ from Springfield, which differ from Worcester.

When asked about the cost of health insurance, Baker said the Patrick Administration has failed on the issue of health care reform by decreasing options and increasing regulations. He said he would reverse this situation and that he would set in place a public disclosure of all health plan costs.

Baker charged that Gov. Deval Patrick has been watching what he has been doing. Patrick put in place policy changes to help the state fishing industry after Baker had called for the reforms. Baker said he had called for pensions reform before Patrick and that Patrick’s bill contained many of the provisions Baker had suggested.

After the event, Baker spoke with members of the press. He maintained the economic problems of the state had been caused more by state policy than they had been by the deep recession that started in 2008.

“I think if you look at the data that just came out this week about the U.S. economy and the Massachusetts economy, the US economy grew by six percent in the fourth quarter and the Massachusetts economy shrank by whatever it was .2 or .5 percent. It’s kind of an indicator right there.

“I also think the inability of this state to send a clear and consistent message about tax and regulatory policy is a huge issue when I talk to businesses about investment decisions, “ he added.

Baker said this lack of a new message is nothing new and added the state hasn’t added any new jobs in the past ten years.

If the state is serious about maintaining or attracting businesses, it would address issues such as the cost of electricity, which Baker said was double that of other states. Policy decisions made by the state, he asserted, have caused high prices. He cited one company that has moved its 400 jobs to North Carolina because of electricity costs.

Baker believes that part of the job of governor is “figuring out how to work with the Legislature” and said he will be able to do that.
His number one priority is “jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.”

To build jobs, he said his first task to fix the state budget.

Will Brown’s victory help Baker reach Beacon Hill? Baker believes there is some momentum for the Republican message.

In the last five months of 2009, Baker said he was at 200 events that attracted 15,000 people. “If you spent any time with the voters, the electorate, you knew this whole thing was about jobs … in Scott’s case it was all about federal spending, taxes and all the rest. It was a huge over-hang for that race. I think Republicans actually in Massachusetts have a pretty good track record on that fiscal stuff and the fiscal discipline stuff. I think that’s going to matter a lot,” he said.

For more on Baker’s candidacy, go to http://www.charliebaker2010.com/.

© 2010 by Gordon Michael Dobbs