Feeding the Lions

Bill Weld used to say that unless you feed the lions (i.e. the press), they will feed on you.

The first 100 days of the Patrick administration were a case study in that lesson (see drapes, Cadillac, etc.).

However, they seem to have hit their stride recently, putting on major announcements which (whether you liked the ideas or not) managed to dominate the news cycle. First, it was the light bulbs/environmental announcement, then the $1b biotech initiative, and finally the anti-crime initiative.

The anti-crime announcement was also a bit of creative political jujitsu. The Governor’s budget had not funded the program, yet he was able to take political credit for backfilling this ‘oversight’ through a supplemental budget.