Going Rogue

Don’t tell me infighting among the Bay State center-right will hurt the GOP’s chances of winning the State House in 2010.

There are two candidates for the Governor’s office on the right – Christy Mihos and Charlie Baker. Both are good men, but something less than perfect. We will not find a perfect candidate no matter how hard we try. That being said lets not forget that ‘perfect is the enemy of good’. Let’s not trash either of the GOP candidates or their LG choices.

Starting here and starting now let’s remember that the REAL enemy here is the Democrat party that has lied, cheated and stolen away our economy and our liberties. Deval Patrick lied when he said he would lower our property taxes. Deval Patrick lied when he said he would create 100,000 jobs. Deval Patrick lied when he said he would make it easier for small businesses in Massachusetts. The Democrats cheated when they forced Sen Kirk on us prematurely by falsely claiming a state emergency. The Democrats cheated us out of our money when they promised to lower our income taxes so many years ago. The Democrats stole our money when they offered up big pensions to criminal state hacks like Billy Bulger.

The Republicans are not the problem. Not Senator Tisei, Charlie Baker or Christy Mihos. The Republicans do want to be part of the solution. And whoever wins the primary should be promised the unwavering support of the other candidate and his staff. Remember, once the primary is done you can’t take back the bad things that are said of the opponent.

UPDATE: More from the Globe, Herald and AP.

SECOND UPDATE: From State House News Service and the Globe.

A Cut Above

Gov. Patrick vs. the budget.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick said yesterday he is not ready to call for a mid-year cut in state aid to cities and towns, preferring to wait for final numbers from September before deciding how to deal with a continuing shortfall in state revenues.

Mr. Patrick, back at his office on Beacon Hill after hip surgery and controversies over the interim U.S. Senate appointment, said he hopes the Legislature votes by the end of the year on sentencing and criminal record reforms, education reforms, and possible revisions to local pension payment schedules to reduce local government pension costs.

The governor said pension schedule revisions would supplement new local option meal and hotel taxes approved earlier this year that he proposed to help communities offset reduced state aid and relieve pressure for property taxes.

A report from state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill’s office based on incomplete September revenues that indicated monthly receipts are again falling below budget estimates, triggered new concerns yesterday over the need for a new round of mid-year state budget cuts.

Mr. Cahill, who has announced he will run against Mr. Patrick next year, said with two days to go in collections for the month, revenues were off $316 million, and he estimated they may end up about $150 million short of projections.

The governor said predictions over possible new budget cuts — including local aid cuts — are premature and it is too soon to add up the monthly revenues.

UPDATE: More from Joe Battenfeld.

SECOND UPDATE: More from the Globe and AP.

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

Deval Patrick Thinks You Are Stupid

When Joe the Plumber asked Barack Obama a tough question, Barack Obama attacked Joe the Plumber.

The citizens of the Commonwealth are complaining about Pike toll increases, Bechtel Parsons getting a $30 million parking garage contract, the Turnpike Authority giving out raises, all this while Massachusetts is losing jobs and trying to impose a gas tax hike, and Deval Patrick is calling us cynics, and stupid.

Enough with the “cheap shots,” said Gov. Deval Patrick, complaining again about media coverage and blaming criticism of his proposals on “cynicism.”

Oh yeah? Enough with the whining, countered a couple of critics.

Patrick was at Suffolk University to mark the state’s No. 1 ranking in a national survey of economic competitiveness when he made his remarks.

“We are awash in cynicism in the commonwealth, but the cynical are not smart; they’re just pretending to be,” Patrick said. “The truth is, we’ve got big problems, and we better start thinking big about the solutions. Ideological purity from the left or the right, in times like these, is like trying to put a Band-Aid on a broken bone.”

He wouldn’t say who he was talking about. Some pols have criticized Patrick’s proposal to abolish the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and other plans out of the Corner Office have been tossed back and forth on talk radio and in the opinion pages. GOP political consultant Holly Robichaud and state GOP party chair Barney Keller said Patrick has been his own worst enemy, citing unkept promises, such as lowering property taxes and adding 1,000 new cops.

Governor Patrick, GO SCREW! Who do you think you are calling stupid? Take a long, hard look in the mirror buddy, because staring back at you is the face of a man who will undoubtedly go down in Massachusetts history as the worst governor…ever. Go screw, Governor. We are tired of your broken promises.

If you are fed up with Deval Patrick and these cockamamie plans to jack up the Pike tolls while the Turnpike Authority is giving out raises, and Beacon Hill schemes to raise our taxes, think about attending the ‘Stop The Pike Hike’ Rally on December 3rd. For more information on the rally, visit stopthepikehike.org.

More on this story at Deval Patrick Watch.

Deval Unveils Ten Year Budget-Busting Education Plan

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.”

We Told You So

We said back in the campaign not to expect property taxes to be cut under Deval Patrick’s watch…

Well, we were right… on that and more…