On Greater Boston tonight, former Speaker of the MA House and now lobbyist for the Massachusetts Biotech Council Tom Finneran said he sees lobbying as an “honorable profession”, providing “information” for elected officials who really want to know more about the issues. He’s a resource, you see, although he’s still learning a lot himself, don’t you know.
(That’s our cue to scratch our chins thoughtfully, and say, “Hmm, gosh, that’s really true. I’m glad we have lobbyists like ol’ Tom around, helping people understand issues.” Do it. Now.)
He also says that he’s received warmly wherever he goes. Isn’t that just great?
I’m going to take a shower now.
Please share widely!
Wasn’t he just a delight?
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All kidding aside, he was right about one thing. The biotech industry is very important to Massachusetts, and if we’re not careful we’ll lose ground to places like California, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina.
I nearly peed my pants with that poll!
Charlie
He was a great speaker.Your shower comment is outragious.He did a great job controlling the state budget while he was in office and has only engendered kudos since he took his position on the biotech council. The federal indictment is a joke. If you want to spew and insult fine people in the blog lets see some facts. You waste good space.
Because Gerrymandering is such a noble thing to do.
Finneran ran the house in the sort of autocratic cronyist manner that the Republicans have been running the US house in recent years. It’s the sort of thing I’d hate even if used for political ends I support (which in Finneran’s case, it usually wasn’t). House members had access to power only in proportion to their support of Finneran, otherwise they were stifled.
I think Finneran was a terrible speaker because he was a joke of a Democrat. He should have been a Republican. I was unimpressed when I moved to MA to find this supposed liberal “bastion” run by an anti-choice, uber fiscal conservative. He did not allow dissention or free thought from his members. He was the poster boy of incumbency gone astray. Good ridance.
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etc. etc. I could go on. I’m limited only by the fact that my dinner is ready.
Finneran was a backroom political crony that MA had around for too long. The same can be said of many Democratic representatives on Beacon Hill. We need to send reformers there ASAP. Lobbying should also be curtailed.
It seems that the poll is a tie: 2 people voting “Yes”, vs. 2 other people voting “Yes”. Who’d have thought we’d be so split in Finneran?