Phil Johnston's introducing Deval Patrick--or, more accurately, two other people (state senator Marian Walsh and Taunton mayor Bob Nunes) who'll introduce Patrick. Johnston says Patrick's speech earlier today was reminiscent of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, that he was "deeply inspired," and that "we need to be inspired in this country."
Nunes says Patrick is leading "one of the most dynamic political movements that we've seen in Massachusetts."
Marian Walsh calls Patrick "the Democratic who's truly independent, and the Democrat who can win and transform Massachusetts." (She also says he's "the individual who best personifies the American dream.")
Surprise! Chris Gabrieli just showed up after getting all kinds of shit from the press for not letting everyone know about his 15 percent announcement a few minutes ago. Is it a coincidence that Gabrieli--who'd left the building, and decided to come back--showed up RIGHT BEFORE PATRICK'S SPEECH?
Anyway, here's Patrick. He tells his supporters they "did a historic thing by giving me your trust and your confidence." He's also warning them he'll make mistakes (?), and admitting that he's a flawed human being (?!?), and telling them, "Don't give up on me, because I will never give up on you." (Quoth the astute eighth-grader hanging around with her dad [not me] in the press room: "Nice cliche there.")
Now we're getting the no-politics-as-usual spiel--nothing new, but something Patrick does fairly effectively.
Now Patrick's building up his supporters--"You think for yourself," etc.--and running through his litany of big challenges facing Massachusetts, and doing his inspirational-candidate thing ("You are as hungry as I am for candor and leadership...Not just a strategy to win but a strategy to govern. And let's build that strategy on hope.")
Chris Gabrieli's still talking to reporters outside the press room. Um, Chris--could you have waited ten minutes, maybe?
Quick observation: sometimes Patrick carries the We're-all-in-this-together stuff a bit too far. E.g.: "If you go to work on the ground, at the grassroots, then I win. And if I win, so do you. Because if I win, the business executive wins--but so does the guy who runs the lathe in the machine shop." And so on.
Gabrieli finally piped down, but Patrick's still talking about "visionary leadership," and stuff like that.
Now he's talking about Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketeering! (?) Apparently, Goddard did some of his work in a small cabbage field not far from Worcester. And now he's wrapping things up. Strange way to end, methinks.