Last night's Republican State Committee meeting

From our vantage point in the back of the State Committee meeting in Newton last night, it was clear that some activists and State Committee members came to the meeting looking for a fight.

But, it was also clear to us from the applause and from comments by State Committee members that GOP Chair Jennifer Nassour retains a lot of support.

As well she should.

The GOP made substantial legislative pickups this year. The House Republican Caucus is at its strongest point in years, and it was surreal to see so many new members stand in the front of the room to be recognized last night. As Nassour mentioned at the meeting, when she was elected State Committee chair in 2009, critics told her the party did not do enough to support legislative races two years ago. Nassour made it a point to do things differently this time, and we think this support was a decisive factor in many wins.

It was disappointing to us that last night - the final State Committee meeting of the year and in a year in which the party made so many gains - there were some people who wanted to spend time assessing blame and casting aspersions for the losses the party did sustain. If Republican activists want to beat the Democrats the next time around, they need to start now working collectively to build grassroots support and field another slate of good candidates, not waste time bickering about who will lead the charge.

Nassour for the GOP

We're disappointed by reports in today's Boston Herald that certain people are apparently still pushing for a vote on replacing Jennifer Nassour as Massachusetts GOP Party Chair.

We believe Nassour has done an admirable job raising the profile of the Massachusetts GOP and promoting the election of GOP candidates statewide. In particular, she ran a very successful convention, she contributed to Senator Brown's come-from-behind win, and she assisted in the doubling of GOP ranks in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. These accomplishments, in addition to strong fundraising success, are unheard of in recent memory, and we think they more than entitle Nassour to complete her term as party chair and continue her work rebuilding the party.

We wonder how much of this is just unhappy grumbling about November 2's results, since there is no talk of an apparent alternative candidate. We're planning to go to tonight's state committee meeting to see what happens, and we'll be sure to share our impressions.

Five easy reforms for the GOP

One of the bright spots for the GOP in Massachusetts last week was the fact that Republicans dramatically increased their ranks in the Legislature.

This infusion of conservatives in the Legislature is great news for anyone who thinks balance is a good thing, and it will be good to shake up one-party rule, if only a little. We think incoming GOP members should consider starting with five simple reforms that would save money and make an even more significant statement that Republicans are there to stand up for taxpayers and good government:

• Refuse to take a pay raise. Under the Constitution, state legislators get an automatic pay raise every two years based on the economy. If legislators are given a pay raise this year, we think GOP reps should refuse to take it.
• Don't take per diems. One of the perks of being a member of the Legislature is that you are paid just for driving to work. Maybe this made sense back when members rode horses from western Massachusetts to the State House, but these days, per diems don't make sense. We think GOP members should refuse to claim per diem payments.
• Give up leadership pay. We respect members whose work as legislative leadership or as committee chairs requires them to put in more time and effort than rank-and-file members. But leadership stipends don't make sense in a full-time legislature, where it's assumed that all members put in full-time effort on legislative business (even if they don't). We think it would send a strong statement if GOP members refused to take leadership pay, particularly in the Senate, where there are only a handful of members.
• Pledge not to take a public pension. A number of GOP candidates this year pledged not to take a public pension. We think GOP members should follow suit.
• Eliminate legislative expense accounts. Each legislator gets several thousand dollars each year to cover office expenses. At the same time, many other public employees (for example, teachers) are required to pay out-of-pocket to cover work-related expenses. We think it makes sense to forego this payment, especially when members could raise campaign funds to cover these expenses.

We're not trying to pick on GOP members; we think these reforms should be made by all legislators. But Republicans could get the ball rolling by voluntarily pledging these reforms themselves and leading by example. Some incoming members, like Ryan Fattman from Sutton, have already pledged not to take per diems or a pension. We applaud him and others like him for this courageous position, and we wonder if others (especially longer-serving GOP members) will be willing to follow his lead.

Television in red and blue

Republicans like "Desperate Housewives?" Democrats like "Mad Men?"

So says a recently-released study by The Hollywood Reporter.

Here's what we noticed about their lists of the top 15 shows for each party persuasion:

• Democrats seem to like pricey premium (cable) channels, whereas most of the Republican shows are on broadcast, basic cable t.v.
• Republicans seem to favor shows about competition, like "Survivor," whereas Democrats go more for shows where it's not about winning and losing.
• Twenty percent of the Democrats' top-15 shows feature former 'Saturday Night Live' personalities who poke fun at corporate America and/or public institutions.
• Democrat-favored shows tend to air later in the evening, whereas many Republican-tending shows air at 8/9 p.m.

We won't get into the reasons behind these observations. We'll let you draw those conclusions yourself.

So, what do you think? Why are some shows more popular than others in Red and Blue demographics? Where do you fall on this list?

Please post a comment below and let us know what you think!