Governor Deval Patrick delivers a compelling state-of-the-state address, but was anyone paying attention?

Last night was arguably Governor Deval Patrick's finest moment as a Massachusetts political leader as he delivered his annual state-of-the state address. In that speech Patrick began to build a strong case for his re-election in a way that was methodical yet compassionate.

I couldn't help but notice the contrast between Patrick and his predecessors like Weld, Celluci and Romney. All of those former governors by this point in their terms had seemed bored and disinterested in the Commonwealth, and eager to move on to "greater" political arenas.

Governor Patrick, to his credit, convincingly came across as totally invested in making life better for Massachusetts and its residents. He did a masterful, "Reaganesque" job of "making it personal" by injecting the stories of so many individuals to back up his points. He spoke with justifiable pride of his administration's many accomplishments over the past three years in terms of education, transportation, employee pensions, anti-corruption, and alternative energy enterprises. Those accomplishments are particularly impressive given the initial blunders his administration made in dealing with the legislature (to which Patrick himself humbly alluded). I think it's also noteworthy to recall that Governor Patrick has stuck with it here in the Commonwealth. Remember, many pundits predicted he would follow the lead of his predecessors and defect to a national position, especially since the Obama administration had apparently put offers for such positions on the table for him.

Unfortunately, most Massachusetts voters were probably too exhausted from the recently completed and highly charged Senate election to have the energy to pay attention to another political event. Additionally, the mainstream media offered little coverage, remaining understandably more interested on the rising star of Scott Brown and fixated on their simplistic conclusion that his election will clearly be detrimental to Governor Patrick's re-election prospects. If last night's speech by the Governor is any indication of what's to come in his campaign, however, I wouldn't be so sure of his demise.