Reply #2: Sadly, the Bushes are not the only grifters in education. I am grateful to

[No Elephants]

this board, especially Mad Floridian and Sea Fan, for so much information about charter schools.

So sad that the only two candidates for Mayor of Boston are two charter school fans. Connolly's love of charter schools, however, seems to be reciprocated by a California charter school group that wanted to donate--wait for it--a half million or more to his preliminary campaign, just to make sure he made it to the top two (which, of course, he did).

The other candidates in the preliminary raised a fuss about outside money, so, theoretically he did not take it.

There should not be so much money in educating kids that a charter school organization has millions to blow on a mayoral race in Boston.

I don't know if the organization that wanted to lay that money on Connolly is connected to Michele Rhee, but I suspect it is. She lives in Sacramento, married to Kevin Johnson (D), current Mayor of Sacramento. (Her first husband is now Superintendent of Schools in Tennessee, appointed by a Republican Governor, so, apparently, she's politically, um, flexible.)

I will be voting for Walsh because at least he is pro-union. He joined the union at 18. His dad was a union man. Unions are not what they used to be, but at least Walsh knows what it's like to be the son of an immigrant union laborer. In the state house (he's a state rep), he's on the Ethics Committee and the Labor Committee.

And, on a weekly local show about local politics, they have a Democratic spokewoman and a Republican spokeswoman. Though the Republican supposedly has no dog in this race, she was touting Connolly, to the point of lying.

Menino is still popular in Boston and would win easily if he were running. So, a lot of the discussion has beenc orace prediction as one of his final public acts in office.)

When the show anchor asked who Menino favors, the Republican pundit immediately yelled out "Connolly." This is ridiculous because Connolly had been an outspoken critic of Menino and announced he would be running against him months before Menino announced he would not be running. No other Democrat had done that.

So, the Democratic spokesperson pointed out that Menino had attended an event where all the preliminary candidates for Mayor were present. Menino shook every hand in the room, except Connolly's.


But both candidates have money and contacts and endorsements behind them. Connolly's Dad was once Secretary of State of Massachusetts, so there is money, contacts, endorsements, etc. right there. And then, there's the Charter School stuff.

On the other hand, the AFL-CIO and the Working Families Party are supporting Walsh. I'm thinking police, firefighters and city employees will line up in droves to vote for him, even though he promises not to divide his loyalties when bargaining as Mayor. He also has the endorsement of a number of African American groups.

They're both Irish, so no one has the edge on that count in this historically Irish politician town. But it's now a minority majority town, too. The Spanish vote could swing it, although the Spanish candidates never made it beyond the preliminary election.

Still, it might be nice if Menino risked his pride and helped Walsh out with an endorsement?