Friday, July 30, 2004
‘Go balloons. Go balloons. ... We need more balloons!’: So I wasn’t dreaming as I wearily brushed my teeth last night, faintly hearing someone in the living room blaring about balloons. Someone else heard it too. ...
Ah, the speech. So how did you like John Kerry? No need to overanalyze: He was John Kerry. That was him. That’s been him all these past 20 years, with not a single stirring speech or phrase standing out in my mind. Those familiar with him didn’t have high expectations going into last night. He didn’t exceed expectations last night. It’s been the same dull baloney all these years -- and he keeps winning despite this for reasons mere mortals can’t explain. ...
Tom Oliphant, who really wants to like Kerry, wasn’t thrilled. Andrew Sullivan, who’s been very open-minded toward Dems this week, was underwhelmed but not surprised: "I think this convention has been a huge success, tempered by a bad candidate." .... From Reader No. 1: “Kerry’s speech summed up the whole convention. Theatrically, it was a fine show: a good deal of passion delivered with precision. But if you listened to the words, it was like watching a drunk weaving back and forth across the highway.” ... Strangely, Mickey Kaus liked the speech. Mickey? ....
... Speaking of Mickey, his accounts of the FleetCenter lockout are quite funny. ... Poor Alan Colmes. He doesn’t even get respect ‘in this most liberal city.’ ... Normally anti-fox hunters were Fox hunting in Boston this week. ... The Whole World was NOT Watching. ... ‘That’s not a rip.’ ...
General DNC impressions:
-- The economic bust was an incredible disappointment but ...
-- Thank God nothing terrible happened during the week: terrorism, riots, Massachusetts lawmakers voting themselves 200 percent pay hikes.
-- Boston should hold its head high. The event worked quite well within the strict new post-9/11 confines. Visitors liked the city. They understood the security constraints.
-- No more events that require this type of security. Hub Blog hopes the civic boosters have finally got the ‘world-class city’ obsession out of their system. We done well. We’re world-class -- whatever that is. Now shut up.
-- Obama was the huge winner of Boston DNC 2004.
Ah, the speech. So how did you like John Kerry? No need to overanalyze: He was John Kerry. That was him. That’s been him all these past 20 years, with not a single stirring speech or phrase standing out in my mind. Those familiar with him didn’t have high expectations going into last night. He didn’t exceed expectations last night. It’s been the same dull baloney all these years -- and he keeps winning despite this for reasons mere mortals can’t explain. ...
Tom Oliphant, who really wants to like Kerry, wasn’t thrilled. Andrew Sullivan, who’s been very open-minded toward Dems this week, was underwhelmed but not surprised: "I think this convention has been a huge success, tempered by a bad candidate." .... From Reader No. 1: “Kerry’s speech summed up the whole convention. Theatrically, it was a fine show: a good deal of passion delivered with precision. But if you listened to the words, it was like watching a drunk weaving back and forth across the highway.” ... Strangely, Mickey Kaus liked the speech. Mickey? ....
... Speaking of Mickey, his accounts of the FleetCenter lockout are quite funny. ... Poor Alan Colmes. He doesn’t even get respect ‘in this most liberal city.’ ... Normally anti-fox hunters were Fox hunting in Boston this week. ... The Whole World was NOT Watching. ... ‘That’s not a rip.’ ...
General DNC impressions:
-- The economic bust was an incredible disappointment but ...
-- Thank God nothing terrible happened during the week: terrorism, riots, Massachusetts lawmakers voting themselves 200 percent pay hikes.
-- Boston should hold its head high. The event worked quite well within the strict new post-9/11 confines. Visitors liked the city. They understood the security constraints.
-- No more events that require this type of security. Hub Blog hopes the civic boosters have finally got the ‘world-class city’ obsession out of their system. We done well. We’re world-class -- whatever that is. Now shut up.
-- Obama was the huge winner of Boston DNC 2004.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
‘Watch for a Two Americas line of sofas ...’: DNC tidbits from a merrily trolling Reader No. 1:
“Will Mitchell Gold Furniture be decorating the Lincoln Bedroom in the Kerry-Edwards campaign? Watch for a Two Americas line of sofas and ottomans at a better furniture showroom near you. ...
“Howie’s column today calls to mind Joe Liberman’s interview last night on Hannity & Colmes (transcript not up yet but hopefully soon) in which Joe expressed bewildered concern that only 5% of the Democratic delegates thought War with Iraq was justified, WMD or no WMD. Joe is with that 5% (me too).”
“Will Mitchell Gold Furniture be decorating the Lincoln Bedroom in the Kerry-Edwards campaign? Watch for a Two Americas line of sofas and ottomans at a better furniture showroom near you. ...
“Howie’s column today calls to mind Joe Liberman’s interview last night on Hannity & Colmes (transcript not up yet but hopefully soon) in which Joe expressed bewildered concern that only 5% of the Democratic delegates thought War with Iraq was justified, WMD or no WMD. Joe is with that 5% (me too).”
Those ghost-town blues, Part II: Just a hunch: The streets will be slightly more crowded today and the mood much better. Base the prediction on bar activity (of course) last night on Beacon Hill, where the sidewalks and restaurant/pub businesses were noticeably more active. ... Definitely try to get into town today, by public transit, to see the city. Not trying to be a civic booster. Hub Blog has an agenda: To force people to see how the city could look more often. The lack of traffic, as I said yesterday, is PLEASANT. The beautification projects worked: The city has never looked so nice. Because of the dramatic decrease in traffic, I’ve stumbled upon gardens and plants and alleyway nooks I’ve never noticed before. ... Has the DNC been an economic bust? Surely. Just read stories like this and this -- or come in and see for yourself. It's the lack of people that's the tragedy. But ... The mayor’s plan for weekend discounts is highly annoying on two levels: 1.) He's asking small businesses to foot the bill -- again. 2.) He’s inviting back the cars. How about keeping the parking bans for the weekend and letting pedestrians feel what it’s like to own the city? Oh well. ...
... A few more negative-positive DNC observations and lessons now that Hub Blog is in a sappy green transportation mood: The delegates have clearly enjoyed the city -- and rightly have put blame for any complaints on the security. ... Tourists love Boston’s trolleys. Will transit officials finally admit/recognize that there’s a Choo Choo gene in people that favor subways/trains/trolleys over buses? They’re literally a tourist draw. ... Sure wish the city, when drawing up plans for the Big Dig, had included logical and efficient bike paths for two-wheel commuters. Or a monorail linking North and South stations areas. ... Could we dispatch a team of planners to Montreal to study its commuter bike-path grid? They just don’t plunk bike paths down anywhere, as NYC did in the ‘70s. They gave it thought, keeping the bikeways off of major thoroughfares and putting them in logical places where people go in mass. ... Let’s figure out the DNC budget for street flowers and plantings etc. -- and make the funding permanent. ... Pick up the pace of permitting outdoor restaurants. ... Pick up the pace of permitting private transportation solutions for the city. The private sector really took up the slack for public transit shutdowns this week. ... Is it time for Boston to explore/study London’s daring market-orientated special toll system to enter downtown?
Oh God. Hub Blog feels like an earthy lefty. ...
Jesse’s very old act: Glad yet another Boston critic gets humbled. ... But what I found fascinating about Jesse Jackson’s original comments is how academia-focused he remains. “Boston must work even more diligently at being the academic center it is, at being the shining light on the hill.” ... Not a clue about other institutions in the city. Not a clue. ... He even apparently thinks universities are the future source of financial jobs, based on his ludicrous comments about Harvard’s endowment. Does he realize that Fidelity and State Street each have $1 trillion under management? That Putnam’s assets, though dwindling, are 10 times larger than Harvard’s? Not that Fidelity, State Street or Putnam want Jesse to know about it.
... A few more negative-positive DNC observations and lessons now that Hub Blog is in a sappy green transportation mood: The delegates have clearly enjoyed the city -- and rightly have put blame for any complaints on the security. ... Tourists love Boston’s trolleys. Will transit officials finally admit/recognize that there’s a Choo Choo gene in people that favor subways/trains/trolleys over buses? They’re literally a tourist draw. ... Sure wish the city, when drawing up plans for the Big Dig, had included logical and efficient bike paths for two-wheel commuters. Or a monorail linking North and South stations areas. ... Could we dispatch a team of planners to Montreal to study its commuter bike-path grid? They just don’t plunk bike paths down anywhere, as NYC did in the ‘70s. They gave it thought, keeping the bikeways off of major thoroughfares and putting them in logical places where people go in mass. ... Let’s figure out the DNC budget for street flowers and plantings etc. -- and make the funding permanent. ... Pick up the pace of permitting outdoor restaurants. ... Pick up the pace of permitting private transportation solutions for the city. The private sector really took up the slack for public transit shutdowns this week. ... Is it time for Boston to explore/study London’s daring market-orientated special toll system to enter downtown?
Oh God. Hub Blog feels like an earthy lefty. ...
Jesse’s very old act: Glad yet another Boston critic gets humbled. ... But what I found fascinating about Jesse Jackson’s original comments is how academia-focused he remains. “Boston must work even more diligently at being the academic center it is, at being the shining light on the hill.” ... Not a clue about other institutions in the city. Not a clue. ... He even apparently thinks universities are the future source of financial jobs, based on his ludicrous comments about Harvard’s endowment. Does he realize that Fidelity and State Street each have $1 trillion under management? That Putnam’s assets, though dwindling, are 10 times larger than Harvard’s? Not that Fidelity, State Street or Putnam want Jesse to know about it.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Those ghost-town blues: I'm DNCed out. I'll probably have plenty to say about the big convention bust later. Been very busy. Until then, Reader No. 1 writes in:
"Will John Edwards cite the gap during DNC Week between the North End pizza shops and sold-out Radius in his speech tonight as an example of the Two Americas?"
Reader No. 1 also highly recommends Steve Bailey's column this morning.
FYI-- I have a hunch the mayor and media could go to war over the economic debacle. I also have a hunch the public will blame both for the pre-DNC hype warnings -- and the failure to recognize the probability and potential impact of a Ghost Town USA instead of Gridville USA.
FYI II -- If you have time, get into the city tonight or Thursday. Really. It’s historic. It’s surreal. It has to be seen to believed. ... I’ve already called up some friends and relatives urging them to head on in, by public transit, to see the delegates, protesters, limos, security, and to be part of history with a very small 'h' etc. But the obviously more facinating thing is the empty streets, open parking spaces on Charles and Newbury streets, near empty restaurants, closed stores. ... Maybe in the end we can learn some negative-positive lessons from all this. Sort of like the earthquake that devastated San Francisco's elevated freeway near its waterfront, a tragedy that led to great post-disaster decisions to just clear out the debris and permanently open up the city's waterfront. The huge drop in foot traffic in Boston this week was horrendous, but the sharp decline in road traffic was hugely PLEASANT. Can't we find a way to permanetly reduce traffic but still get the people into the city? Come into town Thursday to see for yourself what Boston could resemble. ... More on this later.
"Will John Edwards cite the gap during DNC Week between the North End pizza shops and sold-out Radius in his speech tonight as an example of the Two Americas?"
Reader No. 1 also highly recommends Steve Bailey's column this morning.
FYI-- I have a hunch the mayor and media could go to war over the economic debacle. I also have a hunch the public will blame both for the pre-DNC hype warnings -- and the failure to recognize the probability and potential impact of a Ghost Town USA instead of Gridville USA.
FYI II -- If you have time, get into the city tonight or Thursday. Really. It’s historic. It’s surreal. It has to be seen to believed. ... I’ve already called up some friends and relatives urging them to head on in, by public transit, to see the delegates, protesters, limos, security, and to be part of history with a very small 'h' etc. But the obviously more facinating thing is the empty streets, open parking spaces on Charles and Newbury streets, near empty restaurants, closed stores. ... Maybe in the end we can learn some negative-positive lessons from all this. Sort of like the earthquake that devastated San Francisco's elevated freeway near its waterfront, a tragedy that led to great post-disaster decisions to just clear out the debris and permanently open up the city's waterfront. The huge drop in foot traffic in Boston this week was horrendous, but the sharp decline in road traffic was hugely PLEASANT. Can't we find a way to permanetly reduce traffic but still get the people into the city? Come into town Thursday to see for yourself what Boston could resemble. ... More on this later.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
'Almost complete strategic ambiguity': David Brooks parks one on John Kerry, praising him for the impressive professional discipline and vapidness of his campaign. ... The Democrats were definitely on message last night. Ted's up this evening. He'll blow it for Dems if he goes into his arm-waving Conspiracies Hatched in Texas mode.
‘A pleasure to confirm Hub Blog’s PortaPotty Predictions’: Reader No. 1:
“It’s a pleasure to confirm Hub Blog’s PortaPotty Predictions have panned out! Commuting the highways has been a breeze -- actually, it’s a pleasure unless you are a restauranteur who serves ordinary democrats 365 days a year rather than Fat Cat Men and Women of the People one week out of the century. Maybe the Mayah will take Terry McAuliffe to one of these struggling coffee shops for a photo op.
“And judging by the empty highways, I suspect the convention predictions of a boon for tourism have panned out -- in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and on the Cape!”
Hub Blog's response in the form of doing a John Kerry imitation just prior to a speech -- “Thank you. Thank you!” (Point, point, smile, smile, point.) “Oh, please. Stop applauding. Thank you.” (Point, point, smile, smile, point). ... The envelope please: And the Medford reggae band wins the GenRad PortaPotty Award!!! ... Explanation of the groundbreaking PortaPotty theory here, in case you're interested. ... Dan Kennedy is rightly taking bows for predicting -- well before Hub Blog -- a possible ghost-town atmosphere due to pre-DNC traffic hysteria. But Dan's call was based on a hunch, not science, like the PortaPotty theory.
‘For all its grievous and self-destructive faults’: David Ignatius pens a nice piece on France. Captures most of my fond and frustrated sentiments as well. ...
‘A pleasure to confirm Hub Blog’s PortaPotty Predictions’: Reader No. 1:
“It’s a pleasure to confirm Hub Blog’s PortaPotty Predictions have panned out! Commuting the highways has been a breeze -- actually, it’s a pleasure unless you are a restauranteur who serves ordinary democrats 365 days a year rather than Fat Cat Men and Women of the People one week out of the century. Maybe the Mayah will take Terry McAuliffe to one of these struggling coffee shops for a photo op.
“And judging by the empty highways, I suspect the convention predictions of a boon for tourism have panned out -- in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and on the Cape!”
Hub Blog's response in the form of doing a John Kerry imitation just prior to a speech -- “Thank you. Thank you!” (Point, point, smile, smile, point.) “Oh, please. Stop applauding. Thank you.” (Point, point, smile, smile, point). ... The envelope please: And the Medford reggae band wins the GenRad PortaPotty Award!!! ... Explanation of the groundbreaking PortaPotty theory here, in case you're interested. ... Dan Kennedy is rightly taking bows for predicting -- well before Hub Blog -- a possible ghost-town atmosphere due to pre-DNC traffic hysteria. But Dan's call was based on a hunch, not science, like the PortaPotty theory.
‘For all its grievous and self-destructive faults’: David Ignatius pens a nice piece on France. Captures most of my fond and frustrated sentiments as well. ...
Monday, July 26, 2004
Boston DNC 2004 vs. LA Olympics 1984? Part II: The roads this morning were holiday-like empty. Almost as many taxis as cars. ... The scare-tactic warnings appeared to have worked, just like in LA twenty years ago. ... The big test is this afternoon. ... P.S. Can you beat this weather? Autumn in July.
Starting off the week in a great mood: Great game, great series, great mood.
‘Almost made it through ... without a Baked Bean reference’: First reports streaming in of DNC media coverage. Reader No. 1:
“The National Media are trying, at least on TV, to avoid the Boston clichés. (Probably because so many producers and reporters are not far from their college days here?) The Sunday Today show almost made it through the first hour without a Baked Bean reference (ultimately, they succumbed with a recipe segment -- but it was from the New York Studio and they did bring our area foodie-aestheto-technician Chris Kimball of Cook's Magazine). The Today Show this morning also tried to investigate the world of alternative political journalism, i.e. Comedy Central and Blogs. Unfortunately, they picked Ana Marie Cox of Wonkette whose site lapsed into vapid self-referential gossip after a promising start. Campbell Brown didn't ask any interesting questions and nobody supplied any interesting answers. Oh well -- at least NBC didn't ask whether Blogs were part of the vast right-wing conspiracy.”
Hub Blog’s notes -- The London Times foreign editor has some flattering things to say about our lovably dysfunctional city, but the Brahmin-Irish and Louise Woodward references are more than a tad out of it. ... The Times has a good campaign round-up section in general. ... Joe Sciacca has some observations about Liberal Massachusetts. ...
Update -- Boston Common is doing a great job tracking all the local bloggers' DNC wisecracks.
Starting off the week in a great mood: Great game, great series, great mood.
‘Almost made it through ... without a Baked Bean reference’: First reports streaming in of DNC media coverage. Reader No. 1:
“The National Media are trying, at least on TV, to avoid the Boston clichés. (Probably because so many producers and reporters are not far from their college days here?) The Sunday Today show almost made it through the first hour without a Baked Bean reference (ultimately, they succumbed with a recipe segment -- but it was from the New York Studio and they did bring our area foodie-aestheto-technician Chris Kimball of Cook's Magazine). The Today Show this morning also tried to investigate the world of alternative political journalism, i.e. Comedy Central and Blogs. Unfortunately, they picked Ana Marie Cox of Wonkette whose site lapsed into vapid self-referential gossip after a promising start. Campbell Brown didn't ask any interesting questions and nobody supplied any interesting answers. Oh well -- at least NBC didn't ask whether Blogs were part of the vast right-wing conspiracy.”
Hub Blog’s notes -- The London Times foreign editor has some flattering things to say about our lovably dysfunctional city, but the Brahmin-Irish and Louise Woodward references are more than a tad out of it. ... The Times has a good campaign round-up section in general. ... Joe Sciacca has some observations about Liberal Massachusetts. ...
Update -- Boston Common is doing a great job tracking all the local bloggers' DNC wisecracks.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
HUB BLOG'S 2004 DNC MEDIA GUIDE !!
Actually, I’ve decided to do a slightly abbreviated Hub Blog 2004 DNC Media Guide. Too much work otherwise. But let me anyway welcome all the members of the visiting world press to Boston. Warning: We’re watching you. We’re specifically watching for excellent clichés/stereotypes/ludicrous accounts in general of ‘Beantown’ while you’re here. For your work and pleasure convenience, you might want to read the following:
Bars: Not a bad account of bars in Boston, though I’d add: The Sevens on Charles Street; Harvard Garden and the Hill Tavern, both on Cambridge Street near the FleetCenter; and Foley’s in the South End area. They happen to be near where I live and work -- and I like ‘em. ... Also pubs close early here, sort of like the old London-WWI liquor laws. So do what the locals do: Drink early, drink fast.
Local politics: Good story in CommonWealth magazine (free reg. req.), with Hub Blog comments from last week, about Massachusetts politics and culture. Be careful with the Liberal Massachusetts label. It’s true, but not quite what it seems. ...
The local media: Dan Kennedy sums it up somewhat well over here, with obligatory Oh My God It’s A Mouse references to the ‘tarty’ Herald. A suggestion if you really want kinky and tarty sex during the DNC: Read the Boston Phoenix.
The Boston personality: Flinty, cynical, standoffish. Very Northeastern. The Land That Time and Tourism-manners Forgot. The recent hysteria over the DNC traffic hell? There were a lot of people here who reveled in the misery. ... Very proud of the bullpen brawl during the ALC series last fall. ... Remember: The New England militia refused to march south with George Washington to fight the British during the Revolution they started. Too much trouble. See ya, George. Be sure to write. Call if you want to attack Quebec, Etc.
Ben Affleck: The boozy, useless Dean Martin of Boston. But we like him. So go easy on the guy.
Hub politicians of yesteryear: Don’t mention John Quincy Adams without James Michael Curley, John F. Kennedy without Louise Day Hicks, etc.
Books about Boston: You’ll be busy. Yeah, right. Hub Blog has been to conventions before. Wrote most of my stories in advance. So you should have time to hit the bars and maybe do a little reading. Suggestions (and they should be on local book stands): ‘Black Mass’ and ‘All Souls.’ Two recent, great books about the underside of ‘this most liberal city.’
Brahmins vs. Irish storyline: Old. Very old. Haven’t seen a true Brahmin in, well, I’m not sure how long. The Boston Irish are also well into the decline stage: Italian mayor, Mormon governor, Italian Senate president, changing demographics etc. ...
The Puritan-angle storyline: Also old. Very old. Avoid it. ... But as a friend once told me: put two uptight, sexually repressed ethnic groups together, the English and the Irish, add in the fact they liked to drink and hated each other, and you have one weird city. ... Thank goodness for the later influx of African-American, Portuguese, Italian, Jewish and, lately, Brazilian, Asian and Haitian immigrants. It’s as if they’ve been the appalled referees of Boston politics for a long time and only recently decided that enough is enough ...
The Curse of the Bambino: Please, please, please, I’ll buy you a drink if you can avoid its use in stories. ... FYI: Never heard of the curse while growing up. ... FYI II: If you want a better explanation for the Sox’ bad luck, think: Yawkey, racism, crazy widow, one screwed up will, decades of bad management that lifted only in the past few years.
Sculling on the Charles: Great postcard shot of Boston area. But there’s also Revere Beach and Crane’s Beach etc.
Boston accents: Slowly dying, like most regional accents around the country. ... Best place to hear Boston accents in abundance: FleetCenter during Bruins games. But the season’s over and the FleetCenter is, well, closed to the masses for the DNC. ... State House and City Hall are good places to find the accent in large quantities. But they’ll be closed to the public too. ... Be lazy: Stop someone who looks like a local, ask for phony directions, listen to their accent as they give you phony directions, expect to be treated rudely afterward, ‘in this most liberal city.’
The ‘Boston Inferiority Complex’: Largely peddled and felt by those in the upper-middleclass media/entertainment/academic world, and usually written and spoken in a way to imply that OTHER little people have the complex when in fact it’s their own silly obsession. ... The vast majority of native Bostonians don't have an inferiority complex because they don’t have a clue about anything outside eastern Massachusetts or the Cape. This is their own small universe. ... Like, where the fuck is Pittsfield? Is it in Massachusetts?
Rhode Island: Our sometimes unruly colony to the south. Pretty well-kept vacation secret compared with the Cape, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. If you have time for quickie post-convention vacation, give the 90-minute-drive to Newport a shot ... Maine? Fine. Quaint. But, outside Bar Harbor, it’s overrated. ... Vermont is in the process of being kicked out of New England. ... New Hampshire? ... Daring post-convention vacation suggestion: Montreal. Quick, scenic, five-hour drive to mais-oui land, though it might as well be Jakarta to most Bostonians.
Harvard Square vs. Route 1 Saugus: Both classics. ... Harvard Yard, John Harvard statue vs. Golden Banana, plastic cows. ...
The lack of local strip clubs: Very odd. Or maybe not so odd. ... One theory is this: At the outset of the Civil War, Mass. Gen. Joe Hooker proudly marched his Bay State boys into Washington, D.C and then couldn’t get them out of the Red Light district for days. He also turned his army headquarters into a bordello and his name is forever linked to the world's oldest profession. ... Local leaders seemed to have learned an odd lesson about Fighting Joe and his volunteers from Massachusetts. There’s a statue of him on the State House lawn. No one knows why. ...
North End vs. Route 128-Burlington: Boston’s oldest European-like neighborhood vs. Boston’s present economic engine contained in vapid new American office parks. Those making money in the office parks and those associated with financial capital linked to those office parks are snapping up condos in the North End and wrecking it in the process. The city of tradition and innovation at work.
Trash: About 10 percent of that trash you see on the sidewalks is the direct result of security officials hauling away trash cans for the DNC. The rest? Well, we’re litterbugs. We’re slobs. ... A crying Indian on every corner, when they’re not at Foxwoods.
That about does it. This is not meant to be a comprehensive guide. Just a way to set you straight. Remember: We’re watching.
Thanks to Armchair Gen. Savin Hill for his editing assistance.
Actually, I’ve decided to do a slightly abbreviated Hub Blog 2004 DNC Media Guide. Too much work otherwise. But let me anyway welcome all the members of the visiting world press to Boston. Warning: We’re watching you. We’re specifically watching for excellent clichés/stereotypes/ludicrous accounts in general of ‘Beantown’ while you’re here. For your work and pleasure convenience, you might want to read the following:
Bars: Not a bad account of bars in Boston, though I’d add: The Sevens on Charles Street; Harvard Garden and the Hill Tavern, both on Cambridge Street near the FleetCenter; and Foley’s in the South End area. They happen to be near where I live and work -- and I like ‘em. ... Also pubs close early here, sort of like the old London-WWI liquor laws. So do what the locals do: Drink early, drink fast.
Local politics: Good story in CommonWealth magazine (free reg. req.), with Hub Blog comments from last week, about Massachusetts politics and culture. Be careful with the Liberal Massachusetts label. It’s true, but not quite what it seems. ...
The local media: Dan Kennedy sums it up somewhat well over here, with obligatory Oh My God It’s A Mouse references to the ‘tarty’ Herald. A suggestion if you really want kinky and tarty sex during the DNC: Read the Boston Phoenix.
The Boston personality: Flinty, cynical, standoffish. Very Northeastern. The Land That Time and Tourism-manners Forgot. The recent hysteria over the DNC traffic hell? There were a lot of people here who reveled in the misery. ... Very proud of the bullpen brawl during the ALC series last fall. ... Remember: The New England militia refused to march south with George Washington to fight the British during the Revolution they started. Too much trouble. See ya, George. Be sure to write. Call if you want to attack Quebec, Etc.
Ben Affleck: The boozy, useless Dean Martin of Boston. But we like him. So go easy on the guy.
Hub politicians of yesteryear: Don’t mention John Quincy Adams without James Michael Curley, John F. Kennedy without Louise Day Hicks, etc.
Books about Boston: You’ll be busy. Yeah, right. Hub Blog has been to conventions before. Wrote most of my stories in advance. So you should have time to hit the bars and maybe do a little reading. Suggestions (and they should be on local book stands): ‘Black Mass’ and ‘All Souls.’ Two recent, great books about the underside of ‘this most liberal city.’
Brahmins vs. Irish storyline: Old. Very old. Haven’t seen a true Brahmin in, well, I’m not sure how long. The Boston Irish are also well into the decline stage: Italian mayor, Mormon governor, Italian Senate president, changing demographics etc. ...
The Puritan-angle storyline: Also old. Very old. Avoid it. ... But as a friend once told me: put two uptight, sexually repressed ethnic groups together, the English and the Irish, add in the fact they liked to drink and hated each other, and you have one weird city. ... Thank goodness for the later influx of African-American, Portuguese, Italian, Jewish and, lately, Brazilian, Asian and Haitian immigrants. It’s as if they’ve been the appalled referees of Boston politics for a long time and only recently decided that enough is enough ...
The Curse of the Bambino: Please, please, please, I’ll buy you a drink if you can avoid its use in stories. ... FYI: Never heard of the curse while growing up. ... FYI II: If you want a better explanation for the Sox’ bad luck, think: Yawkey, racism, crazy widow, one screwed up will, decades of bad management that lifted only in the past few years.
Sculling on the Charles: Great postcard shot of Boston area. But there’s also Revere Beach and Crane’s Beach etc.
Boston accents: Slowly dying, like most regional accents around the country. ... Best place to hear Boston accents in abundance: FleetCenter during Bruins games. But the season’s over and the FleetCenter is, well, closed to the masses for the DNC. ... State House and City Hall are good places to find the accent in large quantities. But they’ll be closed to the public too. ... Be lazy: Stop someone who looks like a local, ask for phony directions, listen to their accent as they give you phony directions, expect to be treated rudely afterward, ‘in this most liberal city.’
The ‘Boston Inferiority Complex’: Largely peddled and felt by those in the upper-middleclass media/entertainment/academic world, and usually written and spoken in a way to imply that OTHER little people have the complex when in fact it’s their own silly obsession. ... The vast majority of native Bostonians don't have an inferiority complex because they don’t have a clue about anything outside eastern Massachusetts or the Cape. This is their own small universe. ... Like, where the fuck is Pittsfield? Is it in Massachusetts?
Rhode Island: Our sometimes unruly colony to the south. Pretty well-kept vacation secret compared with the Cape, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. If you have time for quickie post-convention vacation, give the 90-minute-drive to Newport a shot ... Maine? Fine. Quaint. But, outside Bar Harbor, it’s overrated. ... Vermont is in the process of being kicked out of New England. ... New Hampshire? ... Daring post-convention vacation suggestion: Montreal. Quick, scenic, five-hour drive to mais-oui land, though it might as well be Jakarta to most Bostonians.
Harvard Square vs. Route 1 Saugus: Both classics. ... Harvard Yard, John Harvard statue vs. Golden Banana, plastic cows. ...
The lack of local strip clubs: Very odd. Or maybe not so odd. ... One theory is this: At the outset of the Civil War, Mass. Gen. Joe Hooker proudly marched his Bay State boys into Washington, D.C and then couldn’t get them out of the Red Light district for days. He also turned his army headquarters into a bordello and his name is forever linked to the world's oldest profession. ... Local leaders seemed to have learned an odd lesson about Fighting Joe and his volunteers from Massachusetts. There’s a statue of him on the State House lawn. No one knows why. ...
North End vs. Route 128-Burlington: Boston’s oldest European-like neighborhood vs. Boston’s present economic engine contained in vapid new American office parks. Those making money in the office parks and those associated with financial capital linked to those office parks are snapping up condos in the North End and wrecking it in the process. The city of tradition and innovation at work.
Trash: About 10 percent of that trash you see on the sidewalks is the direct result of security officials hauling away trash cans for the DNC. The rest? Well, we’re litterbugs. We’re slobs. ... A crying Indian on every corner, when they’re not at Foxwoods.
That about does it. This is not meant to be a comprehensive guide. Just a way to set you straight. Remember: We’re watching.
Thanks to Armchair Gen. Savin Hill for his editing assistance.
Boston DNC 2004 vs. L.A. Olympics 1984?: A traffic specialist slipped Hub Blog an interesting prediction about this week, to wit: The situation might resemble the '84 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where motorists were also subjected to massive pre-event warnings of roadway gridlock. Motorists took heed and the result was the best driving in LA in decades. ... Boston's situation is complicated by the narrow streets and extraordinary post-9/11 security, my expert hedged. ... Summary: Things will be just fine. Let's hope. ...
Saturday, July 24, 2004
‘JFK-channelling-JFK-channelling’: Reader No. 1 on the Big Eve:
“I really miss Marty Nolan's columns in the Globe. You know who he’s voting for, but he won't hold it against the other guy for life. He knows his history and has fun with it. His JFK-channelling-JFK-channelling William Lloyd Garrison is great.
“Just one problem: Kerry will be heard. But does he have anything to say? (Or is that two problems?)"
“I really miss Marty Nolan's columns in the Globe. You know who he’s voting for, but he won't hold it against the other guy for life. He knows his history and has fun with it. His JFK-channelling-JFK-channelling William Lloyd Garrison is great.
“Just one problem: Kerry will be heard. But does he have anything to say? (Or is that two problems?)"
‘There’s nothing like that new tank smell’: It’s good to root for the cops again. They’ve rolled out their new Boston Peacemaker: B.E.A.R. .... “We're not going to roll up to protesters and say, `Unlawful assembly, move along,' then drive back down the street.” ... Oh no, B.E.A.R is for bigger stuff. ... Armchair Gen. Savin Hill must have caught the zeitgeist of the city yesterday via his beer-and-anarchists post below. Most of the news, now that the police strike/picket is all but over, is centered on the lefty anarchists and their media mayhem plans. ... Hub Blog is actually more fascinated with lefty/anarchist fashion: The perfect Sandinista red bandannas, the high-top Converse sneakers, Keds, the cut-off pants, the European colored socks, everything and anything that screams WE’RE FROM THE INTELLECTUAL UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS /PLEASE DON’T MISTAKE US FOR WORKING-CLASS AND MIDDLE-CLASS PATRIOTS AND BRUINS FANS. ... In other words: It’s their snobbery I find both hilareous and annoying. ...
Friday, July 23, 2004
Beer and anarchists -- they do mix: Armchair Gen. Savin Hill writes in and doesn't see the connections:
"Two totally unrelated thoughts as I swealter in my apartment:
"1. 'A beer garden, a beer garden, my kingdom for a beer garden.'
"2. I can't be the only one who wants to take Monday off to beat up out of town anarchists."
"Two totally unrelated thoughts as I swealter in my apartment:
"1. 'A beer garden, a beer garden, my kingdom for a beer garden.'
"2. I can't be the only one who wants to take Monday off to beat up out of town anarchists."
‘I’m proud to be here in Boston ...’: Software legend Dan Bricklin taps out a nice ode to the city as the big event arrives. ... Isn’t the city taking on an almost holiday-like atmosphere? Something big is in the air. You can feel it. ... My prediction: It’ll be just fine. Remember the Hub Blog Genrad Porto-potty Gauge theory. ... Bricklin post via Adam Gaffin. And, yes, Adam, Hub Blog has noticed all the recent swipes at the Herald. Hub Blog sees everything. ...
‘Nee Jerk Reaction’: Old Nee Jerk is vowing to continue with the pickets. Seems higher pay raises than what other union and private-sector workers are getting aren’t good enough. So police pickets will proceed to show ‘our contempt and frustration with our employer.’ I assume he means our elected mayor, displaying once again his ignorant disregard about who’s the ultimate boss: the taxpaying public, which, if I’m not mistaken, is not going to forget this soon. ... Do Dem delegates really think showing contempt for an elected Democrat is a valid reason to picket -- and a valid reason to respect those pickets? Do we need any more proof this union leadership was determined from the outset to disrupt the convention? There’s another agenda at work here. ... FYI -- ‘Nee Jerk Reaction’: Bravo. Best splash headline under the new Herald regime. More please. ... OK, so it borrowed a little from the classic ‘Lumber Jerk.’ But it’s still great.
Update -- Brighton Reader writes in: "Menino should be happy that the police union and Nee are distracting the national press from the Puritan liquor laws. Maybe it's all a diversion."
Update II -- From Reader No. 1: "Tom Nee will disappear from the public eye after Sunday night's pickets -- which are merely a face-saving measure. By the way, when will somebody tell him he won?"
Perhaps the Corner Office folks ...: There seems to be a growing consensus that Romney is a winner in all of this (see here and here and here). Maybe he is a winner. But it comes off an awful prior few weeks of blatant and almost sophomoric politics. One can perhaps conclude that the Corner Office folks swung back to the realization that good government really is good politics. Or one can perhaps conclude this administration suffers from massive mood swings. ... Don’t forget Tom Reilly, a Democrat who stuck his neck out. Perhaps he did it because he saw an alliance forming between the mayor and governor after the Hynes incident. Perhaps he was motivated by good government instincts. Or maybe a combination of the two. But he did the right thing. ... Reilly is definitely stalking Romney on issues that matter to Independents.
Ouch. Double ouch.: Tom Keane gives a good drubbing to the Beacon Hill Institute. ...
‘I think every Democrat in Massachusetts will be thrilled’: Every Democrat is thrilled about Michael Moore coming to town? Really? Maybe someone should ask Mike to clarify his allegedly funny comments about the scores of local passengers who perished on the doomed planes that took off from Boston on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. ... Think he’d do the same satirical skit in Boston if asked? ... Maybe he can do it while addressing the black caucus and afterward explain the dude remarks.
‘Nee Jerk Reaction’: Old Nee Jerk is vowing to continue with the pickets. Seems higher pay raises than what other union and private-sector workers are getting aren’t good enough. So police pickets will proceed to show ‘our contempt and frustration with our employer.’ I assume he means our elected mayor, displaying once again his ignorant disregard about who’s the ultimate boss: the taxpaying public, which, if I’m not mistaken, is not going to forget this soon. ... Do Dem delegates really think showing contempt for an elected Democrat is a valid reason to picket -- and a valid reason to respect those pickets? Do we need any more proof this union leadership was determined from the outset to disrupt the convention? There’s another agenda at work here. ... FYI -- ‘Nee Jerk Reaction’: Bravo. Best splash headline under the new Herald regime. More please. ... OK, so it borrowed a little from the classic ‘Lumber Jerk.’ But it’s still great.
Update -- Brighton Reader writes in: "Menino should be happy that the police union and Nee are distracting the national press from the Puritan liquor laws. Maybe it's all a diversion."
Update II -- From Reader No. 1: "Tom Nee will disappear from the public eye after Sunday night's pickets -- which are merely a face-saving measure. By the way, when will somebody tell him he won?"
Perhaps the Corner Office folks ...: There seems to be a growing consensus that Romney is a winner in all of this (see here and here and here). Maybe he is a winner. But it comes off an awful prior few weeks of blatant and almost sophomoric politics. One can perhaps conclude that the Corner Office folks swung back to the realization that good government really is good politics. Or one can perhaps conclude this administration suffers from massive mood swings. ... Don’t forget Tom Reilly, a Democrat who stuck his neck out. Perhaps he did it because he saw an alliance forming between the mayor and governor after the Hynes incident. Perhaps he was motivated by good government instincts. Or maybe a combination of the two. But he did the right thing. ... Reilly is definitely stalking Romney on issues that matter to Independents.
Ouch. Double ouch.: Tom Keane gives a good drubbing to the Beacon Hill Institute. ...
‘I think every Democrat in Massachusetts will be thrilled’: Every Democrat is thrilled about Michael Moore coming to town? Really? Maybe someone should ask Mike to clarify his allegedly funny comments about the scores of local passengers who perished on the doomed planes that took off from Boston on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. ... Think he’d do the same satirical skit in Boston if asked? ... Maybe he can do it while addressing the black caucus and afterward explain the dude remarks.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
‘Lose full control’: The union’s own union is distancing itself from Thomas Nee, who’s now rethreatening Kerry and the DNC. ... What goes around comes around in appeasement. ... Maybe Kerry will strike a better deal next time, like, well, you know, insisting the locals endorse him before the old ‘wink and nod.’ Maybe Nee should have thought of that too. ... Or maybe Nee did and knew Kerry would be grateful just to avoid a repeat of '88. Who knows with these two? ...
Monday, July 19, 2004
Good watering holes and other sites: WaPo has an early pre-DNC article on Boston. The recommendations for watering holes aren't bad. (Via JJDaley) ... Think my 2004 DNC Media Guide just got a little easier over the past three days. The CommonWealth magazine article below, the WaPo watering hole piece, both covering the bases well.
FYI -- Like Dan Kennedy, Hub Blog is suffering major computer and blogging problems these days. Blogging likely will be light. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise/hint from the Gods with the DNC coming up. ... Think I've pinpointed the computer/blogging problems: outdated software, faulty mouse, slow dial-up connection, dust, a year-ago red wine spill on my keyboard, probable various viruses, browser incompatibilities, lack of storage, no defragging for a year. Oh yeah, I'll have it fixed in a jiffy.
FYI -- Like Dan Kennedy, Hub Blog is suffering major computer and blogging problems these days. Blogging likely will be light. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise/hint from the Gods with the DNC coming up. ... Think I've pinpointed the computer/blogging problems: outdated software, faulty mouse, slow dial-up connection, dust, a year-ago red wine spill on my keyboard, probable various viruses, browser incompatibilities, lack of storage, no defragging for a year. Oh yeah, I'll have it fixed in a jiffy.
Saturday, July 17, 2004
‘What if America were more like Massachusetts?’: Dread the thought, but it’s an interesting question when posed by Robert David Sullivan. It isn't as bad as you think. His CommonWealth magazine article (free reg. req.) is a mini-classic, written for the upcoming DNC and bound for top billing on Hub Blog’s DNC 2004 Media Guide, if I get around to posting one. ...
... A couple of quibbles/asides about Sullivan’s article: A.) Don’t forget the long-term impact on the body politic here of decades of Democrats’legislative and Congressional gerrymandering. B.) The number of Catholics here has had a profound impact on social policies over the decades (ask Shannon O’Brien, who paid the price of courting NOW at the expense of her aunts) C.) the blossoming of the mutual fund and high-tech sectors, alluded to in the article, has produced a huge professional class that’s challenged the academic community’s presumptions and policies that dominated state politics in the 1970s, the era when the Liberal Massachusetts reality/image firmly took hold. D.) I don’t like the French comparison. Doesn’t work for me.
Otherwise Sullivan is on target: Massachusetts is liberal, but please hold the silly stereotypes. ... Your turn for analyis, Reader No. 1.
FYI -- I've been having massive computer/blogger problems. If the link above doesn't work, here's where to go for Sullivan's article: http://www.massinc.org/handler.cfm?type=1&target=2004-3/bay_state_nation.htm
‘I think they need to understand the larger scope’: The problem is: Tom Nee understands all too well the larger scope. That’s precisely what he’s targeting. ... Sorry to rag on the Boston police union. Most of the members are good people. Very good people. But Thomas Nee is such a fanatical, demagogic leader. He’s given no indication about a desire for true compromise and given every indication he’s long planned and lusted for this confrontation. It bugs me. ... Good to see some Dems aren’t such saps. But where’s that ‘88 video? Never mind the cash the union is throwing around to local pols. That’s just insurance money in a one-party state.
... A couple of quibbles/asides about Sullivan’s article: A.) Don’t forget the long-term impact on the body politic here of decades of Democrats’legislative and Congressional gerrymandering. B.) The number of Catholics here has had a profound impact on social policies over the decades (ask Shannon O’Brien, who paid the price of courting NOW at the expense of her aunts) C.) the blossoming of the mutual fund and high-tech sectors, alluded to in the article, has produced a huge professional class that’s challenged the academic community’s presumptions and policies that dominated state politics in the 1970s, the era when the Liberal Massachusetts reality/image firmly took hold. D.) I don’t like the French comparison. Doesn’t work for me.
Otherwise Sullivan is on target: Massachusetts is liberal, but please hold the silly stereotypes. ... Your turn for analyis, Reader No. 1.
FYI -- I've been having massive computer/blogger problems. If the link above doesn't work, here's where to go for Sullivan's article: http://www.massinc.org/handler.cfm?type=1&target=2004-3/bay_state_nation.htm
‘I think they need to understand the larger scope’: The problem is: Tom Nee understands all too well the larger scope. That’s precisely what he’s targeting. ... Sorry to rag on the Boston police union. Most of the members are good people. Very good people. But Thomas Nee is such a fanatical, demagogic leader. He’s given no indication about a desire for true compromise and given every indication he’s long planned and lusted for this confrontation. It bugs me. ... Good to see some Dems aren’t such saps. But where’s that ‘88 video? Never mind the cash the union is throwing around to local pols. That’s just insurance money in a one-party state.
Friday, July 16, 2004
'We don't need any distractions,' Part II: Too little too late on the DNC police front? ... The pressure could have and should have been applied earlier in this or in another fashion. But Dem leaders -- with the exception of Menino and Reilly -- balked at taking on a union that cynically knew how to push Dems' romanticized and beholden labor buttons. ... Congrats to Tom 'Colonel Kessler' Nee: You're in the early stages of wrecking the DNC. Happy? I'm sure he is. The great offensive is working! The battle will go on and on and on! * ...
... Out-of-state delegates' decisions to skip DNC parties in sympathy, ultimately, to the police union remind me of the NY delegation’s initial hesitation to hold a party in Southie: both decisions were/are based on clueless knowledge of what’s happening on the ground here. ... The mayor defused the NY situation by inviting the delegation's chairman to Southie, etc., etc. What can the mayor do about the police situation? How about sending delegates video cassettes of the 1988 press conference when the same union endorsed George Bush I, humiliating a local Democratic presidential candidate in the process. Attach a note to said video, saying, 'There's another component to this dispute.' See if out-of-state Dems can figure it out. Not that most in-state Dems have figured it out. ...
Am I the only one who suspects Mitt is reacting as much to Reilly's strong leadership as he is to actual security-related issues? ... Reilly: standing up to Billy and the boys, standing up to gay activists, standing up to a labor union. There's a pattern forming here.
* Note: Yes, Hub Blog magaged to squeeze in a Robert Shaw-Thomas Nee comparison. 'Battle of the Bulge': The best damn Saturday morning war movie of all time. ... 'Conrad, do you know what this means?' ... 'No.' ... 'The war will go on and on.' ... A classic.
Postpone the November elections? Part II: OK, let's study the issue of possibly postponing elections in the event of a catastrophic terrorist attack. But the same WaPo editorial, which endorses the idea of possibly delaying elections, spells out all the reasons why it's such a bad idea, chief among them: politics will inevitably intrude in any decisions. ... I no longer trust this
administration's judgment. I have no doubt that any election postponement decision, if left to this administration, will ultimately come down to Karl Rove's latest reading of poll numbers. This is indeed about Madrid. ... Picture it: Whoa! A terrorist attack in Dade County? That's our county! Postpone the elections!
... Out-of-state delegates' decisions to skip DNC parties in sympathy, ultimately, to the police union remind me of the NY delegation’s initial hesitation to hold a party in Southie: both decisions were/are based on clueless knowledge of what’s happening on the ground here. ... The mayor defused the NY situation by inviting the delegation's chairman to Southie, etc., etc. What can the mayor do about the police situation? How about sending delegates video cassettes of the 1988 press conference when the same union endorsed George Bush I, humiliating a local Democratic presidential candidate in the process. Attach a note to said video, saying, 'There's another component to this dispute.' See if out-of-state Dems can figure it out. Not that most in-state Dems have figured it out. ...
Am I the only one who suspects Mitt is reacting as much to Reilly's strong leadership as he is to actual security-related issues? ... Reilly: standing up to Billy and the boys, standing up to gay activists, standing up to a labor union. There's a pattern forming here.
* Note: Yes, Hub Blog magaged to squeeze in a Robert Shaw-Thomas Nee comparison. 'Battle of the Bulge': The best damn Saturday morning war movie of all time. ... 'Conrad, do you know what this means?' ... 'No.' ... 'The war will go on and on.' ... A classic.
Postpone the November elections? Part II: OK, let's study the issue of possibly postponing elections in the event of a catastrophic terrorist attack. But the same WaPo editorial, which endorses the idea of possibly delaying elections, spells out all the reasons why it's such a bad idea, chief among them: politics will inevitably intrude in any decisions. ... I no longer trust this
administration's judgment. I have no doubt that any election postponement decision, if left to this administration, will ultimately come down to Karl Rove's latest reading of poll numbers. This is indeed about Madrid. ... Picture it: Whoa! A terrorist attack in Dade County? That's our county! Postpone the elections!
Thursday, July 15, 2004
The GenRad porto-potty gauge, Part II: The clearest proof yet that things will be just fine during the DNC! Why? Because they’re warning the masses that hordes of bladder-filled Dems will be peeing on yards due to lack of public bathrooms. ... Recall Hub Blog’s groundbreaking ‘GenRad porto-potty gauge’ from a few weeks back. ... Things will be just fine.
‘Yankee baseball versus Yankee breeding, Empire versus Curse’: Not from an out-of-town media goose, but from a local media goose trying to catch up to the flock. Pathetic. ... Notice how many paragraphs are assertions without attributions. The ‘story’ is 90 percent essay. ... As Hub Blog has said before, the Boston inferiority complex really is confined to a small portion of the insecure media/academic/entertainment minority of the city. A typical Roslindale native doesn’t pine for the Bronx. We all know it. But, of course, that doesn’t matter at Morrissey Boulevard. ... Oh my God! They have better catchy ads than us! Where's that revolver? Good-bye cruel world!
'We don't need any distractions': Tom Reilly showing guts again. Other Dems take note. ... So Tom Nee is 'livid' and vows to hold pickets even if there's a settlement? He's a raving nut. ...
Let me help you, grandma: Classic Boston coincidence.
‘Yankee baseball versus Yankee breeding, Empire versus Curse’: Not from an out-of-town media goose, but from a local media goose trying to catch up to the flock. Pathetic. ... Notice how many paragraphs are assertions without attributions. The ‘story’ is 90 percent essay. ... As Hub Blog has said before, the Boston inferiority complex really is confined to a small portion of the insecure media/academic/entertainment minority of the city. A typical Roslindale native doesn’t pine for the Bronx. We all know it. But, of course, that doesn’t matter at Morrissey Boulevard. ... Oh my God! They have better catchy ads than us! Where's that revolver? Good-bye cruel world!
'We don't need any distractions': Tom Reilly showing guts again. Other Dems take note. ... So Tom Nee is 'livid' and vows to hold pickets even if there's a settlement? He's a raving nut. ...
Let me help you, grandma: Classic Boston coincidence.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
‘Kerry’s Boston ‘Stressed Out’ By Convention Security’: Now here’s a good story from Bloomberg News on Boston and the DNC. No Sox. No Curse. No psychobabble comparisons. Just a give-me-the-facts assessment of the political risks to Menino and Kerry, the potential labor woes, the absurdly tight security, the reaction of the local business community to the ‘perfect storm,’ etc. etc. Very comprehensive. ...
... So they’re closing more of I-93 to help us. Some are worried while some like it. Who knows? But when they close more roads to ease road congestion caused by road closures, you have to scratch your head. ...
‘An important tool in avoiding a national backlash’: A quick word about Tom Reilly’s defense of an old law being used to ban out-of-state gay marriages: The guy has guts. ... Read between the lines about what Reilly’s attempting to do and one gets a hunch he understands that good government is good politics. Wish the same could be said about Mitt, who lately seems to think that good politics are good government.
... So they’re closing more of I-93 to help us. Some are worried while some like it. Who knows? But when they close more roads to ease road congestion caused by road closures, you have to scratch your head. ...
‘An important tool in avoiding a national backlash’: A quick word about Tom Reilly’s defense of an old law being used to ban out-of-state gay marriages: The guy has guts. ... Read between the lines about what Reilly’s attempting to do and one gets a hunch he understands that good government is good politics. Wish the same could be said about Mitt, who lately seems to think that good politics are good government.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Postpone the November elections?: The Department of Homeland Security simply has too much perceived powers and time on its hands when it starts asking the Justice Department whether presidential elections can be delayed in the event of terrorist attacks. ... Hmmm. Isn’t this the administration that has allowed/encouraged/soaked up comparisons to Lincoln? But didn’t Abe get re-elected in the middle of a Civil War? Isn’t this the administration that has allowed/encouraged/soaked up comparisons to WW II? But Didn’t FDR get re-elected in the middle of WWII? ... Isn’t this really about Madrid -- or partly about Madrid? Are they afraid the voters will make what the all-knowing governing authorities think is a ‘mistake’? ... FYI: Here's the Newsweek article.
... More proof these guys love the doomsday/succession/cloak-and-dagger/secret memos stuff. ... "See Chief? It’s working fine." ... "I’m telling you Max, this isn’t a good idea." ...
Update -- From Reader No. 1: "Thanks for scoring the Department of Homeland Security on its election plans. However, let's remember Secretary of State Galvin's gut reactions on 9/11 -- you don't have to be a cloak and dagger type to have an Al Haig moment. It pains me to cite Jane Swift as an authority on the topic. ... P.S. At last! The antidote to Touchy-Feely Presidential Campaigning!"
Brazilian Rodeo babes ... : Yes, Brazilian rodeo in New England and great Brazilian rodeo babe scoping by JJDaley.
... More proof these guys love the doomsday/succession/cloak-and-dagger/secret memos stuff. ... "See Chief? It’s working fine." ... "I’m telling you Max, this isn’t a good idea." ...
Update -- From Reader No. 1: "Thanks for scoring the Department of Homeland Security on its election plans. However, let's remember Secretary of State Galvin's gut reactions on 9/11 -- you don't have to be a cloak and dagger type to have an Al Haig moment. It pains me to cite Jane Swift as an authority on the topic. ... P.S. At last! The antidote to Touchy-Feely Presidential Campaigning!"
Brazilian Rodeo babes ... : Yes, Brazilian rodeo in New England and great Brazilian rodeo babe scoping by JJDaley.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
‘We're going to uncover the inner friendly person today’: They’re trying to turn us into the Stepford Bostonians. ...
The geese are flying in unison: A few weeks ago we saw this media goose take off in its coverage of Boston’s DNC. Guess what? Another media goose took off soon after. Same subject. Same direction. Same tilts and turns. ... Coincidence? Nope. It’s how the national media often/almost always works. The lead goose turns right, the flock turns right. The lead goose turns left, the flock turns left. ... So we get stories like Bostonians Whining About the DNC Is Tied to an Inferiority Complex Caused by the Curse of the Bambino and NYC Restaurants Are SOOOOOOOO Much Better Than Boston’s. ... And this is why we need (see next item) ....
Coming soon to Hub Blog! ... : Hub Blog hopes, just prior to the DNC in a few weeks, to post a comprehensive DNC 2004 Media Guide for the visiting members of the Fourth Estate. The intent:
develop a long list of crazy contradictions about Boston that defy inevitable lifestyle feature stereotypes. For instance, there’s the classic of all classics -- “George McGovern won Massachusetts in ‘72 / Ronald Reagan won Massachusetts in ‘80 and ‘84.” ... Or -- “Thomas Edison / T tokens.”. ... Or -- “Birthplace of mutual funds and venture capitalism / Charles Ponzi” ... OK, given recent financial scandals, maybe that last one isn’t a contradiction, but you get the picture. Send in suggestions if you got 'em. ...
... FYI: If the media guide doesn’t work, we can always set up an online geese shooting contest, taking pot shots at classic DNC ‘Beantown’ stories, similar to my personal favorite that's going to be hard to beat -- “bookish city of erudite intellectuals.”
The geese are flying in unison: A few weeks ago we saw this media goose take off in its coverage of Boston’s DNC. Guess what? Another media goose took off soon after. Same subject. Same direction. Same tilts and turns. ... Coincidence? Nope. It’s how the national media often/almost always works. The lead goose turns right, the flock turns right. The lead goose turns left, the flock turns left. ... So we get stories like Bostonians Whining About the DNC Is Tied to an Inferiority Complex Caused by the Curse of the Bambino and NYC Restaurants Are SOOOOOOOO Much Better Than Boston’s. ... And this is why we need (see next item) ....
Coming soon to Hub Blog! ... : Hub Blog hopes, just prior to the DNC in a few weeks, to post a comprehensive DNC 2004 Media Guide for the visiting members of the Fourth Estate. The intent:
develop a long list of crazy contradictions about Boston that defy inevitable lifestyle feature stereotypes. For instance, there’s the classic of all classics -- “George McGovern won Massachusetts in ‘72 / Ronald Reagan won Massachusetts in ‘80 and ‘84.” ... Or -- “Thomas Edison / T tokens.”. ... Or -- “Birthplace of mutual funds and venture capitalism / Charles Ponzi” ... OK, given recent financial scandals, maybe that last one isn’t a contradiction, but you get the picture. Send in suggestions if you got 'em. ...
... FYI: If the media guide doesn’t work, we can always set up an online geese shooting contest, taking pot shots at classic DNC ‘Beantown’ stories, similar to my personal favorite that's going to be hard to beat -- “bookish city of erudite intellectuals.”
Mitt, we hardly knew ye: Mitt is off this Wednesday to give a big speech at the National Press Club on, drum roll please, ‘Presidential Politics: a Perspective from the States.’ ... FYI: He chose the topic himself. ... Perspective from the States? Hmmmm. How about: Get back to the commonwealth and start governing, Mitt.
The view from Charles Street Circle: Not as dramatic as the tearing down of the Central Artery, but the elevated walkway linked to the Charles Street/MGH Red Line stop has been torn down as part of the station’s renovation. What a difference! ... Now if they only do the post-project landscaping right. But they probably won't.
The view from Charles Street Circle: Not as dramatic as the tearing down of the Central Artery, but the elevated walkway linked to the Charles Street/MGH Red Line stop has been torn down as part of the station’s renovation. What a difference! ... Now if they only do the post-project landscaping right. But they probably won't.
‘It pains me to pick on Jack Williams’: Reader No. 1:
“It pains me to pick on Jack Williams. Running the WBZ Wednesday’s Child feature, he’s been a thoughtful guy standing up for truly less fortunate and blameless kids for... ever...
"But what prompts Jack to take a sharp left halfway through his otherwise characteristically nice/bland/harmless Anchorman sidebar, equating the once and current Presidents Bush with ‘shallow pompous lightweights’ (his perogative) and impute ‘blond, beautiful, smart, educated’ with Senator/Candidate Kerry?
"Jack is of course entitled to his opinion. But flip elsewhere through the news and tell me if Jack perhaps has chosen a backwards analogy (or a sideways analogy, if you’re a member of the Silent Majority who’s going to vote for Bush, but still think he’s a dope)... Might it be the sign of an ‘overinflated ego’ or perhaps a ‘shallow pompous lightweight’ to shut down commercial traffic into the city for an entire week (costing many people who really DO have to work for a living their weekly wages),and then propose a James Taylor concert in the middle of the madness to ‘give something back to the people of Boston?’ What if we don’t like James Taylor, either? ...”
Update -- Howie has a nomination for the craziest Anchnorman/men in Boston TV history (sub. req.): The old Channel 7. Oh, man, the old Channel 7 ... To defend the old Channel 7: It did produce Major Mudd.
“It pains me to pick on Jack Williams. Running the WBZ Wednesday’s Child feature, he’s been a thoughtful guy standing up for truly less fortunate and blameless kids for... ever...
"But what prompts Jack to take a sharp left halfway through his otherwise characteristically nice/bland/harmless Anchorman sidebar, equating the once and current Presidents Bush with ‘shallow pompous lightweights’ (his perogative) and impute ‘blond, beautiful, smart, educated’ with Senator/Candidate Kerry?
"Jack is of course entitled to his opinion. But flip elsewhere through the news and tell me if Jack perhaps has chosen a backwards analogy (or a sideways analogy, if you’re a member of the Silent Majority who’s going to vote for Bush, but still think he’s a dope)... Might it be the sign of an ‘overinflated ego’ or perhaps a ‘shallow pompous lightweight’ to shut down commercial traffic into the city for an entire week (costing many people who really DO have to work for a living their weekly wages),and then propose a James Taylor concert in the middle of the madness to ‘give something back to the people of Boston?’ What if we don’t like James Taylor, either? ...”
Update -- Howie has a nomination for the craziest Anchnorman/men in Boston TV history (sub. req.): The old Channel 7. Oh, man, the old Channel 7 ... To defend the old Channel 7: It did produce Major Mudd.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
‘The Republican Party needs some wilderness time’: Three interesting points from Reader No. 1 on why it might be a good idea for Republicans to lose this fall:
“1. Recent Presidential Second Terms. Clinton got impeached. Nixon nearly got impeached. Only Reagan made significant achievements (concluding the Cold War, if you are a New York Times correspondent) and that term was marked by Iran-Contra.
“2. The Republican Party needs some wilderness time. Thankfully for Clinton’s spectacular and still unreported political ineptitude, his 1992 mandate for change was squandered on the health care debacle. The economy was spared; we got welfare reform. But the Contract With America was 10 years ago. During the 1970s wilderness years, Reaganism was honed and sharpened. During the 1980s wilderness years, the Democratic Leadership Council played a vital role in developing ideas for the party....
“3. No Hilary 2008 Campaign.
“In fairness, 3 reasons to vote for Bush:
“1. Kerry’s behavior when confronted by the Boston Police Patrolmen’s picket line.
“2. Kerry’s Vietnam framework. (I’m surprised we haven’t heard the Zarqawi ‘Killing Fields’ analogy yet).
“3. Kerry's core competency: unnecessarily offering up contradictions that confuse and enrage people. He can get away with that in Massachusetts and with the core -- he might piss off Eileen McNamara on abortion, but is she going to vote for Bush?”
“1. Recent Presidential Second Terms. Clinton got impeached. Nixon nearly got impeached. Only Reagan made significant achievements (concluding the Cold War, if you are a New York Times correspondent) and that term was marked by Iran-Contra.
“2. The Republican Party needs some wilderness time. Thankfully for Clinton’s spectacular and still unreported political ineptitude, his 1992 mandate for change was squandered on the health care debacle. The economy was spared; we got welfare reform. But the Contract With America was 10 years ago. During the 1970s wilderness years, Reaganism was honed and sharpened. During the 1980s wilderness years, the Democratic Leadership Council played a vital role in developing ideas for the party....
“3. No Hilary 2008 Campaign.
“In fairness, 3 reasons to vote for Bush:
“1. Kerry’s behavior when confronted by the Boston Police Patrolmen’s picket line.
“2. Kerry’s Vietnam framework. (I’m surprised we haven’t heard the Zarqawi ‘Killing Fields’ analogy yet).
“3. Kerry's core competency: unnecessarily offering up contradictions that confuse and enrage people. He can get away with that in Massachusetts and with the core -- he might piss off Eileen McNamara on abortion, but is she going to vote for Bush?”
‘Not engage in political activities during their normal working hours’: No politics? At the Statehouse? During normal working hours? ... How about legislating no medical activities at hospitals during normal working hours? ... If Ted Kennedy was indeed denied permission to hold a press conference on the Statehouse steps, the same should have applied to Mitt. But it all begs the question: Why do we even have this silly do-gooder ‘ethics’ law? OK, try to draw the line on lawmakers using state copying machines, staplers, paper clips, pens, stamps etc. But political posturing and rhetoric? ... Maybe the 'ethics' law was passed by concerned Dems after the Duke built a Statehouse pressroom -- complete with podium, blue curtains, lights, camera stage, press seats etc., all still there and used -- for regular press conferences during the ‘88 presidential campaign. ...
FYI: More allegedly Democratic-friendly unions are jumping into the DNC shakedown act. ...
FYI: More allegedly Democratic-friendly unions are jumping into the DNC shakedown act. ...
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
'My personal bet ... the president pulls out a close one': From Reader No. 1 (my comments afterward) on Kerry's big decision:
"Obviously, Edwards’ smile, Southernness, and professional demeanor make him Kerry’s best choice. But as many doubters ask, how often do dramatic Vice Presidential choices make a difference? (Ask Geraldine Ferraro). How often do contrasting VP choices make a difference? (Ask Jack Kemp. Or Dan Quayle. Or Lloyd Bentsen.)
"I won't lump on with the Washington types who criticize his lack of foreign policy experience. How about his domestic policy experience? Edwards' idea of a growth industry is class-action lawsuits. How well will that sit with most Americans? Dan Kennedy asks the best questions.
"If Will Saletan is right that Edwards is a best salesman, how come he couldn’t win more primaries? If Edwards was/is a lesser product, might this set him up for a surprise clock-cleaning in a Vice Presidential debate? He has more charisma than Joe Lieberman, but charisma is not the only thing that wins debates.
"Jay Severin (pressed into emergency service on 96.9 FM Talk) and his callers made several important points this morning, not least a David Brooks-esque argument that (a) college-educated suburban Independents will decide the election and (b) Edwards is a poster boy for these folks. (Well, at least for the suburban trial lawyers. But entrepreneurs, small business owners and executives don’t like trial lawyers.) Severin also pointed out that national polls will show an 8-10 point Kerry lead by end of week, which is part of the natural order of things.
"BUT... most troubling for the President, as a Severin caller pointed out, is the number of educated people who just hate Bush and will vote for anyone else. We surely get some Blue-state bias here. My personal bet: Fahrenheit 9/11 turns out to be a vicarious thrill for anti-Bush folk and the President pulls out a close one. Going back to the winter, this excellent American Enterprise article by Christopher DeMuth on Presidential background summarizes the Kerry-Edwards problem better than anything else I’ve seen. In a word: Leadership."
Hub Blog's quickie response: I remember a time, not too long ago, when my predictions of a close election launched Bushies into orbit. This is going to be a close election. ... The Edwards pick was the best Kerry probably could have made. Hats off to him. But it's not enough. My money (though not my heart) is still on Bush.
"Obviously, Edwards’ smile, Southernness, and professional demeanor make him Kerry’s best choice. But as many doubters ask, how often do dramatic Vice Presidential choices make a difference? (Ask Geraldine Ferraro). How often do contrasting VP choices make a difference? (Ask Jack Kemp. Or Dan Quayle. Or Lloyd Bentsen.)
"I won't lump on with the Washington types who criticize his lack of foreign policy experience. How about his domestic policy experience? Edwards' idea of a growth industry is class-action lawsuits. How well will that sit with most Americans? Dan Kennedy asks the best questions.
"If Will Saletan is right that Edwards is a best salesman, how come he couldn’t win more primaries? If Edwards was/is a lesser product, might this set him up for a surprise clock-cleaning in a Vice Presidential debate? He has more charisma than Joe Lieberman, but charisma is not the only thing that wins debates.
"Jay Severin (pressed into emergency service on 96.9 FM Talk) and his callers made several important points this morning, not least a David Brooks-esque argument that (a) college-educated suburban Independents will decide the election and (b) Edwards is a poster boy for these folks. (Well, at least for the suburban trial lawyers. But entrepreneurs, small business owners and executives don’t like trial lawyers.) Severin also pointed out that national polls will show an 8-10 point Kerry lead by end of week, which is part of the natural order of things.
"BUT... most troubling for the President, as a Severin caller pointed out, is the number of educated people who just hate Bush and will vote for anyone else. We surely get some Blue-state bias here. My personal bet: Fahrenheit 9/11 turns out to be a vicarious thrill for anti-Bush folk and the President pulls out a close one. Going back to the winter, this excellent American Enterprise article by Christopher DeMuth on Presidential background summarizes the Kerry-Edwards problem better than anything else I’ve seen. In a word: Leadership."
Hub Blog's quickie response: I remember a time, not too long ago, when my predictions of a close election launched Bushies into orbit. This is going to be a close election. ... The Edwards pick was the best Kerry probably could have made. Hats off to him. But it's not enough. My money (though not my heart) is still on Bush.
So it’s Edwards: Some speculated Kerry wouldn’t go with Edwards precisely because he would overshadow Kerry. So much for that theory ...
The GenRad porto-potty gauge: A Hub Blog relative recently reminisced about the dire predictions about huge, out-of-control crowds during the Bicentennial celebrations in the 1970s. The crowds would be so big, the pre-event warnings went, that swarms of swollen-bladder celebrants would furiously knock on residents’ doors and demand to use their bathrooms. So GenRad, good corporate citizen, set up dozens and perhaps hundreds of porto-potties on its suburban parking lots. They were never used, the HB relative chuckles. ...
I thought of this tale after reading a couple weekend national stories about terrorist fears facing the RNC and DNC, the unprecedented security and, now, how firms are taking out terrorist insurance during the events. I’ll bow to the expertise of others on the likelihood of terrorism attacks. ... But I’m becoming more convinced, road-wise, that we’re facing a GenRad porto-potty situation precisely because so many residents are heeding the warnings and things will turn out fine. ...
The permanent bureaucracy digs in and tosses out: I hope Ardith Wieworka isn’t being forced out because of her marriage plans. But, really, it’s not her post by right or law ... “I'll be talking with a lawyer to review my options.” ... Compare Wieworka’s dilemma with the fate of Jennifer P. Day, who bucked the bureaucracy and ... “I have to look for work.’’
The GenRad porto-potty gauge: A Hub Blog relative recently reminisced about the dire predictions about huge, out-of-control crowds during the Bicentennial celebrations in the 1970s. The crowds would be so big, the pre-event warnings went, that swarms of swollen-bladder celebrants would furiously knock on residents’ doors and demand to use their bathrooms. So GenRad, good corporate citizen, set up dozens and perhaps hundreds of porto-potties on its suburban parking lots. They were never used, the HB relative chuckles. ...
I thought of this tale after reading a couple weekend national stories about terrorist fears facing the RNC and DNC, the unprecedented security and, now, how firms are taking out terrorist insurance during the events. I’ll bow to the expertise of others on the likelihood of terrorism attacks. ... But I’m becoming more convinced, road-wise, that we’re facing a GenRad porto-potty situation precisely because so many residents are heeding the warnings and things will turn out fine. ...
The permanent bureaucracy digs in and tosses out: I hope Ardith Wieworka isn’t being forced out because of her marriage plans. But, really, it’s not her post by right or law ... “I'll be talking with a lawyer to review my options.” ... Compare Wieworka’s dilemma with the fate of Jennifer P. Day, who bucked the bureaucracy and ... “I have to look for work.’’
Monday, July 05, 2004
‘Let me take a deep breath here’: Hub Blog, at the suggestion of Reader No. 1, recently decided to lay off Kerry/Iraq issues a bit, just for the time being. The prospect of a slow and easy Fourth weekend made it an attractive idea ... But John Kerry didn’t take it slow and easy. He’s pander flip-flopping across the country, on dairy issues and abortion and soon immigrant driver licenses. ... Mickey and Instapundit were on high pander alert this weekend. ... If there was a pander judging contest, I’d be holding up a 9.2 card at this point. A solid score, for sure, but I know John can do better.
Sunday, July 04, 2004
‘Console ourselves with a little looting’: Jim Behrle is on a post-Yanks series roll with suggestions on how Bostonians can deal with the crisis: ‘We just need to take a deep breath... and then flip over some fucking cars.’ Or: ‘A portable Zakim Bridge for more convenient suicides.’ ... Ignore the gross pleasevote.com ad and skip over the marlon brando spot for more.
Overrated, overrated, overrated: I’ll take a ground-floor apartment and patio any day over a roof deck. ... A roof deck is like a pick-up truck: Something you think you’d enjoy until you get one.
Overrated, overrated, overrated: I’ll take a ground-floor apartment and patio any day over a roof deck. ... A roof deck is like a pick-up truck: Something you think you’d enjoy until you get one.
Friday, July 02, 2004
'Deja Devastation All Over Again': Awful way to start the Fourth weekend. ... Is Nomar really history?
Thursday, July 01, 2004
'He appears to have his own issues': Notice how the Kerry folks say they don't have a clue what might be irking Mayor Menino and then peddle psycho-babble 'theories' about the mayor's 'issues.' If this is how they patch things up with people, no wonder the mayor is calling the staffers incompetent. ...
Notice also how they express dismay at someone actually doing something for no noticeable political gain.
Notice also how they express dismay at someone actually doing something for no noticeable political gain.
