Posts with the tag 'Deval Patrick'
Sound like overconfidence? Some might be quick to dismiss it as such, but recent polls suggest it may not be so farfetched...
Responding to a recent poll showing presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s lead over presumptive GOP nominee John McCain in Massachusetts narrowing, Jeff Beatty, the Republican challenging U.S. Sen. John Kerry, predicted victory in both his race and for McCain in Massachusetts.
A 7News/Suffolk University poll released Monday showed Obama (Ill.) with a nine-point lead over McCain (Ariz.) - 47 percent to 38 percent. The last 7News/Suffolk University poll, released a month and a half ago, showed Obama leading McCain by 23 points, 53 percent to 30 percent.
“People see him for what he is,” Beatty toldPolitickerMA.com referring to Obama. “Obama is shallow. He’s an empty suit. He doesn’t have the relevant experience to work the country out of its problems and John McCain does. I’ve been advocating an action policy to solve these problems and that’s resonating with voters. That’s why I’ll say McCain is going to carry Massachusetts and I’m going to beat John Kerry.”
In Massachusetts, a 9-point lead for Barack Obama is actually an extremely poor showing for someone who has been anointed with rock-star status by the media and the Democratic Party. Of course, one person who can share some of the blame for that is Deval Patrick, whose campaign of hope turned into an administration of incompetence.
Tags: Barack Obama, Deval Patrick, Jeff Beatty, John Kerry, John McCain
August 5th, 2008
Earlier today I had the opportunity for an interview/conference call with Republican Senate candidate Jeff Beatty. Below is a synopsis of my brief 15 minutes with Mr. Beatty.
I first asked him why he has his eyes set on Capitol Hill as opposed to Beacon Hill. Beatty explained that he’s not a professional politician, and it is his experience that dictates why he is running for the Senate.
I spoke with Mr. Beatty about his voter reach out strategies, particularly those involving the new media,like his Facebook Group, MySpace and Twitter–but he stressed that his campaign is going back to build an old-style grassroots campaign. Since the campaign started a year ago in April the campaign has brought in over $1,300,000 in donations.
I asked Jeff what kind of feeling he was getting from Democrats he’s talked to, and he likes where the campaign is with them and is getting a great vibe from the Democrats and the unenrolled.
Since the number of elected Republicans in Massachusetts is dwindling, I asked what makes him feel that this is the best chance to unseat John Kerry. Mr. Beatty believes that Senator Kerry is the least popular senator in Washington; he’s aloof, arrogant and disconnected; feels that he has an entitlement, not a job. Mr. Beatty feels that Barack Obama’s being the Democratic nominee for president and Deval Patrick being in the corner office as helping his chances, and noted that 4 of the last 5 gubernatorial elections went for Republicans. He believes John McCain will carry Massachusetts.
My next question was about support for the Beatty Campaign from the Massachusetts Republican Party. While the Massachusetts GOP headquarters is located on Merrimac Street in Boston, Mr. Beatty sees the Massachusetts GOP as being all over the state. While the Massachusetts GOP is a low point, he see it as on the up, and while the state party isn’t capable helping him a lot, Beatty’s campaign for Senate is helping the party. The Republican Party is usually defined by who is on the top of the ticket, and the Beatty campaign is doing its best.
With only a little time left, I veered away from politics to ask Jeff something that has been on the minds of many in Massachusetts the past few days…the Manny Ramirez trade. “I hate to see Manny go, but Manny has to realize what the word ‘team’ means.” It’s all about team, not about individuals. It’s about who you represent.
That concluded the interview with Jeff Beatty.
Tags: Barack Obama, Deval Patrick, Jeff Beatty, John Kerry, John McCain, Massachusetts Republican Party
August 3rd, 2008
With both the state Senate and House having voted to repeal the 1913 law that “blocked gay marriages” for out-of-state couples, we need only wait for Governor Patrick put to pen to paper before gay couples from all over come to Massachusetts to say their vows.
“Sometimes what you hope and pray for actually happens, which is kind of overwhelming,” Michael Thorne, 55, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, said after telling his 6-year-old son his parents could soon get married. Thorne and his partner of 25 years, James Theberge, have a wedding planned in Provincetown.
Opponents recoiled at the outcome.
“With that protective barrier removed, out-of-state same-sex couples who marry here will sue to seek recognition in their home states, creating a flood of costly lawsuits and further eroding the people’s right to define marriage democratically,” the Massachusetts Family Institute said.
Beyond the out-of-state same-sex couples that will undoubtedly circumvent the laws of their home states and get married here, what about the two straight 20-year-olds from Mississippi who can’t get married in their home state without parental consent (they must be 21-years-old to get married without parental consent)? If two gay 18-year-olds from Rhode Island can get married here, why can’t the straight 20-year-olds from Mississippi without parental consent get married here? How many lawsuits will be filed before all laws defining marriage are watered down so that anyone, gay, straight, 16-years-old, 21-years-old, 13-years-old….can get married anywhere?
The repeal of the 1913 law was done specifically to target out-of-state gay couples, but where will that end?
In the meantime, VIVA MASSACHUSETTS! Perhaps now is a good time to invest in roadside wedding chapels.
Tags: 1913 Law, Deval Patrick, Gay Marriage
July 30th, 2008
One has to wonder if Deval Patrick is deliberately trying to mess up all the progress made by the Romney Administration.
Unemployment in Massachusetts edged up 0.3 percent in June, making it the only New England state — and one of six states nationally — to post an increase for the month.
The remaining five New England states posted unemployment rates in June that were not measurably different from May.
The data was released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Massachusetts posted a jobless rate of 5.2 percent in June.
Don’t blame me, I voted for Muffy.
Tags: Deval Patrick, unemployment
July 26th, 2008
Governor Deval Patrick signed a $28.1 billion budget yesterday, not before vetoing $122.5 million and asking for “expanded authority to make additional cuts if the economy worsens.”
The cuts come at a time when the state is looking at soaring energy prices and higher than expects costs associated with the state’s landmark 2006 health care law.
Patrick said the vetoes — and the authority that would allow him to make midyear cuts across state government instead of just in the executive branch — will help insulate the state if the economy takes a dramatic slide.
“I believe we’ve got to prepare now for economic trouble ahead,” Patrick told reporters.
Many of the cuts came to so-called “earmarks” or individual pet projects inserted into the budget by lawmakers — from $100,000 for an invasive weed control project on the Charles River in Waltham to $1,150,000 for the Boston, Cambridge and Everett Fire Department Hazardous Material Response Teams.
While I’m glad he cut these ridiculous earmarks, the “expanded authority” worries me, and his lack of confidence in the economy doesn’t help either. Let’s hope this “expanded authority” doesn’t turn into a tax increase.
More from the Boston Herald.
Tags: budget, Deval Patrick
July 14th, 2008
Today marks two occasions for all of us at Hub Politics. First, today is the 232nd anniversary of our nation’s independence. The second, it is the three-year anniversary of the launch of Hub Politics, which launched on July 4, 2005 with this post.
Three years ago, we launched this blog with the goal of creating a new conservative voice in the Massachusetts blogosphere. It has been our pleasure for the past three years to do what we can to help make the Commonwealth a better place. Things got really exciting during last year’s gubernatorial election, and while that may not have turned out for the best, it was an honor to take part in the election the way we did.
Since we started, we have launched two sister sites, Deval Patrick Watch and Save WRKO, and we have migrated Hub Politics over to a new blogging platform which will enable to launch exciting new features in the coming weeks and months ahead.
Happy Independence Day!
Tags: Announcements, Deval Patrick, Deval Patrick Watch, Hub Politics, Independence Day, Save WRKO
July 4th, 2008
So what happened to that property tax relief Deval Patrick promised? I must have missed the promised tax relief because now the Democrat-controlled legislature is on the verge of increasing taxes by nearly two-thirds of a billion dollars.
In response to this, MassGOP Executive Director Rob Willington made the following statement, “This Tax Bill should be renamed to “An Act To Cripple the Economy of the Commonwealth.” The people of Massachusetts don’t need more taxes, they need lower taxes and less government. Instead of raising taxes, Governor Patrick should explain why he hasn’t delivered the property tax relief that Candidate Patrick promised.”
Does anyone support Deval Patrick anymore? He’s just a constant flow of broken promises.
Tags: broken promises, Deval Patrick, tax hike
July 2nd, 2008
Speculation has always been focused on whether or not Governor Deval Patrick will leave the Corner Office in a hypothetical Barack Obama administration. Despite Patrick’s repeatedly denials, and his constant reassurance that he will be around for a while, most agree, if Obama is elected, Deval is going to DC.
But could there be another departure from the State House that would certainly shake things up a bit on Beacon Hill? There are unconfirmed rumors afloat that Governor Patrick’s chief of staff Doug Rubin may leave his job to work on the Obama campaign.
Yes, this is just a rumor, but think of how this would affect the Patrick Administration. Could this be the foundation for Patrick’s departure, or could Rubin joining Camp Obama ensure Patrick staying put?
Rubin is currently the second chief of staff for Patrick, hired to be a “politically and media savvy” replacement of the “outsider” Joan Wallace-Benjamin. While Rubin’s tenure has been less tumultuous than Wallace-Benjamin’s, Patrick is still fledgling with disapproval ratings at over 50%. If Obama wants a guy like Rubin, or Patrick for that matter, perhaps Obama is not as politically savvy as people think.
Tags: approval ratings, Barack Obama, Deval Patrick, Doug Rubin
June 24th, 2008
Deval Patrick ran on a promise to lower property taxes… and yet his plan to overhaul education hardly screams “lower property taxes.”
Governor Deval Patrick unveiled his plan to overhaul public education in Massachusetts on Monday.
It’s a plan that includes a longer school year, a longer school day and possibly free community colleges.
At the Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester, the Governor made his suggestions for changes over the next 10 years.
While Deval accepts applause for such lofty goals, would he like to explain just how he plans to pay for this plan, or is he just hoping that he won’t be governor long enough to be held accountable?
UPDATE, June 24, 2008: MassGOP Executive Director Rob Willington issued the following statement today, on Deval’s latest blue-ribbon commission to figure out how to pay for the results of his first blue-ribbon commission.
“Let me get this straight. Governor Patrick convened a commission to come up with education reforms, but now needs another commission to figure out how to pay for it? We’d ask the Governor to explain to the public why he can’t make good on his promise for property tax relief, but he’d probably have to appoint a commission to figure out an answer.”
Tags: Deval Patrick, Education, property taxes
June 23rd, 2008
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.
Tags: Barack Obama, Deval Patrick, Election 2008, Polls
June 17th, 2008
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