My Most Popular Posts Of 2011

If it's good enough for the great Dan Kennedy, it's good enough for me: According to the great gods of the Boston Phoenix, these are my 10 most popular blog posts of the year. They’re a mix of news scoops, commentary, analysis, snarkiness, ranting, and of course calling out Mitt Romney. Seems surprisingly light on Scotto posts, but I’m sure that will change in 2012. Coming later: my most popular articles of the year.

1) Romney's Ad, Nov. 25

My "big think" piece about what Mitt Romney's blatantly deceitful first ad of the cycle portends for politics (and those of us who cover politics).

2) Romney: Hot For Cold Fusion?, Dec. 8

A fun catch, which apparently got passed around the ol’ cold-fusion link circles.

3) Early Leader, Most Inappropriate Reaction, May 1

Some people thought it was unnecessarily cruel of me to snag this screen shot and throw it on my blog. And thanks to this list, even more people will see it.

4) A DeLeo Shakeup Coming? Jan. 26

Not only did I get to break news, I also got to make totally random Justin Bieber jokes about a major state political figure. No wonder it made the top 5!

5) Scotto’s Hard-Knock Life?, Oct. 7

Scott Brown (who, for mysterious and enigmatic reasons, I refer to as Scotto since he became US Senator) got into a media tit-for-tat with Elizabeth Warren, and I took the opportunity to dispel some myths about him.

6) Romney’s No-Lose Life, Nov. 14

Similarly, I used a New York Times story about Romney’s Bain years as an excuse to trot out and discuss one of my favorite anecdotes from the Mitt files.

7) Romney Rewrites, Sampler, Feb. 10

The follow-up to the column that launched the $10,000 wager. (Which is #1 on the next list.)

8) 2012 GOP Presidential Rankings, Updated!, Feb. 2

Best line: “From the get-go, I said there was the chance that Gingrich could bluff running so long that he ends up forgetting to stop. I am now convinced, by his most recent activity, that this has happened.”

9) Candidate for US Senate Marisa DeFranco, March 23

My scoop on the first one in the much-watched race; she may soon be the last one still in against Warren.

10) Know-Nothings And The Debt Crisis, July 26