Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) is in many ways the "Beta" version of President Barack Obama.  Obama strategists David Axelrod and David Plouffe ran Patrick's successful 2006 campaign for Governor, taking Patrick from relative obscurity to the Corner Office. The strategies used were the same. As USA Today noted back in January of 2008: "Both have followed a simple but effective game plan in their political rise: Tell a compelling story about yourself and inspire people who feel left out to take back their government."  Sometimes even the rhetoric was the same.

Things haven't worked out so well for Patrick, who in March sported a -41 net approval rating.  But Plouffe is back to run his new campaign, and it looks like it won't be all hopey-changey.  The Boston Herald's  Hillary Chabot reports:

Self-styled new politics reformer Gov. Deval Patrick is launching his re-election bid as a Beacon Hill brawler, targeting potential rivals with opposition research and openly sparring with fellow Democrats in the Legislature.

Patrick, who once expressed a disdain for political mudslinging, already has hired the state's top opposition researcher, David Stone, to keep any gubernatorial hopefuls against the ropes.

“This is going to get nasty,” said Christy Mihos, a Republican candidate for the Corner Office. “He's going after the Democrat Legislature each and every day, and these are folks that got him elected. He's going to do whatever he has to do to keep his seat.”

Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who is strongly considering a run for governor, has suggested Patrick's office is behind several negative stories questioning his ethical dealings with the state lottery and pension board.

The governor also appears to be taking a page from former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign playbook, running against lawmakers - even though they are fellow Democrats.

Obama has so far been able to maintain high approval ratings.  Even though he's showing some weakening in his approval rating, they overall remain very high.  But assuming that the economy begins to take its toll and that there is further disenchantment with his administration, one wonders if this will serve as the beta version for Obama's 2012 campaign?

More importantly, how will voters react to this new Obama?  His strength was always his ability to remain somewhat above the fray, running a semi-rose-garden strategy.  The one time he fell behind McCain in the polls for an extended period of time, he didn't look particularly good.  Maybe he'll be able to pull off the street fighter persona if need be, but my guess is that his main strategy will be trying to avoid going there in the first place.