Keller @ Large: 3 Strikes Against Schilling's Dream Of Running Against Warren
BOSTON (CBS) -- Curt Schilling is a World Series champion. But he wants to add politics to his resume as well.
"I think that this state is fully capable of recognizing somebody who wants to serve in the best interests of the state and the country far before themselves and an agenda," says Schilling, the former Red Sox star pitcher.
And in an interview with WRKO Radio, Schilling said that belief has him eyeing a run against Sen. Elizabeth Warren when she's up for re-election in 2018.
But before Schilling steps up to the plate, he might want to consider some of what he'll be facing. As a leading strikeout artists in his time, he may recognize the potential difficulty in handling some of these pitches.
Start with the fact that Gov. Charlie Baker – who Schilling cites as a friend and political role model - is moderate-to-liberal on social issues like same-sex marriage and LGBT rights, which Curt is most assuredly not. The rare Republican victories in statewide races here usually come by very narrow margins, and Schilling's social conservatism could be very problematic. Plus, he'd be facing a popular incumbent, which Baker did not.
Unless Warren steps down and Martha Coakley decides third time is the charm, Schilling would be hard-pressed to replicate the victories of Baker and Scott Brown.
Call all of that strike one.
Strike two is Curt's affinity for re-tweeting sketchy internet memes, like the one comparing radical Muslims to Nazis, or the crude mocking of the transgender rights movement that got him fired from ESPN. Perhaps Massachusetts wants to send a mini-Trump to the Senate, but I doubt it.
It's worth noting that in Brown's fluky 2010 victory in the Senate special, he had the issues (terrorism, Obamacare backlash) at his back and steered clear of incendiary taunting.
And strike three against Schilling for Senate is the fact that in 2011 he moved his video-game company and dozens of jobs out of Maynard to Rhode Island in exchange for $75 million in public loan guarantees, which he proceeded to squander. I wonder if Warren would ever bring that up should they square off? (Sarcasm alert.)
Could Warren be vulnerable when her term is up in two years? Perhaps. About a third of local voters disapprove of her performance, and that's a start for any challenger.
But here's a pro tip for Schilling: if you step up to the plate in the political major leagues, you'd better be ready to hit the fastball. After all – three strikes and you're out.
