So much for the wise guys. In January, Patrick will be sworn in–only the second African-American since Reconstruction to lead any state. He will become a key Democrat nationally, a prize ally in someone’s 2008 presidential campaign, especially since the New Hampshire primary takes place next door.
En route, he built an organization any party boss would envy, and kicked it into gear with an emotional speech at the state party convention. His theme: bridge-building, focusing less on specifics than the idea that Massachusetts–home to both the abolition and the anti-busing movements–could inspire the country (and itself) by showing that it had changed. Bombarded with harsh and at times almost hysterical ads from the Republicans, Patrick kept his cool. He won in a walk, carrying every region, in every size town and city. He even won “Southie,” the legendary (rapidly changing) center of Irish-American working-class life. “I intend to represent all of the people,” he said, “not just folks who can look after themselves.”
