Robert David Sullivan 2

Patrick gets the ultimate insult on Martha's Vineyard

The Vineyard Gazette reports that a delegation from the island is miffed at how difficult it is to meet with the governor to discuss their concerns about the Cape Wind project. West Tisbury Selectman Richard Knabel blows off a little steam:

“I’ve learned from several sources that this governor is extremely inaccessible, even to legislators. They have a lot of difficulty getting in to see him even though he’s of their [Democratic] party.” Mr. Knabel continued:

“I talked to [former Islands’ state representative] Eric Turkington this morning and he said the feeling in the state house, while he was still there was that Governor Romney was actually better about seeing legislators and other people than Governor Patrick is.

To understand how this comparison must sting, remember that Gov. Patrick got 72% in West Tisbury in both the primary and general elections of 2006. Romney got 33% here when he was elected statewide in 2002.

Yoon to visit Southie's St. Patrick's parade without preconditions

Ethan Jacobs of Bay Windows reports that two Boston mayoral candidates, Sam Yoon and Michael Flaherty, will march in South Boston's St. Patrick's parade this Sunday, despite the fact that parade organizers continue to ban gay and lesbian groups from marching. (Incumbent Mayor Tom Menino hasn't marched in the parade since the courts upheld the exclusion of gay groups in 1995, and challenger Kevin McCrea is also boycotting the event.)

It's hard to see this as a good political move for Yoon. Unless he has a secret plan to sweep more conservative neighborhoods like South Boston (against Menino and Flaherty?), he'd have to do well in liberal strongholds such as the South End and Jamaica Plain to even survive the preliminary election. But Yoon, who opposes the ban on gay groups, explains his participation by seeming to cast himself as another Barack Obama, willing to open up negotiations with Cuba and other hostile nations. (I guess that means Menino is George W. Bush.) 

Yoon said Menino, who mingles with revelers along the sidelines of the parade route and attends other St. Patrick’s Day festivities, makes no major sacrifice to his LGBT constituents by boycotting the parade itself.

"I think it costs him very little politically. It’s very inexpensive to take that position, and how has he been hurt politically in South Boston by taking that position? I would suggest that he hasn’t," said Yoon. "I have. I’ve had to walk past [parade organizer] Wacko Hurley and his son pretty much at the very end of the parade and have them shake my hand with that letter [protesting the ban on gay groups] in mind."