Death threats targeted DiMasi.

Jon Keller breaks the news (dear Channel 4: Read up on permalinks and fix your busted RSS, 'kay?).

The Outraged Liberal thinks the controversy is a bit overblown, it's not like Patrick was Client 10 or something, but still, he's forced to ask: This couldn't have waited?

... The man who showed a great understanding for the yearnings of Massachusetts residents has developed a tin ear, the kind that made Michael Dukakis a temporary one-termer.

David Bernstein writes this is one case where perception matters:

... It's absolutely legitimate for Mass. residents to be wary of gubernatorial absenteeism, even to the point of hypersensitivity, after Romney, Cellucci, Weld, Dukakis. ...

FrankSkeffington: Even if he still lost big, he OWED it to the folks who were in the trenches fighting for HIS bill to provide support by being there:

But no, Deval went. That says a lot about the man and it's not good.

Jay Fitzgerald wonders when the Commonwealth got renamed "Titanic:"

Imagine the captain of a sinking ship exhorting his doomed crew and passengers to remain calm while he hopped into a life boat exclaiming, 'Well, nice knowing you. I'm off to sign a book deal!' ... Of course Deval's casino bill was doomed before it sank below the House surface last week. But the timing of Deval's trip to New York to sign a book deal just doesn't look right. ...

Dan Kennedy is happy House Speaker Sal DiMasi used his Fists of Power for good by killing Deval Patrick's casino plan.

The Outraged Liberal isn't so enamored of DiMasi's display of legislative might and says that, in any case, DiMasi actually tried giving Patrick a fair shake but that Patrick emulated first-term Mike Dukakis by trying to run roughshod over the legislature.

WaveMaker is loving Sal DiMasi's claim that nobody was pressured during yesterday's committee vote on the Patrick casino plan, which almost became a tie vote, even though the committee has an odd number of members:

... On the most controversial and far-reaching public policy issue to come before the legislature since gay marriage, one duly elected representative of the people couldn't pull the trigger. Unless Rep. Rice has a clear and obvious conflict of interest that would lawfully prevent him from voting, he should be taken into the public arena and flogged. ...

And then there's the Republican who changed his mind and voted against the bill. Wave Maker, himself a Republican, has more to say about him, but let's turn to the left, where Massachusetts Liberal wonders:

Fashion mavens in the Statehouse today will be checking to see what Wrentham Republican Richard Ross is wearing with his suit. In particular, they will be checking to see if the sling for his twisted arm matches the fabric. ...

Back to Wave Maker:

... There is another element to this vote that should deeply trouble observers of democracy. Legislative Committee votes are to be taken in open sessions where the public and the press are able to observe the process. In this instance, however -- for reasons yet unexplained -- "two votes were taken by email and phone" and counted inside closed offices instead of committee rooms.

Oh, so casino hearings in the legislature next week? The Outraged Liberal reads the latest on the issue and suggests:

Maybe they should hold next week's casino bill hearing in a boxing ring. Or a steel cage. This is about as dysfunctional as state government gets. ...

Tommyvon: I’m just excited of the possibility that Boston might have something open 24 hours, including food.

Dan Kennedy rounds up the evidence.

Middleboro resident James Reynolds is chronicling the anti-casino effort on Middleboro - Worst Casino in the World. Dan Kennedy points out another anti blog: Gladys Kravitz: Middleboro's Nosy Neighbor.