Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) rallied Bostonians in an 11th-hour effort to win the Democratic presidential primary in Massachusetts during a campaign rally speckled with Bay State political bigwigs.
Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) were among the many figures giving introductory speeches, and Gov. Deval Patrick issued an enthusiastic appraisal of Obama as the face of major political change in America during the event at the World Trade Center.
"A whole lot of us have had enough of the clever side of politics," Patrick told an exuberant crowd. "We want to be on the right side of history, and that is where Barack Obama will take us."
Kerry and Kennedy delivered speeches after Patrick, then Obama took the stage to cheers from the crowd of 9,000.
The candidate's speech centered on his campaign's central message of hope triumphing over Washington traditionalism. "There's a time in the life of every generation where that spirit, that hope has to shine through," he said. "This is one of those moments, this is our moment, this is our time."
Obama painted himself as a newcomer with the confidence and skill to take on the status quo. He told a story about speaking to a group of Detroit automotive workers about helping the environment, a topic of which they are not generally receptive. His willingness to present unpopular ideas that he believes in, he said, shows presidential character.
"Part of what we're looking for is a president who is not just going to tell you what you think you want to hear, but what you need to hear and what you need to know to make good choices about where this country needs to go - that's how democracy works," he said.
In an indirect challenge to rival Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) critique that Obama is too green to carry out the types of changes he is promising, the Illinois senator condemned cynicism. "The notion is somehow that if you talk about hope, you must be na've, you must be idealistic, you must have your head in the clouds, you must be passive, waiting for good things to happen, you're not willing to work for it. That's not what hope is," he said.
"But I also know this: That nothing in this country worthwhile has ever happened except somebody somewhere was willing to hope."
Kerry had expressed a similar sentiment in his introductory address. As he stepped to the podium after Deval Patrick's address, he was greeted with chants of "Yes, we can!" from the crowd.
"Anyone who thinks that our politics have become too cynical, anyone who doubts that we have the ability to bring real change, we have three words for those folks: yes we can," Kerry said, echoing the audience.
After Kerry, Kennedy came to the fore to deliver the last remarks before Obama came on. Kennedy invoked the legend of his famous brothers, John and Robert. Kennedy listed universal health care, ending the war in Iraq, helping America's children, restoring the economy, and righting the environment, as issues that need to be taken care of.
"We have the opportunity to do so, and we have the opportunity to do so when we go out here in Massachusetts and the people of Massachusetts do for Barack Obama what they have done for Deval Patrick, what they have done for John Kerry, what they have done for Ted Kennedy, what they have done for Robert and John Kennedy in the past. If you care about our future, if you care about the future of Massachusetts, if you care about our nation, then vote for Barack Obama."
The line that collected before the rally stretched approximately a mile long, according to some estimates.
Today, Bay State residents join voters in 22 other states to cast ballots in Democratic caucuses or primaries on Super Tuesday.
