Last year, our venial, archconservative Speaker of the House Tom Finneran promised to step down from the leadership and from his legislative seat. I give him no small credit for helping Democrats, and particularly progressive Democrats, ride a wave of success that took us to record high numbers in the state legislature. He was almost singlehandedly responsible for the legislature's poor image among so many Massachusetts citizens.
Conservative Democrat John Rogers had hoped to succeed his mentor to the speakership, but he got outplayed by Sal DiMasi, an old-school politican from the North End who has adapted with the times and come out in front of many progressive causes. Despite a record of working with Finneran on some of his anti-democratic initatives, DiMasi promised to run a much more open House and to lead the state in more progressive directions.
Today, DiMasi unveiled his legislative team.
Yowza.
All the conservatives who dominated the House under King Tom--the guys who ran the committees, who enjoyed fine dinners on lobbyists' expense accounts and sat their asses in the finest offices on Beacon Hill, who made it so hard to be a Democrat in one of the bluest states in the country--got kicked to the curb.
The reformers, the progressives, the lone voices in the wilderness who endured Finneran's spite for so long have been brought in to the leadership. These people were given windowless offices in the basement, had their pay cut, and saw their local initiatives crushed in committee all because they stood up in principle for progressive causes and a democratic House.
Byron Rushing is an assistant majority leader. Who thought we'd live to see the day?
Here's the article.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/02/08/dimasi_bends_house_to_left/