Former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey gave a speech introducing the Forward Party on Thursday. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
At last, a party that makes no claims whatsoever was born: the Seinfeld of politics.
The Forward Party, led by a former politician, launched in Massachusetts this week, vowing to become the number one party for voters in the state within just a few years.
There’s just one small problem: the party hasn’t taken a position on these issues, only promising to be a moderate between Democrats and Republicans.
On its website, Forward describes itself as a “centre” party and says it is in the process of developing a formal party platform.
“We believe party policy should be developed through a process that elevates the voice of our members. We are committed to a process of organising, informing and voting Forward members to indicate which policies they support,” the party’s website states.
So a party that is indecisive and takes no stance seems like a natural fit for a state like Massachusetts, where politicians are constantly shifting their stances.
Former Massachusetts lieutenant governor Kelly Healey (no relation to current governor Maura Healey) helped start the party here but has never held a prominent position, making her the perfect low-profile face for the party. Her attempt to get party certification in Massachusetts was a fiasco, overshadowed by the Celtics and a heatwave.
Healey severed his ties with the Republican Party the day after the January 6 riot at the Capitol and appears to have completed his search for a new affiliation.
“Sixty percent of Massachusetts voters say they don’t want to be called a Republican or a Democrat, so the question is: what will appeal to the passions of the people of this state?” Healey said.
Well, frankly, a political party without a position is not going to inspire anyone’s “passion.”
Healey has cited former Gov. Mitt Romney as a mentor, but Romney largely ignored her and did not give her many assignments during his term as governor, a departure from past Republican governors who appointed their lieutenant governors as “co-governors.”
Healey ran alone for governor and was defeated by Democrat Deval Patrick, and Romney has no plans to run for president.
During the campaign, she made it clear that she was not Romney and sought to distance herself from him, redefining herself as a moderate who took progressive positions on some social issues.
“Now, as a candidate for governor, I’m able to speak my mind and I think people are getting to know me better,” she said.
Voters got to know her and firmly rejected her.
Healy later became president of Babson College, a very comfortable position for a state legislative aide who had lost a gubernatorial election.
She was an ardent supporter of Jeb Bush (yawn) when he ran for president, and later became a staunch supporter of Marco Rubio, another candidate who failed in his quest for the White House.
The Forward Party’s national leader is Andrew Yang, who only had a brief stint in the Democratic presidential race a few years ago.
To be honest, I don’t have high hopes for the Forward Party. I expect them to disappear from the ballot paper in the near future, along with the Green Rainbow Party, the Pizza Party and the Conservative Party.
