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Those annual St. Patrick’s Day roasts can be dangerous affairs for Bay State politicians who, nevertheless, seem to relish the opportunity they provide to tell bad jokes and sing off key.
For years legislative leaders used to poke fun at the taxpayers for allowing them to play fast and loose with their money. But they’ve found people are not so willing to laugh anymore at how many relatives they’ve put on the state payroll or how much money they’ve spent furnishing their offices.
House Speaker Sal DiMasi was the latest to see a crude attempt at humor backfire on him. Few, including the morning news team at WBZ-TV, found much to laugh at when he made a young aide the target of an ill-considered reference to the Spitzer scandal. See video here.
DiMasi can thank Sen. Jack Hart, host of the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day event, for leading him into one.
Salem Rep. John Keenan’s St. Patrick’s breakfast the Friday morning before Hart’s event was a much more tasteful affair. One of the few references to the Spitzer matter came when Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll noted that the New York governor had spent more on call girls than she makes in a year.
In fact, more politicians might be wise to follow the example of Patrice Tierney who, standing in for her husband, John, congressman from the 6th District, told the audience they’d hear no jokes from her. “My husband isn’t funny and neither am I,” she commented.