For a while, it seemed like Democratic consultant Doug Rubin couldn't lose.

The political strategist helped mastermind Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's out-of-nowhere march to the executive office in 2006, Patrick's re-election bid in 2010, and Senator Elizabeth Warren's ouster of Scott Brown in 2012. All of these were races that Rubin's clients weren't expected to win.

Lately, though, Rubin has had a tougher go of it. His client, former Boston City Councilor Felix Arroyo, didn't make the finals in Boston's 2013 mayoral race, and this fall Rubin lost his biggest race yet when Martha Coakley was defeated by Charlie Baker in the Governor's race.

The Scrum visited Rubin at his Northwind Strategies offices in Government Center to talk about reversals of political fortune; why Baker beat Coakley; and whether Deval Patrick has a future in politics.

(Bonus content: Rubin's earnest attempt to sell Peter Kadzis on the wisdom of a Boston 2024 Olympic bid, and Elizabeth Warren's "freeze out" of the local press)

The Scrum is a weekly politics podcast that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the factors (and people) that influence who and what appears on your ballot. Subscribe to The Scrum in iTunes.