Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Prior to his candicacy, Patrick had been best known for heading the Civil Rights Divison of the U.S.Department of Justice in the Clinton administration. He later served as general counsel and a senior executive at Coca-Cola and Texaco where he had been brought in as an agent of corporate reform. But long before all that -- he litigated voting rights cases and represented death row inmates as a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He had already had a rich and varied career.  His family had lived in the state for many years and he had been active in politics, but he had never before run for office and was not known to electorate. So, he has taken the time to go out and talk to people.  He has run an authentic grassroots -- and a netroots -- campaign.  He was the first statewide candidate for any statewide office to give interviews to bloggers.  I was an early supporter, and since then, many MA political bloggers have endorsed Patrick, notably Blue Mass Group. Unlike most squeamish inside the beltway types, he is forthrightly prochoice and unequivocally pro-marriage equality.  He is calm, knowledgeable and principled in his discussion of these matters, like he is on everything else. If he wins the primary, he has a good shot at being the first African-American governor of Massachusetts. And if he wins the general election, he will not only have a Democratic legislature to work with, but one that has been considerably improved in recent years. If the country wants to see what a Democratic agenda and especially a Demoratic agenda on energy and the environment can look like.  

The blog Cape Cod Today reported on a recent visit to Evergreen Solar Company in Marlboro, MA:

Democratic candidate for Governor Deval Patrick called on Lt. Governor Kerry Healey yesterday to listen to energy experts in her own administration and drop her opposition to Cape Wind.

Patrick said, "Opposing Cape Wind after all the preliminary environmental reviews say, on balance, it would be good for our state is just the kind of politics as usual voters are tired of. Cape Wind will mean cleaner air and more jobs from clean industry," Patrick said. "If we get Cape Wind right, Massachusetts can incubate a new industry and become a world leader in renewable energy."

Deval Patrick, the Democratic candidate for Governor, made his remarks in Marlboro after touring the Evergreen Solar Company accompanied by Congressman James McGovern. Evergreen Solar is a manufacturing company that makes solar cells and innovative solar "ribbons" that are targeted toward the residential energy market.

Patrick's challenge came on the same week that Selectmen in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard voted to require all new homes in the town larger than 2,100 square feet to have solar panels or wind turbines as part of their construction.
Patrick went on to say, "High gas prices and looming home heating costs are hurting families and our state's economy. Massachusetts can be a leader in the clean solar, wind and hydrogen power industries, but not if we continue the politics as usual policies of the Kerry/Healey administration which has tried to block one of the biggest renewable energy projects in the country."

In his position paper on energy and the environment, Patrick wrote:

With our universities, research labs, skilled workforce, and entrepreneurial experience, I see Massachusetts as the center of this new market. The whole world will be our customer. I see a growing research and development industry here in wind, solar, and hydrogen power research and development. I see production facilities for turbines and photovoltaics, and research laboratories developing fuel cells for automobiles. I see methane production from municipal waste disposal. I see wind energy and solar panels powering local municipal needs, and regional and municipal electric utility companies adding competition and lowering consumer prices. And I see good technical and construction jobs spawned by this growing industry.

In the near-term, we should develop incentives to conserve energy, both to reduce emissions from burning coal, oil and gas, and to contribute our part to reducing dependence on foreign sources. I see excise and sales tax credits for energy-efficient vehicles, appliances, and construction. I will also support investment in clean, safe, convenient public transportation, connecting every major city and town to Boston.

In my administration, state government will model what it asks of its citizens. As the state replaces its vehicle fleet, for example, new purchases will be hybrid or other fuel-efficient vehicles. Our public buses, subways, and trains will be as clean as technology can make them. Renovation and new construction of state facilities will be evaluated for environmental efficiency. In making these sound decisions, we will also grow the market for cleaner, more efficient products. I will work to encourage companies that produce these products to locate here in the Commonwealth.

In addition to broad popular support as demonstrated by his strong grassroots field organization and his lead in the polls, despite having the least money of the three democratic candidates,  Patrick also has some heavy hitters in his camp. He has been endorsed by The Boston Globe, U.S.Representatives, Jim McGovern, Mike Capuano, Barney Frank, John Olver and John Tierney, as well as the Massachusetts chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, Democracy for America, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts,   former U.S.Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, several dozen state legislators, and many more.  

While the races for the U.S.House and Senate, and races in "swing" states get most of the attention, this is one that deserves our attention and support. The Massachussetts Democratic primary is September 19th. It is open to registered Democrats and independents (called "unenrolled" in MA.) And it is not to late to make a contribution. The campaign has more than 20,000 contributors. Most of them small contributors. Let's see if we can increase that number.