Dukakis Reminisces, Jabs Bushes

Former Governor of Massachusetts and Democratic presidential nominee Michael S. Dukakis offered summer school students his opinion on a variety of topics ranging from the energy crisis to the Bush tax cut during a Monday night speech at the Kennedy School of Government.

Dukakis, who now teaches at Northeastern University, began his speech by asking the crowd how old they were when he made his run for the presidency in 1988.

As the standing-room only crowd in the Starr Auditorium shouted its answers—usually around ten years old—Dukakis put his hand to his face and exclaimed with a smile, “I used to be a young man!”

Throughout his speech, he emphasized optimism that America was constantly improving.

“Who would of thought that a Greek kid from Brookline was able to run for president?” he asked rhetorically.

Dukakis emphasized the progress that America has made both socially and economically since the days of his youth and recalled the America of yesteryear not with nostalgia but with pragmatism.

“If anyone tries to tell you about the good old days, just remember that they’re probably wrong,” he said.

Dukakis recalled an America of vicious racism and segregation, poverty, and high school dropout rates far surpassing those of today, and he scoffed at those who might try to forget that “the good old days” also had their share of today’s concerns, such as violence and teen pregnancy.

Dukakis often referred to his 1988 run for the presidency against George Bush, even explaining why he thought he had lost the race.

He cited his campaign’s unwillingness to respond to character attacks and mudslinging by the George H.W. Bush campaign as one of the greatest regrets of his political career.

“I lost against George Bush. Can you believe it? If I had beaten that guy, you wouldn’t have heard of the [Bush family] again,” he said.

Since his retirement from politics in 1990, Dukakis has since been active in public speaking, teaching, and advocating high speed railway systems as a solution for America’s congested airports.

Dukakis, on the board of directors of Amtrak, cajoled the audience with his own transportation dilemmas, and affirmed that Congress has not given due attention to the issue of funding efficient transit systems.

In one of his most direct comments to the audience, Dukakis implored the audience to pursue community involvement and politics.

“You folks have to get involved in the process and work your way up and establish yourself. Guys like me are looking for people like you,” he said.

In response to the question of how one can be involved in politics and simultaneously retain one’s morality, Dukakis exclaimed, “You can run for an elected office and not sell your soul to the fat cats. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t run for office in this country.”

“There are lots of people that want to be involved in politics, but they need to be inspired to do so. And I hope that you are,” Dukakis added.

—Anthony J. Gilbert contributed to the reporting of this article.