Friday, March 24, 2006

Friday Miscellany

This Friday post gives me a chance to clear out the clutter before I go on vacation. More on that below. Here's a couple of things I noticed this week:

  • Deval vs. Grover: The Phoenix's Adam Reilly has the text of Deval Patrick's ProJo op-ed where he takes on Gover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform and Republican golden boy for inserting himself in the Massachusetts Health care debate. This is not the first time that Norquist has inserted himself in Massachusetts politics. Last year, he stopped Gov. Romney from tightening up tax loopholes.

  • Return of No-Show Angelo: Longtime readers of this blog (both of them) may remember posts last year on "No Show" Angelo Buonopane, the GOP fundraiser who Governor Romney made head of the state Labor Department -- a job with no official responsibilities and unlimited vacation. Globe reporters tailed him and found him working an average of less than three hours a day for a six-figure salary. This week, Buonopane paid $28,000 to the State Ethics Commission in restitution, the largest fine ever given out by that board.

  • Ruthie's Story: Globe columnist Ellen Goodman talks about her family's experience with gay adoption.

  • Invisible? No wonder we never see him in Massachusetts: ABC News has their 2008 Presidential Invisible Primary Ratings and Gov. Mitt Romney comes in third among Republicans -- ahead of Rudy Giuliani, but behind Sens. John McCain and George Allen. The "invisible primary," in case you were wondering, is what the ABC News Political Unit calls the jockeying for position that candidates do before the first campaign button is made or first caucus vote is taken.

  • He's less high maintenance than Celine Dion: The Smoking Gun has acquired Vice President Dick Cheney's list of suite demands for when he's traveling. Some highlights: all TVs must be preset to Fox News, and he must have four cans of Diet Sprite and a pot decaf coffee ready for him on arrival. Also, don't worry about the microwave, those pacemaker warning signs are mostly unnecessary. (via Metafilter, and elsewhere)

  • Barrios in Watertown Next Week: State Senator and Middlesex County DA Jarrett Barrios will be speaking at the Watertown Democratic Town Committee meeting, Thursday, March 30th, 8pm at the Town Hall. In other Middsex County DA News, candidate Gerry Leone has been endorsed by Martha Coakley, who currently holds that job.

Just so you're all aware, I'm going to be out of town for most of next week. I'll likely be posting on a more limited schedule than usual until I get back on Thursday. Try not to make too much of a mess while I'm away.