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A HOUSE DIVIDED
The Boston Herald
November 9, 2008 Sunday
MA
The jockeying to succeed House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi is well
documented, but that's not the only power struggle on Beacon Hill.
A movement is under way to oust Rep. Bradley H. Jones (R-N. Reading)
as Republican Minority Leader and replace him with Rep. Jeff Perry
(R-Harwich).
"People are just unhappy with Brad," said a GOP operative. "He too
often just goes along with Sal instead of being a real opponent."
Another GOP source confirmed the challenge and agreed some in the
party believe Jones does not push hard enough against DiMasi and
other Democrat leaders.
Sources said the state's 16 GOP House lawmakers are evenly split on
their support of Jones and Perry. Neither returned calls.
There could also be a power shift in the state Republican
party. Veteran committee member Jen Nassour has launched a challenge
against chair Peter Torkildsen.
The attempted GOP coups are unfolding as a pair of Democrats,
Reps. Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) and John Rogers (D-Norwood), wrestle
for control of the House. Both have been building support to take
the reigns from DiMasi, should the speaker step down.
Fun times ahead on Beacon Hill.
Package o' pork?
During their heated race, Democrat Sara Orozco repeatedly hammered
Sen. Scott Brown for voting against Gov. Deval Patrick's $1 billion
life sciences package.
Brown has said he didn't support the corporate tax giveaway because he
thought it was stuffed with pork and too expensive. Orozco, meanwhile,
hailed the package as an economic sparkplug.
Now it seems Orozco's praise might have been agenda-driven.
One of Orozco's top supporters, Angus McQuilken, was named this week
the new vice president of communications for the Massachusetts Life
Sciences Center. McQuilken, a former staffer for Sen. Cheryl Jacques,
lost to Brown in 2004 and backed Orozco in her failed bid to unseat
the senator.
All better
Once embroiled in a nasty dispute over whether to recognize the
Armenian genocide, the national arm of the Anti-Defamation League
and the Boston chapter have apparently mended fences.
ADL national chair Abe Foxman recently traveled to Poland with Boston
ADL head Jim Rudolph. The pair, with 200 Israeli officers, toured
Nazi concentration camps and ghettos throughout Poland.
Joining them on the trip were PR bigwig George Regan and Davio's
owner Steve DeFillippo.
A few years back, the Boston ADL clashed with the national headquarters
because the Hub group believed the Armenian genocide should be
nationally recognized. The national ADL balked, but has since shifted
its position and honored Armenian sacrifices.
Listen to "Pols & Politics" with Dave Wedge Mondays at 7 p.m. on
"Monday Night Talk" with Sen. Bob Hedlund on 95.9 FM WATD. Send tips
to [email protected]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Our preference would be to get a shelter dog,
but obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me."
- President-elect Obama on Friday at his first news conference since
the election.
Who's Hot: Deval Patrick - The governor was hanging with Brad Pitt
et al. at Obama's victory rally, but he was really smiling because
he knows that Massachusetts will soon have a direct pipeline to the
Oval Office.
WHO'S NOT: Sal DiMasi - Not only is he the subject of numerous
probes - one of which he's stonewalling - he's seriously politically
weakened. This week, he scrambled to do damage control, telling anyone
who would listen that he's not leaving.
The Boston Herald
November 9, 2008 Sunday
MA
The jockeying to succeed House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi is well
documented, but that's not the only power struggle on Beacon Hill.
A movement is under way to oust Rep. Bradley H. Jones (R-N. Reading)
as Republican Minority Leader and replace him with Rep. Jeff Perry
(R-Harwich).
"People are just unhappy with Brad," said a GOP operative. "He too
often just goes along with Sal instead of being a real opponent."
Another GOP source confirmed the challenge and agreed some in the
party believe Jones does not push hard enough against DiMasi and
other Democrat leaders.
Sources said the state's 16 GOP House lawmakers are evenly split on
their support of Jones and Perry. Neither returned calls.
There could also be a power shift in the state Republican
party. Veteran committee member Jen Nassour has launched a challenge
against chair Peter Torkildsen.
The attempted GOP coups are unfolding as a pair of Democrats,
Reps. Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) and John Rogers (D-Norwood), wrestle
for control of the House. Both have been building support to take
the reigns from DiMasi, should the speaker step down.
Fun times ahead on Beacon Hill.
Package o' pork?
During their heated race, Democrat Sara Orozco repeatedly hammered
Sen. Scott Brown for voting against Gov. Deval Patrick's $1 billion
life sciences package.
Brown has said he didn't support the corporate tax giveaway because he
thought it was stuffed with pork and too expensive. Orozco, meanwhile,
hailed the package as an economic sparkplug.
Now it seems Orozco's praise might have been agenda-driven.
One of Orozco's top supporters, Angus McQuilken, was named this week
the new vice president of communications for the Massachusetts Life
Sciences Center. McQuilken, a former staffer for Sen. Cheryl Jacques,
lost to Brown in 2004 and backed Orozco in her failed bid to unseat
the senator.
All better
Once embroiled in a nasty dispute over whether to recognize the
Armenian genocide, the national arm of the Anti-Defamation League
and the Boston chapter have apparently mended fences.
ADL national chair Abe Foxman recently traveled to Poland with Boston
ADL head Jim Rudolph. The pair, with 200 Israeli officers, toured
Nazi concentration camps and ghettos throughout Poland.
Joining them on the trip were PR bigwig George Regan and Davio's
owner Steve DeFillippo.
A few years back, the Boston ADL clashed with the national headquarters
because the Hub group believed the Armenian genocide should be
nationally recognized. The national ADL balked, but has since shifted
its position and honored Armenian sacrifices.
Listen to "Pols & Politics" with Dave Wedge Mondays at 7 p.m. on
"Monday Night Talk" with Sen. Bob Hedlund on 95.9 FM WATD. Send tips
to [email protected]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Our preference would be to get a shelter dog,
but obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me."
- President-elect Obama on Friday at his first news conference since
the election.
Who's Hot: Deval Patrick - The governor was hanging with Brad Pitt
et al. at Obama's victory rally, but he was really smiling because
he knows that Massachusetts will soon have a direct pipeline to the
Oval Office.
WHO'S NOT: Sal DiMasi - Not only is he the subject of numerous
probes - one of which he's stonewalling - he's seriously politically
weakened. This week, he scrambled to do damage control, telling anyone
who would listen that he's not leaving.