One of Dr. Seuss’ most under-appreciated works is Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? In the book, a grandfatherly character tells a boy about how fortunate he is that he can make a shadow and doesn’t have to climb several hundred stairs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

We mention this because we consider ourselves very lucky that we are not Richard Vitale.

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Although House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s troubles with Richard Vitale often eclipses his relationship with developer Jay Cashman, the line between the pair’s professional and personal relationship is very fine. Back in May, DiMasi came under fire for his role in killing a bill that may have benefited Cashman.

But there was also a question of the relationship between the men’s wives. Today, the Globe profiles Deborah DiMasi and Christy Scott Cashman and their book club show on NECN.

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In this month’s issue of Boston magazine, we learn that you don’t want to piss off Secretary of State William Galvin, especially when it comes to the quiet of his Lake Street home. While he’s clear that he’s speaking as a private citizen, his opposition to Boston College’s expansion has been merciless.

Today, we learn that Galvin is setting his sights on Richard Vitale.

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Ever since Sal DiMasi and friends applied the sole of their collective boot to Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino proposal, there’s been a fair amount of after-the-fact regret going around. So much so that the pesky topic just won’t go away. As one gaming industry insider emailed us from Vegas, “I think the industry pretty much agrees it is not a question of if gaming will come to Massachusetts, but only a question of when.”

The past week has produced a couple of significant—and highly related—developments to that end. (more…)

We like to be there for people when they’re struggling. We shuttle pints of Ben and Jerry’s to them after a bad breakup, and we answer the phone when they need to vent.

But after a while, our patience wears thin and all we want to do is shake them until they start making sense again. With that, we turn to House Speaker, Sal DiMasi.

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Exactly one week ago, Republicans in the State Senate decided they’d like to tack a few gambling amendments on to the 2009 budget since House Speaker Sal DiMasi ruthlessly dispatched Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino legislation before they could have a say. The only problem with that is the Senate budget would go back to the House, creating delays in finally knowing how screwed the state’s finances will be next year.

Therefore, the Speaker is throwing the Senate a bone, and promises to put a casino referendum on the ballot this fall.

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We imagine that every time one of those Southwest ads that ends with “Want to Get Away?” comes on in Sal DiMasi’s household, the Speaker fantasizes about sticking his friend Richard Vitale on one of the gold planes and sending him very, very far away. Every move Vitale makes brings DiMasi’s quartet of ethics investigations back into the news.

Today, the headlines are all about Sal’s Pal quitting his day job at his accounting firm.

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Last week, Gov. Deval Patrick hinted that his casino legislation may make like Lazarus and rise from the dead. We applauded him for suddenly having the courage to kick House Speaker Sal DiMasi while he’s down (politics, hooray!).

But an unlikely party is pledging to tack the casino proposal onto the Senate’s budget as an amendment.

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You know you’re going to have a rough day when the Globe has so much coverage about you that they can run it under one headline. House Speaker Sal DiMasi gets the treatment this morning as the broadsheet reports on the continuing saga of Richard Vitale’s lobbying work and reveals that the Speaker was receiving death threats during the heated casino debate.

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Our philosophy in life is to not dignify idle gossip with a response. It’s better to walk with your head held high than to get into a sniping match with those who are trying to take you down.

But there is a point where you have to step forward and tell the haters your version of events. After a weeks of bad press, House Speaker Sal DiMasi has reached that threshold, and he has written a letter to legislators about his rapidly deteriorating reputation.

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