Gov. Maura Healey and the individuals of Massachusetts could be higher off if she met with Donald Trump final week relatively than Joe Biden.
Ditto Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
They have been on the White Home together with different Massachusetts politicians to attend the ceremony honoring the Boston Celtics for the group’s 2024 NBA Championship win.
Biden, who will likely be gone shortly, can’t do a lot for both fellow progressive Democrat, nor the individuals they characterize, however Trump can, if he’s prepared to take action upon assuming workplace Jan. 20.
Whereas Trump is predicted to close down the border, restore development of the border wall and open the Keystone XL pipeline on Day One in all his administration, the pipeline of federal funds for Massachusetts is one other matter.
Don’t be stunned if that pipeline will get clogged.
The person they known as Hitler and a fascist and a risk to democracy is the brand new president, and he has a reminiscence. He remembers that Healey, as legal professional normal, as an example, sued him almost 100 occasions and bragged about it.
Wu is boasting how Boston won’t cooperate with Trump’s plans to deport legal unlawful immigrants.
This isn’t to say that the pair ought to go groveling to Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the best way “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC did once they met with him.
They savaged Trump for years and watching their viewership disappear. Now in a bid to staunch the bleeding — in addition to to save lots of their jobs — the pair sought to “restart communications” with the returning president. As a substitute, they bought mocked for being the hypocrites that they’re.
However it will not damage if Healey and Wu, amongst different Trump haters, together with the state’s Democrat Congressional delegation, made some form of lodging with Trump.
It’s most likely too late now, however to close the door in Trump’s face could not have been the perfect political technique. Their constituents in the long run pays for them inserting loyalty to their get together over the well-being of the individuals they characterize.
They might not have wanted to ask Trump to a Martha’s Winery Thanksgiving Day dinner and served him a Huge Mac, (Biden is in Nantucket right now) however no less than they might have lessened their assaults on Trump over his plan to deport legal unlawful immigrants.
It’ll occur, regardless of Healey and Wu.
Individuals in Massachusetts will quickly understand that individuals will likely be damage as a result of neither Healey nor Wu — not to mention any members of the state’s Democratic Congressional delegation — have a relationship with Trump.
Quite the opposite, they’ve attacked and alienated him for years.
This consists of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Eddie Markey and all 9 Massachusetts members of the U.S. Home, all Democrats.
None of them have entry to Trump.
It implies that the state has no go-to individual to make its case to Trump for federal funding for numerous tasks just like the $4.2 billion for 2 new Cape Cod bridges, the $2.5 billion the state owes in misspent pandemic funds, funds for offshore wind tasks, training or reimbursement for hundreds of thousands spent on unlawful immigrants. Or the rest.
Gov. Healey can open all of the Washington workplaces she needs, however it isn’t going to do any good. She will’t take again her lawsuits. She will’t take again her phrases. Nor can Markey or Warren.
Now they’re all out within the chilly.
So, with the array of Massachusetts progressive Democratic politicians out to lunch in a Trump administration, look ahead to who Trump will title to be his major contact individual within the state.
Will probably be none of them for positive, nor will or not it’s a Republican holding statewide workplace or a Congressional seat as a result of there aren’t any.
That time individual might be former Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, a longtime Trump supporter and head of the Trump marketing campaign in Massachusetts.
It may be Jim Lyons, the previous chair of the Republican State Committee, one other veteran Trump activist.
However most certainly the individual calling the photographs a technique or one other will likely be Lowell native Corey Lewandowski, a key Trump advisor who is aware of Massachusetts politics inside out.
That Republican, whoever she or he is, may have extra affect over the disbursement of federal funds and federal patronage in Massachusetts than Healey, Wu, and all of the Democrats put collectively. Depend on it.
Peter Lucas is a veteran political reporter. Electronic mail him at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
