Gov. Maura Healey could use some swagger.

A swagger stick could help, perhaps. It gives the holder an immense sense of confidence and authority as British military officers of the past could attest. The 24-inch rattan swagger stick in the hands of British officers was a hallmark of the empire’s rule in India for 200 years.

It was also carried by World War II Army General George S. Patton. It went along with the two pistols he carried, one of which was a .357
magnum revolver with an ivory handle.

It was the swagger stick, along with his leadership qualities, which
gave him stature. He was so fearsome whacking a stalled tank with his
swagger stick that the U.S. troops he commanded were in awe of him, let alone the German army.

But for Healey, wielding a swagger stick could give people the wrong impression.

So, she should go for the swagger without the stick.

Some people are naturally born with swagger, like Donald Trump, who has it in abundance. It is why progressives, who hate swagger, hate Trump.

Others must work to acquire it, while others never do, like Joe Biden, no matter how hard they try.

But swagger and the swagger stick are gone. Progressive have made swagger a crime.

Had Healey shown some swagger she would have told the Boston Globe to go pound sand when it whined about her not divulging a four-day personal trip to Puerto Rico on a weekend in February.

At first, Healey did show some spine when she said, “My personal life is my personal life.”

But Healey quickly folded after the paper beat her up. Any swagger she had disappeared.

And as though ‘fessing up to a crime, she revealed that she had gone to Puerto Rico with her partner Joanna Lydgate.  And she won’t do it again without telling the press — as if anybody cares.

Healey would have gained a respect had she whacked her desk with a swagger stick and stood up for her right to privacy, instead of simply caving in.

But that would have taken real swagger, which has all but been erased from Massachusetts politics.

The last Boston politician with swagger was the late Mayor Kevin White (1968-1984) and he didn’t need a stick. He just naturally swaggered around at City Hall or at the lavishly furnished Parkman House where he loved to hang out. Not for nothing did we call him the Mayor of America.

Charismatic Attorney General Frank Bellotti, (1975-1987), had swagger. Even the people he sent to prison were in awe of him.

Former Senate President William Bulger of South Boston had so much swagger that he ruled the Senate unchallenged for 18 years (1978-1996) as a king. He believed in one man rule a long as he was the one man.

Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick (2007-2015) had swagger but was shrewd enough to conceal it beneath a veil of charm and humility.  He could charm a dog off a meat wagon, as they used to say in the Swagger Era. He should have been Joe Biden’s 2020 running mate.

Swagger came so naturally to Republican Gov. Bill Weld (1991-1997) that people assumed he was born with it, which he probably was. He could share a “green guy” (a Heineken) with a reporter or dive fully clothed into the Charles River on a hot day and come up smiling.

Bring back swagger.

Peter Lucas is a veteran political reporter. Email him at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com