DiMasi Should Have Skipped That Round

The Commomwealth's Speaker of the House, Sal DiMasi, is well-known for his opposition to Governor Deval Patrick's casino plan. There's no turning back now.

The Globe reports today that DiMasi played golf at exclusive South Florida clubs with Joe O'Donnell, owner of Eastie's Suffolk Downs horse track, who wants a gaming license. They also report that DiMasi met the famously rich casino magnate Donald Trump "...at a cocktail party at the Mar-a-Lago Club, an exclusive, Trump-owned estate in Palm Beach."

DiMasi's spokesperson told the Globe that DiMasi declined an invitation to play golf with the Donald. Trump denied that any such invitation was offered, saying, "We were never scheduled to play golf. He's too busy working to play golf." (Trump can't know DiMasi too well: DiMasi is notorious for shaving two and a half strokes off his golf handicap during the first year of his current role as Speaker.)

Patrick's casino plan seems to be picking up steam, and DiMasi would almost certainly be damaged if he had to fight off a popular, potentially lucrative initiative that wouldn't cost the government anything. But if he gives in on casinos now, he'll appear to have caved under the influence of his big money casino acquaintances. He may have gotten himself stuck between revenue and a hard place.