EaBo Clipper

Deval Patrick likes to paint a picture of economic doom and gloom in Massachusetts -- blaming it on the present Republican administration -- but figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the University of Massachusetts show a canvass of a different color.

For the second consecutive quarter, Massachusetts' economy has outpaced that of the United States. What's more noteworthy is that the Bay State's rate of growth is sizzling -- a sure sign that Massachusetts products and services are in demand.

Patrick, the Democrat gubernatorial candidate, has spread his message of hope to all corners of Massachusetts, using negative perceptions and old reports to downgrade the state's progress while promising to do better if elected. It begs the question: Do what better?

For the three-month period that just ended in September, the state's economy expanded 3.4 percent on an annual basis -- more than double the 1.6 percent national rate.

In the previous quarter, Massachusetts outpaced the national average 3.6 percent to 2.6 percent.

Also, recent state data reveal that Massachusetts has gained 33,000 net jobs since September 2005 -- 25,000 of them coming since Jan. 1. Shouldn't the Romney-Healey team get a little credit for steering the ship in the right direction after several years of recession-induced stagnation?

Patrick's been a bit misleading in recent television statements, asserting that the Republican administration has been responsible for shedding jobs -- not adding them. He uses employment numbers dating back to 2000, when nearly 78,000 Massachusetts jobs were lost during a deep recession. The Romney-Healey team didn't take office until 2002, and when it did, it put the state back on track with a tough fiscal policy that was approved by the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

That fiscal policy has resulted in two consecutive years of $1 billion budget surpluses. Can Patrick do better than that without raising taxes?

According to experts, the state's economy is largely dependent on innovation in health care, biotechnology, high-tech products and financial services. While recessionary dips are particularly hard, they don't last as long as peak-growth periods when the economy is humming.

Right now the state's economy is gaining steam and poised for what looks like another break-out endurance run.

The efforts of the Romney-Healey team certainly have something to do with the good news, whether Patrick wants to admit it or not.