I went to watch the governor do a town meeting — where all can come and ask questions and he can make his own points — and it was very interesting.

The governor did not rail against labor, legislators or illegal immigrants. While he voiced concern about clouds on the economic horizon, at least he could say the picture was brighter than it is nationally and point to some ambitious initiatives.

He got some tough questions, and at times disappointed people. But the air was entirely cordial.

This was not Donald Carcieri in Rhode Island. It was Deval Patrick in Rehoboth. The Massachusetts Democrat is on a circuit of town meetings.

This one, far from the confined, strident world of talk radio Carcieri savors, called to mind Norman Rockwell’s America. On a warm Tuesday night, down a winding road in a rural town, some 200 people flocked to an old open-sided clambake shed on the grounds of the Blanding Public Library. Red, white and blue bunting offered a backdrop. Microphone in hand, Patrick for 90 minutes roamed the crowd, most of whom sat at picnic tables.

He was enthusiastic (“What a great question!”), with the aplomb of a nightclub entertainer. When he missed the first name of a young questioner, the 16-year-old repeated, “Eames,” and said, “It’s weird.”

Patrick responded, “Deval — that’s weird.”

Folks touched on such topics as nurses, taxes, farms, jail terms, film credits, casinos, education, LNG and health care.

He knew a lot about a lot, but one time said flatly, “I don’t know very much about that,” and on some occasions talked around an issue. But for the most part he was very conversant and prone to long answers.

And though he bantered, he also would not be rolled over. When challenged about his vetoing some funding for community colleges, Patrick said, “The veto was of the difference between the budget I submitted, which is an increase over last year, and what came back from the legislature, which I don’t believe we can afford right now. I get the point about the need for funding, but let’s put it in some perspective.”

Afterward, Channel 12’s Joan Moran asked Patrick about the absence of an issue. No one, she noted, mentioned the Bay State legislature’s voting to repeal a 1913 law barring same-sex couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts. Residents of Rhode Island, which does not have gay marriage, have been allowed to wed in Massachusetts because the law here does not explicitly prohibit such unions; it makes the point only indirectly with words like “bride” and “groom.”

Patrick said the controversy over gay marriage in Massachusetts has virtually disappeared. “People have just moved on, and that’s a good thing,” he said.

I asked Patrick what he gets from the town meetings. Besides hearing what’s on people’s minds, he said, “It’s also very important for us to model the ability to differ on issues without acrimony, without trivialization of different opinions.”

And, “I don’t want to be about abstract policy. I want to understand where policy touches people. … You can’t know that — at least for me — if you don’t have a direct relationship with people and the town halls help.”

Carcieri has held some town meetings in the past. Press secretary Amy Kempe says none are now scheduled but doesn’t rule out the prospect. I’m curious who’d show, what they’d say, what he’d say. In Rhode Island today, a meeting might have a very different tone from Rehoboth’s.

M. Charles Bakst is The Journal’s political columnist.

mbakst@projo.com