BY DAN
KENNEDY
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Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Life after Finneran. The
Boston Globe's Joan
Vennochi has a good column
today on state representative Harriett Stanley, who was stripped of
her leadership position earlier this year after crossing House
Speaker Tom Finneran. Stanley went from being a Somebody to a shunned
backbencher who can't even get a trash can delivered to her
office.
What's ironic about all this is
that Stanley really has something to contribute. The evidence: a
recent award she won from the Pioneer Institute for what is described
as an innovative health-care-reform idea. I'll take Vennochi's and
the institute's word for it, since the idea isn't actually described,
although it has something to do with "re-engineer[ing]
Medicaid."
As Vennochi observes, Finneran's
love of power has grown so intense that he now routinely puts
politics over policy -- something that would have been a surprise to
anyone who was following his career 10 years ago.
And Finneran is still pushing for
even more power, as the Globe's Rick
Klein explains.
Meanwhile, Boston Herald
columnist Wayne
Woodlief (registration
required) takes on the sorry state of the Democrats, noting that by
booing state attorney general Tom Reilly at last Saturday's issues
convention, they were booing one of their strongest potential
candidates for governor in 2006. All because Reilly wants (gasp!)
UMass president Bill Bulger to resign.
Woodlief compares the rude
reception Reilly received to Finneran's characterization of 1998
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scott Harshbarger as part of the
"loony left," an outburst that contributed to Harshbarger's
defeat.
At least state Democratic chairman
Phil Johnston has a grasp on reality, telling Woodlief: "If Reilly
decides to run he'd be very strong. He's viewed as a straight-shooter
and a suburban reformer, not a captive of Beacon Hill politics.
That's the type we need to beat Romney."
Reilly is also pretty conservative
-- maybe too much so for a party that needs to distinguish itself
from the Republicans. But at least he's got a backbone.
posted at 8:21 AM |
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Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
