Well it sure looks like

Trump has gravitated back to his notion of busting up NATO either by judicious neglect or else overt action whenever the coast is clear. Why else lecture the German's about the trade deficit & yet remain silent on Article Five of the NATO Covenant?
For all intents and purposes this is a de facto withdrawl of the formerly rock solid American Nuclear Guarantee from NATO, so it's no accident that virtually the day after the summit German Chancellor Merkel went straight to Dusseldorf and told all that they could no longer rely on the USA in all things.
THAT is not good news my friends, not with a proposal being bandied about in Brussels to arm the EU with nuclears weapons (French warheads on persumably German financed and sourced missiles)...for fifty plus years the US and NATO have kept the peace in Europe, dismantling said alliance largely at the behest of a Despot in Moscow has grave and immediate consequences for all of us.  Put it simply we don't want Germany to feel itself free to make its own way in Europe, either by capitulating to Moscow or deploying it's own cruise missiles, and we certianly don't want Paris and Berlin cooking up their own set of strategic rules in Central Europe. But as of last week we've all but gotten up from that table...I've said it before, ISIS has dynamite, Moscow has Nukes, which horde of "Barbarians" poses the closer threat?

You have to go a long ways in Massachusetts Politics

To find a politician more bereft of ideas than Charlie Baker.  Faced with a budget deficit, the usual infrastructure challenges, his mule-like status with the National GOP, looming cuts, revenue shortfalls, The Governor's Answer to EVERYTHING is raise 30 million for his reelection campaign, play to the center , leave the legislature unchallenged & run on his "Bipartisan Accomplishments"...

Its like Bill Weld Never Resigned....
If Charlie Baker was a sitcom he'd be "Thats so Weld!"....Nothing seems to echo in that cubed shaped head of Charlie's save the search for an opportunity to swan dive into the Charles River.
But ya know what its a proven model and it works, so far the democrats are underfunded and at loggerheads with the usual image problems, but then again a good part of Baker's plan on us doing exactly what he wants us to do....so lets at least agree not to do that eh?

4th Middlesex Special Election Forum....

The Arlington & Lexington Town Democratic Committee are hosting a candidate's forum, Monday June 5th at 7pm at Arlington Town Hall, 730 Mass Ave Arlington Ma. Doors will open at 6:30pm All three democratic candidates will be in attendance, Cindy Friedman, Sean Garballey & Mary Ann Stewart, the primary is June 27th, so this is a priceless opportunity for all three to outreach to the party's base.  Likely this will follow the standard non-League of Women Voters format, written questions from the audience and moderation regarding time limits. The forum itself will be moderated by Charlotte Golar-Richie...

Meanwhile someone spent some cashola this weekend on a phone poll in Arlington a legit phone poll at that...

Sources close to

both the Garballey & Friedman State Senate Campaigns tell me that no Republican has pulled papers or collected signatures to contest the special election for the Late Ken Donnelly's Seat. This means that no Republican will be on the General Election Ballot come July....
A couple of thoughts come to mind, this special election is pretty much "The Only Game in Town" for the GOP until next year, you'd think, given that Trump DID carry Billerica that they'd make a pro-forma effort at least even if its a notoriously safe democratic seat.
I assume that if Charlie Baker wanted a candidate in the 4th Middlesex, he'd a gotten one. Maybe he thought this meant he'd have to make a deal with some neophyte Trumpist...or else the Governor is defaulting to "Reelection Mode" and wants to discourage stirring up the democrats thus to encourage ticket-splitting come November of next year.
Of course this doesn't rule out some sort of write in campaign but those are doomed efforts in the Bay State and a pretty blatant confession of defeat.

Roger Ailes is dead

The Diabolical Founder of Fox News was seventy seven.  In his memory at 9pm at Fox News Headquarters there will be a "twenty two gam salute" with ceremonial short skirts and then a memorial women's dash around the late Political Pontiff's Desk.
Rest in Peace....

It'd be funny if James Comey...

simply concocted this story about a memorandum indicating Trump asked him to drop the Flynn Investigation....because he knows disproving said story would implicate the adminstration in an illegal wiretapping felony. Ironic given the President's irrational insistence Obama bugged his phones.
Besides the mere hint of said memorandum seems to have detonated the pyrobolts holding Trump's delicate psyche together...payback is a mother ain't it?
But truly these stories are moving very fast I don't expect the crisis to end soon either....so keeping up is gonna become arbitrary and capricious around here....

According to the Washington Post...

Alt Right PostBoy Richard Spencer (think of him as a sort of local "General Eon O'Duffy" sans brogue) led a march in Virginia this weekend decrying the iminent removal of a Confederate Statue. "Dozens" showed up to protest bearing torches and placards which read (among other things) "Russia is Our Friend!".
Didja read that one? The Racial Right in the USA suddenly has a hard on for Moscow, I don't doubt Vladimir Putin spends a nice chunk of the Russian Taxpayers Money on all sorts of noisy freaks like these in hopes to sparking something nasty.  So clearly, Putin's Russia is back playing the part of "European Reaction's Reserve Army", to quote Karl Marx, a status that predates the Crimean War and persisted as Russian Policy right up until Nicholas & Alexandra were placed under arrest.  Up until fairly recently the Racial Right in the USA had a burning hatred for the Russians in part out of CounterMarxist Frenzy as well as antipathy for the "Vile Slavic Hordes of Muscovy."  Signs like "Russia is Our Friend" at a Racial Right Rally just tells me, someone somewhere is spending big money to make twitchy weird friends in far off places....
And that dynamic "Russia as Reaction's Firewall" is something well worth keeping an eye on....I'd love to know how far something like this goes, if indeed it is happening at all.

Comey Outski

I suppose I'm in the minority when I say I'm not surprised hat Trump found a reason to fire FBI Director James Comey he must have reasoned anyone willing to interfere in a US Election (the famous "letter to congress" the week of the election) is probably more than willing to terminate Trump's administration in due course via a thorough investigation.
I can't fault the President's "Corleonesque" logic, his honesty, goodwill and ability, yes but his logic is lowbrow and irrefutable.
That having been said, these are the actions of someone who THINKS they have something to hide, they may well not know for sure, but the possibilities are endless and frightening hence last week's example of Trumpian "Frightfulness".  We can expect more of the same because I doubt firing Comey quieted any of Donald Trump's fears...he'll make worse decisions in due course count on it.
It might be a good idea to take a giant step back here and recall we've been interfering with our own elections in deed and in spirit for quite some time now, we've been letting jobbers in rotten boroughs "vote for their own constituencies" for a generation now, we've permitted funny money to become the deciding factor in most elections and now we are experimenting with outright voter suppression. So it should be no big shock when a foreign tyrant and some Hillary hating FBI agents decide to sway the election by any means necessary.  Hell we all but beckoned them to "come on down".

"Let All the Poisons That Lurk in the Mud, Hatch Out"

Since nuclear war initiated by the present Administration will come as no surprise to me, James Comey gettin' the old heave-ho by Trump is hardly any shock at all. Comey did his level best to help Trump into office last October and his reward was to get shown the door allegedly by Trump's personal bodyguard no less...but then Comey went into business with Trump last October and got screwed over thoroughly like ALL of Trump's private sector creditors, partners and investors...why should Flynn or Comey or possibly General McMaster's fate be any different?
What surprises me is that people are surprised....y'all were warned in no explicit terms this would happen....
But let me put this out there, Trump is no clever three dimensional chess player, he is impulsive and secretive, and truly based on this latest outrage, he has a lot to hide.  But that isn't a confession of strategic genius by any means I don't think Trump understands truly the danger he has brought down on himself, I think he believes that his own luck and impulsive wits will master any situation. ANd if that is the case "Hubris" is really in charge of the USA down to custody of the nuclear launch authority and no that is not a good thing.

A Gruesome Prediction...

In the wake of the Fields-Bolanos murders down in the Seaport District we are gonna hear a lot of loud advocacy in favor of the death penalty from Governor Baker.  All you democrats out there be prepared for a lot of tepid but insistent demagoguery from our tepid insistent Governor....
Just remember the last time it was before the legislature in the 1990's it lost by a single vote, and election years tend to make people crazy around here.
I tell you I can just see the TV commercials with Texeira's battered zombie face all over them....

Just as I suspected

The Firefighters Local 1297 endorsed Sean Garballey for State Senate today, their absence was pretty conspicuous at the Friedman kick off yesterday, so I am not surprised.
Its ironic because the Late Senator Donnelly was fire chief in Lexington and whatever commitments he undertook on behalf of First Responders were probably in the main executed by his loyal chief of staff, Cindy Friedman.
But at any rate firefighters were a good chunk of Donnelly's "ground game" back in 2008, no doubt they'll loom large in Garballey's calculations now.
Its a seven week campaign plus a few days not much time to do thorough voter ID a lot turns on big billboards, endorsements, mailings etc...its given the exceptional and truncated nature of the race the outcome could well turn on quaint retrograde factors such as that.
So its "game on" most definitely....

Off & Running

Cindy Friedman piled into the democratic state senate primary for the Fourth Middlesex at a well attended event at Arlington's Venerable Elk's Club.  There were a lot of young people in attendance which is fairly unusual for an Arlington off election year event but then the Spartans have been murmurring about "Trump Multiplier Effect" for several months now.  Lexington's well tenured State Rep Jay Kauffman is acting as co-chair of the campaign, State Senator Will Brownsberger is apparently doing a Friedman fundraiser, Anne Paulsen, Jeff Thielman, Jim DiTulio, Local Chair Aimee Coolidge and numerous other notable Spartans were in attendence, their common trait they are excellent political organizers. Citizen Friedman clearly has some outreach into the incumbent class of politicians...If there was a theme to the announcement it was "Revenge of the PUMAs", they clearly absorbed their setback from Last November and are rested and ready for new adventures.  Hillary Clinton's Local Imperial Guard should not be dismissed lightly they've won some lost some but their drive, determination and SKILL is undiminished. Clarissa Rowe and Company will run Sean Garballey a very close race when all is said and done.
I didn't see any representatives of the public sector unions at this event, that is significant, Friedman is running as Ken Donnelly's personally approved sucessor and part of Ken's electoral success was built around a strong volunteer base among police/firefighter.
Politically I think the plan is simple close to within three points of Sean Garballey in Arlington and then sweep Lexington, that mayb well be enough to tip the nomination. The presence of Mary Ann Stewart, a former Lexington School Committee on the primary ballot is a sure sign that someone wants to keep the vote in that particular town divided and unconcentrated.
As for Citizen Friedman, she is personable enough, even funny at times, but she is new to being at the podium so to speak, she needs to cut down her tendency for multiple examples and tighten her pitch a bit.  The debates ought to be spirited affairs, as a campaigner Garballey is no slouch he is one of these "up at six am run all day long and into the night" type politicians.  What ideological points said debates will turn on is unknown at the moment, Garballey & Friedman probably agree on much and disagree on little in the Main, their two way debate may well hinge on questions of gravitas and experience....
The Game is Afoot!

I have friend

(I do have them, the wiser of this small cohort never ever read this blog)....and he is a cancer survivor, he vociferously asserts that the ACA (aka "ObamaCare") saved his life, covered his chemo, his extensive and ongoing rehab, got him the special nutrition he needs to live, all of it.
Now yesterday with the weary connivance of many many GOP "moderates" in the US House (a group that is as useful as tits are to bull in the patois of my youth), Paul Ryan FINALLY rammed thru a ACA "repeal and replace" bill and dropped it on the US Senate for good measure.
The bill is by all early indications a disaster that'll likely shorten my friend's life by many many years if the US Senate has the temerity to pass said measure.
So my question is, can we get the Middlesex County DA to indict Speaker Ryan for attempted murder? Because thats what AHCA is, murder in the last decree, higher premiums, less care more dead citizens....
Failing that since Ryan resolved the US House into a Huge "Board of Medicine" then can we sue him for Malpractice? Making medical decisions without a license ought to be actionable in a Civil Court I would think...besides you know the twitchy sumbitch doesn't have medical malpractive insurance (his insolent and vile aides likely have never thought of it)...so we could potentially clean him out but good.
All kidding aside I have a friend whose life hangs in the balance and there had better start being some dire electoral consequences for such a pretty pass....

Word on the Street is...

that Lexington School Committee Member, Mary Ann Stewart has pulled papers to run for the democratic nomination for state senate in the 4th Middlesex special election.  She joins the Late Senator Donnelly's Chief of Staff Cindy Friedman and Arlington State Rep Sean Garballey in vying for said sinecure, so far no republican has pulled papers, the deadline to pile in is May 16th.
At a first glance, Stewart likely impedes Friedman's ability to build an out-of-Arlington coalition to counter Garballey's name recognition, & alleged fundraising edge.   I think it likely the Friedman campaign was hoping the endorsement of Lexington Rep Jay Kauffman would help bind said community to her cause, its also a pretty transparent division of the "women's vote" leading me to wonder exactly how a Lexington School Committee Member is gonna raise the 100K+ needed to be credible in this race and who encouraged her to run?
Otherwise Stewart's issues seem decorously boilerplate, climate change, education, infrastructure a woman's right to choose....etc etc, nothing new but quite frankly the three candidate so far differ in very little save perhaps their utterly intangible and unmeasurable leadership potential.

As if there is nothing else going on in the world...

worthy of a front page berth, The Boston Globe piles in ginnin' up Congressman Seth Moulton for President in 2020. They cite his youth, energy, articulate style, anti-Trump bona fides and his status as a....(sound the forlonr hunting horns) moderate.
Waaa-al Ah Swan before we git all misty eyed over Moulton's Moderation, just remember he is a "Massachusetts Moderate" and that is, at the end of the day, nothing that would pass as a middle-of-the-roader in Alabama or Florida.
But lets face it, Seth isn't dumb enough to run against Charlie Baker next year and Ed Markey's plans for 2020 aren't clear yet, so by process of elimination the Globe came up with "Moulton in 2020"...
Of course his office officially denied any such ambitions (for what that is worth which is nothing really). Nonetheless this does spotlight the Boston Globe's enduring status as a newsdaily in favor of restoration really any restoration at all when push comes to shove. Dealey Plaza went down fifty four years ago come this November but Morrissey Blvd goes on searching for a Presidential White Knight from Massachusetts, someone who'll bring the Big Job Back Home where they can keep an eye on it....to that end they've hyped everyone from Mike Dukakis to Mitt Romney.  Its a little sad like an aging Uncle's eccentric diet or something, to me, it seems clear that a Massachusetts Home Address is TOXIC for a serious presidential candidate but the Globe just goes on pretending it's 1962 and we are all Equals in the Sight of the Electoral College...
Seriously they need to stop flogging this equine skeleton, and get going on a nice thorough Spotlight Series expose, like maybe why the roads in wealthy antebellum Belmont are universally abominable...rutted & potholed like the Sea of Tranquillity?

I guess Trump's Plan to get rid of Kim Jong Un

is to alternate bellowing and cooing until he sues for peace.  This morning we were on the brink of war, this afternoon the So Called President called Comrade Kim a "Smart Cookie" someone with whom he might be able to negotiate....oh sure cuz Japan, South Korea, China et al really want those two in a room alone making commitments....
But I digress, nothing will come of the threats or the entreaties, Trump will get rid of Kim's Bandit Regime the way he got rid of the ACA....oh...wait....