It didn't merit more than a brief in the Globe and a short story in the Herald. And that's exactly why Deval Patrick is doing it. Going on the road -- and in Massachusetts. It's a standard tactic for a politician or leader who is having a hard time getting his message out over the filter (or impenetrable indifference) of the MSM. Especially one that seems more interested in replaying Caddy Gate or Drape Gate than dealing with the nuts and bolts (and inherent ugliness) of actually governing. But ... More ...

The $28 billion state budget -- chock full of money to pay for health care, education and public safety -- is hung up over what to do with a golf course? You're kidding, right? In a state with more rich and storied weird legislative tales than golf courses, this one may be at the top of the list. The Senate apparently is looking to literally bail out Ponkapoag Golf Course in Canton, where fairways have apparently turned into swamps under the care and maintenance of the Division of Conservation ... More ...

Another fiscal year dawns on Beacon Hill without a state budget -- and while lawmakers actually have a decent reason this time, their inattentiveness to detail makes them look bad. It's easy to compare blowing past the June 30 deadline as the state's equivalent of Manny being Manny -- and it happens about as often. The process involves big money and big egos looking to protect precious initiatives. Look no further than the infamous Finneran-Birmingham negotiations of 1999 to see a broken down pr... More ...

After what seems like years of construction. Commonwealth Avenue near BU is finally rounding into shape -- albeit with a much narrower roadway. I have no qualms whatsoever about the efforts to snazz up the sidewalks on both sides of the street. But I am curious about the decision to install sod -- sometimes in infinitesimally small strips -- along the trolley right-of-way. Talk about a green line! And to install sprinklers to keep this tiny patch of grass green. The big question -- who is paying... More ...

For all the wonders of new technology, nothing beats a small town rumor mill. That's the frightening conclusion of this Washington Post visit to a neighborhood on Findlay, Ohio. Of course I'm taking a little liberty because the Republican Fear and Smear Machine is planting the rumors thanks to the assistance of that technology. But the ability of fear to spread on whispers and knowing nods, especially in small, tightly knit and somewhat close-minded communities, is a well known characteristic of... More ...

Earlier this week, we were "treated" to Karl Rove's view that Barack Obama was really nothing more than a country club elitist. "Even if you never met him, you know this guy," Rove said. "He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by." Obviously Rove would not be able to make this observation at the Phoenix Country Club in the home state of Republican presidential nomi... More ...

George Corley Wallace based his 1968 presidential campaign on the slogan that there's "not a dime's worth of difference" between Democrat Hubert Humphrey and Republican Richard Nixon. And of course eight years ago, the race-baiting Ralph Nader told us the same thing about Al Gore and George H.W. Bush. The result? Two of the most venal presidents to live in the White House. Today, we hear from diehard Hillary Clinton backers that John McCain is a better option than Barack Obama, that noted sexist... More ...

The verdict in the Neil Entwistle murder case was on everyone's lips yesterday and not surprisingly at the top of yesterday's television newscasts and today's papers. The case after all, had everything that sells news -- a double murder, including a tiny child, allegations of kinky sex and a man who claimed that after he discovered the bodies, did nothing except get on a plane and leave the country. But the high-level coverage brought to mind a debate over on Universal Hub last week -- about the... More ...

Did they or didn't they? That's becoming the overriding question of what may very well prove to be one of the bigger media embarrassments in a long time. In one corner is the mayor of Gloucester, a Cape Ann city where the biggest news used to come with the annual blessing of the fleet near the famed fisherman's statue. In the other, Time Magazine, with the story of a pregnancy pact among the community's bored teenage girls. The only facts not in dispute are that 17 girls at Gloucester High Schoo... More ...

One of my favorite questions in a political context is: how are you going to pay for it. And it's the one question Gov. Deval Patrick has not answered as he rolls out his Readiness Project for improving education in Massachusetts. The proposals, 18 months in the making, are grand indeed -- universal prekindergarten, full-day kindergarten for all students, and a drop-out prevention program. There's also talk of free tuition at community colleges and other expensive efforts to raise standards acro... More ...

There's one week left in Massachusetts' fiscal year, a little more than a month before the Legislature wraps it up for the year. You would think Beacon Bill would be abuzz with activity. You would be wrong. While Gov. Deval Patrick gets set to unveil another major initiative with the potential to roil the waters, the members of the Great and General Court are top candidates for a milk carton. Public activity has been at a minimum. As the Statehouse News Service (subscription required) notes: The... More ...

We had another reminder this week that while the ability to score points attracts a lot of attention, it's solid defense that wins championships. How's that ring fit Kobe? Barack Obama beefed up his defense this week by forgoing public funds in his race against John McCain. The political press, emerging from its week of Shiva over the death of high priest Tim Russert, quickly joined McCain in pouncing on Obama for flip-flopping. But this instance, as with the Russert Overreaction, is only the la... More ...

Say what you will about our state's political leadership (OK, let's skip the unprintable stuff): they may have tin ears but they are not the biggest bunch of buffoons ever to walk the planet. It looks as if common sense will give way to the chance for a bigger paycheck -- with legislative leaders saying they plan to reject a proposal to give them and judges raises of up to 70 percent. The reason: a ballot question that would repeal the state's income tax. Lost amid our Green Dreams was the news ... More ...

Breaking news from the Herald: Deval Patrick is skipping a party to do his job. Yes, the Herald's Enterprising Reporter is at it again with an important item that I'm surprised the Herald didn't headline "Gov snubs Hub for LaLa Land junket" Here's the lead that appears today: When the “rolling rally” celebrating Boston’s newest sports champs rolls by the State House today, Gov. Deval Patrick won’t be there cheering - he’ll be meeting instead with Hollywood studio executives and traveli... More ...

Rick Pitino is not walking through that door! Thankfully. It's been way too long and way too much heartache but the Celtics are back where they belong -- after a team performance that exemplified Celtics Pride. I admit it. There where times in the Atlanta and Cleveland series where I didn't think they would get it done. But the heart of this team is immense -- and the accomplishment magnificent. There are three people who should celebrate a little louder and longer. Because they took the brunt o... More ...

Sleep deprivation. It makes you do strange things. Like read Dan Shaughnessy. Electronically leaf through the local papers and there's little else but Celtics mania (not necessarily an awful thing) The presidential campaign is on a semi-hiatus and Legislature has shut down for Bunker Hill Day and the BIO convention in San Diego (when have you even seen politicians leave the state for the coast opposite the big ticket?) And speaking of the Big Ticket, when was the last time you recall an athlete ... More ...

No, I didn't expect the Lakers to collapse like a house of cards. Too much on the line for them to give up and be known forever more as the Biggest Choke Artists West of the Yankees. But I saw enough in the course of Game 5 (yes, I actually stayed awake!) to feel confident the series will end in the way we want it when Game Six comes around tomorrow. Or Game Seven on Thursday. For starters, the Celtics will have Kevin Garnett back. KG played a solid game on the boards and contributed yet another... More ...

You can tell Noah Bierman, the Globe's transportation writer, hasn't been around here very long. Who else would think the MBTA is a souvenir marketer's dream? Bierman appears to have carved out a distinguished career at the Miami Herald, where he no doubt first came to the attention of Globe boss Marty Baron. But his stint as transportation reporter at the Globe has been marked by some rocky starts and stops, most noticeably by recently tearing down a three-year-old bridge that really was a 100-... More ...

Two "passings" in "journalism" made the headlines locally and nationally today: the sudden and shocking death of NBC News Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert and the resignation of WHDH-TV general manager Randi Goldklank. Huh? The suggestion that Goldklank was a journalist because she presided over a television station that touts its newscast is jarring. The self-described "tiny lady" was hired as a sales manager, as far away (or as far away as it should be) from journalism as is possible. Yet, ... More ...

I admit it. There is no way I would have stuck with this game even if I could keep my eyes open. Down 21 after 12 minutes? But sometime insomnia has some value -- like watching ESPN's repeat of Game 4 between 3 and 5 a.m. And even then, it took knowledge of the outcome to stick with it. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Lakers. Two different games. And what an unbelievable turn of events. In Boston -- and around much of the hoop world -- this game will be known as the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. I... More ...