…questions concerning a political race but if you are a Sicilian in the north end you fit in like a glove. Even a small(?) blogger can get some questions in.
Once Stacy and I got on the ground we separated a bit. I tended to notice the Italians who actually live in these narrow streets. They liked Brown and turned out for him but the crowd of outsiders, particularly the press, who had congregated in the neighborhood elicited the normal glances and comments in Italian among them that are the rule when any group of tourists/outsiders visit.
Rudy however got none of that, he fits in here like a native and was treated accordingly.
I spent all my time listening not so much to the speeches but watching the crowd and how it reacted. The crowd was friendly and excited tasting victory. They pressed to get close to the candidate and to get their questions in, Mr. Brown was very accommodating both at the Paul Revere statue and at the Fire Station. The highlight was during the walk to Cafe Vittoria where a woman who didn’t know was was going on handed Rudy a baby and took a picture of her son held by Rudy and Scott Brown together. Alas I do not have that picture but that is the photo of day.
I asked Rudy the same question that I asked Joe Malone, who once ran against Ted Kennedy for the Senate years ago. Can this be the start of a republican resurgence in Massachusetts? Rudy contended that Republicans had won before and can win again here. Joe said that the bend of the political cycle is producing a lot of interested parties to challenge democrats on the local level, which is how Tip O’Neill first flipped the statehouse in the 50’s.
For Stacy’s take on events check out here for today’s events and make sure you catch his coverage from yesterday here and here, he will be uploading the photos that I neglected to take.
More to come later, I have a son to pick up from school and then a former President to dog.
Update: This Brown ad has that photo of the day in it.
I am actually standing directly behind the cameraman during the entire “walk’, out of sight in the classic Sicilian way.
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