While the Music Lasts: My Life in Politics

Possessing a rare accurate portrayal of life in South Boston, the highly anecdotal work: 'WHILE THE MUSIC LASTS: My Life In Politics' (c. 1996) by William M. Bulger, Esq.; also contained insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the political process inside the Massachusetts Statehouse during his twenty-seven year tenure as elected State Senator and Senate President. While maintaining a good sense of humor throughout a serious work, Mr. Bulger was also not afraid to expouse on the gritty fundamentals of political reality as experienced in a working-class neighborhood or the shrewd choices required for political success. Based on his considerable political experiences, Mr. Bulger defined leadership as a "catalytic function" (p.71). "The leader" explained Mr. Bulger "is not a captain with power to command ... but must navigate in ways acceptable to the majority" (p.72). Almost written as a biography, the memoir: WHILE THE MUSIC LASTS described the Bulger family's 1938 move into South Boston when the author was just four years old, and the family's twenty-three year experiences with the residents of the Old Harbor Projects. It was in this working-class neighborhood of South Boston where Mr. Bulger found his life's calling and pursued politics as more than a career. A consummate politician, and loyal to the Neighborhood, Mr. Bulger was the right man at the wrong time when forced busing was decreed regarding "Alleged segregation in our schools,..."(p.108). Containing a well-founded criticism of media activists and newspapers, particularly the tendentious 'Boston Globe', the book: WHILE THE MUSIC LASTS described the 1964 Supreme Court decision in 'Sullivan v. The New York Times' which shifted the burden of proof to the victim of libel to prove their own innocence - essentially a requirement to prove a negative! This gave the media activists and the various left-winged interlopers who poured into South Boston during the first year of forced busing a license to lie with virtual impunity! Thus freely bashing South Boston and its residents with limited restraint, a virtual torrent of politically-correct vitriol was unleashed against concerned parents and elected representatives: (please read: DEATH AT AN EARLY AGE (c. 1966) by Jonathan Kozol as an example of this unrestrained propaganda). Certain omissions were the only short-coming of this work, as Mr. Bulger listed at length the colorful nick-names of Neighborhood residents while omitting Ray Flynn's Southie nickname of 'MEL' Flynn (and why he earned it). Also omitted was the mentioning of the 274 Afro-American families living and attending schools in South Boston prior to the forced busing decree, or the small colony of Mic Mac Indians living down on E. 3rd Street (between G and K), or the majority of South Boston Polish, Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Greek, Czech, Albanian, and German ethnic groups (whom the racists would label 'white') which reduced the Irish presence to a mere vocal mi

All I have to say is that this book was excellent. This man has been an inspiration to me throughout my teenage years to the present. Anyone who reads this cannot deny the fact that this man is an inspiration to all. He has done so many good things for the people of Massachusetts. He has risen out of the shadow of his brother and succeeded, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. This book was well written and very descriptive of his life and the lives of all the people of South Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Read it and you will see, trust me.

Former Massachusetts State Senate President William Bulger's autobiography provides readers insights into the inner workings of his state's politics and into legislative affairs. In addition, it provides many personal insights into the rise of a man from a working class South Boston neighborhood to legislative leadership. A primary lesson Senator Bulger wishes to convey is that politicians should be driven by their believe they can make a difference. They should continue at politics "while the music lasts" and they can still hear that music that lets them know they can create the changes for which they fight. Mr. Bulger's advice to legislators is to learn facts and data when arguing the merits of their proposals. He believes good research is more valuable than good rhetoric. He recommends that legislators avoid creating divisions amongst their peers and to avoid choosing sides too soon when these divisions occur. For that reason, he followed a rule of avoiding discussing divisions with the media, whom he believes fuels these divisions. Senator Bulger was a practitioner of the art of compromise, although he states taht moral principle should always come first. The book provides a good description of the two year fight Senator Bulger had in passing key child care legislation. Part of his struggle included withdrawing his name as sponsor in order to pick up votes to pass it. The book also provides the author's insights into the very heated school busing issue. This book is a great resource for readers wishing to learn more about the legislative process, about Massachusetts politics, or the insights of a colorful politician from South Boston.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and felt the most important aspect of it was the succinct way in which Mr Bulger argued the case for the aversion that the various neighborhoods of Boston (particularly South Boston) had for forced busing. I have not lived in Boston for 7 years now but did whilst most of the problems with busing and its aftermath existed, and I found the book to be an important reminder of just how intimidating that period was for the average citizen. It was in the midst of a particularly oppressive recession, the end of the Vietnam war, Watergate.....generally a time in which trust in the government and America's place in the world, all appeared to be under threat. The imposition of forced busing brought this very feeling of society's unravelling right to our doorsteps. I think Mr Bulger's book served as a very important personal reminder to me of that time in our lives. I am proud of the fact that he was able to set the record straight, in favour of the good citizens of Boston who were unfairly treated by the courts and the media of the time. The anecdotes were great and were tied together favourably in a chronological order that made it easy to follow. It was a great book to read leisurely ( I read it while traveling over the course of two weeks)

Mr. Bulger, much maligned by our local press in Mass, comes through bigtime. Once and for all, our people are given access to his wit, wisdom, and experience, and, quite frankly, it is a refreshing break from the moronic politicians garb we endure as a nation today.