The New Republic Tells Obama to Dump Patrick

There is an interesting post on The New Republic’s site by Marty Peretz who says that because Governor Deval Patrick is nothing but a “high-minded” shill and a political novice who flopped in his first year in office, he shouldn’t be out stumping for Barack Obama.

I see Peretz’s point, but I wonder if the McLuhan Theory isn’t in play here, with the medium itself being enough of a message.

To voters in Iowa and South Carolina, Patrick is another progressive African-American, also somewhat new to politics, proselytizing about the need to change things from the outside. That’s the sell.

Patrick’s record? Eh, maybe a few folks in New Hampshire care, just because they get the Globe, but it’s already tough enough to figure out what each candidate stands for, let alone the people who stump for them.

As long as Obama doesn’t announce Patrick will be his Secretary of State [shudder], I think Patrick is pretty much harmless out there.