Eggs, differences over easy
Politics, humor on menu at St. Pat’s Breakfast rite
By John C. Drake
March 16, 2009
With a sour economy, job losses, and proposed tax hikes casting a pall over Beacon Hill, area politicians let off steam by ribbing each other and making light of the country’s ills yesterday at South Boston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast.
“You know what most Catholics are giving up for Lent this year? Their 401(k)s,” state Senator Jack Hart said, setting the tone for the day.
Governor Deval Patrick’s proposed gas tax hike, Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s garbled speech, and the candidates lining up to replace both men took the brunt of the barbs thrown by speakers at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Patrick serenaded the crowd with his “Gas Tax Lament,” a seven-stanza ditty sung to the tune of “Wild Rover,” in which he blamed his gubernatorial predecessors for the transporta tion funding gap.
“We’re facing a meltdown at the MBTA, and the roads and the bridges are showing decay, ‘cuz when Weld and Cellucci and Mitt ran the store, they ran up Big Dig debt more and more. They said no nay never, no, nay never no more, will we pay for our transport, ignore it some more.”
Senate President Therese Murray offered Patrick a prelude of legislative votes on his revenue proposals by leading the audience in voice votes on a toll hike, gas tax hike, candy tax, and liquor tax. In each case, a resounding “No” sprang from the audience.
“Governor, I hope that was helpful,” Murray quipped.
Poking Patrick over the strains of the office, Murray lifted up before-and-after pictures of the governor. Two of the “after” pictures were of Charlie Baker, the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim considering a GOP bid for governor, and Timothy P. Cahill, the state treasurer and a possible Democratic primary opponent.
New House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, participating in his first breakfast, teased Patrick over his campaign slogan, constantly referring to the state’s chief executive as “Governor Together We Can.”
He then presented Patrick with what he said was a family heirloom: a miniature slot machine. DeLeo is hoping Patrick will revive his plan to buttress the state’s coffers with gambling revenue by starting with slots at racetracks.
Menino took a pounding over his penchant for garbling words.
Representative Stephen F. Lynch joked that he heard from President Obama the day after Menino joined other mayors at a White House meeting.
“The president wanted to make a point of how impressed he was with the mayor,” Lynch said. “He said, ‘Congressman, I had no idea that your mayor speaks English as a second language.’ ”
But Menino was in on the joke. Before his comments, Menino pulled out a jug that he said was his “flub jug.” Each time he mumbled, he would put a quarter in the jar and each time someone else made fun of his speech, that person had to place a dollar in it. He said the money would go toward the city’s deficit, but he bungled the word deficit, prompting the crowd to call for a quarter in the jug.
“Writing books is a new thing for local pols,” Menino said. “[State Representative] Brian Wallace wrote one, the governor is working on his. I’m starting mine. It’s called the Menino-to-English dictionary.”
Patrick was not the only politician in a singing mood yesterday. Hart offered campaign songs for Menino and Councilors Michael F. Flaherty Jr. and Sam Yoon, who are challenging the 16-term incumbent in the fall.
For Menino, he sang: “Flaherty and Yoon are running. They’re sharpening their spears. But Tommy will be our mayor for the next 40 years.”
Flaherty received a nod as a “South Boston son”: “He’s waving goodbye to the council. He’s looking to set a new tone. He’s raising some cash, hopes Menino will crash, so that he will inherit the throne.”
For Yoon, Hart sang a song to the tune of “Mr. Sandman”: “Mr. Sam Yoon. Tell us your dream, to be the greatest man that we’ve ever seen.”
Flaherty and Yoon also got spots on the dais. (Another candidate, South End business owner Kevin McCrea, was not included.)
“I have a quick question for you. What has been around for 16 years, mostly underground and behind closed doors, leaving thousands of Bostonians lost and confused? Boy, I’m glad the Big Dig is finally over,” Flaherty said. “As you know, I’m running for mayor of Boston, and I have an opponent. My opponent works hard, is highly educated, and is known to speak a foreign language. Councilor Yoon, welcome to the mayor’s race.”
And joking about his Asian-American background among the mostly Irish crowd, Yoon said that when his family arrived at Ellis Island when he was a child, an immigration agent suggested the family change its name from “O’Yoon.”
“That’s not true,” he continued. “My name was originally Sam McYoon.”
Yoon, who was born Sang Hyung in South Korea, formally changed his name more than 10 years ago.
He also teased the crowd by saying a huge fortune cookie he brought with him held the name of the next mayor of Boston. After nervously taking his time opening it, he said, “It says, Happy St. Patrick’s Day.”
