OLVER ENDORSEMENT OFF THE MARK, AND OTHER NONSEQUITURS
Rigged politics being what they are (What, you think the one-party totalitarian system we have in The Great Commonwealth isn’t rigged?), The office of The Ancient Congressman, John Olver, delivered its perfunctory “endorsement” of another Democratic state rep candidate. The latest irrelevancy comes with Rep. Older’s (my new spelling) nod to 2nd Berkshire District candidate Paul Mark. GOP Rep. Scott Brown did the same for Mark’s opponent, Mike Case.
Endorsements mean little to the electorate. To the insiders that control elections, however, endorsements are “musts.” They are the special Papal Blessings that signal the orthodoxy of candidates and issues the “faithful” M-U-S-T support, upon penalty of death.
This insidious game works works just as effectively, and cynically, in local government as well. One Party Totalitarianism (it just happens to be Democrats in our case) dictates how local pols must be, act, and otherwise perform.
One look at the Pittsfield City Council reveals the game in play. You have a mix of mostly loyalists, whose backsides bear the brand of the bosses, for whom Mayor Jimmy Ruberto is front man. Here’s the roster of “ins” and “outs. The “ins” are the acolytes. Acolytes kiss rings, and ass when necessary. The “outs” are the heretics. They follow other agendas that can be summed by the word “independent.” The “in media res” (Latin for “in the middle of things”) are former loyalists who are showing promising signs of independence.
THE INS
Christine Yon in Ward 1: Running cover for her sister.
Peter White, Ward 2: Likes eating at the adult’s table.
Paul Capitanio, 3: The East Side is too close to Remo’s.
Jonathan Lothrop, 5: Bobo of The Boys.
John Krol, 6: Jimmy’s Sure Thing.
Gerry Lee, at-large: Last call at the Legion, barkeep.
Peter Marchetti: Too self-checking to be his political Self.
THE OUTS
Joe Nichols, Ward 7: Raw, still learning, and unafraid.
Melissa Mazzeo, at large: Rage at the Machine.
IN MEDIA RES
Mike Ward, Ward 4: The Planet’s “breakaway special”
Kevin Sherman, at-large: If Ward breaks, he does too.
nice article, keep the posts coming