BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY DEC. 6, 2018) — What passes for the leadership at the Statehouse finds itself in the boiling cauldron.

Stop THE PLANET if you’ve heard this one before.

We’ve lost count. How many House speakers on Beacon Hill had to leave their positions because of charges, indictments, and/or criminal convictions? Was it 16 or 17? 28? We forget, which isn’t germane to today’s discussion of the latest State Legislature “leader” to get into the deep muddy. This time, it’s on the Senate side.

Senate President Stan Rosenberg, the first openly gay lawmaker to ascend to head of the pack, is now just an ordinary senator, you know, like Adam “Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are” Hinds,  who “represents” Berkshire County in The General Court. Cue Ball has as much pull as Pittsfield state “rep” Tricia FooFoo-BooBoo. In laymen’s terms, this implies that these two have been through the peculiar local political gauntlet, a multistep political process far beyond the capability of most anyone with a quark’s worth of self-respect. The Heirarchy of Needs for political aspirants who are not named John Barrett or Smitty Pignatelli looks like this:

(1) Kiss up, locally, to The Suits.

(2) Get “elected” in “contests” void of competition and rife with apathy among the electorate.

(3) Meet with the inner circle of The Berkshire Brigade.

(4) Receive orders Boston has given to the local Democrat Committee.

(5) Go to Boston.

(6) Submit to their respective wedgies.

(7) Head like a beaten dog to the back bench.

(8) Deliver to the President and Speaker the votes ordered by the Mob.

(9) Collect $100,ooo plus in salary, perks, per diems, and benefits.

Ah, but we digress.

Rosenberg’s husband, one Byron Hefner (thank Bog there are not two), has been accused by four men of sexual harassment. Are others in the works? THE PLANET doesn’t know, but it does seem that the conga line forms when charges of this ilk be-dog public figures, celebrities, and the powerful.

Byron Hefner. Reminds us of Lord George Byron and Hugh Hefner, two men who, shall we say, “dabbled” — which, of course, implies nothing at all to the case at hand. According to press reports, Hefner allegedly groped the genitals of three of the men (two of them more than once, according to their testimony) and forced his unwanted attention on the fourth. Rosenberg’s many allies ask what this has to do with the deposed senate president.

Let’s offer a few reasonable guesses.

First, according the Boston Globe, “three of the alleged incidents took place when Rosenberg was just feet away.” Question: How’s Rosenberg’s eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell?

Second, Hefner’s accusers have said he bragged about his pull with his hubby and his influence over him in legislative matters. From The Globe: “One alleged victim — a policy advocate who said Hefner assaulted him in 2015 — said he understood that Hefner was offering to help smooth his path in the Senate in return for sex.”

Third, Instead of rallying around their leader, Senate Democrats held a panicked, closed door, eight-hour caucus Monday to figure out what to do. They posted guards outside the caucus room to prevent any press from entering. Nothing like a little sunshine for a disinfectant, eh? Let’s face it: There aren’t a lot of good plays when you face fourth and 97 from your own one.

Fourth, Democrats emerged from the meeting to announce ascendancy of Hennriette Chandler of Worcester as acting senate president. Beacon Hill insiders say Chandler, by wild coincidence, is one of Rosenberg’s top allies. That won’t affect Democrat-controlled Ethics Committee from  an impartial investigation.

Moreover, having one of Rosenberg’s top allies controlling the show will not in any way whatsoever prevent other alleged victims from speaking to Senate-hired investigators out of fear of retribution or political payback. How do we know this? Chandler herself told us so. The Ethics Committee reiterated this pledge. Even as Rosenberg tries to sort all this out, several senators are scrambling behind the scenes for the Presidency. Why not? It comes with an $80,000 bonus on top of the nearly $63,000 annual pay, the per diems, and the $20,000 for office expenses.

That’s how state and local politics works in the Commonwealth, isn’t it? On the up-and-up, above board, on Scout’s honor.

———————————–

“To one who is brave, even danger is an ally” — Henry David Thoreau.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

The Usual Disclaimer.