Salem News

Nelson Benton

November 28, 2008 06:01 am

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A late Thanksgiving and declining consumer confidence have retailers ratcheting down expectations for this holiday season. But for those still in the mood, a few gift suggestions for some of the people in the political world:

Barack Obama: A Labrador retriever. Given the tough decisions that await, he'll need the unquestioning devotion this breed can provide. It's a good choice for the First Family.

Mitt Romney: A little luck. His millions couldn't buy him a spot on the GOP ticket this year, and his church's support for the same-sex marriage ban in California has already lost him the gay vote in 2012.

Sen. John Kerry: A little respect. He came out early for Obama over Hillary, then Hillary got the nod for Secretary of State.

Congressman John Tierney: More opponents like what's-his-name.

Salem's Kim Driscoll: A new hat. She'll need a larger size given the praise that's regularly heaped on her by visiting dignitaries. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles implied this week she's the governor's favorite mayor.

Peabody's Mike Bonfanti: The declaration of Sept. 11 as a state or national holiday. Maybe then Peabody's mayor will look like a trend-setter for giving his city's police officers extra pay for the day.

Dave Gravel and Ted Bettencourt: An early decision by Bonfanti on his plans for 2009. The two Peabody city councilors are considered leading contenders for the corner office.

Peabody City Council: Gift certificates to New Brothers Restaurant & Deli. The former Main Street eatery relocated to Danvers Square years ago — no special permit required — and is thriving, while Peabody Square continues to struggle. There might be a lesson there.

Danvers selectmen: Gift certificates to The Crab House. Judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, this Endicott Street restaurant has few fans. But the owner has a loyal following in the members of the board who are not only reluctant to pull her liquor license, but now want to give her permission to add entertainment.

Ted Kennedy: Continued strength as he battles cancer. The senior senator's return to his beloved U.S. Senate last week provided great inspiration to colleagues and constituents alike.

Fred Berry: Best wishes as he continues his recovery from back surgery and many more years as sage of the Massachusetts Senate.

Massachusetts GOP: A win — sometime, somewhere — for an open legislative seat or, better yet, against a Democratic incumbent.

Massachusetts Democrats: An end to the ethics probes involving some of its most prominent members — Wilkerson, Marzilli, DiMasi — that reflect poorly on all.

Bruce Guy: We forgot, the former Salem school business manager got his present early with District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's ruling this week that his mismanagement of the budget did not rise to the level of criminality.

Lynn Rep. Steve Walsh: A toll freeze. If his legislation blocking the Turnpike Authority from hiking harbor tunnel fees passes, he'll be a hero to all North Shore commuters; and for some reason that's important to him.

Gas-tax advocates: Continued depression of oil prices. With the price of gasoline at a four-year low, relatively few would notice a 10- or even 20-cent hike in the tax now. But if the price at the pump spikes again, all bets are off.

Bay State taxpayers: Reform before revenues. That's been the mantra of Senate President Therese Murray and Transportation Committee chairman Steve Baddour, who say before either tolls or taxes go up, the state must show it's serious about cutting costs. That means replacing police details with flaggers and ending other well-established, but wasteful, policies and practices.

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Nelson Benton's column on North Shore politics appears every Friday in this space.

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