In spite of some of his old pals seeming to push him that direction, and in spite of the support of Obama insiders, our former Gov is not running for President.
There was some considerable skepticism of a Patrick run on this very site, and from the left. In particular his connections with some of the seedier aspects of the corporate world — subprime lending, fossil fuels — have really not aged well. There’s some skepticism based on his working for Bain Capital; to be honest, neither his own description of his actual work for Bain, nor its criticisms, have been specific enough for me to form a judgment.
I will say this: With a few exceptions (casinos), he did not function as a particularly “corporate” governor. He consistently acted on behalf of the public good; he helped create a new, more progressive ideological consensus in Massachusetts that still holds in the Baker era. He advocated unapologetically for the poor and vulnerable, and took political risks on their behalf. He had great successes (jumpstarting the clean energy industry), and some failures (rollout of health care website), and some things where he was on the right side but didn’t prevail (transit funding, universal pre-K).
I don’t claim that he’s the perfect personal vessel for progressive politics; perfect people don’t exist. I don’t know that I would have supported him for President. But I hope that his moral voice and leadership stay in the public consciousness. He’s still vital. I hope he speaks up, and that we pay attention.
Deval Patrick could have been a great governor if he had been given the opportunity to work with a Democratic legislature.
Tom, you made ma laugh out loud with this one. I’m still laughing as I type this. Hear him, hear him!
reminds me of a comment made by a member of the legislature I overheard once saying that it was easier to work with Baker than with Patrick…. and the person was a Democrat…
I guess I can skip the meet up for Patrick’s “Reason to Believe PAC” tomorrow night organized by John Walsh.
Pretty sure that meeting is still on and the PAC will continue. They said all along it was not about a Patrick candidacy for President.
The thing about Patrick is that he virtually disappeared from view after leaving the Corner Office. We hear more from Dukakis on the campaign trail it seems.
Governor Patrick released a statement this morning:
After a lot of conversation, reflection and prayer, I’ve decided that a 2020 campaign for president is not for me. I’ve been overwhelmed by advice and encouragement from people from all over the country, known and unknown. Humbled, in fact. But knowing that the cruelty of our elections process would ultimately splash back on people whom Diane and I love, but who hadn’t signed up for the journey, was more than I could ask.
The past few months on the road in support of congressional candidates — from Texas to Mississippi to New Jersey to Georgia to North and South Carolina to Florida to Illinois — have been affirming. People across America are coming off the sidelines and getting engaged, taking responsibility for their own civic and political future. That’s exciting and important. I hope we keep giving them positive reasons to do so. The people I met don’t fit in a box. They are much more than some oversimplified “voter demographic,” with all the presumptions that go with that. They are living unique lives, in search, in not so many words, of economic security and social justice and meaning. And they sense that most of the time most of the political establishment sees only a cartoon version of them or overlooks them altogether.
Democrats have a clear chance not just to win their votes but to win their respect and earn their help by showing up everywhere, engaging everyone, and making our case. Our case for opportunity, equality and fair play has its roots in the founding aspirations of America. And it turns out those values still matter to people. That is our civic faith, and we’ll have to take care to keep it now — because what’s at stake today is not just the case for our party or the qualifications of a given candidate, but the character of the country.
America feels more ready than usual for big answers to our big challenges. That’s an exciting moment that I hope we don’t miss. I hope to help in whatever way I can. It just won’t be as a candidate for president. To all those who helped Diane and me think this through, thank you. We are grateful.