Dan Dunn’s Podium

Earlier this spring, Rep. Charles Murphy gave seven roll call votes - even though he was in the Virgin Islands. I haven’t heard of consequences of the deception, nor have I heard of any changes in the state house. Give credit to Robert David Sullivan and David Bernstein for refusing to let the [...]

Today’s Globe had a note about a slew of Massachusetts politicians who were demanding that NARAL retract its endorsement of Obama.  House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, Senate President Therese Murray, and Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, and other legislators said that Obama wasn’t pro-choice enough for them, in part because he voted “present” on [...]

The quarterly newsletter of the Office of Campaign Finance is often a good read. The stories themselves are boring, but the “Recent Rulings” section is often full of gems. That’s where you see which candidates lost track of the details and which ones are more likely to run afoul of the law. [...]

I think it was the Electoral Map that turned me on to fivethirtyeight.com, and it is fivethirtyeight.com that has this quality post.
Post Pennsylvania, he (she?) breaks down the remaining primary contests and explains what might or might not happen.  More specifically, he explains what needs to happen for Clinton to win.  He shows a few [...]

Finding truth in humor. Via Blue Mass Group.

Great post from Andrew Sullivan. This is not a man who is hoping for a Clinton cabinet appointment. I wish I could write as well as he does (though, would if I wrote as well as him, would I choose to write so much? It’s a question we’ll never answer.)
Will I re-read [...]

So Tom Finneran was not content to earn a few hundred thousand dollars per year with his radio gig. His original post-Speaker job as a lobbyist had been interrupted by that pesky felony conviction. The Mass Biotech Council didn’t want a felon as their public representative, and he was fired.
But a year [...]

I’m delighted that the House found the backbone that was so mysteriously missing in the Senate.The “Protect America Act” has been a continuing source of horror and amazement to me.  I mentioned this last month. To review:

The government wants information that it isn’t legally entitled to demand.
The government asks the telephone companies to provide that [...]

I don’t think I’ve ever voted in a meaningful presidential primary. I’ve assumed that my primary vote wouldn’t matter unless I moved back to New Hampshire. But here I am, 10 days away from the primary, and the outcome is in question for both parties. I’m a registered Democrat these days (I [...]

Menino makes it easy. . . to make fun of him. I’ve taken the mayor to task a couple of times before.  But this quote is so bad, so foolish, I almost feel guilty.  Almost.
“Allowing retailers to make money off of sick people is wrong.”
No commentary necessary; this one stands on its own.