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Shifting lines

Boston seems to be taking the state legislative redistricting proposal well — but that doesn’t mean everybody’s happy
Last week, the state legislature revealed the new redistricting proposal for Massachusetts's state-legislative districts.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | October 26, 2011

Dorchester hosts the city's most intensely fought council campaign

Dirty pool
Prior to the September preliminary, I described the race to fill the only open seat on the Boston City Council — replacing Maureen Feeney of Dorchester, who has chosen not to seek another term — as something like a school election.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | October 19, 2011

Narrowing the Field

Elizabeth Warren hasn’t wrapped up the nomination for Senate; she's only determined who can beat her if she falters.
It may seem like the Democratic nomination of a challenger to US Senator Scott Brown has been wrapped up. That's not true — there are 11 months left before the primary, and a lot can still happen.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | October 12, 2011

A Statesman Too Late?

John Kerry heads to work on the debt ‘super committee’ with his usual earnestness and high hopes — despite the circus that surrounds him
The congressional debt "super committee" has begun its work, and already there are signs that its task is hopeless.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | September 21, 2011

The fight for Dorchester's open city council seat is more like a school election than a modern political one

Old school
The Dorchester district that Maureen Feeney has represented since 1993 is now perhaps the most diverse in the city — and of all the council districts, its percentages of white, black, Asian, and Hispanic residents most closely reflects Boston as a whole.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | September 14, 2011

A new labor day

Bay State unions make Steve Tolman their new public face. Will Boston lose his senate seat?
The past couple of years have not been great ones for the labor movement in Massachusetts — even aside from the general economic strife that has seen workers struggle for jobs.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | September 07, 2011

Deval's Green Blues

Long supported by the state's environmental organizations, Governor Patrick has started a war with them over biomass
The document in question contains the final regulations for the state's biomass subsidies, and according to environmentalists, the Patrick administration is planning to reverse its pre-election position — and fly in the face of good science — for the benefit of a handful of developers who stand to make money off of burning trees for energy.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 31, 2011

Biomass FAQ

Or, why it ain't easy burning green
Simply put, biomass is any natural living or once-living substance that can be converted into energy.

By: KHADIJAH M. BRITTON | August 31, 2011

Mitt's best week ever

Romney's presidential quest is looking better than ever - no thanks to his own campaign
The quadrennial farce known as the Ames Straw Poll has once again made its mark on the race for the Republican presidential nomination — by rewarding the candidate smart enough to avoid it.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 17, 2011

Ayanna Pressley is a rising political superstar — whose career might be over by year's end

Elvis is Queen
Even as she faces the very real possibility of defeat this November, Pressley is receiving support and gushing praise from most of Boston's political figures.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 12, 2011

Warren for Senate?

Washington bigwigs love the idea, but Massachusetts insiders aren’t convinced — at least not yet
As soon as President Barack Obama began waffling about naming Elizabeth Warren director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Democratic rumor mill began churning about Warren as a potential 2012 challenger to Republican US Senator Scott Brown.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | July 29, 2011

Big conservative funders are making a new push at universities

Right turn on campus
Funders are working through official university channels to underwrite lecture series, conferences and colloquia, and centers geared for the general-interest student, all carrying university imprimatur.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | July 18, 2011

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

What happens if they hold a city election and nobody notices?

Quiet fight
The past few years, Boston has been almost continuously wrapped up in big, attention-getting elections.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 09, 2011

Sarah Palin joins the GOP presidential race

Palin's magic bus ride just might save Romney -- and run over Obama

Sarah to the rescue?
Democrats are positively giddy over the sudden re-entry of Sarah Palin into Republican presidential politics.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 01, 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

Seeing things

#ScottoSawIt
Early last week, US Senator Scott Brown claimed to have seen pictures of the dead Osama bin Laden, which he implied were shown to him in briefings. Hours later, his office put out word that the photos Brown had seen were not "authentic."

By: PHOENIX STAFF | May 11, 2011

Obama's rebirth

By exposing his haters, the president has forced the GOP into a corner
It was a good weekend for the president.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | May 05, 2011

Thomas Menino plans to run for mayor of Boston yet again

Tom Menino's final term as mayor? Don't bet on it.

Here He Goes Again
Mark this down: Tom Menino, already the longest-serving mayor in Boston history, will run for re-election in 2013.

By: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | April 27, 2011

Culture gets the axe

House of Representatives propose cutting Massachusetts Cultural Council budget by 18 percent
At $7.5 million, funding for the main state-sponsored entity providing grants for everything from local cultural organizers to student arts programs would be more than 40 percent lower than just two years ago.

By: DAVID BERNSTEIN | April 22, 2011

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