As Gov. Deval Patrick gears up for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign as co-chairman of the campaign itself, Republicans have been quick to denounce his part in non-Massachusetts related affairs. Even while the governor prepares to give a speech at the Colorado Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Day and begins a trade mission in Israel and the United Kingdom next month, however, his advocates rightfully continue to hold his decisions in high regard.
Undoubtedly, Republicans have at least one reason to criticize Patrick. In order to fund travel expenses while campaigning for Obama in the future, the governor created a political action committee (PAC) that exists on the basis of contributions or appropriated expenditures. While money for PACs doesn’t come from Bay State taxpayers, it still demonstrates a vested interest on the part of Patrick’s team to allot funds to a far-off cause. Such a committee would perhaps be minimally appropriate in upcoming months rather than in February 2011, about 21 months prior to the presidential election.
Otherwise, Patrick’s criticisms are unfounded, especially on the basis of his initial campaign platform. The governor was clear in his assertion that Massachusetts should create business links with other countries and is fulfilling his promise by joining the Israel and United Kingdom coalition in March, much of which will be centered around increasing technological and green energy investments in order to stimulate the economy. In this sense, Patrick is an enigma: in his State of the Union address, Obama called for innovation and self-motivation, two virtues the Massachusetts governor clearly also considers paramount in light of the recession.
While people like the idea of a governor who stays close to home and has a physical presence in the overall community, Patrick has a duty to follow through on the criterion that got him elected and shouldn’t bow to an outdated standard. Because Massachusetts is a national and global leader regarding progressive ideals, education and economics, state leaders should feel obliged to not only keep that momentum going but also to engage in mutually beneficial relationships that can possibly lift others out of crisis. The modern definition of governor is changing from a local politician to something much more valuable.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
