Chronicling the past week via quick links and pithy commentary (can’t liiiive, if livin’ is without Mitt Romney edition).

Mike Ross—City Councilor. Delegate. Blogger: The Ross Report gave us an insider’s perspective on the Democratic National Convention.

WBZ sits this convention out: The station explains why it didn’t send its staff to Denver.

Bargain CEOs: Francis Storrs finds out which companies are getting the biggest bang for their buck.

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The Democratic National Convention is over, and we witnessed it all on television. Lucky for us, Boston City Councilor Mike Ross attended as a member of the Massachusetts delegation. Throughout the week, he’s provided you with an insider’s view of what happened in Denver.

Today, we hear about Barack Obama’s cinematic speech, the musical acts, and the bargains that can be had in Denver this morning. Take it away, Mike.

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Each Friday, Paul McMorrow will take you inside the smoke-filled rooms and darkly-lit corridors of government to bring you the hottest and juiciest political tidbits. This Week: The most powerful guy in the House is Paul McMurtry? While the Commonwealth churns, the city waits; Plus: Mo Feeney takes over, and all is well.

Paul McMurtry is the most powerful man in the House right now. That fact is due largely to the legislature’s disinclination to work at any pace that could be characterized as “speedy,” or even, “workmanlike,” or even “mildly determined.”

The House and Senate left a whole mess of bills untended to when their formal sessions expired this month. Most of the remaining said mess of bills are routine local matters that can still be pushed through to the governor – so long as there are no objections from any of the legislators who bother to show up to work on any given day. But if just one guy decides to throw the brakes on a bill, everything is F’d for everybody.

Paul McMurtry is that one guy.

He’s been derailing House sessions for two weeks now, and shows no signs of slowing down. He won’t relent until Angelo Scaccia blinks first. Scaccia won’t. So nothing gets done. And the two Reps’ colleagues are starting to get pissed. (more…)

As someone who used to spend his days (and nights and weekends and holidays) toiling in the sports department of a newspaper, I’ve been enjoying a bit of schadenfreude at the departure of Chicago Sun-Times hack columnist Jay Mariotti.

Mariotti is the worst kind of sportswriter, a bloviating bouffant talking head who relies on lazy suppositions and overheated rhetoric to get on ESPN, instead of actual reporting to back up his rip jobs. When your two main claims to fame are appearing as a regular on Around the Horn and not talking to the people you’re attacking, there’s not much left to say. (Don’t take my word for it. Look at what former colleagues Roger Ebert, Rick Telander, and Chris DeLuca had to say. Not to mention his former readers at the Sun-Times.)

All that’s well and good, but the rumor mill has been churning with speculation that Mariotti has his eye on our fair city. Thankfully, the Herald’s Jessica Haslem cut through the noise and talked to the permed one who claimed, “Who, me?” (more…)

An hour and 15 minutes have passed since we first heard reports that Mitt Romney will not be John McCain’s running mate. In that time, Romney and Tim Pawlenty’s names have fallen out of the headlines, and have been replaced by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Now the AP (according to a Boston.com breaking news alert), CBS, MSNBC, and ABC all report that McCain has chosen the Alaska Governor.

Until we hear it from McCain or Romney, we keep the hope alive.

UPDATE: Well, it’s official. Don’t worry, agingcynic—no more Romney-centric posts today.

There are many institutions and people that deserve their own day. Dunkin’ Donuts free iced coffee day, for example. We’re also big supporters of Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s.

You can now add Dane Cook to that list. Yes, the City of Boston will declare September 17 to be Dane Cook Day.

This may be the one time that the Arlington native manages to coax a chuckle out of us.

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It’s 9:15 on August 29. Do you know if your former governor is still in the running to be John McCain’s running mate?

Right now, it’s not looking good. The Associated Press reports that sources close to Mitt Romney say he hasn’t been offered the job. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty told a radio station that he’ll be spending the day at the state fair, so he’s probably not it either.

Rumors are circulating that it might be Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Say it ain’t so, John. Say it ain’t so.

Photo from MittRomney.com

Your condensed guide to today’s daily papers.

The big day is finally here! Will John McCain pick Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, or a dark horse running mate? We should find out this morning. [Herald]

Yes, he can: Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination in a rousing speech before more than 84,000 supporters in Denver. [Globe]

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Your long day of corporate drudgery is over. Get out and enjoy the city! Here are a few ideas to get you started, lovingly picked by Boston Daily.

Don’t have tickets to INVESCO Field for Barack Obama’s speech tonight? It doesn’t mean you have to watch the historic moment alone. Svedka’s Nomination Night Celebration features politically-themed cocktails and plenty of young Democrats.

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The local media is going through a tumultuous phase, and it shows in unexpected ways. As longtime staffers head abroad or to a different medium, the institutional memory of our favorite publications fades a little.

But that doesn’t explain the drastic shift in viewpoints that we’ve noticed from the local papers recently.

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