As we get ready to pull the curtain to unveil Boston Mayor Tom Menino's fifth term "vision," it seems high time to reflect what is and what's in store.

The Globe offers a look today at mixed messages in crime prevention and education. Scot Lehigh treated us to fifth term goals. We have seen the Filene's Hole and are "treated" to teeth-rattling rides along main thoroughfares like Commonwealth Avenue.

Michael Flaherty did offer words -- but it's unlikely they will be enough to derail the Menino Express.

It all comes to down to likability, of Menino's common touch mangling of the language as somehow representative of Joe and Jane Sixpack.

As a non-resident I don't have a vote or even a direct stake -- although I work within city limits so I am now contributing to the coffers through the local option sales tax. So my whining may fairly been seen as sour grapes.

But I really have to wonder if this is the best the city has to offer -- or if politics has become such a pariah profession that the best and brightest walk away before the start.

Long Live King Tom!More blogs about Politics.
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It took two reporters, a photographer and who know how many hours of dogged reporting for the New York Times to inform us -- on Page One -- that expensive bicycles get stolen in Paris.

Thank goodness we are on the verge of a shield law that will enable reporters to protect their sources. Maybe we can get some journalism that merits those long overdue changes.More blogs about Politics.
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Let's see now: the economy is showing signs of life and the House has unveiled a health care bill for debate. There's got to be something new the right can toss at the feet of Barack Obama.

I got it -- his daughters got swine flu vaccinations even while Obama personally flummoxed the manufacturing and delivery of adequate supplies of vaccine.

Yep, our conspiracy-minded friends, you know the ones who H1N1 is a fantasy to begin with, are upset that Malia and Sasha Obama are getting special treatment in the form of a vaccine that they really think is a killer that can do more harm than good.

Did they get them in at school, you know the place where Obama directed the socialist message to work hard and stay in school?

It's beyond frightening how logic and reason are rapidly disappearing in this country.More blogs about Politics.
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Let's see now: the economy is showing signs of life and the House has unveiled a health care bill for debate. There's got to be something new the right can toss at the feet of Barack Obama.

I got it -- his daughters got swine flu vaccinations even while Obama personally flummoxed the manufacturing and delivery of adequate supplies of vaccine.

Yep, our conspiracy-minded friends, you know the ones who H1N1 is a fantasy to begin with, are upset that Malia and Sasha Obama are getting special treatment in the form of a vaccine that they really think is a killer that can do more harm than good.

Did they get them in at school, you know the place where Obama directed the socialist message to work hard and stay in school?

It's beyond frightening how logic and reason are rapidly disappearing in this country.More blogs about Politics.
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Memo to Charlie Baker and Tim Cahill: Underestimate Deval Patrick at your own risk.

Faced with the task of chopping another $600 million from the state budget, Patrick traveled to Worcester to spell out the details (such as they are), which were then concisely summarized by Boston Herald headline writers:

Gov eyes 2,000 jobs, hack holidays, Quinn Bill in cuts

Over at the Globe, due notice is taken at the other gauntlet thrown down by Patrick, the alleged darling of the left.
Almost 1,000 state jobs will be eliminated and another 1,000 are in jeopardy unless unions agree to concessions as the state moves to close a $600 million budget gap, Governor Deval Patrick's top fiscal aide said today.Take that Charlie and Tim. You too Christy.

But most of all, here's looking at you Bobby and Terry.

The focus on eliminating Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day -- Suffolk County holidays whose demise South Boston Sen. Jack Hart once likened to the elimination of Christmas -- clearly sets the upcoming round of cuts as a battle between Sacred Cows and the Sacred Cod that represents the tradition of the Massachusetts Legislature.

Toss in a few bombs aimed at police and other unions and you have another fascinating chapter in the ongoing saga of Deval vs. The Great and General Court.

Patrick has already made it quite clear he intends to run against the Legislature. His battles against now-indicted former Speaker Sal DiMasi were merely warm ups for this year's fights over ethics, pensions, transportation and taxes. (Let us never forget the highly unpopular sales tax increase was the birthed by current Speaker Robert DeLeo, although Patrick has also been tarred by it).

Not to mention that lawmakers have already said no to eliminating the Suffolk County holidays and blinked in the face of union pressure in rolling back but not ending Quinn Bill benefits.

Telling the leaders of other public employee unions that it's either concessions or another 1,000 layoffs is also going to go over well with a public that has either seen their own jobs disappear or knows a neighbor or co-worker on unemployment.

Patrick was deliberately vague about $352 million in cuts across state government will come. But he wasn't shy about protecting local aid -- and the teachers, cops and firefighters whose jobs depend on it.

And while he was at it, he spared human services the Draconian cuts they feared, leaving advocates to at least hum his praises.

The scene now shifts to the Legislature, where DeLeo and Senate President Terry Murray have been non-committal about giving Patrick the "9c" powers he's asked for the cut beyond the executive branch.

Now they find themselves in the position of giving him that power -- and the taking the heat from the unions and employees who like a couple of extra paid days off.

Or they can stand in support of hack holidays and the Quinn Bill and offer fresh fodder for Patrick's campaign commercials. And Baker and Cahill can only stand by and watch.

Good policy, but even better politics governor.More blogs about Politics.
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Things are about as bad as they can get when you have to hold a press availability to talk about all the jobs that federal stimulus dollars have saved in Massachusetts -- right before you swing an ax to eliminate about 2,000 of them.

And that's probably why Deval Patrick is heading to Worcester to do the deed, hoping a press corps that has seen its own ranks thinned in recent years won't have the staff or resources to tag along.

Fat chance.

Patrick's Statehouse show to highlight how the state retained approximately 8,800 full-time jobs -- primarily teachers, police and firefighters -- is the spoonful of sugar to help make the sour medicine go down. Yes, it's bad out there, but just imagine how much worse it could have been.

We won't need to imagine much longer. The cuts to eliminate a new $600 million gap are likely to be deep and wide. -- could be in harm's way.

One area to keep a special lookout for is mental health and retardation services. Advocates have been keeping a vigil outside the offices of Patrick, Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray in fear of significant cuts.

Mental health advocates may have gotten a boost of support in the wake of this week's stabbing and shooting at Mass. General, which highlighted the broad issue in shocking but well-timed way for those deeply involved in the issue.

The depth and breadth of the Great Recession has been staggering. And it ain't over yet. It is about to get even uglier.More blogs about Politics.
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I love a good political fight as much as the next person. And I even get enmeshed in the procedural wrangling that is government. But I am studiously avoiding the ins and outs of the Capitol Hill wrangling that I still believe will lead to health care legislation. Why?

Because as a former Statehouse reporter I remember the words (if not the correct order) of Otto von Bismarck's pronouncement: "Laws are like sausages. It's better to not see them made."

I personally think we should be talking about insurance reform as much as health care reform, and that's exactly what's going on with the back-and-forth over the public option. Insurers are being threatened in the traditional ways they do business and are fighting back.

That's also the context in which to view the latest shenanigans of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Connecticut. The "I" doesn't stand for independent as he would have you believe. The I represents the first letter of his state's other nickname -- The Insurance State -- pious protests to the contrary.

Usually the sausage-making takes place behind closed doors -- and there is plenty of that ahead when the conference committee gets together to iron out the final version of legislation that will emerge from the House and the Senate.

But now is the time for other lawmakers to get their own little pieces of the sausage -- and which is why Lieberman is being less than truthful if he says the interests of his state's largest industry is not on his mind.

And centrist Democrats are angling for something of value they can offer voters who want to come after their scalp for approving "Obamacare" in spite of the rants of Rush and Glenn. Pay no attention to the men and women in front of the curtain.

If you are looking for clarity, try this piece from the Washington Post's economics columnist Steve Pearlstein.

But if you're looking at a good night's sleep, skip right over the daily rehash of the sausage-making. It will only given you indigestion.More blogs about Politics.
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Victory is in the eye of the beholder in last night's debate among the four Democrats vying for the right to fill the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy. And a lot of that depends on the gender and style of that beholder.

Attorney General Martha Coakley was the cool front runner. Calm, poised, solid answers and good eye contact with the camera and voters. A prosecutor making her pitch to the jury.

Rep. Mike Capuano was the hot insider. Wearing his passion and his congressional experience like a badge of honor, he didn't so much make eye contact as leap into the camera, telling would-be voters he's already doing the job.

It was one of the first things Mrs. O.L. noted. That observation became a trend with Joan Vennochi's analysis.

As for Alan Khazei. Well, his father is a doctor and he opposes casino gambling. The former is interesting, the latter irrelevant to the duties of a United States senator because the question of how many casinos, if any, is something to be decided at the state level.

Of course Khazei is obviously appealing to the vocal group of casino foes on the left who vote in Democratic primaries, so maybe not as irrelevant as it seems.

Steve Pagliuca? He knows congressional service is not rocket science. But he also agreed with Capuano so much that you have to wonder why he isn't running the other guy's campaign.

This was the first broad exposure for the four wannabes and quite possibly the last with no more televised debates planned. If they are the lasting impressions (doubtful, since the barrage of Coakley and Capuano ads have yet to come), Democratic voters may think Coakley needs to dial it up a few notches -- and Capuano needs to bring it down from 11.

The other guys? Khazei's outsider credentials and anti-casino stands could resonate. But enough to catch lightning in a bottle?

Pagliuca's best shot is green: continuing to empty his wallet and hoping for a hot Celtics start.More blogs about Politics.
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As a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan, I had hoped some of the alleged Belichick magic would rub off on his disciples. I'm still waiting.

But I do agree wholeheartedly that the latest prodigal son, Eric Mangini, has made a bad situation worse. Maybe there were a lot of bad attitudes (that would be you Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards) but I sure am not impressed with a "leader" who benches a quarterback after 10 quarters and sticks in a replacement who has even less success.

To me, that makes the issue the talent (or lack thereof) surrounding the QB. Starting with the head coach.More blogs about Politics.
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I asked for it. Now I hope I make it home in time from work to get it.

The US Senate race begins with some earnestness this evening with a debate among the four principals on the Democratic side. The 7 p.m. start makes it somewhat problematic for people who don't punch out at 5 p.m., but heck, it's a start.

Since Attorney General Martha Coakley fancies herself as the front runner, the focus will obviously be on her -- and Coakley needs to avoid mistakes like saying she has foreign policy experience because her sister lives overseas.

Rep. Michael Capuano, who does have experience, will be quick to pounce on that. But he needs to be ready to defend the fact that he has taken overseas trips on taxpayer dimes despite the fact he hasn't been focused on foreign policy during his years in Congress.

Alan Khazei and Steve Pagliuca? Well they just have to show up. Lightning may strike -- Coakley or Capuano.

And Money Pags should be grateful the debate isn't tomorrow night -- when the Celtics open their quest for No. 18 in Cleveland.More blogs about Politics.
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Reading Matt Bai's look at the New Jersey governor's race in today's New York Times Magazine, I was struck by one thought: What happens if you go through the article and insert Deval Patrick every time you see the name Jon Corzine?

I suspect the New Jersey results will be analyzed carefully at Patrick headquarters. Corzine has two weeks to turn things around. Patrick has a year.More blogs about Politics.
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Did Barack Obama fix the economy, fix the health care system, resolve the stand-off with Iran, formulate an Afghanistan policy and manufacture swine flu vaccine in his spare time?

I can only assume these weighty issues have been resolved. After all, The New York Times devoted precious front page space to the absence of women at White House pickup basketball games.

Yep, the self-absorbed Washington press corps is at it again. A week into the navel gazing over of the Fox News strategy (fronted by a woman, it should be noted), we are now listening to pundits opine on the relative invisibility of women in the inner circle.

Wasn't it not that long ago, during the tenure of the last Democratic president, that we were lamenting the presence of women in the Oval Office?

Obviously, this is not a new theme. Earlier this year we were treated to endless discourse on whether Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was being marginalized. It's only a matter of time before Michelle Obama's less-intense focus on health and education will be contrasted to Clinton's First Lady foray into health care reform and stories will pop on the marginalization of Michelle.

The level of education and basic knowledge among Americans has come into question recently. We are facing huge problems in providing basics like health care, jobs and quality education to increasing numbers of citizens.

And yet the media, pushed along by the 24-7, 140-character news cycle, prefers focusing on trivia rather than trying to adequately explain complex issues.

Death panels are far sexier topics than than a frank discussion about end-of-life care. Pickup basketball as a metaphor for whatever fevered idea is rattling around the commentariat's brain pan is a catchier subject than economic stimulus.

It would be laughable if only the stakes were not so high.More blogs about Politics.
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The Obama administration's declaration of emergency may finally release the real virus that is infecting the American body politic: paranoia.

Reading the comments to the Globe's post of the Associated Press story, you would think the black helicopters are warming up. Obviously those folks don't read (or believe) the real evidence in the form of a sharp spike in H1N1 in Massachusetts.

There's actually plenty of blame to go around here. The media overplayed the initial story of the virus to the point where pork manufacturers got officials to change the name from swine flu. The same applies to the endless drumbeat of stories on vaccine availability.

The screw-ups around getting the right quantities in place swiftly leaves public health officials and pharmaceutical companies with some explaining to do too.

And then there is the political agenda -- from Bill Maher on the left to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck on the right proclaiming the whole things is a hoax.

It's clear there is a novel H1N1 virus and it has been arriving here in waves -- after a "productive" summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Whether it is the second coming of the 1918 Spanish flu remains to be seen.

But equally clear to date is the virus is attacking and in some cases killing young people in greater numbers, so far, than a mere seasonal flu outbreak.

And the virtual disappearance of the seasonal flu vaccine -- even though it is not geared to fight H1N1 -- suggests people, deep down, are taking the threat seriously.

But when a public health precaution gets turned into rants about jack-booted government troops coming to round us up, it's clear America really needs a different form medical intervention.

Like a gigantic Xanax.More blogs about Politics.
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Jay Rourke obviously never met Michael Kineavy. Otherwise he would not have been so stupid as to write disparaging e-mails about the Allston-Brighton community and then fail to double delete them.

Doesn't anyone have a clue about e-mail etiquette -- especially when they work in the public sector?

This round of e-mail mania can only reinforce the out-of-touch nature of the Menino administration (don't kid yourself about BRA autonomy). All the campaign cash in the world will not make for a smooth fifth term for Hizzoner.

And it should also reinforce the notion that Glove and Herald reporters covering state and local officials ought to be pumping out FOIA requests like there is no tomorrow. Who knows what other juicy gems are out there?More blogs about Politics.
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Spare me the crocodile tears from those poor business executives who will have to get by on just $10 million a year.

Obama pay czar Kenneth Feinberg's action affect only 175 executives -- 25 people at each of the seven companies bailed out by taxpayers who would be lucky to earn that much in a lifetime or two.

There's an argument to be made that the crackdown is really nothing more than a symbolic sop to Main Street America outraged by the bad behavior on Wall Street that has the unemployment rate around 10 percent.

But sop or significant step, it's insulting and infuriating that these clueless types are complaining that the loss of excessive compensation will result in a "brain drain." Puhleeze, it was those "brains" who created this mess and who have been bailed out with taxpayer dollars.

One (very small step) for Main Street. It's a start and I'm happy to take it. And I would love to see Fed try to expand its oversight on the Masters of Greed.More blogs about Politics.
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Farewell Milton Supman. You made me laugh.

Soupy Sales was a legend, a pie-throwing clown who did kids shows in the 1950s and '60s. With his expressive face and a host of characters like Black Tooth and White Fang, he was great laughs for a little kid.

But it was one pie toss I recall most vividly. In those days, the Mike Douglas Show (where Roger Ailes got his start) was broadcast in Cleveland and Sales was the guest host for the live show that aired right after the noon news.

A dignified local sportscaster was running through the scores when next thing you know, bam, a pie in the face, live.

Interestingly, the Globe-edited version of the obit failed to mention Sales' most memorable moment -- an encounter with an off-camera naked woman brought on the set by a crew out to one-up him.

Thanks for the laughs Soupy. RIP.More blogs about Politics.
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Step right up and listen as the Amazing Timmie sees into the future. Marvel at his fiscal hindsight. Enjoy his second-guessing.

There are so many holes in Treasurer Tim Cahill's analysis of the Patrick administration's handling of the budget crisis that it's impossible to know where to start. I think the Globe does a decent job of fact checking: the administration hasn't sliced and diced jobs but it sure hasn't added them to the extent Cahill claims.

And Cahill probably doesn't know a state employee who got laid off because he likely doesn't associate with social workers and direct care employees.

More importantly, if Patrick and the Legislature should have seen the breadth and depth of the financial crisis and planned accordingly, why did the state pension system, which is under Cahill's control, tank too?

After all, it works directly with Wall Street, the same folks who brought you the fiscal debacle.

Mike Widmer of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation sums it up nicely:
“If one knew 12 months ago the scale of this, it would have been best to make a series of cuts all at once,’’ Widmer said. “Revenues dropped more dramatically than anybody had forecast. It would have been difficult to foresee the extent of the problem. It has been the same in state after state. Massachusetts has acquitted itself better than other states.’’People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones Timmie. You have a record that doesn't exactly reflect glory.More blogs about Politics.
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That big ball of hate consuming the right continues to roll along, gathering momentum in a truly frightening fashion.

The epicenter may well be South Carolina, home of Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson, presided over by the honorable Gov. Mark "Appalachian Trail" Sanford with strong leadership from Sen. Jim "Waterloo" DeMint.

Here's the latest from the land of tolerance:“There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves,” the opinion article stated. “By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation’s pennies and trying to preserve our country’s wealth and our economy’s viability to give all an opportunity to succeed.”The remarks are actually authored by two Republican Party county chairman, in a letter to the editor that, in their twisted minds, was congratulating DeMint with frugality. To their discredit -- and frankly that of the editor of the paper -- that age-old insult was supposed to be a compliment.

There has always been a seamy underside of America, a nativist movement that emerges during hard times. clearly spelled out by political scientist Richard Hofstadter in "The Paranoid Style of American Politics."

While Glenn Beck is merely the latest poster child, it has a long and sordid history in America, in traditions such as slavery, Jim Crow and the KKK. Some of its most prominent political practitioners have been George C. Wallace and Strom Thurmond.

At the risk of being guilty of stereotyping, do I detect a trend here?

While not every South Carolinian -- and certainly not every Southerner -- is guilty of embracing the politics of hate, it certainly seems the roots run deep below the Mason-Dixon Line. Let's not forget the "War of Northern Aggression," launched at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, was in defense of the Southern institution of slavery.

We need politicians to start cooling the nativist passions, not inflaming them, starting with the authors, Edwin O. Merwin Jr., chairman of the Bamberg County Republican Party, and James S. Ulmer Jr., chairman of the Orangeburg County Republican Party, whose "apology" reflected the depth of the ignorance passing for political judgment:

The State, a newspaper in Columbia, S.C., reported that Mr. Ulmer had e-mailed a statement explaining that the comment was one he had “heard many times in my life, truly in admiration for a method of bettering one’s lot in life.I'm sure he heard it many times. But if he thought it was a statement of admiration, he obviously never read Shakespeare.More blogs about Politics.
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Excuse me, but wasn't it about a month ago that we were brimming with anticipation over an historic race to fill a US senate vacated by the death of a liberal lion?

Granted we are approaching a Boston mayoral election where the incumbent's over-under is 16 percentage points. But what about the rest of the state that doesn't live and die by the outcome of Mumbles v. Floon?

Watching paint dry is a more active pastime than Senate race coverage. Bob Burr dropped out of the GOP race yesterday. You may well so "who?" He's the guy who couldn't come up with 10,000 signatures.

On TV, we continue to be treated every few minutes to the sight of Steve "Money Pags" Pagliuca telling us about his mother and father and his pride in helping to restore the Celtics glory.

OK, but where do you stand on Afghanistan? Or the public option? And I might ask the same question of Martha Coakley, if only she would stop to answer questions.

I know circulation and viewership is down and so is staffing, but is it really impossible to cover both the mayoral race that affects about 600,000 people and the Senate primaries that affects the remaining 6 million of us?More blogs about Politics.
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And all this time I thought Greenwich, England was the center of time. Who knew it was Fort Collins, Colorado?

It was a simple enough task -- the kitchen wall clock gave up the ghost after 25 years of service that clocked in (sorry, I couldn't resist) at well under a buck a year. Get a new one -- or stare blankly at the wall in a room with four digital time keepers on the stove, microwave, coffee pot and radio.

With the time change coming and the annoyance of thumbing the tiny wheel to fall back, we decided to take a chance on an "atomic clock" that sets itself.

Sort of.

First, it's not really an atomic clock (I have confirmed it doesn't glow in the dark). It is a radio clock (as opposed to a clock radio). And that's where Fort Collins comes in. If Muslims must face Mecca to pray, radio clocks must face Fort Collins to work.
"Generally the best reception occurs when the clock is located near a window and, if possible, facing the direction of Fort Collins, Colorado."Those helpful directions are located inside the clock package, available only after you buy it. They also cheerily inform you that you should should "not place in a metal of concrete building unless close to a window with the curtains or other window treatments open."

In exchange for a room with a view, the clock promises to set automatically to the time signal transmitted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in, you guessed it, Fort Collins.

Unless of course:
"Poor signal reception may occur due to close proximity to mountains, tall buildings, power lines, airports, traffic lights and electrical storms between your location and Fort Collins, Colorado."Glad those digital clocks aren't going anywhere.

Thinking that thumb wheel was starting to look inviting, I nevertheless plunk the battery into the back and it starts whirring until it comes to rest a 8 o'clock. Trouble was it was only 7:45. No problem, real time caught up. And passed it.

No worries:
"If your clock does not immediately receive the time signal do not be alarmed. That is probably due to poor reception and normally this is a temporary condition. Generally the best reception is during the nighttime hours when normal interference with the radio signal is minimal. If the clock does not receive the signal within 24 hours, you may need to relocate the clock to a position with better signal reception."Or take the tin foil helmet off your head.

I can report that as of this hour, the clock appears to be working -- after a slight adjustment for Eastern Time (I punched the wrong button and it didn't want me to forget). And I assume all is now well, at least until standard time comes in and the clock starts moving back.

That will either be because I'm in the Twilight Zone or there's a bad storm in the Rockies.More blogs about Politics.
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