And then lies about it?
"Patrick breaks own rules on casinos; Faces questions over donations, meetings" July 08, 2011|By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff
Governor Deval Patrick, who has said repeatedly and as recently as last week that he does not take donations from or meet with gambling industry representatives, has done both as he and legislative leaders begin their third attempt to legalize resort-style casinos in Massachusetts.
See: Gambling on a State Budget
Patrick has collected $6,200 in campaign donations from more than 20 registered gambling lobbyists since 2009....
Patrick deposited one of those checks last August and the other in May.
Yet the governor insisted again last week on his monthly radio show on WTKK-FM: “I don’t take contributions from gaming interests. I haven’t engaged with any of the gaming lobbyists.’’
He made the same assertion several times during his reelection campaign, declaring in a televised debate in October: “We don’t take lobbying money. We don’t take money from gambling interests.’’
Asked yesterday how the $6,200 from gambling lobbyists ended up in his campaign account, Patrick said to ask the director of his political committee.
“With all due respect,’’ he said, “I don’t count every check.’’
Yeah, those interests just tell him what to sign.
Turns out money is behind all the political puppets be they called Repuglican or Democrap.
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Steve Crawford, a committee spokesman, said the governor returned $19,150 in donations from gambling lobbyists in November, after the Boston Herald reported that Patrick had violated his policy of not collecting donations from gambling lobbyists....
Oh, the Herald scooped you, Globe?
Patrick has also met with gambling industry representatives outside the public eye.
Doug Rubin, Patrick’s longtime political adviser and former chief of staff, is a registered lobbyist for GTECH, which produces gambling equipment for the state Lottery. At the same time he continues to meet with the governor, even traveling with Patrick’s business delegation to Israel in March. Rubin’s firm, Northwind Strategies, has also collected $20,000 in consulting fees from Patrick’s political committee this year, including a $15,000 payment last month....
Yeah, he is pa$$ing some buck around.
Patrick, who has tried twice previously to legalize casinos, has been working for weeks to hammer out the broad outlines of a new casino bill in closed-door discussions with House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray.
Critics have blasted Patrick for holding those discussions in private, saying it shuts out competing voices and all but assures the gambling bill will pass.
But Patrick has argued that even if he reaches a broad agreement with legislative leaders, casinos are “not a done deal,’’ because Murray and DeLeo will still need the necessary votes.
And woe to the rep or senator that defies the leader here in Massachusetts.
--Mass. Governor Patrick breaks own rules on casinos--"
"The expectation is that some sort of gambling proposal will pop up soon, perhaps as early as this month....
And it will be announced with much fanfare with front page coverage!
--more--"
