Patrick_102213_0.mp3

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick joined Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Tuesday, as he does each month for his Ask the Governor segment. He spoke with Jim and Margery about EBT fraud, his plans for transportation- which include plans to buy $1.3 billion worth of Orange and Red Line cars for the MBTA- the best tactics for a debate, and his thoughts on Tea Party politics and the presidency.

On the Tea Party.

I miss the Republican party. We need a loyal opposition that is engaged in a constructive debate about how we create and expand opportunity, not as we have in the Tea Party, as I experienced them- which seems to be about whether having a country is a good idea at all. The notion that in order to be a bona fide Republican you have to hate immigrants, hate differences, hate Democrats is a dangerous and I think unhelpful idea. And I'm sorry to say Ted Cruz gets a tremendous amount of attention from leading that point of view, but we need the Republican party back. Particularly the New England Republicans. That disappearing breed of fiscally restrained and socially progressive or even libertarians as leaving people to their own privat decisions about private maters in their lives.  
 

If Obama wants to seduce moderate Republicans away from the Tea Partiers- should Obama be doing more to reach across the isle?

Look at what this president has done. Look how far he has gone to accommodate the interest of the opposition. Frequently upsetting his own party members.

I am so done listening to people say: This President should do more when he deals with people who show open contempt for him in the office. And we've never seen that before. There were a lot of us who felt very, very strongly about George W. Bush's leadership. Very strongly on the Democratic side (...) There was never any open disrespect shown of his position or of him. I'm tellin' you- it is not that way today when Governors meet with this president in the White House. And that was true from the beginning.

Listen to the full interview with Patrick above.