BSO: Neal Nailed

Richard Neal's ears must have been on fire last Friday night as Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett discussed the Pioneer Valley congressman with guest host Jason Chaffetz on the Sean Hannity Show. The subject under discussion was the unprecedented public release of President Donald Trump's tax returns by Neal's Ways and Means Committee earlier that day.

Jarrett is obviously no fan of Neal, and at one point describes him as "the biggest dope in all of Congress." Unfortunately I couldn't find any online video of that segment, but I was able to get a transcription of Jarrett's remarks. The exchange began with Chaffetz (himself a former Congressman who served with Neal) saying that the tax form release "sets a terrible precedent." Here are the portions of Jarrett's response that relate to Neal:

"Makes you wonder, what about the tax returns of the members of the House Ways and Means Committee? Look, Richard Neal the Chairman has long been obsessed over releasing those tax returns. Purely vindictive, he thought it would embarrass Donald Trump....

Richard Neal, who in my opinion is the biggest dope in all of Congress, doesn't understand that by releasing these returns, he only underscores his own incompetence as chairman of that committee. That Committee is the chief tax writing committee. Those are their laws that Trump and other billionaires take advantage of.

It was incumbent on Neal and others to fix it, and he hasn't done that. Thankfully, Neal is being forced to step down once Republicans take control."

Ouch!

That's the worst media spanking a Western Mass congressman has gotten since 1972, when the Boston Globe wrote of Neal's predecessor, Edward "House Mouse". Boland - "We don't know anything good or bad about Edward P. Boland from the Second Congressional District. After twenty years of service to date he is a cipher and a nonentity in the U.S. Congress."

Gee, we really know how to elect the losers here in Western Mass!

Meanwhile, I went to the ball watching ceremony in downtown Northampton this New Year's Eve. When we got there it was raining and my sister Donna and niece Kyla were under umbrellas!

Kyla got her face painted for the special occasion.

The old courthouse was bathed in psychedelic lighting.

The lights made Silent Cal looks kinda goth.

The ball ceremony is held on the roof of the Hotel Northampton. I went inside for a few minutes and sat by this cozy fireplace scene in the lobby.

This city snow plow was enlisted to block King Street and keep the revelers safe, which were not many in number because of the rain.

Miraculously, the rain stopped about a half hour before midnight, causing a rush of late arrivals that included people who came pouring out of the hotel and the downtown bars.