Fan Club

Yes, Virginia, Gov. Patrick still has some fans.

With the sun setting behind him over pristine Onota Lake, Governor Deval Patrick was answering questions about wind farms, zebra mussels, even how to get a nonprofit off the ground.

And then Marie Cowell began to cry. She was upset at Patrick’s budget cuts for those with developmental disabilities, pointing to her two children as evidence of the human toll of his decisions.

“We really need support,’’ she told him between sobs last week at a town hall meeting.

Patrick hugged her, lamented how tight the budget was, then conceded that his words “were cold comfort.’’

But they weren’t: Even though she’s angry at his decisions, Cowell spoke approvingly about the governor and his intentions, a distinction that encapsulates a more forgiving attitude toward Patrick in the western reaches of a state he governs from Boston.

With Patrick suffering at times in the hothouse of Boston politics and estranged from some leaders in his own party, he is finding a much more receptive audience out west. For an urbane governor who has lived in the Boston area for much of his life, it is notable that one of his most reliable reservoirs of support lies in the rural, less populated stretches well beyond Beacon Hill. In both personal and political terms, this part of the state has become something of a home base.

“He feels more comfortable out here,’’ said North Adams Mayor John Barrett, after finishing a series of events with Patrick last week. “He does not react well in the political hub of the state. And when he gets out of that and gets out into the vineyards, as they say, and interacts with people, they see a different guy.’’

Patrick, who vowed to be the governor of the whole state, spends a large amount of time outside of Boston, particularly in Western Massachusetts. It is an area that, according to a recent Globe poll, sees him far more positively than voters elsewhere. Many here say that’s partly because the political sensibilities in this part of the state suit Patrick: earnest, policy-minded, less concerned about personality-driven spats or media-fueled controversy.

“Everywhere outside of 495, I have found a little love goes a long way,’’ Patrick said in an interview. “People really feel like Beacon Hill is focused on Beacon Hill, and not on them. And showing up matters.’’

UPDATE: More from the Herald and Michele McPhee.

SECOND UPDATE: More from Jon Keller, Holly Robichaud, Real Clear Politics, Boston Herald and Adrian Walker.

UPDATE: More from the AP and Examiner.com.

The Good Thing

Will Charlie Baker return some semblance of two-party balance to Massachusetts?

Republican Charlie Baker, the well-financed CEO of Harvard Pilgrim, has jumped into a quickly swelling 2010 gubernatorial race only two days after Treasurer Timothy Cahill said he decided to switch political parties.

Baker, who is largely unknown to voters throughout the state, will leave Harvard Pilgrim on July 17 and set up a political committee by July 28, according to a source close to Baker.

He vowed to focus on jobs and the economy if elected.

“The biggest thing you have to do to grow jobs is to live within your means,” Baker said today during a press conference at Babson College in Wellesley. “The opportunity to do the most reform is usually in a down market and down economy and that’s what we have.”

When asked if he’ll run as a socially liberal Weld Republican, he replied: “Yah.”

Baker also said too many young people are leaving the state and “those people represent our future.”

“Frankly,” he added, “it’s a pretty dark picture and I don’t think we’re doing the kinds of things we need to do to make the picture better.”

Earlier in the day, Baker said it was time for him to make a choice.

“I am either the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim – or I’m building a campaign organization. I cannot do both,” Baker said in a statement.

On WRKO-AM Wednesday evening, Boston talk-radio star Howie Carr expressed his concern that a three-way race between Baker, Independent Tim Cahill and Democrat Deval Patrick could result in a second Patrick term (God help us). Maybe. Maybe not.

UPDATE: More from NECN, WBUR, the AP, Jon Keller, Jim Geraghty and David Bernstein.

SECOND UPDATE: More from the Herald, Wayne Woodlief, Howie Carr and Margery Eagan.

THIRD UPDATE: From the AP, Lynn Daily Item, Holly Robichaud, Joan Vennochi, the Globe, the Bedford Minuteman and the Boston Herald.

Got Your Money

Governor Patrick, get your hand out of my pocket!

Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday that he will sign more than $1 billion in tax increases, ending a months-long standoff with the Legislature and ensuring Massachusetts residents will pay more for everything, from satellite dishes to cheeseburgers.

Patrick’s announcement, coming after the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved the tax increases last week, means that the state sales tax will rise for the first time in a generation, and at a time when many residents are losing homes and jobs.

The new sales tax rate, which will increase from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, will go into effect Aug. 1.

“I will approve the new revenues we need to bring our budget into balance, offset the need for even more difficult cuts, and expand opportunity throughout the Commonwealth,’’ Patrick said in a statement. “Due to the economic challenges that all states are facing, this new revenue is necessary to prevent us from losing ground on our long-term goals in education and healthcare, and further straining safety net services that are struggling to meet the increased demand.’’

About $275 million in projected new sales tax revenue will be directed to the state’s transportation network, preventing planned toll increases on the Massachusetts Turnpike, at least for now. The sales tax revenue will also help shore up finances at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, although it might not be enough to head off a fare increase.

The statewide meals tax will also increase, from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, and municipalities will have the option to raise it up to 7 percent and keep the extra revenue for themselves. In addition, taxes will go up on satellite television users, and a sales-tax exemption on alcohol sold in retail stores will be eliminated. Municipalities will also be allowed to raise the local hotel tax by 2 percentage points.

“It’s going to hurt small businesses, and it’s going to hurt consumers,’’ said Jon B. Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

UPDATE: More from WBUR, the AP, Jon Keller, Holly Robichaud, JoAnn Fitzpatrick, Metrowest Daily News, the Herald and Globe.

SECOND UPDATE: From the Herald and the Boston Globe.

THIRD UPDATE: From Jennifer Nassour, Redhead Republican, Red Mass Group, the Boston Herald, Mary Connaughton and State House News Service.

Oh, Dear God, No

It’s a joke. I know it’s a joke.

Gov. Deval Patrick is heading to the White House to meet with President Obama amid speculation he is among those being considered for a Supreme Court post.

An event added to his official schedule for today has him attending an auto emissions announcement with the president. It had not been on the governor’s schedule before Monday. His staff had only said he was traveling to Atlanta for a biotechnology conference.

UPDATE: More from Red Mass Group, Jon Keller, the Herald and the Globe.

SECOND UPDATE: More from Jon Keller, the Globe and Herald.

Public Enemies

Michele McPhee vs. Gov. Patrick.

So, Deval Patrick wants lawmakers on Beacon Hill to “speak the truth” about the Bay State’s grim financial outlook.

Okay, Governor, let’s speak the truth. The truth is that within days of taking office, Patrick attempted to appoint a campaign fundraiser to the $75,000-a-year job of working as a personal secretary for his wife Diane.

That ill thought out plan was barely scuttled when he picked out a fancy Cadillac, and told the press that he was forced to upgrade the governor’s ride because Ford no longer made the Crown Vic — which of course was not even close to the truth.

Then there was the $55,000 upgrade to his office, courtesy of the taxpayer, and the unrelenting junkets, including one to China that cost us $250,000. While he was in the Orient, Patrick picked out an office in Beijing. That’s right. Beijing.

Right now, we are paying rent on office space in China, and you will be happy to hear that, “in addition to the state’s Beijing office, Massachusetts will maintain a satellite contact office in Shanghai,’’ according to the state’s own press release. What a relief.

We also pay for an office for Patrick in Washington D.C. — just in case he decides to go on an interview for a shot at a seat on the Supreme Court.

Then, of course, there are the patronage appointments that do not end. First his neighbor landed a $120,000-a-year job that never existed before. Then there was the Marian Walsh debacle. Between those two incidents — which I would argue are bordering Mafia-like corruption — there were other campaign contributors and Patrick supporters rewarded with contracts and jobs.

UPDATE: More from Holly Robichaud, the Globe, Herald and USA Today.

SECOND UPDATE: From Jon Keller, the Globe and the Herald.

THIRD UPDATE: More from the Globe, WBZ and the Herald.

FOURTH UPDATE: From the Herald and Holly Robichaud.