During her six years as Connecticut governor, M. Jodi Rell did a great job of keeping her job approvals high. She loved ribbon-cuttings. That ability didn't serve the state well when times got tough.

Gov. Rell sidestepped the hard choices and allowed the budget problems to compound. Some point to the big Democratic majorities in the legislature the Republican governor had to deal with, but the truth is that if she had stood her ground the Democratic leadership would have had to bend. They didn't have the votes.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is making some tough choices. He proposes raising taxes $1.5 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and cutting spending and programs by $1.7 billion to close the massive deficit he inherited. He has been on a tour of Connecticut cities not to cut ribbons, but to meet with voters and face questions and criticisms about his plan to fix the budget.

Not surprising, then, that when the Quinnipiac University Poll came out Wednesday it showed voters disapproving of his performance 40 percent to 35 percent, with 25 percent undecided. Gov. Rell never experienced that. A majority of voters do not like the proposed tax increases, with the exception of the sin taxes on cigarettes and alcohol. No surprises there.

Gov. Rell had a tendency to shift course when the numbers slipped. Gov. Malloy needs to stay the course. It may be a couple of rough years, but if he can straighten out this fiscal mess, the poll numbers will turn.