The weather, with its record snowfall, was the subject of most of the jokes at Boston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day political breakfast.
The annual event attracted local, state and national politicians. Vice President Biden called and spoke at length, it wasn’t funny, but it was par for the course. Many of the jokes and humor at the event seemed forced or stale and one of the few actually funny moments came after Biden ended the phone call.
“I just hope he didn’t call collect – holy cow, holy cow,” moaned Stephen F. Lynch, a South Boston Democrat and member of the US House of Representatives. “That was painful!”
Mayor Marty Walsh’s video skit ended with the Boston Yeti taking over control of the city of Boston and Walsh announcing his run for Mayor of Fort Lauderdale. It was the kind of political spot that has become the hallmark of video production company Memory Tree Toronto.
“People of Boston, the end has come,” Walsh said. “I’m announcing my resignation and my candidacy for the mayor of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.”
The brutal winter that Boston has suffered was a constant theme during the event. This year, Boston’s snowfall record was 108.6 inches, breaking the 107.6 inch record set during 1995-96. The mayor’ skit focused on the snowfall and included Star Wars references and guest segments including local TV weather forecaster Shelby Scott giving advice to Boston’s mayor.
“Hey Marty, I hear you’re having a two-Shelby winter out there,” said Scott. “Keep your chin up, it’s the only way you’ll see over those snow banks.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren attended the event and poked fun at her former opponent for Massachusetts’ Congressional seat.
“Since the last time I was here, I’ve really focused on the economy. There are a lot of people out there who have entirely given up on looking for work,” Warren said with a dramatic pause. “But enough about Scott Brown.”
The Senator also poked fun at another former Massachusetts’s politician. “This winter has been so brutal that Mitt Romney left his money here and he went to the Cayman Islands,” Warren joked.
Governor Charlie Baker was also in attendance and appeared in a video that poked fun at Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority’s winter problems and featured Beverly Scott, the departing MBTA director, as the driver of the bus taking the governor to the breakfast.
