State Sen. Linda Dorcena-Forry is the luckiest person in Boston.
This year she is going to host the annual St. Patrick’s Day political roast and it will be watched by everyone in Greater Boston. With all the controversy and media hype recently about the South Boston parade and breakfast, people will be watching to see how well she performs.
This has nothing to do with her not being from South Boston, and not being Irish. Oh, the president will call in and tell us about his distant cousins from Ireland. And you may have a distant relative from Ireland as well, but that’s not what people will be looking for.
Linda will have the opportunity to show how well she can play politics in the big league. The same way Johnny Powers, Joe Moakley, Billy Bulger, Jackie Hart and Billy Linehan so ably did. (As we now know, Linehan said he’ll be in Limerick, Ireland, March 16 and won’t be available to co-host the breakfast as planned.)
Linda will do a great job. She has pride and will arrive well-prepared. She will tell jokes and sing Irish songs with the best of the Irish politicians. Just you wait and see.
Our new senator will be the lead story on the news and will make us proud. Mayor Marty Walsh better be prepared to take a little razzing.
Gov. Deval Patrick, Marty and Linda will get an A for trying to sing an Irish ditty, but if you’re watching it live on television, that’s probably a good time to go out to the kitchen to pour yourself another cup of hot tea.
One word of advice to the press members who will cover the breakfast: Leave all the old cliches in the newsroom. It’s not historic, or a new day, it’s Boston at its best.
If Linda does well and makes us laugh, a political star is born. If she misses her punch lines and her jokes fall flat, there is a back door at the Convention Center where she can make a quick getaway. But I’m confident that we will see a performance as good as the best of them.
My only warning to Linda is, be yourself and say what you believe in. You may get knocked down, but we’re Boston Irish, and we’ll be there to pick you up.
Whether you realized it before or not, you’re now one of us.
Raymond L. Flynn is the former mayor of Boston and U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.