UPDATE: Scott Lively told BostInno in a statement about his chances of winning the position of Governor of Massachusetts and his decision not to poll,

“I won’t be polling because it is against my political philosophy.  I don’t believe in crafting my positions based on what is popular, but by what I believe is right.  On issues on which I don’t have a strong opinion, I will base my position on what I believe is the best reasoning, not whether it is the majority view or whether it will get me more votes.  I would rather lose with principle that [sic] win with pandering.”

Massachusetts is a proud state deeply rooted in the ecosystem of American politics, stemming directly from the days of the Mayflower Compact and the permanent settlement at Plymouth Colony. Throughout the centuries, Massachusetts has developed a loud, boisterous Democratic voice that has earned it a reputation as not only a progressive state, but a liberal one as well.

Some of that, if a new addition to the governor field gets his way, could change dramatically come next year.

Scott Lively, an anti-LGBT activist and devout pastor, announced his candidacy for Governor of Massachusetts last week running on the Independent ticket.

Lively shared his intentions to run in a press release published on his personal website, promising to inject “unapologetically articulate Biblical values” into a state that prides itself on religious tolerance and being supportive of the LGBT community.

The release itself is something of an enigma, as it would appear that Lively commends Massachusetts on its exceedingly liberal sentiments, calling it the “bluest of the blue states,” while prefacing that by noting we live in “very dark days in Massachusetts.”

Here is a video from 2009 of Scott Lively preaching his anti-LGBT feelings:

Rather than use his website to lay the framework for his political agenda for Massachusetts, Lively rather touts his Massachusetts heritage, his business acumen, his prowess for budget balancing, the fact that he’ll be running as a pastor instead of a politician, and his soon-to-be-much-needed thick skin. All of these, he notes, are “exactly what Massachusetts needs to recover from four decades of decline under Godless socialism.”

The question, of course, becomes: Is this the kind of person we want governing a state on the forefront of American politics and culture?

Lively’s stance, however misguided or convoluted, seems to rely on adding a certain semblance of practicality to Massachusetts politics not seen in some time,  in so far as he promises to “not become one to run for office. I will conduct no polling. I will not lie about my positions to earn votes I don’t deserve. I will plainly say what I believe and what I would do as governor. On the many issues on which I do not have a strong opinion I will say so, and yield to the views that seem most beneficial to the state.”

While he promises not to fall into the usual political traps, it’s just as plausible that he simply doesn’t possess the resources needed to conduct any widespread polling and that he does in fact have some kind of opinion on the items that will inevitably require his attention. We reached out to Mr. Lively for a comment on the matter and have yet to hear back.

That kind of say-it-like-it-is attitude and action isn’t exactly the hallmark of American politics these days, from the humblest town meeting up to the Presidency — as evidenced most recently, perhaps, by the ongoing government shutdown.

Now if only those “promises” didn’t come from a man who published a book claiming “that homosexuals invented and ran the Nazi Party,” while preaching anti-homosexual principles across the country and the world.

You can speak your mind all you want. But that platform isn’t likely to win the day here in Massachusetts.

In April of this year, U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor opted to move forward with a case brought against Lively by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG) — where Lively was preaching — on the grounds that “Widespread, systematic persecution of LGBTI people constitutes a crime against humanity that unquestionably violates international norms.”

In 1991, Lively forfeited a judgment of over $31,000 to Catherine Stauffer, a gay rights activist, after he threw her against a wall and dragged her across the floor of a Portland church during an Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA) event she had not been invited to and was attempting to film.

As for his run for governor, Lively claimed in the press release he’s filed the appropriate paperwork, opened a bank account, and will begin fundraising soon. For more information on Scott Lively, check out the brief autobiography he posted on his website.