IllegalContact

William Weld

a guy who:
- ended the state's borrowing

- controlled Medicaid spending

- reduced property taxes and balanced seven budgets in a row (in a state where a balanced budget is constitutionally mandated but haphazardly enforced) while passing 19 tax cuts and never raising taxes.

- survey of chief executives conducted by the Massachusetts High Technology Council, 83% of those polled rated the state's business climate as good or excellent—up from only 33% at the beginning of his term.

- Reforming Medicaid to control its annual rate of growth from an average of 17.4% per year between 1987 and 1991, to 3.8% between 1991 and 1997.

- Overhauling the antiquated workers' compensation system and significantly reduced the size of state government. When Weld left office in 1997, it took 15,000 fewer state employees to run the government's operations than it had in 1988.

go figure.....a republican that got 71% of the reelection vote after barely beating john silber

__________________
“ I think good coaches will coach with the personnel they have, and if you only have one (good) linebacker, you’re not going to play a 3–4. ”
—Hank Bullough, who installed one of the first 3–4 defenses with the New England Patriots.

Patradomous

One of my favorite all time politicians.
Had the attitude toward being governor and a legislature for what it is. A part time job. Cool leadership with results.

IllegalContact

except you would object to his opinions on just about ever social issue

__________________
“ I think good coaches will coach with the personnel they have, and if you only have one (good) linebacker, you’re not going to play a 3–4. ”
—Hank Bullough, who installed one of the first 3–4 defenses with the New England Patriots.

Patradomous

Really? refresh my memory on BW's social issues.
there are very few social issue that I take a hard right stance on, if any.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa

Didn't he endorse Barack Obama in 2008?

Patters

Weld was a good governor, one of the very few Republicans I ever supported. He balanced his policies effectively with the swings in the national economy. He was very much a Republican Bill Clinton in terms of his policies, and supported Obama in 2008. This year, he's supporting Romney, who he has connections dating from Romney's tenure as governor.

khayos

Weld benefited from the same trajectory that helped Clinton -- the sharp rise of the tech sector / bubble.

Patradomous

i never said he was perfect

RI Patriots fan

Too liberal for me.....I'd never support him and he'd never win the support of the Republican party.

Hamar

Maybe he is just like a lot of us that believed Obama's pretty speeches and then had reality hit us hard after Obama was elected.