Yes, Barack's ripping off Deval.
Barack Obama told a New Hampshire audience he was borrowing a line from friend Deval Patrick, urging people to "vote your aspirations." He joked that Patrick "stole a whole bunch of lines from me" during his gubernatorial campaign.
Their campaign playbooks have simple yet striking similarities: Tell a compelling story about yourself and inspire people who feel left out to take back their government. Stay on a message of hope and unity.
Wherever the rhetoric originates, their supporters say, is less important than the results. Patrick made history becoming the state's first black governor. Obama is trying to emulate that success as he seeks the Democratic nomination for president, and his finish in early races shows the message is resonating for some.
"It works, tremendously well," said John Walsh, Patrick's campaign manager. "Both Barack Obama and Deval Patrick would say that it's really a significant oversimplification to say it's a message of hope, because I think it's a lot more than that."
Both men are black, with Chicago roots, Harvard educated, and skilled at bringing together diverse coalitions of supporters, using their personal histories as backdrops to persuade voters to join -- in their word a "movement," while competitors run "campaigns."
UPDATE: More from the Boston Globe Magazine, Howie Carr, Worcester County Freedom Trail, Joan Vennochi, Peter Gelzinis and the Globe.