BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick began a series of eight "town meeting" style forums across the state Saturday to rally loyal backers to push back against the established politicians and lobbyists he says are trying to undermine his agenda.
The offensive marries personal style and the latest Internet technology -- the twin hallmarks of his meteoric rise as the Democratic governor. But Patrick also is pushing to shake off a slew of public foibles and private worries and get his administration back on solid footing.
"It's you're government. It's your civic responsibility. And it's your moment in time," Patrick told the crowd, made up largely of well-wishers, who turned out to hear him.
Patrick's campaign staff on Saturday launched a revamped web site designed to make it easier for average citizens to pitch ideas to Patrick.
Patrick's efforts to remind his supporters why they backed him as a candidate comes as he struggles with the realities of governing and tries to recover from some of his early blunders -- including his decision to upgrade his official car to a Cadillac and redecorate his office with pricey drapes.
Even more crucial for Patrick is a series of looming battles he faces with leaders in the House and Senate as he pushes a budget plan that relies on the state closing hundreds of millions of dollars in what he calls corporate tax "loopholes."
House Speaker Salvador DiMasi, D-Boston, said he opposes the loophole closings and new Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, said the Senate version of the budget won't include them.
Patrick urged those gathered at the forum to press the case for the loophole-closings, which he said are needed to close a $1.3 billion spending gap and fund some of his key initiatives.
"Show up. Make your voice heard. Nobody's giving us anything," he said. "Governing is about power, there's no mistaking that, and my power has never come from the insiders with connections and the powerful special interests, my power comes from you."
The crowd of more than 500 people who gathered in the auditorium of Boston Latin School to hear Patrick drilled him on everything from gay marriage to veterans affairs.
They also heard Patrick tout some successes during his first 75 days in offices -- including signing a regional greenhouse gas initiative and working to streamline permitting processes for businesses.
Lawmakers also passed his $1.4 billion bond bill last week.
But those successes have been overshadowed in part by his personal stumbles -- a political reality Patrick is trying to reverse by rallying his troops.
Sylvia Barnes, a city worker from Cambridge, said she feels there's been too much focus on Patrick's early missteps.
"Picking on the car and the curtains is just so minor," said Barnes, 50. "I think he's going to do great things and I think we've got to give him a chance. Expectations are so high. People want results right away."
Stephen Williams said he feels Patrick has come under attack because of his ideas, and that he needs to push back.
"I want to see what he has in store as they continue to batter him," Williams, a 49-year-old retiree, said. "I think he has to be allowed to do his job."
The revised web site, launched by Patrick's political committee, is designed to allow ordinary citizens to bring their concerns directly to Patrick, and each other.
Voters interested in renewable energy, for example, can share thoughts and strategies, and -- if a critical mass it reached -- may get a response from Patrick on the web site, www.devalpatrick.com.
Designers say they know of no other similar web site by a prominent political figure that encourages voters to form virtual coalitions and talk back so directly.
"It's not top-down, it's bottom-up," said Liz Morningstar, executive director of the Deval Patrick Committee, acknowledging that the web site could be seen as either as a threat to the state's entrenched lobbying establishment, or a new tool.
"It will be interesting to see how established lobbying and advocacy groups respond," she said.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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