Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said he is "sad, disturbed, embarrassed - but not surprised" at the result of last week's presidential election. He also promised to "stay woke," remaining "vigilant and informed."
His comments were made to members of the Governor's Leadership Fund charitable organization in an email first obtained by Politico.
Patrick said he thought he was "dreaming" when he first learned that Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton, and said he has coped by both ignoring and obsessing over news reports.
"I have always believed that Candidate Trump was emphatically 'on trend' - globally, where intolerance and bully style leadership are on the rise; nationally, where wealth worship is epidemic and reality TV has turned a lack of decorum into entertainment; and even in the Republican Party, where Trump just said out loud what they've been saying in code for years."
Patrick called Trump "a pretender, with no record of empathy and no regard for truth." He said Trump's campaign "unleashed something dark" in the form of contempt for "black and brown people," Muslims and women.
Still, he said he is not willing to declare himself in opposition to everything the Trump administration does before he even takes office, as others have.
"I will, as the kids say, 'stay woke.' I will remain vigilant and informed. And I will listen, the way Louis Pasteur admonished the educated person always to listen, without losing my temper or my self-confidence."
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Patrick urged others who are feeling uneasy like him to use that feeling as fuel, to get involved in public service, and to prepare for the 2018 U.S. Senate and House races.
"Keep the faith, friends," he said in closing. "America remains a work in progress. It's up to us, in the ways we can, to do the work."
necn caught up with Patrick Monday night in South Boston where he received a humanitarian award from the New England Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.
He gave some insight into the meaning of the new millennium slang he used in his letter to Politico.
"We can’t give an inch to bigotry or hate, and that’s what I mean by 'stay woke,'" Patrick said.
Patrick also reiterated the same sentiment he shared in the letter and said that to him, it's personal having a daughter who is openly gay.
"I’m very conscious of a daughter who was married last month who texted me the morning after the election wondering if the marriage to her wife was going to remain legal," Patrick said.
