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  • February 23, 2007
    The Patrick Friday-Afternoon News Drop
    By David S. Bernstein
    Seriously, do they just do it now to irk me? Today's buried-to-the-weekend special is an executive order clamping down on state contractors' use of undocumented immigrants. Oh, also, A&F chief Leslie Kirwan gave some reporters (I must have missed the call) an on-the-record briefing about the budget. Questions about either story can be directed to Washington DC, where the Governor will be hanging out for the next few days with his gubernatorial peers.
  • February 23, 2007
    Mooninite Hearing Scheduled
    By David S. Bernstein
    Boston's City Council will hold a hearing "to determine what methods can be used to prevent the negative impact of guerilla marketing," according to a press release today from council president Maureen Feeney.

    Initially sparked by the Mooninite fiasco, Feeney now also cites this week's Dr. Pepper treasure hunt as a factor.

    Read More
  • February 23, 2007
    Vilsack Out
    By David S. Bernstein
    The reports are flying that former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is dropping out of the Presidential race. The sense has been that he's having the toughest time fundraising of the major Democratic candidates, so it's not a huge surprise -- although awfully quick.

    His endorsement, should he decide to make one at some point, now becomes gold.

    Read More
  • February 22, 2007
    Patrick Plan Gets Quick Boost
    By David S. Bernstein
    Today at 2:07pm (according to my email system), Deval Patrick sent out a press release announcing his "Property Tax Relief Plan." Said plan is a tax credit for some home owners with limited income.

    To pay for it, the release goes on, Patrick will file a bill to close corporate-tax "loopholes," to the tune of roughly $300 million.

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  • February 22, 2007
    Nikki Forms Committee
    By David S. Bernstein
    The Lowell Sun reports that Nicola Tsongas has formed a congressional exploratory committee, joining Rep. James Eldridge in making the move toward running to replace Marty Meehan -- if indeed Meehan leaves to take the UMass-Lowell job.

    A lot of folks want this seat to go to a woman, and some are concerned that if several get in the race (Eileen Donaghue is almost definite, Sen.

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  • February 22, 2007
    Davis States the Obvious
    By David S. Bernstein
    It's way too early to say whether Ed Davis is doing a good job as Boston police commissioner, but God bless 'im for his willingness to speak the occasional truth about his department. As reported in today's Herald (and Globe, which clearly got wind of the Herald scoop and rushed a story to press last night), Davis has decided that his officers will never again use the pepper-pellet guns that killed Victoria Snellgrove in October 2004.

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  • February 21, 2007
    Romney's Abortion Dance, Circa 2005
    By David S. Bernstein
    The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus had a column on Mitt Romney's abortion position(s) yesterday -- a popular topic these days -- but the real eye-opener is this extended exerpt from her interview with the Mittster in February 2005. That's a few months after his supposed eiphany on the issue. Check out this snippet from Mr.

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  • February 21, 2007
    Richardson in El Planeta
    By David S. Bernstein
    The new issue of Boston's El Planeta weekly newspaper scores an exclusive, if brief, Q&A interview with Presidential candidate Bill Richardson, "de sangre latina y con raices en Massachusetts," which I believe means "of Latin heritage and with roots in Massachusetts." The interview is en espanol, and doesn't seem to be up on the paper's web site yet, but grab the paper -- and a Spanish/English dictionary if you're linguistically challenged like me -- and check it out.
  • February 21, 2007
    Dems in Carson City
    By David S. Bernstein
    The Democratic candidates for President will all appear at a forum in Carson City, Nevada today -- all except Barack Obama, that is -- beginning at 3:00 eastern time. George Stephanopoulos moderates, and the candidates appear sequentially, not in debate format. AFSCME hosts, so the crowd will be jam-packed with union folks; the crowd responses might be the most interesting element of the event.

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  • February 20, 2007
    Patrick Cries Uncle
    By David S. Bernstein
    Deval Patrick will personally pay the difference in the lease price between his snazzy Cadillac and Romney's old Ford, and will also pick up the $27,387 tab for re-furnishing the Governor's office -- which I can only assume was about to be tomorrow's Herald scandal du jour. (Update: It was the Globe who had it.)

    In a statement, Patrick says that he cannot in good conscience ask agencies to make tough budget choices "without being willing to make them myself."

    Read More
  • February 20, 2007
    The Meehan Replacement Scrum Begins
    By David S. Bernstein
    Massachusetts state rep. James Eldridge has formed a congressional "exploratory" committee and, more importantly, hired three staffers for the theoretical campaign to replace Marty Meehan, should Meehan leave to become chancellor of UMass-Lowell as rumored.

    Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, has just put out a press release announcing the moves.

    Read More
  • February 20, 2007
    Romney's First Ad
    By David S. Bernstein
    Mitt Romney, "business legend," goes up tomorrow in early-voting states with this ad. Instead of the resume-type intro of the candidate to voters, it's more of a stump speech edited into sound bites. Pretty good, I think -- but more appealing to moderates than conservatives, I suspect. There aren't any bones thrown out about stopping abortion and stem-cell research, for instance. Judge for yourself.
  • February 20, 2007
    Tsongas denial
    By David S. Bernstein
    As you may have heard, Mitt Romney now claims that his 1992 Presidential Primary vote for Democrat Paul Tsongas was a calculated strategic vote, to help put an easier-to-beat candidate on the ticket against George Bush the elder. Just one more slap at Massachusetts on his way out the door, I suppose.

    Romney's explanation of his vote is obviously nonsense, and it just shows how far away from the mainstream Republican Presidential candidates feel they have to go to get the nomination.

    Read More
  • February 14, 2007
    New in The Phoenix: Clinton & Obama
    By David S. Bernstein

    In this week's issue I watch Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on their first campaign visits to New Hampshire and wonder, will their rock-star schedules leave them enough time to shmooze the Democratic "influencers" in the state?

    Check it out: "Rocky Stars: Clinton, Obama, and the people who really make or break Presidential dreams in the Granite State"
  • February 14, 2007
    Obama Casting Too Wide A Net
    By David S. Bernstein

    Barack Obama's campaign has ads on the Margolis boys' HubPolitics and DevalPatrickWatch blogs.

    Although the names might suggest these are good sites to go trolling for potential Obama supporters, in fact they are rabid right-wing liberal-bashing sites, as the briefest of glimpses would reveal.

    Plus, as far as I've ever known, this is the first time anyone has placed an ad on either site (not counting ads for their own sites or those ubiquitous little google ads).
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