So the hardworking staff hied us to the International House of Politics last night to catch A Special Event with Democratic Candidates for Massachusetts Governor, which was definitely not a debate featuring Joseph Avellone, Donald Berwick, Martha Coakley, Steven Grossman, and Juliette Kayyem. (Daniel Ki was the moderator.)

We arrived fashionably late, as is our wont, so we missed the opening statements of Grossman and Kayyem. But we caught the rest, which was interesting in a boring sort of way.

Random observations:

• If you picked “universal pre-K” for your drinking game, you were knee-walking by 8:36

• Mirtha Coakley hasn’t progressed all that much as a candidate since 2010

• Donald Berwick will dine out forever on Glenn Beck’s calling him the second most dangerous man in America

• Joseph Avellone loves Massachusetts and wants to give something back

• Steven Grossman will likely raise your taxes

• Juliette Kayyem will take money from the criminal justice system to fund – wait for it – universal pre-K

• During the Q&A section of the not-debate, Berwick persistently called the questioners by name

• Coakley talked about her brother’s suicide in discussing mental health services

• Grossman said he’ll likely raise your taxes

• Avellone said 40% of state’s budget goes to healthcare costs

• Berwick said 42%!!

• Kayyem said she’s been to 44 states and 50 other countries

• Grossman said he’ll likely raise your taxes

• Everyone is in favor of jobs, affordable healthcare, increased mental healthcare, teachers (not the problem – the solution), substance abuse treatment, and – yes! – universal pre-K

• Everyone said “What he/she said”

• The whole thing was like Nerf Groundhog Day (R.I.P Harold Ramis, aka the Steven Spielberg of comedy)

That’s all, folks.