Gov. Patrick or Cadillac Deval
Another rising star in politics makes the rookie mistake of being too impatient when there’s too much to lose. So far it would appear the potential scandal is minor by political trends these days. But when you have only been in office a short time and the reputation of the Democratic party in one of the most liberal regions in the country is at stake, the water just might start boiling. Stay tuned, this might be the beginning of a boat load of blogging material.
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
Bright Star of Mass. Tarnished by Lapses
‘Don’t Give Up on Me,’ Gov. Patrick Pleads
By Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 18, 2007; A04
BOSTON — Only a few months ago, Deval Patrick was being hailed by his party as a savior, becoming Massachusetts’s first Democratic governor in 16 years and only the second African American to lead a state since Reconstruction.But circumstances have changed quickly for Patrick, as they have often in a life that saw him plucked from the South Side of Chicago at 14 and awarded a scholarship to a prestigious prep school in the Boston suburbs. He was recently forced to plead, “Don’t give up on me,” to state residents, and at a news conference Friday he found himself repeatedly sidestepping questions about a staff shake-up that included the resignation of a controversial aide.
Missteps involving the use of state funds and a series of gaffes have transformed a budding star who was swept into office running as an outsider into something the rough-and-tumble arena of Massachusetts politics is more familiar with: an embattled pol.