At 90, Michael Dukakis still looks ahead

[TexasTowelie]

MICHAEL DUKAKIS did not pick himself up from searing campaign losses or persevere to serve longer than any governor in Massachusetts history by viewing the glass as half empty, and he’s not about to start doing so now.

Dukakis has long been fueled by a steadiness of purpose and belief that better days are to come. His stride may have slowed from his power-walking days of the past, but the one-time Brookline High School cross country standout is still firmly oriented toward forward motion. That’s true whether it’s talking up the need to build more housing, or continuing the push to link North Station and South Station, a campaign on which he’s found an unlikely bedfellow in Bill Weld, the Republican governor who succeeded him in office.

“He’s a long distance runner,” said Ira Jackson, a protege and close confidant who served as state revenue commissioner under Dukakis. “He’s indefatigable. He’s tenacious.”

He’s also 90 years old, a milestone Dukakis reached earlier this month that might be expected to put one in a reflective mood.

Read more: https://commonwealthbeacon.org/politics/at-90-michael-dukakis-still-looks-ahead/

[enid602]

1. Wow

Wow! Good for him.

[elleng]

2. "He's a long distance runner,"

*Dukakis is credited with reorienting the state’s Democratic Party away from big-city machine politics and toward the more policy-focused outlook of suburban voters and progressive activists.

“He’s inspired whole generations and more to take seriously state and local government,” said Jackson. “For many of us, he’s our generation’s John F. Kennedy, inspiring us to do what’s right for your community, not just your country.”

He was ahead of the curve in pushing a universal health care law in the late 1980s. He saw the need for a robust public transportation system to power a major metropolitan economy when others were still fixated on the auto age. '

[ificandream]

3. K&R