“,,,he can claim credit here for keep the depths of the recession relatively shallow,,,”
Huh?
You lost me there.
He (Deval) can compare his state,in relative terms,to the rest of the country.Then he can say look, we’ve managed to stave off the pitfalls of a great many other states, thanks to him and his policies. In fact using such a comparison may be the perfect rationale for such a wage hike.
Get it?