Do you ever wonder what Sharon Taxman thinks of Deval Patrick's victory in last November's gubernatorial race?

Taxman was the New Jersey teacher whose claim to being a victim of reverse discrimination was scoffed at by Patrick during his tenure as US Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. At the beginning of the year, many believed that Patrick's horrific actions in the case would torpedo his gubernatorial bid; however, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kerry Healey chose not to make Patrick's pro-quota views an issue.

It has to devastate Taxman that the man who dismissed her experience with discrimination is now the CEO of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She has to wonder what was on the minds of those who decided to put Patrick in charge. Had they never heard of her story? Could they not relate to what she went through?

The Taxman case was a national story a decade ago, but it's obvious that the details of the case faded from the electorate's collective memory years before Patrick announced plans to run. Affirmative action was a controversial social issue in the 1990s, but it's been replaced by "newer" national disputes such as immigration reform. Enough time had passed for Patrick to remake his image: instead of being the "Quota King" of the 1990s, he was now the reformer of the 2000s.

Bay State Republicans weren't the only ones depressed by Patrick's victory. Patrick's powerful performance had to have been taxing on Taxman. Hopefully, Patrick won't do to the state what he did to her.