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11 AUG
08 / "Would Barack Govern Like Deval?"
Governor Deval Patrick’s problems began at the outset of his
administration with a $1.3 million inaugural that spanned 4
days. He then shamelessly exhibited his keen appreciation of
the finer things in life with a new Cadillac, expensive
office drapes, and by starting the construction of a mansion
in the Berkshires. These public relations snafus and others
have been well-documented by the State House press corps and
have tarnished the governor’s image as a Democrat in touch
with the people, earning him the monikers ‘Governor Deluxe’
and ‘Coupe Deval.’
In the
more serious realm of governance, the campaign mantra “Yes
we can!” has been replaced by “No we can’t.” Patrick has not
been able to check the power of the special interests in the
state legislature and in Congress. Saddled with a $1 billion
dollar shortfall, Massachusetts is now the national leader
in per capita debt. Patrick says he's planting the seeds
that will bear fruit in time, but other governors like Bill
Weld and Mitt Romney were able to turn dire financial
situations around rather quickly. To his credit, Patrick has
attempted reforms, but he has been rebuked at every turn by
members of his own party. Patrick is now endorsing a risky
plan to issue billions of dollars in bonds to rebuild the
state’s deteriorating infrastructure of roads and bridges,
but his greatest failure thus far has been his inability to
make good on his campaign promise to bring property tax
relief. The bottom line is Patrick has thus far
over-promised and under-delivered.
Much
has been made of the friendship between Barack Obama and
Deval Patrick. The two became friends in law school and now
have come to embody the future of the Democratic Party. They
are so similar that Obama has admittedly borrowed from
Patrick’s 2006 speeches. Their messaging is identically
light on substance and heavy on style. Eloquent,
charismatic, and intelligent, Obama and Patrick are adept at
using high-minded but empty rhetoric to hoodwink voters into
supporting them. For example, both can talk of change
without actually saying what changes they espouse. These
qualities have not translated into effective leadership in
Massachusetts. |