Here's an observation to provoke a little discussion, perhaps: Why are almost all the candidates who gain support from grassroots progressives male?

I'm talking about candidates who run as Democrats, but against the party "establishment" -- the crash-the-gates types.

The thought occured to me as I put together my latest article in the Phoenix, on the outsider progressives taking on establishment Democrats in Massachusetts.

In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I look at the rift between progressive outsiders and establishment insiders brewing in Massachusetts Democratic Party primaries this year. Exhibit A, of course, is the Peter Smulowitz victory over Lida Harkins in the special-election primary for state senate.

The news had been whispered, but now is out: Charlie Baker has replaced campaign manager Lenny Alcivar with Tim O'Brien.

O'Brien is a veteran (he managed the Kerry Healey campaign), and my take on this move is that the campaign felt Alcivar was a little out of his depth running a multi-million-dollar, statewide campaign.

"Battle for Boston" asks:

3 open seats in Boston for state rep. 4th, 5th and 6th suffolk. who do you see as front runners and eventual winners ?

Actually, there are four open state representative seats in Boston -- you left out the 10th Suffolk, where Michael Rush is running for state senate.

As to frontrunners and likely winners, I really would have a tough time saying right now.

Considering that everybody rates the economy as the most important issue in the country, and the most important political issue in the country, it's a little surprising that there's been relatively little focus on the remarkably good news on the recovery in recent weeks. (Obviously there has been some attention, most notably the recent Newsweek cover story.

"Frank" asks via email:

If Peter Smulowitz fails to pick up the Scott Brown's state senate seat on May 11th, how much blame will go to state rep. Lida Harkins, who has all but endorsed the Republican in the race? Will there be any consequences for Harkins -- like losing her chair of the Needham Town Committee? Or will the Party just allow these local bosses to do what they like?

"Boston Bertie" asks:

Looking forward to the Democratic Convention in June - couple of questions:

1. Will Grace Ross get the 15% to get on the ballot? And if so, where do these delegates come from - Tim Cahill Supporters in Norfolk County, maybe?

2. Will Mike Lake get his 15% and make the ballot in a tough three-way fight for delegates for Sate Auditor?

"Martin" asks via email, to start off our Ask Me Anything Day:

True or false: Cahill has no chance to become governor!

I won't say no chance, but it's a very slim chance.

His problem is that it's awfully unlikely that Charlie Baker will fade into also-ran status -- that just doesn't happen to a major-party candidate in a competitive race, unless the party ends up with a complete joke of a nominee.

That's right, Ask Me Anything Day on a Tuesday. Can it work? That's up to you -- please send me your questions as comments to this post, or email them to me at dbernstein[a]phx.com. I can keep you anonymous if you'd like.

Feel free to ask me about local, state, or national politics, or whatever else is on your mind. I'll do my best to answer in separate posts throughout the day, with facts, opinions, rumors, predictions, or best guesses.

I'm looking forward to it!

There's an interesting discussion going around the political internets about the degree to which conservatives are affected by epistemic closure; I write a lot about the nature of that closed information system, but I'm inclined to leave the high-falutin' analysis to folks with fancy degrees from liberal coastal elite universities (some of whom might be related to me).

In my ongoing obsessive documentation of the vanishing elected Republican woman, there's been a little promising news, but also some setbacks for the ladies of the GOP.

--The National Republican Congressional Committee has added 40 more candidates to its "Young Guns" program, now that 1st quarter 2010 fundraising numbers are in.

Recent polls, for what they're worth, suggest Democrats doing better than might be expected in a few places around the country. In Florida, for example, Senate candidate Kendrick Meek and Governor candidate Alex Sink seem to be running close to the Republican frontrunners for open seats. Bill White in Texas was just four points behind incumbent Republican Rick Perry in a new Rasmussen poll.

A dozen Boston state representatives -- including the four in whose districts branch libraries are slated for closure -- have filed budget amendments aimed at saving those branches.

The 12 lawmakers filed three amendments today; each would add a line item to the state budget for fiscal year 2011. The funds -- potentially over $3 million -- would be contingent on all 26 existing Boston Public Library branches remaining open through 2011.

A couple of month ago I suggested that Mitt Romney may be plotting a path to the 2012 GOP Presidential nomination that avoids the South, where he has little chance of winning -- or more broadly, what I've called a "Bllue State strategy." My circumstantial evidence included his book tour, which included very few stops in Southern states; his decision to skip the Southern Republican Leadership Conference; and his PAC, which in 2009 contributed mostly to candidates in blue states outside the South.