(Cross posted over at Mass Revolution Now!)
I haven’t poured over the results but from everything I have heard Patrick’s victory last night was a lot more than just a landslide. He carried areas he should never have carried. In areas where he hoped to simply be competitive he was triumphant. Last night Patrick called it: “We have change politics in Masschusetts.” I would actually like to take that one step farther and say we have changed politics in this country.
I know, I know that probably seems like a statement from a hyper-tired, over jubilant supporter but hear me out. There have been a lot of attempts in the last two election cycles at what we call “grassroots campaigns,” the most notable of course was Howard Dean’s presidential bid. Hackett’s first race in Ohio for the Senate was another notable one. Each time we have come up short but learned a lot along the way. For many we have held out belief that true focus on the voters and getting them involved could be a key to success in an election. Unforunately we haven’t had proof — until now. Patrick’s victory last night is our first shining example. We proved to campaigns, pundits, pollsters, and politicos everywhere that not only can the grassroots model be successful, it can be wildly successful because Patrick didn’t just win, he dominated. So we have changed national politics, the folks of Massachusetts can confidently tell campaigns all over not to worry, they can run on ideas, they can run by connecting neighbors with neighbors, and they can be outspent 2 to 1 and still walk away with an amazing victory. I am pretty darn proud to be both a Democratic and a Patrick supporter.
