Menino’s Blame Game

The Boston Herald’s Jessica Van Sack has a front page story today on Menino’s long record of blaming anyone and everyone but himself for things that have gone wrong on his watch as Mayor of Boston.

Yours truly was interviewed for the article:

Mayor Thomas M. Menino knows that ruling the roost in Boston means never having to say you’re sorry – especially when you can point the finger of blame at others over and over again.

The mayor has blamed the governor, the Legislature, the feds, state police, the firefighters union, plowing contractors, the business community, the gun lobby, weather forecasters, Sunday liquor sales, college administrators and the media when things went wrong in the city.

When the crowd got out of control at Copley Plaza at the release of the wildly popular PlayStation 3 last year, Menino blamed Sony.

When traffic gridlock shut down the city during last week’s snowstorm, Menino blamed Gov. Deval Patrick and local businesses for letting state and private sector employees out early – even though he cut city workers loose at the same time.

“He must believe nothing is ever his fault,” said Matt Margolis, a Republican political observer who co-founded HubPolitics.com with his brother. “He’s so insulated from criticism.”

The sad fact is that Menino has little to fear when it comes to his job. He’s handily reelected term after term, despite his lack of leadership or accomplishments. One example I gave was his failed gun buyback program. That was pretty much his “final solution” when it came to fighting the exploding gun violence in Boston, and it didn’t solve the problem or have any impact at all. Kids are still getting killed.

Menino is a failure as a leader. Unlike President Bush, who took responsibility for the federal government’s response (and essentially the Louisiana state government’s response) to Hurricane Katrina, Mayor Menino is point fingers and laying blame elsewhere. Sadly, the voters of Boston fall for it every election cycle.

Free Wi-Fi is Useless If You’re Dead

Yesterday’s BostonNOW talked about the latest news about “Mayor Thomas Menino’s $15 million dream for citywide wireless” in Boston… meanwhile, the residents of Boston are still suffering from Menino’s failed gun buyback program, which did nothing to reduce gun related crime in the city.

I guess it’s nice to know that if you happen to get shot in the city of Boston with your laptop, you’ll soon be able to look up how to treat your gunshot wound.

A Lesson For Menino From Virginia Tech

Often times, in order to get politicians/councils/agencies to act on a particular problem, a tragedy must occur first. It takes a high-profile child rape/murder case to bring about the AMBER Alert or Jessica’s law. It usually takes a fatal fire to bring about a change in building and fire codes. It takes a Columbine to justify metal detectors at high schools.

Unfortunately, here in Boston, Mayor Menino has chosen to take incorrect courses of action to combat the rising gun violence that continues to plague the city. His gun buyback program last year has demonstrated itself to be a complete failure, with gun related violence and death up significantly this year compared to last year.

The shooting at Virginia Tech (which has resulted 32 deaths, including a student from Saugus) should be a lesson for Mayor Menino, who has been fighting a war on guns rather than a war on crime.

What the Mayor needs to be aware of is that Virginia Tech is a so-called “gun free zone.” And whether he likes it not, he cannot blame the NRA or Mitt Romney’s hunting pride for what happened at Virginia Tech or what is happening in Boston. For two hours, the students, faculty, and staff at Virginia Tech were vulnerable because no one could stop a lone gunman. Students were given a false sense of safety by their so-called “gun free zone,” and 32 people died. Here in Boston, Menino wanted to create another false sense of safety with his ridiculous gun buyback program.

How many more have to die because initiatives that claim to protect us actually make us more vulnerable?

Menino Takes Aim At Romney’s NRA Membership

Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who has reigned over Boston without any affect on the upsurge in violence, is criticizing former Governor Mitt Romney for being a member of the National Rifle Association and claiming to be a lifelong hunter.

An infuriated Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday slammed former GOP governor Mitt Romney for boasting about his National Rifle Association membership and “bragging” about shooting varmints with a semiautomatic, even as his former capital city is besieged by gun violence.

“How could you be hoping to talk about public safety in this country when the proliferation of illegal guns is at an epidemic stage and you are proud to say I am a gun proponent,” Menino said.

“It’s nothing to brag about for votes. That’s what he is doing. He wants to use this as a way trying to get votes, bragging about guns.”

Well Mr. Mayor, weren’t you the one who made the claim in a campaign ad that you have been effective as mayor in reducing crime, yet, violent crime is up 11% in the Hub. It was you and then Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O’Toole who kept blaming the rising crime on everything else. It was you and O’Toole who presided over rising crime rates, and not enough police officers making it on to the streets. It was your pathetic gun buyback program that did nothing to reduce gun violence. Like you said Mr. Mayor, the new cops coming to the force this year, it’s only part of the solution–what else do you got?

Once again Mr. Mayor, you are blaming someone else for your shortcoming. You are the Mayor of Boston, not Mitt Romney. This is your quagmire, Mayor Menino.

Menino In La-La Land

Undoubtedly refusing to admit that his gun buyback program was a total failure, Menino is denying how grave the crime situation in Boston is.

Despite a murder rate 60 percent higher than last year‚Äôs body count and bloodshed that continued to escalate with a shooting last night, Mayor Thomas M. Menino defiantly denied yesterday that Boston is in crisis, instead blaming the media for negative headlines. 

“A lot of people want to believe it’s out of control. It’s not out of control,” Menino assured a packed house at Greater Love Tabernacle in the heart of Dorchester’s shooting gallery, where he was welcomed by thunderous applause.

“This city works. The problem is you’re always seeing headlines about the bad news. I wish we had a good news newspaper. The Good News of Boston. The bad guys don’t control this city, they only control the headlines.”

Already facing a major embarrassment over the initiative of the Guardian Angels to come to Boston to do the job Menino refuses to do, the least Menino could do is recognize he’s let Boston deteriorate into a crime-plagued city.

UPDATE: The Guardian Angels blog at the Boston Herald…