Red Mass Group News and Commentary about Massachusetts and beyond

   One can almost hear the words:

Some day, and that day may not come for a coupl’a weeks, I’ll call upon you to throw a fundraiser for me.  Until that day, accept this job for your son as gift on my boss’s inauguration day… I am typing, of course, about young(ish) Matthew McLaughlin, son of former Chelsea Housing Authority…

I am not sure which is worse: the inevitable onslaught of political advertising that is already ramping up over a year before the 2012 election, or the endless media tut-tutting about “negative” ads that has already started. Boston Globe headline this morning: “Deceptive campaign ads hint at year of mudslinging.”  Regular television viewers in the Globe’s market could…

Governor Patrick went on Fox Boston this morning for a wide-ranging interview.  Of course he got questions about Michael McLaughlin, the Chelsea housing authority mess, and especially Lt. Governor Tim Murray’s suspicious relationship with McLaughlin.  I was at the gym on a treadmill at the time.  On the off-chance that any of my gym-mates read this, I apologize.  I…

So now that the casino bill is done, destined for a quick signature by the Governor after a perfunctory review, it makes sense to take stock of the various predictions and promises offered up by gaming proponents in their successful drive to bring a little bit of scenic Atlantic City to our doorsteps, and to offer some predictions about how…

So it turns out that Lt. Governor Tim Murray was pretty tight with Michael McLaughlin, the Chelsea housing official currently under federal investigation for finagling (and failing to report) a whopping $360,000 salary, and then snatching another $200K on his way out the door.  If you don’t know what I’m typing about, read this and this before you continue.  …

We start on a high note, with a pretty convincing analysis of just how much damage recent events have done to the liberal psyche and mainstream perception of the left in this country. Liberals Playing to Type – Yuval Levin [Weekly Standard] And now, as the fourth year of the Obama administration approaches, we find ourselves confronted with the reincarnation…

Most of us live primarily in the moment.  It is hard to bring historical perspective to bear on the day-to-day.  That’s why even President Obama is able to say with a straight face, as he frequently does, that his Administration has faced ‘unprecedented’ challenges.  Some (Lincoln, FDR, Grant, Truman, Ford…) might quibble, but whatever – the president is entitled to…