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Patrick Lynch’s labor problem

For Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, candidate for governor, labor matters.
Unions
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | May 21, 2010

Can the Netroots triumph in Rhode island?

Stories of State Representative David Segal’s nascent, underdog run for Congress invariably make a nod to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. And rightly so.
On the Hustings
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | May 21, 2010

Cape Wind: It’s Complicated

Thousands of years ago, the terrain beneath what is now Nantucket Sound was dry, and populated by the ancestors of the Wampanoag people, who continue to revere it.
Obama gave the project a green light, but now the real fight begins.
By VALERIE VANDE PANNE | May 07, 2010

Poor WGME

As the gubernatorial primary date inches closer, we’re starting to see more and more TV ads showing would-be governors touting themselves and their qualifications for the job.
Press Releases
By JEFF INGLIS | May 07, 2010

Library woes

In an attempt to save four Boston Public Library branches that are slated to close due to budget shortfalls, some state legislators from Boston have threatened to block all state funding the library receives if it shutters any of its 26 branches.
Plus, Arizona declares war on immigrants
By EDITORIAL | April 30, 2010

Tea Party Progressives?

When Democrat Peter Smulowitz celebrated his victory in the special-election primary for State Senate earlier this month in the back room of Masala Art restaurant in Needham, no bigwigs from his party were in attendance.
Outsiders are trying to crash the gates of the state’s Democratic establishment — and are starting to succeed
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | April 30, 2010

Elena Kagan’s shaky record

As a potential Obama nominee for Supreme Court justice, Elena Kagan has liberal bona fides and the likely support of the right. But if her record is any indication, she’s more likely to side with the conservative bloc on matters of executive power and wa
What a Kagan appointment to the Supreme Court could mean for civil liberties
By HARVEY SILVERGLATE AND KYLE SMEALLIE | April 23, 2010

Brown-nosing and flip-flopping

Two months ago, when Senator Scott Brown crossed party lines to help pass a jobs bill, the Phoenix noted the political convenience of that supposed show of independence — since other Republican senators were also voting with Democrats, Brown’s vote was
Scott Brown heeds his boss’s orders; Charlie Baker sides with homophobic party base
By EDITORIAL | April 23, 2010

GOP’s state convention delivers the bland brand

Massachusetts Republican candidates for office this November might be well-advised to legally change their names and appear on the ballot as “Someone Else,” “Another Option,” or “Available Alternative.”
Dull and Duller Dept.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | April 23, 2010

Fed up and low down

Just kidding. Of course they’ll lose.
For once, the beleaguered taxpayers of Maine can’t lose
By AL DIAMON | April 23, 2010

Let's get serious

The odds are that casino gambling is coming to Massachusetts. The state’s big three — Governor Deval Patrick, State Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo — are all in favor.
Gambling is front and center on Beacon Hill
By EDITORIAL | April 16, 2010

Joe Paolino weighs a different kind of mayoral run

It had been rumored for some time.
The Independent
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 16, 2010

Will Beacon Hill be bullied into enacting a politically correct law?

A case of high-school bullying in South Hadley ended in tragedy this past January when the alleged victim, a freshman girl, committed suicide. Now, ramped up by the outrage over the case, Massachusetts legislators are in danger of enacting a politically
Freedom watch
By HARVEY SILVERGLATE | April 09, 2010

Box-office guru comes to Boston

The Massachusetts House of Representatives recently rejected attempts to cap the tax breaks offered to filmmakers in the commonwealth, which is good for Hollywood studios and for the local economy.
Film school
By PETER KEOUGH | April 09, 2010

Say what you mean

I agree with Libby Mitchell.
Sign up here for the Cute Li’l Puppy Health Plan
By AL DIAMON | April 09, 2010

A wind farm — and a governor’s legacy — hang in the balance

With Governor Carcieri’s second and final term coming to an end, it is time to think about the “L” word — legacy.
Not Easy Being Green
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 09, 2010

Cindy Bullens to run for state senate

Is Cindy Bullens the first Grammy-nominated musician to run for Maine Senate?
Rock and Poll
By SAM PFEIFLE | April 09, 2010

Hallelujah!

The Democrats won and the Republicans lost. That, in a nutshell, is the bottom line.
Health-care reform is a new high-water mark
By EDITORIAL | March 26, 2010

Murph’s Last Grasp?

The ever-restless Stephen Murphy is at it again, running anew for state treasurer — just a few months after voters re-elected him to the Boston City Council.
Can Stephen Murphy rally his troops one last time, or is this stab at higher office his last?
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | March 26, 2010

Nudity throughout history

By ALEXIS HAUK | March 19, 2010

The Curse of the Big Dig

Call it the Curse of the Big Dig: virtually every politician with statewide significance who has over the years become intertwined with the Central Artery Project (as it is officially known) has seen his or her dreams of higher office dashed.
Tthe mere mention of the Central Artery Project can derail one's hopes for higher office. Charlie Baker is finding that out now.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | March 19, 2010

Barring the way to public records

The Maine Legislature is considering a move that will make it more difficult for concerned citizens to find out what their government is up to.
More Government Fees
By JEFF INGLIS | March 19, 2010

Patrick's paradox

Governor Deval Patrick may be the incumbent, but he enters the race for the most thankless statewide job in Massachusetts as an underdog.
No shakes as a political operator, Deval has scored with many policies
By EDITORIAL | March 12, 2010

Down ballot drama

The race for governor and the scramble to replace retiring Representative Patrick J. Kennedy have obsessed Rhode Island's chattering class. But all the talk has obscured an intriguing set of "down ballot" races for lieutenant governor, attorney general,
Important races to watch in '10
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | March 12, 2010

Get smart

There are lots of theories about what's wrong with Maine's economy.
Budget problems? It's the stupidity, stupid.
By AL DIAMON | March 12, 2010

The Cultural Caucus's big gamble

The recently formed Cultural Caucus, a loose, formal coalition comprising a dozen arts-friendly state legislators, appears poised to christen its political life by inserting itself into what could be the most intense statewide political battle of the spr
Formed to be a savior of the arts in the Bay State, a political coalition is playing high-stakes poker by putting casinos in its sights
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | March 05, 2010

Workin' man blues

Election years are always times of high anxiety for politicians. That may explain why they say and do so many stupid things.
Blue-collar luxury resorts, and other GOP oxymorons
By AL DIAMON | March 05, 2010

Brown, baby, Brown

Senator Scott Brown is getting a lot of praise from the left and abuse from the right for crossing party lines to help pass a jobs bill earlier this week.
The Senator masters the art of playing it safe. Plus, Deval vs. the Legislature.
By EDITORIAL | February 26, 2010

Friends in high places

Speakers rarely get as warm a welcome as President Barack Obama's senior advisor Valerie Jarrett received last Thursday at Harvard Kennedy School.
Barack's Best Buddy
By BETH MACLIN | February 26, 2010

Donkeys kicking Timilty

As if Democrats don't have enough problems with attacks from tea-bagging circus clowns, now one local pol is being targeted by fellow donkeys.
Governor's Council
By CHRIS FARAONE | February 19, 2010

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