RICHMOND
The Boston media is obviously bored stiff by the four candidates hoping to succeed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Their stories tell more about the writers' ennui than they do about the candidates themselves.
I, of course, am for Berkshire County's own Attorney General Martha Coakley (Berkshire born and Berkshire bred always helps you get ahead) and the polls seem to indicate that I am not alone in my enthusiasm for the Pittsfield born, North County-raised and Williams College-educated lawyer.
But even she is not getting high marks for personality and dynamism. She is presenting her case for election to high office, according to press reports, in the style of a prosecutor going after corporate raiders.
The other three candidates for the seat are Rep. Michael Capuano of Somerville, now in his sixth term; Celtics part owner Stephen Pagliuca of Weston; and youngish Alan Khazei of Brookline, a so-called "social entrepreneur," who is continually forming organizations that help people.
The one I know the most about is Capuano because he is one of the travelingest representatives in the whole Congress. In the past five years, Capuano has flown to two dozen countries at a taxpayer expense of $24,000 for bed, bath and beyond. This, of course, does not count the expense of getting to these countries because the government keeps a fleet of planes to fly our Congress free when they travel abroad.
Capuano
However, Capuano envisioned foreign climes shortly after he was elected to his first term. He commented on it to a New Republic interviewer.
"I gotta get one re-election," he said, "and then I can go wherever I want to." And so he has.
Quite often, these trips involve wives and staff members. They reportedly pay their own way on commercial flights but fly free on the government planes. And they supposedly pay for hotels, meals and other per-diem niceties, but they mostly share with the politician of record. It's tough to figure out how much you owe for your attendance at the banquet.
The politicians, of course, claim that these trips are necessary to increase their knowledge of world affairs and the economic factors with which they must deal but it is amazing how many of these trips are directed towards places that are warm during the American winter and have incredible beachfront accommodations. Capuano went on a trip led by House majority leader Nancy Pelosi that encompassed Afghanistan and Italy. The group spent one day in Afghanistan and eight days in Italy.
The Wall Street Journal put a hound dog on Congress's trips and the reporter came up with some interesting facts. He showed that since 2001, government expenses for overseas trips by Congress have tripled. In the year 2008, congressional trips cost the taxpayers $13 million in foreign travel. This is a 50 per cent jump since the Democrats took over in 2006. It proves there are some things the two political parties can agree on and Democrats can be even piggier than Republicans.
In a recent Boston Globe story by Frank Phillips, Capuano said his trips had given him a better understanding of foreign policy, using as an example George W. Bush's limited knowledge of the world before he became president.
"If we learned anything from the [Bush] presidency," he said, "it is that political leaders must have foreign policy knowledge. That knowledge is enhanced by meeting with foreign dignitaries and the people of other nations."
One of my favorite Globe columnists is Joan Vennochi who hits more than nails on the head. She covered the first debate of the candidates and had this comment.
"Why is Rep. Michael Capuano so angry? And why does he think it helps his cause to make Washington sound like a secret club that only he can understand?" His attitude pushed Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca to crack, ‘I know it's rocket science down there.' "
So there you have it, the four candidates. I think Martha Coakley is the obvious choice. And it would be nice to make all those travel vouchers available to her.
Milton Bass is a regular Eagle contributor.
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