In one of his most forceful rebukes of his predecessor, Governor Deval Patrick said that Mitt Romney “talks a lot about all the things he’s fixed, but I can tell you Massachusetts wasn’t one of them,” according to remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday night.

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Patrick’s speech, about an hour before first lady Michelle Obama, sought to rally the party faithful at the Democratic National Convention.
Patrick has been performing a similar role in front of Democratic groups throughout the country, energizing party activists, increasing his visibility, and raising money for his political action committee. Patrick also appeared on cable news Tuesday morning and addressed the state delegation, making a similar argument against Romney.

But Tuesday night was an opportunity to showcase his close-up critique of Romney to a larger audience. He planned to call Romney “a fine fellow and a great salesman,” while adding that “as governor, he was more interested in having a job than doing it.” The lines are typical of Patrick, highly critical without sounding personal or angry, while offering a backhanded compliment.

“In Massachusetts, we know Mitt Romney,” Patrick said.
Patrick then included a list of charges against Romney’s tenure from 2003 through 2007: that Massachusetts was 47th in job creation; that household income was declining; that educat.