GOVERNOR TURNS UP THE HEAT ON BAKER
Deval Patrick
GOVERNOR TURNS UP THE HEAT ON BAKER
 Governor Deval Patrick Wednesday took some of his most pointed shots yet at Republican gubernatorial rival Charles D. Baker Jr.  accusing the former chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of doing nothing to stop dramatic increases in health care costs that he said are crushing small businesses and families.
 "Today's events represent a clear example of the choices Massachusetts voters have before them in this election " said the appeal from Patrick's campaign manager  Sydney Asbury. "Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray care about working people and take on entrenched and powerful interests on their behalf  while other candidates are either beholden to those interests or too timid to do anything about the problems facing our Commonwealth."
 Patrick's aggressive tack seemed to mark a new  more heated phase of the campaign  on the same day a new poll showed Baker gaining ground on Patrick. Baker's campaign manager  Lenny Alcivar  said on Twitter that Patrick's comments were sad and that the governor had been "reduced from testimony to meltdown  to empty campaign fund-raising ploy in minutes."
 "The governor had 3? years to take action on health care costs  but he didn't " Alcivar said. "For 3? years  Deval Patrick had the existing authority to do something  anything to address this problem  and he wouldn't. Today  hours after waking up to polling results that show his reelection prospects dwindling by the minute  Governor Patrick was forced to testify on a proposal aimed more toward salvaging his political career than helping small businesses."
 Patrick's comments were notable  because he often passes up opportunities to directly engage his challengers  particularly when at the State House.
 But he seized the chance Wednesday  after speaking in support of a bill he filed that would allow state regulators to reject "unreasonable or excessive" cost increases from hospitals and other health care providers.
 "While we've been dealing with this crisis  at least one of the candidates in this race has been in the middle of this industry and hasn't offered any solutions yet " the governor said  taking aim at Baker.
 The Rasmussen Reports automated telephone survey of likely voters showed Patrick earning 35 percent of the vote  compared with 32 percent for Baker and 19 percent for state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill  who is running as an independent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4? percentage points. A Rasmussen survey in November showed Patrick at 33 percent  Baker at 28 percent  and Cahill at 25 percent.
 Political analysts said Patrick is trying to more actively define Baker in the minds of voters before Baker can introduce himself on his own terms.
 "Given the Rasmussen poll today essentially showing a dead heat  it's clear that Governor Patrick really has to step up and go on offense more  not only touting what he's done  but go on offense against his real challenger in this race  and that's Charlie Baker " said Mary Anne Marsh  a Democratic political strategist. "It signals a stage in this race  and it shows you we'll see an even more aggressive Deval Patrick going into the spring and the summer."
 The Patrick campaign has been honing two main lines of attack against Baker as it looks toward the November election. One is to tie Baker to the exorbitant cost increases of the Big Dig  whose finances Baker helped oversee as the top budget aide to governors William F. Weld and Paul Cellucci in the 1990s.
 "They talk about why it is they can't help but charge double-digit increases every year to small businesses and families " Patrick said. "Those small business and families don't have a voice at the table. They have my voice at that table."
 Baker's running mate  Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei  Republican of Wakefield  joined Alcivar in dismissing Patrick's comments as a political ploy. "The governor is really electioneering  instead of taking a more thoughtful approach " he said.
GOVERNOR TURNS UP THE HEAT ON BAKER
 [TGT] Wednesday took some of [TGT] most pointed shots yet at Republican gubernatorial rival Charles D. Baker Jr.  accusing the former chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of doing nothing to stop dramatic increases in health care costs that [TGT] said are crushing small businesses and families.
 "Today's events represent a clear example of the choices Massachusetts voters have before them in this election " said the appeal from [TGT]'s campaign manager  Sydney Asbury. "Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray care about working people and take on entrenched and powerful interests on their behalf  while other candidates are either beholden to those interests or too timid to do anything about the problems facing our Commonwealth."
 Patrick's aggressive tack seemed to mark a new  more heated phase of the campaign  on the same day a new poll showed Baker gaining ground on [TGT]. Baker's campaign manager  Lenny Alcivar  said on Twitter that [TGT]'s comments were sad and that the governor had been "reduced from testimony to meltdown  to empty campaign fund-raising ploy in minutes."
 "The governor had 3? years to take action on health care costs  but he didn't " Alcivar said. "For 3? years  Deval Patrick had the existing authority to do something  anything to address this problem  and he wouldn't. Today  hours after waking up to polling results that show his reelection prospects dwindling by the minute  Governor Patrick was forced to testify on a proposal aimed more toward salvaging his political career than helping small businesses."
 [TGT]'s comments were notable  because he often passes up opportunities to directly engage his challengers  particularly when at the State House.
 But he seized the chance Wednesday  after speaking in support of a bill he filed that would allow state regulators to reject "unreasonable or excessive" cost increases from hospitals and other health care providers.
 "While we've been dealing with this crisis  at least one of the candidates in this race has been in the middle of this industry and hasn't offered any solutions yet " the governor said  taking aim at Baker.
 The Rasmussen Reports automated telephone survey of likely voters showed Patrick earning 35 percent of the vote  compared with 32 percent for Baker and 19 percent for state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill  who is running as an independent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4? percentage points. A Rasmussen survey in November showed Patrick at 33 percent  Baker at 28 percent  and Cahill at 25 percent.
 Political analysts said Patrick is trying to more actively define Baker in the minds of voters before Baker can introduce himself on his own terms.
 "Given the Rasmussen poll today essentially showing a dead heat  it's clear that Governor Patrick really has to step up and go on offense more  not only touting what he's done  but go on offense against his real challenger in this race  and that's Charlie Baker " said Mary Anne Marsh  a Democratic political strategist. "It signals a stage in this race  and it shows you we'll see an even more aggressive Deval Patrick going into the spring and the summer."
 The Patrick campaign has been honing two main lines of attack against Baker as it looks toward the November election. One is to tie Baker to the exorbitant cost increases of the Big Dig  whose finances Baker helped oversee as the top budget aide to governors William F. Weld and Paul Cellucci in the 1990s.
 "They talk about why it is they can't help but charge double-digit increases every year to small businesses and families " Patrick said. "Those small business and families don't have a voice at the table. They have my voice at that table."
 Baker's running mate  Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei  Republican of Wakefield  joined Alcivar in dismissing Patrick's comments as a political ploy. "The governor is really electioneering  instead of taking a more thoughtful approach " he said.