Remembering Legendary Herald Reporter Joe Heaney

November 12, 2012

Sunday’s Boston Herald featured a fond farewell to former reporter Joe Heaney, described by a co-worker as “just a wonderful man with a big, kind heart and witticisms to the end of time.”

His time ended, Heaney received a two-gun salute, first in a Herald Staff obituary:

Joseph Patrick Heaney, award-winning reporter for Boston Herald, 82

MONT VERNON, N.H. — Joseph Patrick Heaney was an artist with words who could cut to the core of a story in a single sentence — a “poetic version of John Wayne” — say those who knew the master horseman and award-winning reporter for the Boston Herald and other newspapers.

Mr. Heaney died peacefully Friday at Community Hospice House in Merrimack after a brief struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 82.

Herald columnist Peter Gelzinis contributed this to the Irish wake:

Gifted reporter lived fearlessly

What made Joe Heaney such a gifted reporter were things that could never be taught. They could only be lived … fearlessly.

Late Friday afternoon, this noble gentleman with a devilish Irish wit, broad shoulders and wise, compassionate eyes succumbed to cancer at the age of 82.

“He was a guy who managed to travel from the depths of sadness to the tops of joy,” said Paul Sullivan, his longtime friend and Boston Herald colleague.

To lose three of seven children to illness and still find the will to chase fires, dog politicians, huddle with cops and empathize with a mother lamenting the murder of her child was the truest testament to Joe’s singular strength of character.

He was a unique blend of ink-stained wretch and expert horseman, who once combined those skills to retrace the ride of William Dawes from Boston to Lexington in full Colonial dress.

Helpful file photo:

 

They don’t make ’em like that anymore, do they?

 

2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Herald Catches Up on Warren Bashing

November 11, 2012

As the hardreading staff noted yesterday, it was the Boston Globe that whacked Elizabeth Warren (D-It’s All Good) for her Marcel Marceau press conference on Thursday, while the Boston Herald gave her rare hall pass.

The feisty local tabloid made up for it, however, in this Saturday editorial:

Warren wobbles

OK, so Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren is just a rookie. She may be this utterly brilliant Harvard Law prof, whose students hang on her every word, but in her first post-election foray into the real world of politics, she seemed the proverbial deer in the headlights . . .

It wasn’t just that Warren was uncomfortable, it was that she was determined to say nothing about anything . . .

Memo to Warren: The campaign is over. The voters can’t fire you for six years no matter what you say. Unless boring people becomes an impeachable offense.

 

OK, so back to the natural order of things. The hardreading staff is feeling better already.

 

1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Surprise! It’s the Globe That’s Bashing Elizabeth Warren

November 9, 2012

Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren’s Marcel Marceau press conference yesterday got – wait for it – very different treatment in the local dailies today. But in a rare role reversal, it’s the Boston Herald giving her a free pass, while the Globe gave her  a tune-up.

Herald piece:

Expert: Liz Warren’s jitters expected at presser

U.S. Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren’s jittery first press conference since the election was likely a combination of the political neophyte’s exhaustion and caution as she gets ready to head to Washington, D.C., to take on the high-stakes job, according to a political observer.

“She’s been concentrating so hard on the campaign, I’m sure she’s pretty tired,” said John C. Berg, a political science professor at Suffolk University. “I also think she doesn’t want to go into the Senate having made commitments she regrets.”

Maybe, but she certainly got news coverage to regret. Start with the front page story in the Globe:

Elizabeth Warren holds back with reporters

It was a bit of a rough start for Senator- elect Elizabeth Warren, who held her first official press conference following her victory Tuesday. Suddenly, the voluble Harvard Law School professor and longtime media commentator sounded uncertain and impatient, offering terse answers to questions about fiscal policy and the success of women candidates.

“I’m glad” was all she said when asked to expound on the support she received from women voters and on the influx of women elected Tuesday. Asked to elaborate, she refused, saying: “I’m glad that women turned out to vote for me. I’m delighted.”

Asked a third time, Warren turned to Governor Deval Patrick, who was standing at her side at the State House press conference. “You want to try this?” she said.

Globe columnist Brian McGrory was willing to grab some of it.

Elizabeth Warren a woman of few words

For the sake of Massachusetts, let’s hope that Elizabeth Warren gets better than this.

She was always a mildly underwhelming candidate, clutching her talking points like they were a satchel of gold — millionaires and billionaires, a level playing field, big oil. As deft as she was at slogans, she was never so good at answering questions, which was odd for a person of such experience and substance.

Her acceptance on Tuesday night continued that odd tradition — her stump speech warmed over with a midway nod ­toward her vanquished opponent, Scott Brown. It was hard to fathom that she couldn’t offer a few meaningful words on what it means to capture the honor of representing Massachusetts in the US Senate.

But none of this could have prepared anyone for the scene that unfolded Thursday afternoon in the governor’s suite of the State House . . .

. . . which, McGrory continues, is more than a little problematic:

Yes, she is tired. Of course, it’s all new. Admittedly, this is about style.

But election night was lazy. Thursday was disrespectful. If Elizabeth Warren is better than this, and there is every hope and belief that she is, it’s time to start showing it now.

Who knows – the Herald might even notice.

 

7 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Boston Herald: John Tierney’s Amazing Disgrace

November 8, 2012

Yesterday it was Herald columnist Holly Robichaud telling Bay State voters what a disgrace they were for dustbinning Scott Brown (R-Cuppa Coffee) and electing Elizabeth Warren to the U.S. Senate.

Today it’s the Herald editors yelling at Bay State voters for re-electing John Tierney (D-Jackpot) in the 6th Congressional district.

A disgrace to Dems

The re-election of Rep. John Tierney to his 6th District congressional seat is both bewildering and quite frankly shameful.

Sure, this newspaper endorsed Republicans for president and for the Senate, but like good Americans everywhere we know that at their core Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren are decent people, dedicated to their jobs, to their country and to their constituents. Their philosophy of governing may be very different from our own, but, hey, that’s what makes democracy great. People disagree, Democrats continue to dominate this state.

We get that.

But are Democrats really so fearful of losing one seat in the U.S. House, that they are willing to hold their noses and vote for the ethically challenged Mr. Tierney? Well, we got our answer to that late Tuesday night.

Yes we did. And the Boston Globe editors are downright cheerful about the results. From today’s edition:

John Tierney’s victory shows voters put a premium on concrete achievements

John Tierney, the eight-term congressman from the North Shore, survived his toughest challenge by far, beating a talented moderate Republican, Richard Tisei. After struggling to explain an offshore gambling scandal involving his wife and in-laws, Tierney clearly was vulnerable. His 1-point win can be ascribed to many factors — from the big Democratic turnout for President Obama to the presence of a third-party candidate who siphoned critical votes from Tisei. But also crucial were the accomplishments in Tierney’s record, including his work on important student-loan legislation and his significant contributions to the Affordable Care Act. If there’s a lesson in Tierney’s victory, it shouldn’t be that Democrats always win. It should be that Massachusetts voters will reward their representatives for concrete achievements. Tierney should take that lesson to heart as he seeks to put the scandal behind him.

So, to recap: In the Globe’s sunny-side-up opinion, there’s a lesson to be learned by all of us in Tierney’s close shave.

Except, of course, by the Herald.

 

2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Herald Sees Red Over Brownout

November 7, 2012

There is much weeping and gnashing of teeth and bitter recriminations at the feisty local tabloid over Scott Brown’s loss to Elizabeth Warren in the U.S. Senate bakeoff (Pow Wow Chow, anyone?).

And know whose fault it is?

YOURS!

This morning’s edition started out benignly enough with this front page:

But on the other side of that page was this dope slap of a column  from Howie Carr:

Bay State’s voters got faked out way too easily

Scott Brown never had a chance.

It’s amazing. This guy is probably the best retail politician in the state. He worked his way up the greasy pole, from assessor to selectman to state rep to state senator to U.S. senator.

“He’s for us,” his yard signs said. They might as well have said, “He’s one of us.”

But all of it counted for nothing. He couldn’t beat “the machine.”

“Anything is possible,” Brown was saying last night in his concession speech, “there are no obstacles you can’t overcome, and defeat is only temporary.”

Unless you’re a Republican in Massachusetts.

Bay State voters, Carr clucked, got suckered by a phony.

Holly Robichaud, on the other hand, was beside herself with anger (which is weird since she’s the Lone Republican, right?).

Voters disgraced themselves, state

It was a tragic night for the commonwealth, for taxpayers, for people who believe in the checks and balance of government, and for the GOP.

Voters sent a message that they like one-party rule and all the scandals that party brings to the table . . .

They want a U.S. senator who will vote 100 percent with the Democratic Party even when it kills the economy. They sent a loud and clear message that a Democrat can make any claim to further their career and there is no accountability. That’s right — do I as I say not as I do is the motto of our elected elite.

The defeat of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is a disgrace. Unfortunately, Massachusetts will once again be the butt of every joke. President Obama refused to nominate our newly elected fake Indian senator to head up her consumer agency because she could not get through the confirmation process. Yet, voters turned a blind eye to all her problems. Voters will come to regret this decision.

Yeah, especially if Holly keeps yelling at us like this.

 

2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

The Globe’s Electoral College Mis-map

November 6, 2012

Today’s Boston Globe features this clip ‘n’ save piece for election-watchers keeping score at home.

Viewer’s guide to the election

What to watch for as results come

6 p.m.

IN*, KY** = part of state closes later

Mitt Romney’s margin of victory in Indiana, which Barack Obama won in 2008, could serve as a barometer for the rest of the election. A double-digit win will warm Republican hearts. Networks will be offering exit polls, but be wary. They have an uneven record in predicting winners of states. In 2004, early exit polls in Ohio showed John Kerry to be winning, but the state went to President Bush. Also, the time between the closing of polls and the declaration of a winner of that state can vary widely according to such factors as how many votes were cast early and the closeness of the race. Early votes are counted right after polls close . . .

And etc.

The piece also includes this helpful electoral map:

Only one problem, as sharp-eyed reader Michael Pahre writes:

Massive Globe fail:  the Globe today ran on page A7 the electoral map for the country
*from the last election* — with all the OLD electoral college numbers.

They show MA as having 12 electoral college votes, OH as 20, etc., no 11 and 18, etc.

Har!

(The hardworking staff doesn’t endorse the Har! There but for the grace of . . . )

Meanwhile, the current electoral map, via PolicyMic:

Luckily for local newspaper readers, the Boston Herald featured . . . no map at all.

Can’t go wrong that way.

 

UPDATE: Looks like they’ve got it straight now.

Let the wild rumpus recommence.

 

1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Does Big Papi Have ‘Mental Issues’ with Bobby Valentine?

November 6, 2012

Newly re-signed Red Sox slugger David Ortiz apparently now feels free to talk about his relationship with shipwrecked Sox skipper Bobby Valentine, but the local dailies – wait for it – have very different versions of Big Papi’s take.

From today’s Boston Herald:

David Ortiz defends vs. Bobby Valentine

Unlike Bobby Valentine, David Ortiz [stats] didn’t revisit the past.

Given an opportunity yesterday to defend himself against his former manager’s charge that he refused to play through a right Achilles strain after the Red Sox[team stats] fell out of contention, Ortiz said only that the team wouldn’t have re-signed him to a two-year, $26 million deal if he had a reputation for dogging it.

“To be honest with you, we won’t be talking about what we’re talking about right now if things would have been the way our ex-manager said,” Ortiz said. “Being here for the last 10 years, you (media) know pretty much how I go about my business.

Whatever that means.

But Ortiz was much more forthcoming in the Boston Globe (boink! sorry, paywall):

Ortiz wonders if Valentine has ‘mental issues’

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz was diplomatic when asked about former manager Bobby Valentine’s comments about him at an introductory news conference Monday at Fenway Park.

But in an interview with ESPNDeportes.com, Ortiz was far more revealing in his response to Valentine’s suggestion on national television that Ortiz “decided not to play anymore” after the Red Sox traded stars Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford.

“No. 1, never bite the hand that feeds you, because in the end that will come back to bite you,” Ortiz said. “I was one of those players that always showed support for him. In fact, I held a couple of player meetings.

“No. 2, the day that I returned from the DL, I told him that I was not sure what percentage health-wise I was in, but that I could not be out there without trying to help. When I told him that, I put my career on the side to help him and the team. Being in an incredible amount of pain, I went out there to support them.

“No. 3, after he went on national TV to say what he said, he sent me a text message trying to tell me that it was the media trying to change things. I did not respond to the message and I said to myself, this guy must have some mental issues or needs medicine or something? I said, I am dealing with someone crazy and I am not going to drive myself crazy, so it is better if I leave it alone.”

No. 4, think the news media will leave it alone?

Think again.

 

1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Poll Vaulting the Brown/Warren U.S. Senate Race

November 5, 2012

The local dailies are – wait for it – presenting very different pictures of polling data in the runup to tomorrow’s actual voting in the U.S. Senate race between Scott Brown (R-I’m Nobody’s Senator But Yours) and Elizabeth Warren (D-I’m Nobody’s Senator Yet).

From the Sunday Boston Globe (boink! sorry, paywall):

Two new polls show Brown, Warren in tight race

A new poll released Sunday morning shows Elizabeth Warren leading Senator Scott Brown by four percentage points, 50 percent to 46 percent. The live telephone poll of 535 voters was conducted between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1 by the Western New England University Polling Institute on behalf of the Springfield Republican and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. It’s the seventh of eight recent public polls that show Warren with a lead of between two and seven percentage points.

It’s a whole nother world, however, in today’s Boston Herald:

UMass Lowell/Herald poll: Senate race deadlocked

The bruising Massachusetts Senate battle between Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Elizabeth Warren is deadlocked just hours before Election Day, with both the candidates and the voters suffering from a barrage of attack ads, a new UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll reveals.

The poll shows Brown holding a 49-48 percent advantage over Warren among likely voters, dispelling earlier polls and Democratic claims of a small Warren lead. The one-point lead is well within the poll’s 4.1 percent margin of error.

But wait! The Herald piece also provides some uncharacteristic context:

Brown held a four-point lead among likely voters in a UMass Lowell/Herald poll in mid-September, but the Harvard Law professor has closed that gap as more Democratic voters have moved to her side.

Helpful Joe Battenfeld sidebar:

Middle-class vote nearly split between candidates

Massachusetts voters are about evenly split on which U.S. Senate candidate will be a better champion of the middle class, even though Democrat Elizabeth Warren has made that her chief campaign message, a new UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll shows.

Warren has talked constantly about the “hammered” middle class for the past year but just 47 percent of registered voters believe she’ll best represent their interests, the poll shows.

A nearly equal number — 43 percent — say they believe Warren’s opponent, Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, would be better for middle-class voters.

In other words, pick ’em.

 

3 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Globe and Herald Editors Are Smoking the Same Thing!

November 3, 2012

In a rare spasm of agreement, the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald have both editorialized against Massachusetts Ballot Question 3, which would legalize medical marijuana in the Bay State.

Boston Globe editorial (boink! sorry, paywall):

Medical marijuana raises too many unanswered issues

Seriously ill patients who feel that marijuana eases their pain should have an opportunity to get legal access to it. Those skeptical of its benefits should consider the claims of cancer patients that marijuana curbs the nausea associated with some forms of chemotherapy. Then there are the people with many different conditions who insist that marijuana provides faster relief, with fewer side effects, than more powerful opiates.

That’s why so many states, including in New England, are seeking ways to make medicinal marijuana legally available. The question is how to do it. States like Colorado and California jumped ahead of the pack in allowing medical-marijuana clinics, with dubious results; their loosely written laws made the drug so widely available that there are 1,000 clinics in Los Angeles alone. The ballot measure facing Massachusetts voters contains more safeguards: There would be a maximum of 35 nonprofit treatment centers across the state in 2013; patients would be required to have a relationship with any doctor who recommends marijuana as a painkiller.

But the measure leaves voters with a number of other substantive questions: How can the state guarantee a safe supply of marijuana? And under what terms is marijuana usage safe?

The answers, unfortunately, aren’t clear enough . . .

And so the Globe editorial board urges you to vote No on Question 3.

As does the Boston Herald editorial board:

Sanity up in smoke

Yes, the latest polls in Massachusetts show that the ballot question that would allow the so-called medical use of marijuana — the very phrase is a matter of some controversy — is a runaway winner. Which only proves that you can indeed fool a lot of the people a lot of the time.

On the surface Question 3 is one of those feel-good measures that Bay Staters just love. Really, who would deny some terminally ill patient a little relief? Problem is this isn’t about terminally ill patients, it’s about an open-ended definition that includes “other conditions as determined in writing by a qualifying patient’s physician.” Depression? No problem. How about migraines, fibromyalgia? Whatever.

And come Jan. 1 it would allow up to 35 “treatment centers” — yes, you could call them pot shops — to be set up on a street corner near you, but that could be increased in coming years too. It’s almost mind boggling that folks who feared the opening of three resort casinos in the state would end civilization as we know it, would give a wink and a nod to 35 pot-dispensing storefronts.

So that would be a be a No vote, yeah Heraldniks?

Just to reinforce the point, here’s the Herald’s companion editorial cartoon from Jerry Holbert:

Definitely a No vote, yeah?

4 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

Brown/Warren Debate and Twitch

November 2, 2012

There’s one final debatement in the  Scott Brown/Elizabeth Warren U.S. Senate race.

AP report via the Boston Herald:

Warren ad tweaks Brown for refusing debate offer

Democrat Elizabeth Warren is tweaking Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown for refusing a final debate offer.

The fourth debate was planned for Tuesday, but was delayed because of Superstorm Sandy.

Warren agreed to a Thursday debate, but the GOP’s Brown declined. He had twice pledged that a final debate would happen, but a Brown aide said it conflicted with a bus tour he planned for the close of the reelection campaign.

In Warren’s new radio ad, a narrator faults Brown for backing out of the debate, saying “rather than discuss the issues, he had to grab a bus” and adding “with his record you can’t blame him for hitting the road.”

The Boston Globe features the same AP report.

But only It’s Good to Live in a Two-Daily Town (besides Warren’s campaign website) features the actual radio spot:

Bottom line: Debate and switch off.

 

2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Campaign Outsider

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »