About Last Night

OK, sorry this is almost 24 later, but it's been busy lately, if you haven't heard.

Anyway, thoughts about last night's hoedown between Jen Flanagan and Brian Knuuttila...

First, I wasn't there, and I get the feeling that I'd think a little differently if I did, and I think I probably wanted to be there in the end. So, remember, I watched this on TV (like most folks) and missed some stuff if I was there, I think.

For starters, neither one blew me out of the water, but I was less impressed with Knuuttila. But I'm not sure it's entirely his fault. His opening statement (how much longer was he planning on going, by the way) sounded mysteriously similar to another opening statement/message we heard on the same stage a year ago. He seemed to be picking up the "career achievement" mantle from Tom Donnelly. Wasn't inspiring then, isn't now. Yes, Knuuttila has had an impressive life as a police officer, lawyer, et al. (By the way, that special attorney general stuff is a designation given by the AG's office to allow lawyers to work on stuff. It is almost meaningless, but Knuuttila brings it up constantly). But he never tied pulling people over on Route 2 to being an effective senator. Yes, it gives him a background in public safety that Flanagan can't match, but he didn't say how he was going to use it.

That said, Knuuttila got off the line of the night with the "but you need my help" line when Flanagan asked why he was coming back. Flanagan had a point: Knuuttila did a lot of Legislature bashing (House bashing, really), even though he was a House member until just a few years ago. But Knuuttila used it to his advantage with that tasty.

I'll admit, I forget the exact thing that sent Flanagan off, but she was clearly steamed. I told Mrs. Save Fitchburg, as Knuuttila was still asking the question, that she looked steamed. She didn't hide it in her answer. Folks who were there said she never calmed down -- and she did look ticked the rest of the night -- and said she stomped out after the debate quickly. Not good times. Not really sure what it means, but I don't think it's very good.

In the end, they played pretty close to type. Knuuttila played to his career history and almost positioned Flanagan as the incumbent. For those and question whether Flanagan is Senate material, her performance didn't make them feel much better about that.