The Ross Report: Pre-Convention Coverage

Since we couldn’t find a good airfare deal on Hotwire.com, we won’t be attending the Democratic National Convention. Luckily, Boston City Councilor Mike Ross is attending the convention as a member of the Massachusetts delegation. Over the next week he’ll provide you with an insider’s view of what’s happening in Denver.

Today, we get Ross’ thoughts on the two types of delegates, who will babysit state government while most of Beacon Hill is away, and Gov. Deval Patrick’s hair. Take it away, Mike.

There are two kinds of delegates. Delegate A goes to the convention to attend informational seminars and mill about the convention hall, looking for some vintage Carter/Mondale buttons to add to the collection. At the hotel bar, Delegate A may enter into a heated debate with a fellow delegate over the future of the electoral college.

Then there’s the second type of delegate. Delegate B doesn’t care about seminars and symposiums. Delegate B is trying to figure out how he or she can score an invite to the Larry David event or if the Rolling Stone gala featuring Bill Maher will live up to the hype.

Let’s just say we’re looking to hang out with Delegate B.

Before you go passing judgment on those wild Democrats who like to party, know this— the DNC is just like any other industry convention. Somewhere in America, there’s an orthodontist convention happening right now—and you know that those guys aren’t really there to talk about the latest techniques in overbite corrective surgery. Of course, our convention may yield the next leader of the free world, but that’s just another reason to party.

Will the last Democrat to leave the Commonwealth please turn off the low-emission lights on his or her way out? The Massachusetts delegation is full of elected officials, so you may have wondered who will be left in charge while the power players are away.

As it happens, our Constitution has provisions for such an occurrence. In the event that both the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor are absent from the Commonwealth, the keys to the state are handed to the Secretary of State, then the Attorney General.

Since Gov. Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Bill Galvin, and Martha Coakley are all expected to be at the convention, the next in succession is State Treasurer Tim Cahill. Cahill was denied a trip to Denver, but getting some experience in the corner office is a silver lining for the rumored gubernatorial hopeful.

Speaking of the governor, what a difference a year has made. This time last year, Gov. Patrick’s pal Barack Obama was fifteen points behind Hillary Clinton; his big casino plan was going nowhere; and his poll numbers were mediocre at best. And how could we forget that haircut?

But next week, all that is behind him. He leads his party to Denver with a heap of legislative accomplishments, having sided with the Democratic nominee before all the cool kids were doing it, and is scheduled to deliver a prime-time speech on Tuesday. And his hair? Perfect.

We’ll talk again on Monday, when this thing really gets going.

Mike Ross is a Boston City Councilor, pledged delegate for Barack Obama, and one of our MySpace top friends.