What about Deval Patricks, Gov. of Massachussetts?

[TechBear_Seattle]

In all the brouhaha over Nancy Pelosi becoming Speaker, the new governor of Massachussetts seems to have fallen by the wayside.

At first seen as a dark horse candidate, President Clinton's AAG for Civil Rights began winning caucuses and became the Democratic candidate. This November, he faced the Republican Lt. Governor Kerry Healey. Patricks won, replacing Republican Mitt "der Mittenfurher" Romney and becoming the second African-American to hold that position.

Patricks supports equal marriage, opposes the death penalty, and has long been an advocate for green energy and civil rights.

:toast:

[meegbear]

1. And he's MY governor motherfucker!

:woohoo:

[TayTay]

2. That was unbelievable.

His actualy sweraing in ceremony was just wonderful. His Excellency, the new Governor of Massachusetts, had the Mendi Bible brought over from the Adams Historical Homestead and he swore fealty to the Constitution of the Commonwealth and to the United States on that historic book.

What is the Mendi Bible?

"This Bible comes from an extraordinary moment in the history of the Commonwealth, the nation and the world," said Beverly Morgan-Welch, co-chair of the Inaugural Committee. "The Amistad case was a giant step forward for the abolitionist movement and recognized the basic humanity of enslaved people in America. It is now fitting and proper that we honor it now as part of this historic inaugural."

The Amistad case dates to 1839, when a group of Africans from Mendeland near modern day Sierra Leone were kidnapped and sold illegally into the Spanish slave trade. Led by Cinque, they broke their bonds and overtook the crew of the Amistad off Cuba. Ordered to sail to Africa, captured crew members steered toward Africa during the day and turned back toward the Americas at night, eventually landing off the coast of New York.

Thus began a protracted legal battle accompanied by national media coverage and international intrigue. Spain pressured then-President Martin Van Buren to send the human cargo back to Cuba without a trial and Van Buren so feared the reactions of the pro-slavery South that he had the case appealed to the Supreme Court when a lower court ordered the 35 men and women freed.

Enter John Quincy Adams, the former president and congressman whose own father had helped found the United States on the principles of freedom. He was 73 when he took up the Africans' case and argued passionately before the court in winning their freedom. In gratitude, the freed Africans presented Adams with the Bible inscribed with a letter from Cinque and his colleagues.

Thursday's swearing in of the new governor will mark the first time the historic Mendi Bible has ever been used in an official ceremony in Massachusetts.

It got better from there.

[Bill McBlueState]

3. State employees will finally see their contracts honored

I'm a grad assistant at UMass, and throughout the 16-year stretch of Republican governors, we *never* got raises on time. Chumps like Romney would run on a pro-business platform and emphasize their own successful business careers. "I'll run the state like a business," they would say. And people liked the sound of that for some reason.

But if you owned a business, and you held the same disregard for signed contracts that Romney does, you'd be sued into poverty in a week or two.

Patrick says he'll do whatever it takes to get our contracts funded, and his support for higher ed seems genuine. These are good times for Massachusetts.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Did you see THIS thread ? :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=3045106&mesg_id=3045106

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. I did see it, which is what made me wonder....

Hundreds of threads for Pelosi and only one for Patricks?

That's what moved me to start this thread. :hi:

[welshTerrier2]

5. keep your "Mitt's" off my state

here's the little doggie dropping romney left behind when he was chased out of here:

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20070105/lo_wcvb/10679626

Patrick arrived at the Statehouse upbeat, and he joked with the media. When asked about what he was going to talk about in the meeting, he replied, "Cabinet things."

But inside, Patrick got down to business. He said that the state faces a potential budget deficit of at least $1 billion in the next fiscal year.

"There are all kinds of patches and plugs that have been used in the outgoing administration to make it look like it isn't that big," Patrick said.

[salin]

7. Congrats to Patricks... and am I correct that the Mass. gov has been

republican since Weld was elected? Seems like there has been a steady stream of GOP govs in the Bay state. Making Patrick's feat that much more significant - esp to an outside observer.

[jcrew2001]

8. excited

I'm excited about what Deval will do. Hopefully things will turn out good.

[snowbear]

9. Congratulations Governor Patricks!

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