Free Republic

Governor Deval Patrick has scheduled a picnic fund-raiser this month at his vacation estate in the Berkshires, where he will once again exploit a method he pioneered for skirting state campaign contribution limits, a funding system the Legislature so far has declined to shut down. Guests at the gathering at the 7,500-square-foot mansion situated on 77 acres in Richmond are being asked to contribute up to $5,500 to the governor's Seventy-First Fund. The fund - as the formal invitation to the soiree explains - divides the contributions between Patrick's campaign and the state Democratic Party

Despite a slumping economy and looming budget crunch, Gov. Deval Patrick has hiked his office budget by an astonishing 80 percent, adding questionable new staff positions like “director of grassroots governance” and pumping millions into an extravagant “civic engagement” program. “We know the governor had a goal of creating 100,000 new jobs in his first term, we just didn’t know he was going to create them all in the Corner Office,” said Sen. Michael Knapik (R-Westfield). Added State Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham): “People in my district are asking, ‘What is this guy doing?’ They get 1 to 2 percent increases...

Governor Deval Patrick has decided against taking action to allow illegal immigrants to pay resident tuition and fees at state colleges and universities this fall, an administration official said yesterday, crushing advocates who were counting on the governor to deliver on a pledge to support the students. Earlier this year, Patrick said he was considering ways to offer illegal immigrants in-state rates, such as issuing a regulation, adding that it would be "the right thing to do." The governor declined to comment yesterday, but an administration source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Patrick decided that there were "significant...

DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- A new gambling study shows some Massachusetts residents who have not supported casinos in the past may be changing their minds. "Fifty-seven percent of Massachusetts residents still favor two or more resort casinos in the state of Massachusetts. That number is actually four percent higher than when we last did this poll in September," said Dr. Clyde Barrow, a public policy analyst at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. The study was funded by a real estate development firm with land interests in the proposed Palmer and New Bedford casino sites. The research showed that as the state's deficit...

This weekend, on the eve of what could be a historic and final vote on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick will become the first sitting governor in state history to march in Boston's gay pride parade, according to organizers. Patrick, who marched in the last two Boston pride parades as a candidate for governor, has been working to help defeat a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which the Legislature is scheduled to vote on at a constitutional convention next week. Patrick appeared last night at an event sponsored by the advocacy group MassEquality, featuring prominent lawyers who...

BOSTON --Gov. Deval Patrick warned Thursday that Massachusetts will be crippled by a "political circus" if a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage makes it to the state ballot. The Democratic governor, speaking to reporters a day after lawmakers delayed a vote on the proposed amendment, said he was actively lobbying legislators to kill it. "If this does get to a popular ballot, there is very little other business that will get done in Massachusetts politics and policy making while that is pending," Patrick said. Lawmakers on Wednesday postponed a vote until at least June 14. As expected, a joint...

All you need to know about Gov. Deval Patrick’s new team of advisers is that he has raided the John Kerry-Mike Dukakis braintrust - how’s that for an oxymoron? They are described as “seasoned.” That means over the hill. Most of them come from the same wing of the Democratic Party - the former wing. Former AG, former bank president, former newspaper publisher. I won’t say the synonym for “former” is unemployed, but most of these thumbsuckers are at the checkout counter. They’re rounding third. This new team of Deval advisers held their first meeting in a downtown office building....

As controversy enveloped his young tenure, Gov. Deval L. Patrick says he took an impromptu phone call from former President Bill Clinton that helped rescue his fledgling governorship from the downward spiral of its first 100 days. “We were on the phone for almost an hour,” Patrick said of the recent conversation. “He reminded me just how important it is to stay focused on the (political) destination, even though there is an awful lot of effort to get you off that focus.” The tete-a-tete with Clinton, a mentor to Patrick who gave him his first government job, shows the powerful...

Posted this morning by Michael Graham, an American author, columnist, and conservative talk radio personality on Boston's WTKK-FM (96.9). ATTENTION: Here is the link you're looking for! I don't know if Rosie O'Donnell has formally joined the Deval Patrick campaign team, but given her political delusions, she could certainly be their poster child (assuming one could find a poster large enough to accommodate her). When you go to Deval Patrick's new, updated website--you know, the one that may be violating the state's privacy laws?--you'll find this webpage quoting the same moonbat memos Rosie is reading from: 9/11 was an inside...

(WBZ) BOSTON An exclusive WBZ Fast Track survey shows Governor Deval Patrick's job approval rating has taken a major hit. It's down 20 points in the past month. One month ago, 63-percent of voters approved of the job Patrick was doing, with only 25-percent voicing disapproval. As of this weekend, Patrick's approval rating has dropped a whopping 20 points, and his disapproval is up 22 points.

(WBZ) BOSTON Governor Deval Patrick is facing questions over some contributions he received during his campaign for governor. The donations came from employees of two firms building a new development in Cambridge. Two of the donors now work for the governor, and that's just one of the issues being raised. Dan O'Connell and Greg Bialecki were both involved in the Northpoint development in Cambridge. O'Connell is now Patrick's Secretary of Housing and Development. Bialecki is one of Patrick's top aides involved in real estate permitting. In February, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled against the Northpoint construction project in a lawsuit...

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick's office announced Saturday evening that first lady Diane Patrick is being treated for exhaustion and depression. The governor's press office said that the governor will work a flexible schedule for the next few weeks in order to spend more time with her and his family. Diane Patrick is a partner with the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray, but also makes public appearances in her role as first lady. The Patrick's have two daughters. The press office said "the family asks for the prayers and understanding of the public. We also ask respect for the...

Democrats' party chief casts his lot with Obama By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff | March 9, 2007 Philip W. Johnston, the Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman who served in the Clinton administration, declared his support yesterday for Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton's top rival for the party's presidential nomination. Alerts Calling Obama "the future of our party," Johnston also said the first-term Illinois Democrat's strong opposition to the war in Iraq was an important factor in his decision. Johnston, who met with Obama last week in Washington, said he will join the candidate's national finance committee and offer advice...

The moonbats are in mourning. In meltdown. In the muck, the mire. De-mooned. De-pressed. De-swooned. Ma-rooned. Pass the Xanax, please! What happened to Divine Deval, man of hope, the man who was to restore holier-than-thou progressives - dare I say liberals - to disinfect the Corner Office after 16 years of nasty, greedy, let-them-eat-cake-crumbs-and-like-it Republicans? “It started with the (inaugural) parties,” says The Uber Moonbat of Roslindale, Erik Gehring. I first met him last fall, on his Trek 700 bike, Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, the belly of the moonbat beast by the Blissful Monkey Yoga Studio, the Wonder Spice Cafe,...

Gov. Deval Patrick has bumped the state’s top veterans affairs adviser from his Cabinet, reversing a policy put in place by his predecessor and infuriating vets at a time of war and scrutiny over treatment of returning soldiers. The governor’s newly reorganized Cabinet includes eight department heads, but not the secretary of the Department of Veterans Services, a position that was elevated to Cabinet level under former Gov. Mitt Romney. The change comes as thousands of Bay Staters fight in Iraq and a major scandal unfolds over the treatment of veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C....

Draped in controversy, is it curtains for Deval? By Howie Carr Boston Herald Columnist Sunday, February 25, 2007 It’s the $72,000-a-year secretary for your wife, stupid. That’s what’s people are really going to remember about Gov. Deval Patrick’s very bad week. What a first and lasting impression to leave - Mrs. Patrick, who has a full-time mid-six-figure job, now gets a chief of staff, a woman from Wellesley named Amy Gorin who was one of Deval’s earliest rich moonbat supporters. Amy Gorin needs another $72,000 like Deval needs, well, a Cadillac DTS. The way he ignores the issue, Deval must...

It’s the $72,000-a-year secretary for your wife, stupid. That’s what’s people are really going to remember about Gov. Deval Patrick’s very bad week. What a first and lasting impression to leave - Mrs. Patrick, who has a full-time mid-six-figure job, now gets a chief of staff, a woman from Wellesley named Amy Gorin who was one of Deval’s earliest rich moonbat supporters. Amy Gorin needs another $72,000 like Deval needs, well, a Cadillac DTS. The way he ignores the issue, Deval must grasp what a public-relations nightmare Mrs. Gorin has become. In this week’s podcast - Deval’s direct communication to...

Coupe Deval! Just saw it, check out the new Howie Carr website devoted to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick! http://coupedeval.com/