For Patrick loyalists, some talking points
Political committee looks to steer focus away from miscues, onto initiatives
So, what do you say when someone asks, "What's up with your guy?"
Crafting the right response to that question has become a key focus of a series of meetings that Governor Deval Patrick's political committee is holding with supporters across the state as part of an effort to keep his grass-roots organization alive.
The committee has also developed a set of talking points aimed at helping loyalists steer attention away from the political stumbles that have dominated the early weeks of Patrick's administration.
These talking points, according to a copy obtained by the Globe, include statistics on the corporate tax changes Patrick has proposed, his concerns about children affected by the New Bedford immigration raid, and his efforts to lower premium costs under the state's new healthcare law.
"Take a look, and the next time you're approached by someone wanting to know 'What's up with your guy,' you counter with a specific initiative," Nancy Anderson, a ward organizer during the campaign, wrote in an e-mail to supporters who attended a March 11 meeting in Dorchester. "This is what's important. This is why we elected Deval Patrick."
Anderson noted that another supporter had said "it's a page out of the Karl Rove playbook," but she added: "It's an effective tool."
According to campaign aides, the technique was used during last year's campaign to blunt negative media coverage. Volunteers quoted talking points when responding to voters' concerns about issues that threatened to derail the campaign.
"The idea was to get everyone on the same page and deal with negative perceptions," said one campaign staff member. "They would do it anytime there was trouble."
Liz Morningstar, executive director of the Deval Patrick Committee, said the campaign e- mailed the talking points to supporters following the meetings, which are being held across the state with field leaders from the campaign to discuss reenergizing and refocusing the Deval Patrick Committee and maintaining the grassroots energy his candidacy created.
The talking points, Morningstar said, are designed to keep loyalists, their friends, and neighbors informed, not to shore up the governor's sagging support. A recent WBZ poll showed a 20-point drop in Patrick's approval rating over the past month.
"Let me be very clear," said Morningstar. "In 12 meetings we've had, the energy and enthusiasm of our supporters is still there. They worry about making sure their friends understand what the governor is doing."
Patrick's political committee has scheduled 14 so-called "kitchen cabinet" meetings across the state this month, bringing together the "most ardent supporters" from last year's campaign, according to John Walsh, who was Patrick's campaign manager. Two more meetings will be held before the planned "relaunch" of the campaign organization at Boston Latin School on March 24. The committee will create a new website, aimed at expanding the organization and helping the administration advance its agenda.
Anderson, who e-mailed the talking points to supporters in Dorchester last week, said that more than 30 people attended the March 11 meeting.
Part of the meeting focused on "how do we move the discussion away from drapes and car leases and onto more substantive issues," Anderson wrote in the e-mail, referring to Patrick's decision to upgrade his official car to a Cadillac and redecorate the corner office with $27,000 worth of furnishings.
While he defused some criticism by saying he would reimburse the state for the furnishings and part of the car lease, the governor immediately entered a new controversy stemming from his decision to call a major financial institution on behalf of a controversial mortgage company whose board he once served on.
On March 10, Patrick disclosed that his wife, Diane, was suffering from exhaustion and depression, and that he would scale back his weekend and evening schedules to spend more time with her. Last week ended with an announcement of a staff shake-up, just two months into his term.
"It's difficult," said Anderson, who organized several key Dorchester wards during the campaign. She said she and others have had to field tough questions about Patrick's performance since his inauguration in January, particularly about his personal spending.
"We want to keep the focus on what's important and not so much on these rookie mistakes," she said. "The issues (in the talking points) are what's important, not the car lease or the draperies. People are thrilled that I distributed them."
But political experts say they doubt whether talking points, no matter how widely distributed, could boost Patrick's popularity, though they might help reassure the troops.
"When the tenor of news is pushing hard in one direction, it's tough to redirect it by trying to get your grassroots supporters to say something different, " said William G. Mayer, a Northeastern University political science professor. "I'm skeptical that this is a new and potent communications medium such that you can send the word out to your supporters and they will buttonhole a couple of million ordinary Massachusetts voters and convince them that, 'No, actually, Deval Patrick is doing a good job.' "
But Mayer and Democratic media consultant Michael Goldman said the talking points might help calm nervous supporters.
"This is a good thing, particularly when there's bad news out there," said Goldman. "When people ask 'What's going on? Is everything OK?' now people can say 'Yes, these are things that are going on that you might not know about.' "
Andrea Estes can be reached at estes@globe.com. 