Blame gets us nowhere

You knew it would happen sooner or later.

The blame game for Tuesday’s election results began today with Worcester GOP committeeman Bill McCarthy assigning fault to Mass GOP party chair Jennifer Nassour. He wants to see her go, and he’s planning to call for her ouster at the next state committee meeting. Check out the Herald story here.

We think this is ridiculous and completely unhelpful to the party’s future success.

It’s true that the Massachusetts GOP weathered heavy losses on Tuesday in the statewide and congressional races.

But they also DOUBLED their numbers in the Massachusetts House of Representatives--an almost unthinkable feat just one year ago. Mr. McCarthy may not be impressed by that, but we certainly are.

We worked on Beacon Hill when the Republican caucus numbered only 16. The idea of adding one or two seats—forget about adding 17 seats—seemed like an impossible dream back then. Nassour certainly deserves credit for this success.

You’ve also got to look beyond Tuesday when measuring Nassour’s success.

Her chairmanship has brought fresh, new life to a Mass GOP that was old, tired and pretty beaten up. Anyone who has attended state committee meetings before and after Jenn became chairwoman will know what we’re talking about. From the night she announced her candidacy for the chairmanship, to the red-carpet style party she threw during the Massachusetts GOP state convention earlier this year, she has brought optimism and enthusiasm back to the Mass GOP.

Sure, the party’s GOTV operation needs work if we want to have a shot against the Dems next time around. But Jenn can get us there, and she deserves another shot.