It's always a little bit of a challenge to select an individual winner among the many people who had something to do with a big project or piece of legislation. This case was no different.
The Boston Globe today mocks us a little bit for "gushing" over DiMasi while paying short shrift to other lawmakers who had a lot to do with the bill. Governor Mitt Romney has certainly taken credit for the bill on the presidential hustings -- one of the few things about Massachusetts that he admits liking. State Senate President Robert Travaglini also got out ahead of DiMasi in pushing for a major health bill, as we noted in earlier coverage.
But does that mean picking DiMasi was a mistake? Obviously, we think not. The whole point of the profile was that DiMasi successfully steered a course toward passage, crafting a surprising compromise out of seemingly irreconcilable approaches favored by Romney, Travaglini and others.
DiMasi certainly didn't invent health care or universal coverage as an issue in Massachusetts. But forging a winning compromise on a tough and contentious problem is achievement enough for a legislator. That's what they're supposed to do, and DiMasi did it exceptionally well.
