Jane Lane, Communications Director

It appears today that Gov. Mitt Romney is once again playing to his national neo-conservative Republican base as he unfurls a new initiative to reinstate the death penalty in this state. Support for the death penalty in Massachusetts has waned in recent years and there has been no public outcry for reinstatement. Yet, for some reason which has nothing to do with Massachusetts, Gov. Romney feels compelled to drag this subject into the public debate. The future ambitions of this governor become more transparent each day. His proposal to bring back the death penalty has everything to do with his fledgling campaign for president: It has nothing to do with improving the quality of life here in Massachusetts. I suspect that our Democratic legislators will quickly dispense with this so-called 'flawless' death penalty proposal and turn to more pressing issues that really affect the lives of families here in Massachusetts -- like funding for public education, local aid and health care initiatives.