So this from today’s Boston Herald:
Critics rip Gov. Deval Patrick’s PAC mentality
Deval Patrick’s new jet-hopping role in President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign sets him up for renewed attacks on a wayfaring governor too busy racking up frequent flier miles on overseas junkets, his own book tour and now stumping for the White House to keep his pledge to fix the state economy.
“It looks like he is spending half his time promoting his book and the other half helping President Obama. Why did he even run for re-election to begin with?” asked former GOP U.S. Rep. Peter Torkildsen.
Added Republican strategist Todd Domke: “This shows that his personal ambition seems to be more impressive than his ambition for the state. Can’t he afford all this travel himself after that nearly $2 million book advance?
http://bostonherald.com/news/p…
And this from February 14th’s Boston Herald:
Sen. Scott Brown to go on book tour for new memoir
NEW YORK – Sen. Scott Brown is about to begin an old political ritual: A book tour.
The first-term Massachusetts Republican will visit California, Florida and several other states to promote his memoir “Against All Odds,” which comes out next week.
HarperCollins announced Monday that Brown’s tour will begin Feb. 22 and continue off and on over the following few weeks. Highlights include the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., and The Villages retirement community in Florida, where Sarah Palin promoted “Going Rogue.
http://www.bostonherald.com/ne…
So let me get this straight. It’s fine for Scott Brown to promote a book and take the time off from the U.S. Senate to tour, not to mention the political campaign circuit he was on last year around the country, but it’s not Ok for Deval Patrick?
Just asking.
I like Senator Brown. But his sudden revelations conveniently strike me as selling books.
Just like Governor Patrick inventing his wife’s nervous breakdown, so the media would lay off him so he could spend time with his sickly wife. As he was running out the door to more of his several statewide inauguration galas.
Oh! How convenient! Deval is selling a book too!
When you openly question other people’s very personal, very painful history, you are in dangerous territory. Please tread lightly.
While the Globe does criticize Patrick for years they have been the official voice of the Democratic party in Mass so I really don’t see much of a difference.
for most of last year. There were endless puff pieces that contained absolutely no balance.
<
p>Here is an article that they wrote when he had served about 3 months. http://www.boston.com/news/nat…
<
p>You may want to read the transcript of their interview with him that was likely intended to provide insight for the article – http://www.boston.com/news/nat… Go back and watch the video they created of his interview, where you can see that they judiciously choose a series of comments that were not clueless and wove them together with photos to create an impression that was far better than the stream of consciousness of the transcript, which at times read like, less articulate versions of letters my daughters sent from camp.
<
p>The transcript shows that he has little idea what an “earmark” is at the very time that both the Globe and Herald were trumpeting his declaration that he would not work for any. Yet, the BG, spoke of the potential of Brown’s assignments as bringing money to MA – stating they were better than Kerry’s. (Though Kerry’s seats – even ignoring his seniority – on Finance, Commerce, and Small business were actually better than the ones Brown was then assigned to.) http://www.boston.com/news/nat…
<
p>The big defense contract that MA got with the Navy was through Senator Kerry’s efforts. In addition, the BG made a big production of Brown recently getting a seat on the Small Business Committee. Somehow, it was considered less important when Senator Kerry chaired it.
<
p>Not to mention, the BG named Brown, who does not live in Boston, the “Bostonian of the Year”.
<
p>I know that any partisan will see ANY media as unfair to a politician they believe in, but looking at the Brown coverage, IMO they have been very easy on him.
Deval took heat from the Herald and others for his book deal, while Brown’s book tour is almost being celebrated. Maybe because Brown’s a better writer or something? I haven’t read either of their self-promotional masterpieces, and don’t have much desire to.
It is well known that Brown had the same ghost writer that Laura Bush used for her book. I don’t know if Patrick wrote his own book or not.
<
p>I think there were many who have questioned why Brown was going to write a book before he accomplished more than the incredible political feat of being elected Senator.
<
p>Also, I remember that the first mention of a book tour for Brown seemed to say it was all in MA, which might have lessened the heat – as talking with and meeting with constituents would be good.
<
p>Now, I think the sensational nature of Brown’s material is what is getting the coverage. Only time will tell if it is more positive than negative. I have heard very little on Patrick’s book.
<
p>I don’t remember any negative comments on Senator Kerry and his wife’s This Moment on Earth, for which they had a book tour. That book was different in that it was issue oriented and about a set of issues that Kerry has worked on for decades.
I do think there is a difference, though. Deval was a notable candidate who came from nowhere to win by a wide margin, but he is still a Democrat in a Democratic state. Scott Brown was even more obscure, and shocked the political world.
<
p>Also, Deval was revealed to be working on his proposal WAY too early in his governorship. That fueled the criticism.
Was the timing that different from Scott Brown’s? I don’t think so, but I don’t remember.
But I do recall that it felt too soon.
<
p>It feels too soon for Brown too, but he’s got to advertise his availability for VP consideration.
The piece in the Herald regarding Senator Brown’s book tour was from the Associated Press, it also ran in the Globe.
<
p>The piece in the Herald wasn’t an editorial, and it’s thrust was more that Republicans and critics of the Governor were complaining. I agree that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, but the implication that the Herald is somehow hypocritical doesn’t hold true here in my opinion.
It would be nice if we criticized politicians from both parties for abandoning our state to promote themselves.
These politicians that have books ghosted for them tend to get them purchased by their campaign organizations. (Really!, would would read the bull-hockey?) The books wind up being given out to supporters and contributors.
<
p>The ghost makes money, the publisher makes money, the receiver of the book gets something to recycle, the politician gets use of the royalty money that would have had to stay in political contributions. Everybody wins.
<
p>“All men having power ought to be mistrusted.” –James Madison