The Spirit of Massachusetts is the Spirit of America

Back when Michael Dukakis was Governor of the Commonwealth, a happy jingle emerged singing “The Spirit of Massachusetts is the Spirit of America”. Remnants of this still remain on our license plates and in a Boston Harbor cruise ship.

I thought of this jingle when I heard the news that Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren have signed a ban on third-party ads in their hotly contested US Senate race. “This is a great victory for the people of Massachusetts and a bold statement that puts super PACs and other third parties on notice that their interference in this race will not be tolerated,’’ Brown said in a statement.

Even as she agreed to the deal, Warren conceded she wasn’t absolutely sure it would hold.  “Do we know it will succeed? No. But I do know that we go into this in good faith to try to have a chance to make our best case to the voters of Massachusetts,” Warren told reporters. “I think that’s worth trying.”

At least one outside group that has targeted Warren, Crossroads GPS, an affiliate of American Crossroads, a group with ties to GOP political operative Karl Rove, immediately raised objections to the deal. Two outside groups that have targeted Brown, the League of Women Voters and the League of Conservation Voters, said they were inclined to respect the deal. 

Readers of this blog have heard my rantings against the presence of millions of dollars of third party attack ads that have dominated the scene during this brief Presidential campaign season. For both candidates to stand up and reject these ads says much for both the candidates and for the character of Massachusetts. May this good news spread. May the Spirit of Massachusetts truly become the Spirit of America.