He said,
Thomas Jefferson believed that to preserve the very foundations of our nation, we would need dramatic change from time to time. Well, my fellow citizens, this is our time. Let us embrace it.I can't find an audio or video link to that speech at the moment (I'm a YouTube search novice. Help anyone?), but whenever I hear a clip of that, I get chills. I was there for it too, and though it was a bit muffled miles away on the Washington Mall, it was powerful then.
More recently, Barack Obama has used that line. In New Hampshire last month, he said,
"What's hard, what demands courage, what's truly audacious, is to hope," he said. "People are hungry for something new. They are interested in being part of something larger than petty politics we have seen in the last few years. This is our time - a new generation that is preparing to lead."
A good speech can change people. As I mentioned, I was lucky enough to be in Washington on 1/20/93. I was also lucky enough to be at the Fleet Center for Barack's memorable speech in 2004.
Today is Deval Patrick's time. It's time to start out on a new path to hope, a new path to prosperity, and a new path to true equality. I hope his speech does that - his Convention Speech was solid, but I hope this surpasses that.
Good luck, Governor Patrick.
p.s. - I'm baaaaaaaaaaack.......
