Patrick chased book deal during vote

by Dave Keating | March 28, 2008 at 02:05 am

217 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

As approval ratings for Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick continue to plumet, he's courted more controversy by skipping town during an important vote to negotiate a book deal for his autobiography. Considering he is a close ally of Barack Obama, Patrick's increasing unpopularity could start to affect the presidential candidate.

Governor Deval Patrick traveled to New York last week to shop a proposal for an autobiography among New York publishing houses, departing the state to pursue the book contract just hours before the House voted down his high-profile casino legislation on Beacon Hill.

Disclosure of the trip cleared up a mystery that has lingered since last Thursday, when Patrick aides said he had left Boston on unspecified personal business.
Patrick's book would recount his dramatic rise from the streets of Chicago's South Side to the governor's office. Such a tale would draw comparisons to books written by his friend and political ally, Senator Barack Obama, whose "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" have been longtime bestsellers.

Patrick's absence last Thursday raised eyebrows at the State House, where union members and a number of the governor's legislative allies on the casino issue remained throughout the day to follow through in their support of the bill.