Michael Dukakis was my professor at Northeastern University and is one of the most intelligent and genuine people I’ve ever known. His insights were always spot on and his desire for young people to get involved in public service was a common theme throughout each lecture.
I just came across a (long) speech Dukakis gave in March 2008 as part of the University of San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series. This speech is wide-ranging but focuses mainly on the 2008 election and his thoughts on the electoral process in general.
I am reminded of what a great teacher he is and how, despite a high-profile electoral loss, he has managed to contribute so much and inspire so many to get involved in public service and politics.
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Deval Patrick
Democratic Candidate for Governor, Massachusetts
Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts
1988 Democratic Presidential Nominee
Goodbye Rhode Island. We got lost and missed our interview with Democratic Senate nominee Sheldon Whitehouse. However, we chased him across town to Brown University and got a great interview with him in a social room in one of the dorms.
We’re now in Boston! My brother and I went to school here and haven’t been back to Beantown in a while. We have all sorts of craziness happening over the next three days.
We’ll interview Deval Patrick, Michael Dukakis, Jeanne Shaheen, Ed Augustus and many more.
Right now, I’m sitting outside of Arty’s house, waiting for him to get home from work so we can unpack the DoubleSpeak van. Arty is a good friend from Northeastern University who still lives up here in Jamaica Plains. Arty does some technical work on the DoubleSpeak website and he hosts our website on his server. Maybe I can talk him into guest posting on the blog.
The next DoubleSpeak episode will be up in a few hours. Stay tuned!
-Peter
Why am I so excited? Well, Angelides’ number one supporter was DoubleSpeak’s favorite former Greek Presidential nominee from Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis!
Good job guys, now on to Novemeber to beat Schwarzenegger.
America lost the last of the great Texas Democratic giants today; Former Congressman, Senator, Vice Presidential nominee and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen died at his Houston home this morning, aged 85.
A pragmatic centrist, Bentsen was mindful of Texas industry while fighting for working class Texans for thirty years in the Congress. When first elected to the Senate in 1970, Bentsen slayed two titans: liberal Democratic incumbent Ralph Yarborough and then-Congressman, future President George H.W. Bush in the general election. Although two current Members of Congress, Representatives Chet Edwards and Gene Green, fall into Bentsen’s political mold, today’s Texas is dominated by a fanatical Republican Party that no longer elects men with the cool competence of Lloyd Bentsen.
We all know that the Duke lost to H.W., but there is no doubt Bentsen would have been a fine Vice President and perhaps even a great President one day. Here’s to you, Lloyd. You’ll be missed.
