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Thread: Can Gov. Baker sign this and still be a Republican? If every Republican legislator votes against a bill, and there isn't a veto-proof margin, a veto would *seem* to be the whole point of a Republican governor, no? 1/x https://twitter.com/MattPStout/status/1333947932362616834
My guess is that Baker realizes there will be some police bill passed in this process, and eventually, it will be a veto-proof margin. He isn't living in fantasy-land. I also guess he's been involved in these long negotiations. 2/x
So yes, he can tell everyone in the MassGOP, "This is the best bill we could hope for. I helped with it. The progressives wanted much more. Without me, they might have gotten more." 3/x
That might be valid. But I think a lot of Republicans want to see a veto and an override. However, it might be true that such a negotiation already happened behind the scenes, and this is the outcome after he used his influence. 4/x
I suppose he could veto this, get some small change, and then sign it. (Either because he wants that, or for the sake of show.) But I can't see what he would get that would move MassGOP votes. 5/x
Regardless of how this goes, if Baker signs something that not even the Brad Joneses of the party can support, he is telling his entire party that they are fundamentally wrong about something. 6/x
Now I think that pretty much the entire party is wrong when it comes to race, power, and the state. Baker hinted he believes this in his post-George Floyd speech on race. A speech not even the best MassGOP state reps would *ever* give. 7/x
Of course, there is a higher purpose here. There are the lives and aspirations of black citizens of the commonwealth and the injustices they face. And a base of power in the police that never loses, never gives an inch, never apologizes. 8/x
Charlie Baker, by his words and deeds, believes that Black Lives Matter - even if he might not always have supported that cause in his life. He certainly does now. 9/x
It has to be on his mind that he swore in the first black female SJC Chief Justice today. What would she want him to do? So he cannot consider party politics all that much. And he might not even want everything in this bill. (I have doubts.) 10/x
But if he signs it, there will be consequences for him inside the party. That may not matter much in the sweep of history. But it does matter for him, especially if he runs again. The next MassGOP convention is going to be 
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