Populists and Pseudo Populists

Ed O'Reilly wants to displace John Kerry in the fall democratic senatorial primary.

To hear him tell it, Ed O'Reilly is a progressive democrat with authentic populist bona fides. O'Reilly proclaims himself a lobsterman, volunteer firefighter and a Gloucester stalwart indeed, you have to shade your eyes from the gleam off his white wife beater as you inhale the aroma of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
And yet for all that O'Reilly is allegedly slavishly devoted to the Massachusetts Democratic Party Program, an unsuspecting layman might think Ed fairly invented gay marriage the way he carries on.
What O'Reilly doesn't tell you is that he is also a well to do attorney living in a million dollar heap up there in Gloucester...ether that or he has divined the secret of making mad phat cashola out from the contents of lobster traps.
What O'Reilly also doesn't mention is that his biggest donor to date is one James Demetri a Romney highbinder and GOP fundraiser.
What O'Reilly doesn't tell you that he has taken out loans using his expensive home as collateral, because otherwise the money has hardly been rolling into his coffers.
And lastly what O'Reilly doesn't tell you is that if he gets on the ballot it'll be mostly a function of Hilary Clinton's Bay State supporters wanting to pay back John Kerry for endorsing Obama. Oh don't worry they'll abandon O'Reilly populist bluster and all come September they just wanna dig JK hard in the ribs.
Taking it all together the self financing, the casual acceptance of GOP money,the boorish desire to punish John Kerry for losing in '04, the back room politics with the phony populist blather and O'Reilly looks less like a true believer and more like a political adventurer.
I can't say I think much of such zanies, in this breathing political world there are front runners, dark horses, long shots, old shoes and then there are the angry posers like Ed.
Normally a first time candidate like O'Reilly could vent his rage running for State Representative or Registrar of Deeds, but the lack of turnover in the elected classes in Massachusetts prevents any such option and leaves him to attempt a spiteful state wide race.
Senator Clinton may have enough supporters at the upcoming state democratic convention to shove O'Reilly onto the ballot, but I urge them to think twice about it. The man has demonstrated little electoral strength within the party and his fundraising to date has been confined to GOP mischief money and self financing. I recommend the convention decline to put so trivial a candidate on the ballot.
Sure Joanie Vennochi will squawk, but I can't see a downside to keeping Ed O'Reilly off the ballot, the man is a tedious vengeful fake.