The Candidate’s Kiss of Death

Mayor Walsh enjoys a good wave of popularity these days.

Kids love him.

The elderly enjoy his visits, and he seems to be able to move amongst many different communities with success.

But if you’re a candidate for office, I dare say you might want to avoid hizzoner.

Mayor Walsh has had the kiss of death for the candidates he has supported. And in a weird irony, that doesn’t seem to reflect on his own popularity.

His candidates lose time and again, but he still remains popular with the locals.

In this last election, he was out hard for the Capper, or Mike Capuano. As we all know, the Capper took a tough one on the chin and Councilor Ayanna Pressley rose to stardom.

The mayor was even out pounding the pavement for Capuano late in the day, saying he wanted the experience to return to the seat.

Of course, former City Haller Dan Koh got the mayor’s nod and just this week finally had to concede. There are candidates in East Boston, the North End and Roxbury lying in the wake of mayoral endorsements that didn’t pay dividends.

It’s a long line of folks, and when I pull my papers, maybe I’ll try to get by on my own good name – Mr. B!

  • • •  •  •

I know it’s not just me, but there’s a phenomenon that’s driving me crazy behind the wheel.

I call it the Uber Stomp.

Maybe you’ve had the same heart attack.

So there I was cruising toward Lower Roxbury on Columbus Avenue last week when an Uber just stops in the middle of the road without nary a warning.

I stomp on my brakes, miss hitting the back of the Uber by inches. The guy behind me stomps on the brakes and a hapless pedestrian had to carefully think through crossing the street as this all went down.

Then out jumped a high-powered individual on a cell phone and headed somewhere very important, no doubt.

This happens 100 times an hour in Boston. They believe they can get away with this because there is no money exchanged, unlike with a cab.

It’s ridiculous. No one else just gets to stop mid-block and hang out for 15 seconds, then speed off – consequences to the wind.

Somebody, please do something about this. How many insurance claims are generated in our fair city by these silly folks – innovators, living legends unto themselves.

  • • •  •  •

My niece was over the other day and I had the tele- playing the Supreme Court hearings. A young elementary student just learning about the three branches of government, I was curious as to what she made of the Supreme Court.

I asked her if she knew what the Supreme Court was.

“Of course I do uncle,” she said. “The Supreme Courts are Judge Judy, People’s Court, Hot Bench and the Spanish judge on Telemundo. Those are the Supreme Courts.”

Justice has never been so sweet as to those.

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