Latin vs. Mumbles

Bostonist loves political showmanship. Really, we adore it. Because actual leadership disputes are all about budgets and negotiations and the careful balancing of interests, and that stuff is BOOOOOORING. But clever turns of phrase and chicken suits are fun, and without them, our vibrant democracy would be nothing more than Canada without the smart policy. That said, we are pretty underwhelmed by mayoral hopeful Maura Hennigan's decision to speak in Latin when challenging mayor Tom Menino to a debate.

On the one hand, we get the gist: She's going to challenge him to a debate in every language spoken in Boston (that is, the challenge will be in every language, not the debate), so she'll start with the classic root-language, and go from there. On the other hand, um, Latin? We imagine that the only people in the area who can understand Hennigan's challenge are Roman Catholic priests, and now might not be the time to be seen reaching out to them.

That said, Hennigan's call for debates is a good thing, since they provide ample opportunity for discussing boring issues and trading snappy one-line insults ("Maura Hennigan, you're no Jack Kennedy!"). And we hope Hennigan will keep her promise to challenge Menino in every language, because it will present some interesting dilemmas for her: Will she really hit every language spoken in Boston? That's a lot of languages. Will she do Portugal Portuguese, Brazil Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Creole? What about that African clicking language (somebody in Boston must speak it)? Bostonist has to wonder whether all of this isn't just a sneaky way to remind voters that Menino, according to some people, hasn't even mastered one language.