With the new census numbers, Massachusetts’s congressional delegation is shrinking from ten to nine. One of the ten Democratic incumbents will be the odd man out; the Gloucester Times rallies to the cause of their congressman, John Tierney… well, not really:

None of this, of course, even touches on Tierney’s lack of respect for anyone who dared question his statements regarding his wife, Patrice’s, indictment last year on tax charges over her handling of her brother’s off-shore Internet gaming schemes.

None of it touches on questions that still linger over his vote against a bill that put new clamps on off-shore gaming payments — and his dismissal of whether that constituted a conflict of interest.

Yet, none of these recent developments restore any sense of confidence that Tierney understands or appreciates what people and communities in his district — especially in Gloucester and on Cape Ann — are facing.

It’s a long 19 months until the next election — and that’s no matter what shape the state’s redistricting takes.

But if Tierney’s role were squeezed out in the process of cutting the state’s congressional seat, it frankly wouldn’t be any great loss to his Gloucester and Cape Ann constituents.

Not a cry you hear every day: ‘Dear state legislators: eliminate our congressman!’