| So, in a sign of Big Time Internal Strife, Trav says Deval's agenda goes through him -- i.e. over his dead body [my emphasis]:
According to the notes of one audience member, Travaglini said: "I told the governor-elect, if you're willing to share and you care and you prepare and are ready to deliver, then everything will work out. If not, I have senators across the state who share my vision and my approach and if forced to choose, I'm comfortable with whom they'll choose."
The remarks were confirmed by five people, who gave similar accounts of his statements, but did not want to be quoted by name. Travaglini spokeswoman Ann Dufresne did not return repeated phone calls seeking a comment yesterday.
Delivered before roughly 300 people at a meeting of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the remarks were the first public sign of a fissure between the Democrat- run Legislature and Patrick, who ran aggressively against the Beacon Hill culture during his campaign.
Well, what did we expect? We shouldn't have expected any different from Travaglini, who carried water for special interests in the health care law negotiations last year, whittling down the deadbeat-employer contribution to almost nothing. This is his constituency, his power base. Patrick has his, and a smashing 20-point victory on Election Day to prove it. Anyone who imagined we'd have a "progressive trifecta" in government was dreaming. Travaglini is old-school, old Beacon Hill, old-culture. That doesn't mean he's irrelevant -- anything but.
The divisions in our government are no longer those of party: You think the Mass GOP is in good position to take advantage here? The cleavages are now based on interests: public vs. private, people vs. profit.
You just have to chuckle at this:
Travaglini said that in recent discussions with Patrick, he warned the governor-elect to stop making public promises to cut $1 billion in waste.
The Senate president said he told Patrick that the pledge insults the Legislature. If there is that much bloat in the budget, Travaglini said, then he hasn't been doing his job. UPDATE: Juxtapose that quote with this:Legislators have also been concerned that Patrick may move to cut earmarks, money that is directed by legislators to local projects. "They are not pork," DiMasi said earlier this week. "They are legislators' priorities."
Well, how about that. Gosh, have we had any recent evidence that tax money is being wasted? (Also, Patrick envisioned that a lot of those savings would come from efficiencies in providing health care. Those are structural problems, and not to pinned on the legislature.)
The description of that conversation goes on -- unflatteringly to Patrick, of course. I'm taking Travaglini's description of it with a big ol' grain of salt.
Now that Travaglini has shown his willingness to obstruct Patrick's reforms (whatever they may be), there need to be two approaches:
1. Talk the obviously-steamed Travaglini down a little bit. Somehow make him feel a part of the team, offer him something important to buy into. (Negotiation: find the Zone of Possible Agreement. Accentuate the positive first.)
2. Put pressure on Trav to play ball with Patrick. Have him pay a price for flying off the handle in public like this. Put pressure on other Senators to work cooperatively with Patrick, and not feel that they need to be under the thumb of the Senate President. Offer them ways to look good by cooperating with Patrick. (i.e. Worsening Trav's Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.)
#1 has to be addressed by Patrick himself, in private. For #2: How do we make those "senators across the state who share [Trav's] vision and ... approach" think differently? Have the State House switchboard in your speed-dial: 617-722-2000. It's not too early: ask your Senator if he/she intends to help Governor-elect Patrick cut waste from the budget, for example. Ask them for a comment on the record regarding Trav's remarks, and if you get one, post it here. (No, I'm not expecting much.)
Yeah, all this is pretty vague so far. But those Senators will notice that you called. If this election actually changed how things are going to be done on Beacon Hill, a lot of Senators will have to be apprised of that fact. The fun part is just beginning.
UPDATE: In the thread below this one, GoldsteinGoneWild makes a poker analogy. |
