Gov. Charlie Baker And the Great State Of Our State

From the moment that Gov. Charlie Baker strode into the House Chamber last Tuesday to deliver his State of the Commonwealth address, it was evident why Gov. Baker, despite being a Republican in a heavily-Democratic state, has rated as the most popular governor in the country ever since he took office.

The governor was greeted by a standing ovation from the legislators, the first of at least 15 that he received on the night, a testament both to his ability to work with a legislature that is comprised of more than 75 percent Democrats in both chambers and the heart-felt degree of respect with which he is held by legislators.

Gov. Baker listed a host of his administration’s goals for the future — most notably in the realms of addressing climate change, health care, public education, and our public transportation issues — but as is his style, he was quick to point out that he will seek to do so through bipartisan cooperation with the state legislature. 

But beyond his ability to work with Democrats, there is a deeper reason why Charlie Baker rates as the most popular governor in the country: His decency, compassion, and dedication to our Commonwealth and its people is readily-apparent and second-to-none.  

“People who deal with much greater troubles than ours will rightly question us if we waste our time, and theirs, on the politics of personal destruction,” Baker said to a rousing ovation from legislators. “They want us to be better than the yelling they see on TV and across social media. We all know campaigns are contests, and the siren call of sloganeering and cheap shots will be everywhere this year. Let’s rise above it.”

In short, we have a governor who wants to do the right thing for all of our people; who sees his mission as a uniter; and who is proud of his practical-minded approach to solving our problems.

The administration of Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito has set the standard for elected officials not only in our state, but at the national level as well. We are indeed very fortunate to have Gov. Charlie Baker at the helm of our ship of state in these tempestuous times and we look forward to Gov. Baker, together with House Speaker Bob DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka, moving Massachusetts forward to tackle the many issues confronting us as we enter the third decade of the 21st century.