I'm with Charley. Speaker DiMasi has proven crucial in marriage equality, health care and in defeating casinos. In recent months, he's shown a great willingness to work with the administration - closing loopholes, securing money for roads and bridges and passing a fantastic renewable energy bill. Is he perfect? No. But he's proven to be the most progressive Speaker of the House in my memory - by a wide margin.
As Charley says, the three guys trying to line up to get next in line aren't going to be as good on the issues. Most of them are pro-casino and none of them have done as much on the critical issues Massachusetts is advancing. More worrisome is the lengths to which they're going to secure next-in-line status: the favors they're doling out doesn't exactly inspire confidence in these tough economic times.
The Good News? The Globe loves pushing the angle that DiMasi will be gone. It sells newspapers. However, like many media-driven stories, often times if the media says it enough, it can become true. There's blood in the water and none of it helps Speaker DiMasi get passed the sharks. If DiMasi does get ousted, expect Massachusetts to take one step back before we can go three steps forward.
Posts
4 comments:
In other words, DiMasi may be corrupt; he may have a dictatorial control on the House tighter than Finneran ever had; he may have eliminated any pretense of transparency in how legislation is made, but at least he's our guy on the issues.
Swell!
No. The other guys have proven they'd be even worse than DiMasi on your critiques. I haven't read a single thing in the papers that would give me confidence they could improve beyond DiMasi in any kind of way, from the issues to transparency to corruption. Furthermore, a trial by newspapers doesn't inspire confidence either - I highly doubt any of DiMasi's actions are as bad as they seem to some in the papers.
Ryan - if he's indicted, he's gone. Both the Fall River land deal and the computer contract deal are being investigated - and DiMasi looks bad in both.
Notice THOSE two stories get less press? That happens with active investigations.
They can't have proven they'd be worse than Dimasi, they haven't had their opportunity yet. I'm sure though given the chance they will. What a wonderful state we live in.
Post a Comment