I wonder if revelations about House Speaker Bill Murphy’s intention to step down change the context in which we should consider Dennigan’s drama. The previous common assessment had held, I believe, that Dennigan’s challenge to Langevin was (on the issue of abortion or just generally) a shot from the progressive faction — either to move him left or with the impression that he could actually be beat.
Could Dennigan instead be an early indication that General Assembly insiders are finally losing hope that the annual unexpected windfall or pot of money to be drained from the future will emerge? Rather than stay and fix the problem, perhaps they’re interested in finding ways, individually, to cash out.