Should He Stay or Should He Go?
by Aaron Margolis, June 17th, 2008 at 12:03pm
We have seen it all before…politicians making promises and assurances, be it on policy, or a decision to run (or not run) for another political office. It’s no wonder most citizens of the Commonwealth do not believe Governor Deval Patrick when he claims he would not accept a position in a hypothetical Obama administration, the State House News Service reports.
More than twice as many Massachusetts voters don’t believe Gov. Deval Patrick’s repeated insistence that he would not accept a job in an Obama administration than take the governor at his word, according to a new poll.
Slightly more voters think someone else should be elected in 2010 than believe Patrick deserves a second term, 41 percent to 39 percent, with 20 percent undecided, according to the 7NEWS/Suffolk University survey. Patrick fared poorly among men, independents, and in the southeastern and Cape Cod regions of the state.
If Barack Obama wins the presidential election, 47 percent think Patrick will join the administration, while just 20 percent predict Patrick will stay in the Corner Office. Patrick has repeatedly and categorically stated he plans to serve out his term and run for re-election.
“It might be that people don’t see him as into being governor, and that he could be easily distracted by other career options,” said Suffolk pollster David Paleologos.
“It shows that voters believe he’s got a lot going on, he’s got irons in the fire,” Paleologos said. “He’s certainly somebody people are thinking of as going to Washington and, clearly if Obama wins, and the majority of the people in this poll believe he’s going to win, then they believe that Deval’s interests would go elsewhere, would go national.”
This poll also reveals that 55% of Massachusetts residents think Obama will win the election, while only 29% think McCain can win.
Team Patrick took the opportunity to blame this perception on his Republican predecessors.
Patrick’s press secretary, Kyle Sullivan, said in an email, “Given the recent track record of his predecessors, the Governor understands that some people will think he will leave because that’s what they are used to seeing. Governor Patrick loves his job and has publicly stated he will serve out his term and seek re-election in 2010. He thinks Senator Obama would make an excellent president, and believes that his early support for him could benefit Massachusetts under an Obama presidency.”
I’m sure the perception has nothing to do with the fact that Governor Patrick has been an absolute disaster, fumbling at nearly every opportunity. Nah, probably not. Who wouldn’t want to stay and keep that trend going?
Patrick is not fooling anyone…not even other members of his party.
Gov. Deval Patrick, who early in the primary season spurned his former mentor Bill Clinton and endorsed Obama for the Democrat nomination, is seeking to raise his national profile on Obama’s coattails in hopes of a prime position in his administration, say Massachusetts Democrat advisers.
“If he can get a senior post in an Obama administration, he’ll take it,” says one state party political consultant. “Half of Patrick’s state administration is raising money so that they can run to fill his seat.”
No one turns down that kind of offer. If he did, it would speak volumes.
Should Patrick stay, or should he go? If Patrick taking a post in an Obama administration means there is an Obama administration, then I will gladly keep Patrick as our governor. Getting rid him isn’t worth getting President Obama. Let’s hope Patrick is here for a little while.
Entry Filed under: Deval Patrick, Election 2008
2 Comments
1. TJ | June 17th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
History repeating itself.
During her last Senate campaign, HRC swore up and down that she’d stay a senator for the next 6 years.
Doesn’t seem like she’s done all the much ’senatoring’ in the last 3 years, does it?
2. BostonVernon | June 17th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
If he does not leave if Obama wins it’s what we call in sales as a lose lose scenario.