St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast brings political yuks to Boston

Gov. Charlie Baker’s approval rating is in the 80s. The city has courted a mega-corporation’s head honchos to the Hub. The mayor and the governor get along.

So the jokes went down easy like a cold pitcher of mid-morning beer Sunday morning at the latest St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Cracks about the “bromance” between Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh abounded.

In one video clip tribute to the duo’s efforts to bring GE to the city, Walsh played the role of Adele in a moody black-and-white music video for “Hello.” Donning a fur coat and sunglasses, Walsh-as Adele works to get Baker on the phone and kindle their relationship.

At the video’s end, the pair snapped a selfie.

Also in abundance were digs at the Republican presidential frontrunner, with jokes about small hands and border walls recalling Donald Trump.

“People here have been drinking since the crack of dawn and yet you’re still more coherent than Donald Trump,” quipped Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

On the possibility of Republican Scott Brown joining Trump’s ticket, Warren said it would be the “perfect reality show matchup: ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ meets ‘The Biggest Loser.’”

“Ever noticed how small Mayor Walsh’s hands are?” asked Congressman Stephen Lynch, waving around giant rubber hands from the podium.

The recent controversy over Walsh’s bid to shorten the route of the St. Patrick’s Day parade was also palpable in the room.

Lynch joked that a bitter Southie planned to build a wall around the neighborhood – and make Walsh pay for it.

When Walsh himself gave a speech, he said he’d only been given two minutes to talk, but reclaimed a 5 minute slot by injunction.

He joked about rumors of his aspirations beyond Boston. Repeating again and again that he didn’t have plans for higher office, a slideshow on projector screens showed him visitng the White House and the Vatican, posing with Bill Clinton and U2.

Another target: Sen. Brian Joyce, the Democrat facing scrutiny for his dealings with a Randolph drycleaner.

Baker, reaching the podium, lifted a basket full of clothes into the air.

“I’m sorry I’m late I’ve been waiting for Senator Joyce. I had some laundry that needed done,” Baker said. “Boy. I hear he gets a really good deal.”

Noting that his sought-after recent endorsements haven’t helped candidates in their respective races – most recently his support for candidate Chris Christie – Baker joked that he’s now endorsing Walsh, Warren and Attorney General Maura Healey for governor.

The state’s bid via ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana was also a topic ripe for skewering Sunday.

“Have you seen the governor’s popularity rate? Eighty-four percent. Eighty-four percent! Last time I saw something that high I was on my marijuana fact-finding trip,” said Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, in her introduction for Baker.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito read off a parody expense sheet for senators’ recent fact-finding trip on the issue to Colorado. Among expenditures, she said: 3,241 bags of Doritos.

After the breakfast foods were served and the Bud Lights and Bloody Mary’s stopped flowing, it was on to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade for Boston.