Therese Murray

Latest Articles

Transgendered rights

The time to act is now
A bill to extend basic legal protections to transgendered people in Massachusetts has languished for years on Beacon Hill. It is time to stop stalling.
By EDITORIAL | September 28, 2011

By | January 01, 0001

In a job-starved economy, casinos are still a good bet

The issue provoked a rare show of common purpose on Beacon Hill
As Beacon Hill considers — yet again — an expanded gaming proposal, some say that the opportunity has passed. We disagree, and continue to support a carefully crafted plan for bringing resort casinos to Massachusetts.
By EDITORIAL | August 31, 2011

By | January 01, 0001

massachusetts scandal with house of representatives

In the wake of the latest corruption scandal, let's just torch the offending chamber

Burning Down the House
Burning Down the House
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 22, 2011

Deval Patrick is on a second-term winning streak, and casinos might be the next payoff

Gaming the system
Last summer, when Deval Patrick's veto killed a gaming bill in the final days of the legislative session, many thought he had badly damaged himself politically. He was, after all, the one who had pushed for casinos in Massachusetts almost from the day he entered office.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 20, 2011

The Third Annual Phoenix Memorial Day look at the laughable state of Massachusetts politics

Ready, Aim — Roast
Hey, thanks for having me back for the Third Annual Boston Phoenix Memorial Day Political Roast! Good to see so many of you here — the last time I saw this many Beacon Hill insiders in one place was on the prospective witness list for the Sal DiMasi trial!
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | May 31, 2011

Don't shortchange the arts

Plus: DeLeo's welcome health-insurance fix, and bicycles and burritos — only in Boston
Building a state budget in these challenging economic times is a thankless task. So much needs to be done, and there is so little cash with which to do it.
By EDITORIAL | April 27, 2011

By | January 01, 0001

It's a reasonable bet that gaming could once again gridlock Beacon Hill

Slow play
Gaming bills have plagued the last two legislative sessions on Beacon Hill.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | April 04, 2011

By | January 01, 0001

Careful carving: Keep politics out of redistricting

Plus, Scott Brown and 'DADT.'
The news last week from the US Census Bureau was as expected: Massachusetts is losing one of its 10 congressional districts.
By EDITORIAL | January 12, 2011

Careful carving: Keep politics out of redistricting

Plus, Scott Brown and 'DADT.'
The news last week from the US Census Bureau was as expected: Massachusetts is losing one of its 10 congressional districts.
By EDITORIAL | January 12, 2011

Double-Secret Probation: 2010's biggest Boston political scandal

As the previous Beacon Hill scandals wind down, another — a potentially bigger one — emerged this year: political patronage
In a year that started with a former House Speaker under indictment, an open US Senate seat, and a governor seemingly headed to electoral defeat, the biggest political story of 2010 turned out to be the Beacon Hill probation patronage scandal. And, if past is prologue, that ongoing saga promises to continue in 2011.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | December 22, 2010

What DeLeo and Murray should do

Why legislative leaders should act now to make the patronage scandal history
WHY LEGISLATIVE LEADERS SHOULD ACT NOW TO MAKE THE PATRONAGE SCANDAL HISTORY
By EDITORIAL | December 01, 2010

By | January 01, 0001

Lobbyists line up to line House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s pockets

Good to be king
This has been a brutally difficult year for Massachusetts candidates to raise money. But there is a clear exception to that drought: House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who appears to have smashed recent records for fundraising to this point in the year.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | September 15, 2010

Rookies Go Bust

DeLeo and Baker were bested in Beacon Hill's gaming showdown, not so Cahill
The end of the two-year Massachusetts legislative session frequently turns into a high-stakes poker game, with the governor, Senate president, and House speaker bluffing and bargaining down to the wire — along with lobbyists, interest groups, and, in election years, candidates for state office kibitzing from the sidelines.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 04, 2010

By | January 01, 0001

Same Old Faces

It's an outsider's year for candidates, but the consultants are old Beacon Hill mainstays. Plus, who spent what at the conventions, and Baker goes on TV first.
If you're wondering who the geniuses are behind the political campaigns in Massachusetts this year — the strategists, media firms, ad teams, and fundraisers — well, it's a lot of the same folks who have been behind Massachusetts campaigns for a long time. Candidates may win or lose, but consultants are forever.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 24, 2010

By | January 01, 0001