(NECN) – Deval Patrick is a good speech maker, both in content and delivery, but the politics of getting things done is a more challenging task for any governor.
Meredith Warren, republican strategist and co-founder of Lyric Consulting, and George Bachrach, former state senator, now president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, are joining us to examine Patrick’s initiatives.
What did Patrick do right in his state of the state address?
“What he did right was he first laid out the problem, which he has done over the last several days,” says Bachrach. “First he laid out the problem and everybody is in agreement. Next step is how do you pay for it and not everybody is in agreement.”
Bachrach says the Senate and the House have both resisted taxes for the last several years, but this year they’ve made clear they think something needs to be done.
“You can’t keep kicking the can down the road. That’s the great complaint the public has about all of this. Everybody in government just keeps passing it on to the next generation,” Bachrach says.
“What last night’s speech you could basically boil down into is a big time Beacon Hill money grab. Watch out taxpayers, they’re coming for your wallets,” says Warren. “Deval’s not just looking at a budget to try to make the trains run on time to make sure we meet our obligations. He was talking about major expansions in government programs last night, at a time when people just can’t afford it.”
Politics
Do you doubt his sincerity?
“Oh he believes what he’s saying, I’m sure he does. This is part of his philosophy. The problem is taxpayers can’t afford it,” Warrens says. “Mass. taxpayers are generous, they’re very reasonable.”
Watch the attached video for more.
