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Michael Flaherty vs. Mayor Flaherty
By adamg on Sat, 04/23/2011 - 6:38pm
On the one hand, we have the real Michael Flaherty coming out swinging on Twitter today, blasting Adrian Walker for suggesting he shouldn't run for City Council again because the council already has enough white guys.
On the other hand, we have Mayor Flaherty coming out swinging today, blasting pretty much everyone, from Adrian Walker to Hyde Park. But not KitchenAid. He loves KitchenAid.
NOTE: David Bernstein denies he's Mayor Flaherty.
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Comments
Alert the Boston Fire Dept.
Adrian Walker has wedged himself into a Time Machine, can't get out, & he's pressing up against the 1975 button. I find it very disturbing that Adrian Walker continues to phone it in when it comes to South Boston and Michael Flaherty. Earth 2012 to Walker! Look out that time machine's window, Adrian! See that baby? That's Michael Flaherty. See that group of Hyde Park residents marching and yelling against busing? Recognize anybody? Yes, that's Tom Menino stirring the pot on behalf of unseating Mayor White. It is as reprehensible to continue this race baiting in order to squelch the right of any Southie native to run for Mayor. In the case of Michael Flaherty it is nothing less than yellow journalism. Adrian! Who was the first city-wide official to endorse Senator Barack Obama for POTUS? Michael Flaherty. Did you forget or just choose ignore it? If you had the political courage that Flaherty has shown, you'd apologize, Mr Walker.
Oh yes, public service has
Oh yes, public service has his number all right. Complaints about their drunken ways, then he gets nabbed for DUI. I guess the cop who pulled him over was a racist.
DUI?
Who was stopped for a DUI?
Walker
Three years ago.
Mayor Flaherty Is
John Connelly's chief of staff. Quite the joker and in that camp his passes for a personality.
Walker the "urban" columnist
The masters of the Globe condescend to Walker and let him cover the "urban" beat. They let him because he's fond of one of the Globe cliches - nasty old Irish Catholic Southies vs. "The New Boston."
What Walker does, he writes puff pieces for his favored politicians, especially the mayor. He's got his nose so far up Menino's ass, he's up to the small intestine.
Hey Adrian, City Council seats aren't awarded by racial quota, but by votes. And Arroyo will richly deserve his coming defeat for his racial opposition to Whole Foods and dumb ideas like banning outdoor smoking.
Giving Walker the space to
Giving Walker the space to poke whitey in the eye with a sharp stick gives the Lexington-living lily-white Globies cover. Oldest trick in the not-really-desegregating book.
I don't know bout
everyone else but I'm feeling a lot better now.
Missing the point
Walker's column isn't about racial quotas, or suggesting not to vote for Flaherty because of his color. Flaherty misses it entirely.
Walker's column is if Flaherty wants to be Mayor in 2013, does he think that communities of color will somehow forget what he does in 2011? If he ends up being the guy who gets on the council at the expense of Ayanna or Felix, will he be able to win back minority or progressive support in 2013? Or does he think he can win the race for mayor without those votes?
As a strategy for being mayor, just seems dumb.
Wrong again
These seats are not Ayanna's or Felix's seats. They are the seats of the people who elect them. Whoever comes in fifth comes in fifth because thats how the city voted. I would bullet Flaherty simply because he will challenge the mayor on the council floor. The council, aside from Yancey, has been a rubber stamp for the mayor since Flaherty left. That's not democracy.
agree with Tony Little
I agree with Tony Little of Ashmont (although I'd say John Connolly showed some get-up, stand-up by bringing the calcified school lunches to light... I'm sure the Fifth floor did not take that as a rubber stamp move.)
But overall, the best thing for this or any other council is for it to get more independent of the mayor. It's their only play. As much as I personally like and respect the mayor and many of his cabinet members, they all perform better — and we get better results as residents- when they know they have to deal with a council that is NOT in the tank. Competition is good, both between the mayor's office and a sometimes off-the-reservation council and among the council itself. This needs to be our priority as voters, even more so than color distinctions among the councilors.
Unfortunately, we've had too many district councilors in particular co-opted over the years — and yes, Yancey is a major exception. The council will be more effective with Flaherty on it. As for diversity, I'm surprised that Dorchester district 3 hasn't produce a strong candidate of color. Maybe that's where Walker and the "progressives" should be directing their activism instead of discouraging a healthy race for at-large.
I think Pressley can/will actually win even if Flaherty gets in — and probably Arroyo too. Isn't it Murphy who has more to worry about, he of the perpetual campaign to get off the council?? How has he escaped scrutiny so far? Flaherty should explicitly make him the issue and stop letting Pressley/Menino and their columnist du jour drive the issue.
hilarious
Flaherty makes one run for Mayor and suddenly his people are out claiming he's the one force against the Mayor. Guy was council president for what, 5 years? Ever look at who voted for him? Yeah, real independent.
Nobody is claiming those are Felix's or Pressley's seats. Only that if Flaherty wants support in the communities of color for a mayoral run, he'd be pretty moronic to be known as the guy who knocked out one of their few (4 of 13 minorities in the council in a 50% minority city) standard-bearers.
Murphy came a fraction of a percent from topping the ticket in a high-turnout election, and that was before he was president. If that's Flaherty's strategy...
D3? Have you looked at the demographics of D3?
I think
It is odd that the mayor has his guys and a journalist spinning this to keep Flaherty out of City Hall.
The other rumor going around is that Murphy is lined up for a job outside the council - maybe the liquor board - and will retire.
Then we could all hold hands and sing songs around the campfire.
Does not have to be 2013
If Menino does not run, let the "progressives" support a "progressive" candidate.
It will all come down to a final election: Flaherty vs. someone else. And you're right, that someone else will probably be a "progressive," probably of color.
So who wins that race? Flaherty vs Arroyo, or Flaherty vs Chang-Diaz, or Flaherty vs Pressley? I would bet Flaherty.
If Menino does run, Flaherty will bide his time and wait for the Mayor for Life to die, I guess.