t used to be that lions romped across the Massachusetts political landscape. It used to be that our mayors were national figures, that our governors were presidential timber, that our congressmen commanded respect up and down Capitol Hill.
It used to be that Boston was an incubator for national ideas and a launching pad for candidates and their street-smart strategists. It used to be that our leaders took risks in pursuit of progress and viewed a political contribution as something other than a lobbyist's check.
But no more.
It's the political season in nothing less than a presidential campaign year, and all around Massachusetts there is only the agonizing sound of silence. That distant din you hear is the occasional fund-raiser hosted by an unopposed official collecting thousands of dollars he doesn't actually need. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a problem.
It's a problem because incumbents aren't being challenged, and without that challenge they face no urgent need to be creative, no impetus to confront issues that defy simple solutions. It's a problem because even in this booming economy, streets and whole blocks and even entire neighborhoods have been left behind, and no one seems to notice or care.
Campaigns are a time to take the measure of elected officials, look over where they've been, and question where they intend to go. It's a critical time of communication between officeholders and the voters who allow them to serve.
In a contested race, in an ideal sense, history is judged, proposals are aired and challenged, innovation becomes political currency.
None of which is happening in Massachusetts. Of the 40 state Senate races, 21 incumbents are running unopposed. The numbers in the House are even worse. In the 160 districts, 93 incumbents face no opposition - a stunning 58 percent. For this, there is plenty of blame.
First, blame the Republican Party. For a decade now, since William Weld was elected governor amid the fiscal crisis of 1990, partisans have talked about building the GOP from the ground up. Their failure has been nothing short of profound, the result being a smug collection of Democrats ensconced.
Republican operatives privately whine that Weld didn't dedicate resources to the party, but they ignore the fact that Cellucci had ample opportunity over the last decade to fulfill that exact goal. Because of his failure, four of the 10 Massachusetts congressmen are running without Republican opposition, and US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, perhaps the most coveted target of the right, faces no viable opponent.
Second, blame the Democrats, keeping in mind Lord Acton's saying: ''Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'' US Representative Martin Meehan has cavalierly discarded his term-limits pledge, in essence conceding that his promises are built on sand.
House Speaker Tom Finneran and Senate President Tom Birmingham have become imperial and obnoxious, thumbing their noses at the voters in their bald attempts to gut the Clean Elections Law, which represents a good step toward achieving the kind of competitive races this state so badly needs.
And recall Birmingham's immature, rascally ways. One example: On the eve of Cellucci's State of the State speech, Birmingham scheduled a vote on a proposed gubernatorial pay raise, effectively trumping policy with underhanded politics. It was the gratuitous act of a disingenuous politician.
Third, blame the news media. We in the press too often cross the line of skepticism toward cynicism, with a take-down mentality that discourages the best and brightest from ever entering public service.
Finally, blame the public. In an economy in which money seems more plentiful than problems, too few people pay attention to government anymore. The result: Politicians are getting away with mediocrity.
It matters. The elderly and the sick can't afford to fill prescriptions that could make them better. Urban schools continue to flounder, their students left in a void of hope. And tens of thousands of state residents have been foreclosed from the American dream of home ownership because of soaring real estate prices. Many can't even find a decent apartment to rent.
And in the body politic, there is little more than silence. Those in power tend to like the status quo.
Brian McGrory's e-mail address is mcgrory@globe.com.
