This morning’s First Read asks:

Ironically, the budget situation and the governor's approval rating (at about 33% or 34%, per recent polls) aren't much different than they were when Gray Davis was governor. Which raises this question: Is California ungovernable? It’s worth asking when you consider the state’s property-tax laws, its overloaded ballot-initiative process, its term limits for state lawmakers, and the fact that it takes a supermajority vote to pass budgets or tax increases. Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner, Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom -- you really want to be governor?

The same question could be asked about Massachusetts. And of those who have their eye on a potential bid for the Corner Office.To be sure, the budget situation isn’t as dire as California’s, comparatively speaking. The budget hole over there was $40 billion before about $12.8 billion in tax hikes. There are no term limits here, or a wild ballot-initiative process, and a supermajority vote isn’t needed to pass budgets or tax increases.

But the governor over here has similar approval ratings. And he’s currently dealing with a Legislature that can turn aside his veto threats pretty easily, and has been wary of his proposals to tax candy and soda, and raise the gas tax by 19 cents. The Senate is just now appearing to embrace proposals he filed in 2007, giving cities and towns the ability to raise meals and lodging taxes. It's not clear whether the House will do the same.

The Legislature's veto override capability affects any governor, whether he or she is a Democrat or Republican. The Legislature, overwhelmingly Democratic, overrode Patrick’s vetoes to past budgets just as they did Romney’s vetoes during his one-term tenure. They also left a number of Romney proposals on the table.

But here’s an interesting response to the question of “Who rules Beacon Hill” as asked on the Hiller Instinct in the segment that ran last night:

Hiller: "Do you control Beacon Hill?"

Gov. Patrick: "No."

Hiller: "Does the legislature control Beacon Hill?"

Gov. Patrick: "Nobody controls Beacon Hill, but I will say..."

Hiller: "But wait, if no one controls it, that means it's out of control."

Gov. Patrick: "No, that's not what it means."

That’s a very different answer from the one he gave while on WTKK radio last Wednesday. When asked about the status of his gas tax proposal, Patrick said of the legislative leaders in the House and Senate: “They’re feeling like they don’t have the votes.” Then there was a very long pause before he added, "You know, the leadership have the votes when they want."

That sounds a lot like somebody controls Beacon Hill. And it isn’t the governor, bully pulpit or no.