Boston Globe Endorses Deval Patrick in Dem Primary for MA Gov 
A year ago April, when I first met Deval Patrick, few had ever heard of him. Patrick had come out to Northampton, Massachussetts on a get to know ya tour. We were looking for a candidate, and he wanted to know if it was at all plausible for him to run against the man the Conventional Wisdom thought to be unbeatable: Attorney General Tom Reilly; twice elected statewide; $3 million raised; nominee apparent.
Much has happened since then. It took awhile, but the netroots took to Deval and Deval took to the netroots. As time went on, many others saw in Patrick an alternative to business as usual who could move the state and the party dynamically forward. The organization I helped to found, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, endorsed him early and ethusiastically, and has become a key component in the Patrick's not so secret weapon -- his excellent field organization.
I could go on, and I have, having been one of the first bloggers to write about Patrick here, and in other venues. But today, Patrick, who leads in most polls has earned the endorsement of the state's leading newspaper. Let's hear some of what the Globe has to say in its long and glowing editorial:
IN CHOOSING A governor to run the state, voters look for executive experience, wise issue positions, and the intangible quality of leadership. It is a rare thing when a candidate has all three. We believe Massachusetts Democrats and independent voters have such a person in Deval Patrick. The Globe strongly endorses his candidacy in the gubernatorial primary Sept. 19.
More on the flip.
Patrick, 50, has not held elective office, but he has served in significant appointed office, as chief of the civil rights division in the US Justice Department under President Clinton. There, he managed an office of several hundred lawyers fighting complex issues across diverse constituencies from bankers to police officers to community organizers. After that he was a lawyer for Coca-Cola and Texaco and a member of several corporate boards. He has experience in the plushest office suites and the meanest urban streets. He has the range, the maturity, and the skill to lead Massachusetts through precarious times.
Often, the character of a political campaign provides a lens into how a candidate would govern. One may call on longtime political alliances. One may spend a lot of money on television ads. Patrick has chosen to build a broad citizen organization, fueled by his inspiring presence, perhaps, but also benefiting from the advice and participation of thousands who are joining the political process in earnest for the first time. The organization may help propel him to victory in the election. More important, because of the base it provides to speak directly to the voters and mobilize support for change, it can help him govern.
Patrick's experience with brokering... collaboration among competing interests is a major asset of his candidacy. A good example was on display in Thursday night's debate. When both his opponents were sniping at each other over whether Harvard or the UMass system should benefit from publicly funded stem cell research, Patrick spoke eloquently about the power of partnerships.
Patrick says he wants to effect a change in the culture on Beacon Hill; his successes doing that in the corporate sector -- where both Coke and Texaco were facing difficult mandates to diversify from top to bottom -- help us believe it is more than just rhetoric. Judging from the ``brain trust" of policy advisers he already has attracted to the campaign, we are confident he will build an administration full of the talent and energy that have been shut out of government -- both in the executive and the Legislature -- for too long.
And help Deval Patrick win the Democratic Primary on September 19th.
KEYWORDS: Deval Patrick, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, Boston Globe
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