Charlie Baker says that some folks think he is boring, and that's fine, thank you very much. The style of his State of the State speech confirms that assessment. His delivery, while polished, was flat, with monotonous pacing and few tonal variations. The most significant exception was his discussion of the opioid crisis, in which he …
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Marty Walsh hitting his stride
Halfway through his first term, the Mayor of Boston and the city are looking good. Both Marty Walsh and the city have grown significantly over the past two years, as reflected in his State of the City speech on Tuesday. Walsh's laundry list of accomplishments is real: record housing starts, including record affordable units; violent crime …
Dems debate hidden between football and Downton Abbey
You had to be a 32nd degree political junkie to find and watch the last Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses. Thanks to Hillary godmother and DNC chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, last night's Democratic debate had 7.8 million voters, about half the audience for the first Democratic debate in October. While, as my friend Dan …
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Republican debate the same, only more so
Donald Trump has changed his messages not one iota. He stands by every single outrageous thing he has said and is absolutely unfazed when challenged. That may be what his supporters like about him. Last evening's unpleasantly raucous and poorly moderated debate on the Fox Business Network was dominated by Trump's head-to-head with Ted Cruz, and …
Tone trumps facts in State of the Union speech
The past and future came together in the nation’s Capitol last night. It was a Paul Gauguin moment: Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? The President of the United States gave the best State of the Union speech of his two terms in office, and South Carolina Governor Nikki …
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Boston Globe delivery problems: the route to insanity
Brilliant Irish satirist Jonathan Swift was said to have loved individuals but loathed mankind. Specifically, he wrote, "I hate and detest that animal called man, although I heartily love John, Peter, Thomas, and so forth." In that spirit, I love Joan Vennochi, Scot Lehigh, Brian McGrory and other Globe reporters and editors, but I have …
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Year-end movies stir annual debate
It's that time of year: movie time. The industry wants its best products out before the New Year to compete in the Oscars. The only question for my husband, my sister and me is whether to go to the theatre or wait for the video to come out. I'm not Ty Burr or Joyce Kulhawik, but …
Stephanopoulos gets Trumped
Donald Trump was more than ABC's George Stephanopoulos could handle yesterday morning. He tried hard to counter Trump's bluster, but in the end he failed miserably on one important question: Vladimir Putin and the killing of journalists in Russia. When Trump called Hillary a liar and called out Bernie Sanders for lying, Stephanopoulos asked whether he really wanted …
Take-aways from GOP Presidential debate
Sometimes the answer to who wins a debate lies in what sticks with you two days after the event. In the case of Tuesday's CNN GOP Presidential debate out of Las Vegas, there were several sparks that still glow. After a bumbling start, in which Jeb Bush flubbed his opening remark (hasn't he found a …
The Donald is crafty but dumb
Members of the media may finally be falling out of love with Donald Trump. For months, they have been conduits for every outrageous hateful thing he has said, providing him millions of dollars worth of airtime for free because he has been good for their ratings. With his call to ban Muslims from entering the United …
