Steady as she goes: Deval staying. Probably. We think. Or not.

Last we left the DGAC, we were given the following report (original with explanation here):

Governor insistence on casinos unabated. Renewed battle with nemesis counterindicates interest in job. Recent mentor victory indicates hope for promotion.

On the other hand, continued politicking: list of accomplishments and ongoing education initiative.

Final analysis: Patrick Now Open to Possibilities

Currect DGAC reading: 1.4

Since then, we've had a real divergence between what Deval is doing, which seems to indicate his desire to stay as governor for the foreseeable future, and what the rest of the world is doing, which seems to be setting up a great opportunity for him to move on.

On one hand, Patrick is to be credited for a strong finish to the legislative calendar. In addition to his life sciences initiative, he has overseen some less notable triumphs. Given the very slow start to his term, he is to be commended for a successful tenure as governor so far. He also is in the middle of a series of "town hall" meetings around the state. Less happily, Deval is also apparently committed to his rather anti-democratic mishmash of buzzwords that he is calling an education reform initiative.

On the other hand. First off, Obama is maintaining a steady lead in the national polls, and looks like a better than even shot for the White House. He's in the right party, he's got money, he's got charisma. And I'm not alone in thinking an Obama presidency produces a strong push for Deval to go to Washington, DC -- I'm pretty sure our treasurer feels the same way, and the plurality of Bay Staters feel that he will, too.

However, the DGAC is all about whether the current governor plans/expects/wants to stay in the job. While I think the odds are good that Patrick will leave in early 2009 if Obama wins, the DGAC notes his energy and interest in the job, commitment to long-term plans, and surprising absence of campaign stops with Obama, and is changing the reading.

On a scale from 1 (Jane Swift/loves the job) to 5 (late Romney/ sobs while going to work), Patrick's reading has changed from 1.4 down to 1.2