The House Always Wins. It’s Day #2 of the Great Massachusetts Gambling Debate and the old adage that the House always wins has never been truer.
Formal session (the voting kind) started yesterday morning at 10 a.m. and finished up last night just before 9 p.m. Representatives are back at it today and, by sunset, the Commonwealth will have a bill that’s sort of similar to what was rejected just two years ago.
What a difference a Speaker – and a little TV time – can make. Legislators who twisted arms against the sins of a casino culture in 2008 went on television to praise it in 2010. Legislators who once locked-arms against gambling with Speaker DiMasi were delighting Speaker DeLeo yesterday by declaring that his legislation was really a jobs bill.
Wow.
The Tea Party on Boston Common. This was not a party for the faint of heart – or for those who enjoy watercress sandwiches without the crust. This was Sarah Palin’s day in Boston and she was greeted by a couple of thousand – supporters and detractors – and some interesting signs. One proclaimed that the holder could see November from his house!
Meanwhile, Under the Golden Dome… In the midst of the gambling debate, House Ways and Means released its proposed operating budget for FY-11. Things were pretty confusing, because the Committee had overall state spending up by 3.2% and local aid down by 4%. Since this seems to be the only time this has happened in 16 state budgets, a little midnight oil will be in order tonight.
There were more than a 'couple thousand' at the Palin rally, there were at least 5,000
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