Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Is Deval Patrick a role model?

It may be too soon to answer that question. However, it’s already obvious that, for some families in Massachusetts, Patrick is seen as the only adult figure suitable for their children to pattern themselves after.

One reason why some Bay Staters are hoping that Patrick does not fail in the Corner Office is that they perceive the Governor-Elect as someone to look up to: a man who made it out of the depravity and despair of Chicago’s South Side to become a corporate titan, a civil rights crusader and the CEO of the Commonwealth. In an age of drug-addled sports heroes, thuggish rappers, deranged comedians and crooked Congressmen, it’s hard to blame these people for hoping that Patrick doesn’t let them down.

Don’t think for a moment that African-Americans are the only ones hoping that Patrick doesn’t drop the ball. There are plenty of whites, Asians and Hispanics who feel that role models are few and far between. They also feel that Patrick could inspire their children to achieve, to excel, to become better.

We live in a culture in which excellence is mistaken for elitism. To be sure, some of Patrick’s supporters have themselves pushed the idea that there is something fundamentally perverse about the concept of being the best, and about the idea of meritocracy.

However, it’s also true that in order to achieve the success he’s enjoyed, Patrick clearly had to be the best. He had to excel. He had to be twice as good. Thus, there are plenty of Bay Staters hoping that he continues to be twice as good in the Corner Office.

Patrick wasn’t wrong to imply that there are plenty of people who are investing their hopes and dreams in him. In a culture that seems to reward backward behavior, Patrick is being looked upon as a man who could move the culture forward.

One can’t ignore the political double standard involved in the perception of Patrick as a role model. If Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell, Condi Rice, etc. were all Democrats, they would all be held up as role models as well. The double standard that benefits the likes of Patrick won’t go away anytime soon. Neither will the pressure on the new governor not to let down those who believe in him.

UPDATE: More on Patrick. Plus, what would Deval make of the new controversy concerning the alleged underrepresentation of nonwhite attorneys at big-name American law firms?

SECOND UPDATE: Patrick vs. the press? More from the Boston Herald.