Saturday, May 22, 2004
Just For Kerry in full display: A grand-scale JFKism to top all JFKisms: Kerry might not accept the Dem nomination at July’s DNC in Boston so he can get his mitts on more campaign dough. Never mind the sacrifices of local residents, local business owners and local civic cheerleaders trying to make this a success. Never mind the embarrassing blow he just dealt Menino, who now looks like a complete fool. All that’s important to John Kerry is: John Kerry. ... The Herald and Globe and NYT stories. ... Hub Blog is eagerly anticipating the first national ‘jilted lover’ story about Bostonians’ reaction to the latest Kerryism. But, of course, they’d be wrong if they took that angle. The city has been deeply and cynically ambivalent about this convention all along. Kerry’s latest selfish antic merely deepens the cynicism and eliminates the ambivalence. The DNC has become a full-scale joke. We all know it. ... Just For Kerry. ...
To have been in the room and seen Mayor Menino’s reaction to the news. Did he stagger and sit down? Did he clutch his heart? Did his aides notify him by shoving a note under the door and then running for their lives? ... The timing and cold-calculation of Kerry’s move is what’s so shocking. The city had less then 24 hours to digest the news that the Hub will be all but shut down due to draconian security measures -- disrupting the lives of literally millions of people. Repeat: MILLIONS of people. Then the next day Kerry’s camp nonchalantly drops a bomb that reemphasizes the meaningless nature of the whole event. ... Just For Kerry. ...
Put yourself in the shoes of a Dem delegate from, say, Iowa: Would you be more tempted NOT to come to the convention if there’s no nomination? What about media members and TV networks? What about lobbyists who figure a fall in attendance doesn’t make the trip worth their schmoozing/throw-the-bucks-around time? How about loss of the ‘worldwide’ attention that was touted? How about a $50 million loss turning into $100 million loss? But fear not: Kerry needs the $75 million. That’s a net plus for Kerry. So that’s what counts. ... THE NATION NEEDS HIM!!! ...
‘Valuable lessons from the DNC Shutdown’: From Reader No. 1, sent yesterday, before the JFKism:
“1. The local political establishment has effectively used The Big Dig as a template: promise vast and undeliverable benefits to the region, get buy-in from the go-along types at the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the result: an overtime bonanza for the public safety industry.
“2. The 'Economic Benefits' of the Convention have turned out to be the equivalent of WMD in Iraq. Except that we've discovered a larger quantity of WMD in Iraq then we are likely to see in economic benefit from the DNC (unless of course you are a State Trooper pulling overtime.)
“3. Things are bad when I agree with a Globe Editorial. Well, most of it. But this is what you get with a one-party political culture (for which the Globe has been one of the foremost cheerleaders: no accountability). ...
“4. If the security risks are so great, why not just evacuate the city during Convention Week? Everyone in the Back Bay has to leave their apartment or condo for the week.
“5. Memo to the publicity-savvy Red Sox: how about renting out Fenway Park available during the week to the unfortunate folk who WILL have to commute in to work at the bars, restaurants and hotels? People could pitch tents in the outfield!
“6. ‘How ironic,’ and how obvious, that an event which was supposed to show the great vitality of the city will instead will contribute to its further decline as the shutdown reminds employers of the benefits of surburban office parks: faster commutes, less-crowded roads, and more responsive local political officials.
“7. Let's not forget this is John Kerry's hometown. If you like this management style, you'll love the next four years in Washington.”
To have been in the room and seen Mayor Menino’s reaction to the news. Did he stagger and sit down? Did he clutch his heart? Did his aides notify him by shoving a note under the door and then running for their lives? ... The timing and cold-calculation of Kerry’s move is what’s so shocking. The city had less then 24 hours to digest the news that the Hub will be all but shut down due to draconian security measures -- disrupting the lives of literally millions of people. Repeat: MILLIONS of people. Then the next day Kerry’s camp nonchalantly drops a bomb that reemphasizes the meaningless nature of the whole event. ... Just For Kerry. ...
Put yourself in the shoes of a Dem delegate from, say, Iowa: Would you be more tempted NOT to come to the convention if there’s no nomination? What about media members and TV networks? What about lobbyists who figure a fall in attendance doesn’t make the trip worth their schmoozing/throw-the-bucks-around time? How about loss of the ‘worldwide’ attention that was touted? How about a $50 million loss turning into $100 million loss? But fear not: Kerry needs the $75 million. That’s a net plus for Kerry. So that’s what counts. ... THE NATION NEEDS HIM!!! ...
‘Valuable lessons from the DNC Shutdown’: From Reader No. 1, sent yesterday, before the JFKism:
“1. The local political establishment has effectively used The Big Dig as a template: promise vast and undeliverable benefits to the region, get buy-in from the go-along types at the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the result: an overtime bonanza for the public safety industry.
“2. The 'Economic Benefits' of the Convention have turned out to be the equivalent of WMD in Iraq. Except that we've discovered a larger quantity of WMD in Iraq then we are likely to see in economic benefit from the DNC (unless of course you are a State Trooper pulling overtime.)
“3. Things are bad when I agree with a Globe Editorial. Well, most of it. But this is what you get with a one-party political culture (for which the Globe has been one of the foremost cheerleaders: no accountability). ...
“4. If the security risks are so great, why not just evacuate the city during Convention Week? Everyone in the Back Bay has to leave their apartment or condo for the week.
“5. Memo to the publicity-savvy Red Sox: how about renting out Fenway Park available during the week to the unfortunate folk who WILL have to commute in to work at the bars, restaurants and hotels? People could pitch tents in the outfield!
“6. ‘How ironic,’ and how obvious, that an event which was supposed to show the great vitality of the city will instead will contribute to its further decline as the shutdown reminds employers of the benefits of surburban office parks: faster commutes, less-crowded roads, and more responsive local political officials.
“7. Let's not forget this is John Kerry's hometown. If you like this management style, you'll love the next four years in Washington.”
