By Matt Collette

Despite a threat of rain, about 9,500 people attended a rally in Boston Common Tuesday night to see Governor Deval Patrick endorse U.S. Senator Barack Obama in his bid for the presidency

Some political insiders expected Patrick to endorse Hillary Clinton since he worked as a prosecutor during Bill Clinton’s administration. In a letter announcing his endorsement of Obama, Patrick wrote, “I believe the importance of this election transcends friendships and party.”

Local organizers addressed the growing crowd starting at 6:30 p.m., comparing Patrick and Obama in remarks to the audience.

“Are you ready to do for the nation what we did for Massachusetts?” Alan Solomon, chair of Obama’s New England campaign, asked the crowd, referencing Patrick’s election: a campaign with grassroot beginnings and a “Together We Can” philosophy. “It was clear then and it is clear now: Americans are fed up with George W. Bush and the American people are fed up with the politicians in Washington.”

Organizers also used the rally to motivate supporters to travel to New Hampshire, home to the nation’s first primary, by handing out leaflets about carpooling and spoke of the need for personal connections in order to win the state.

“The clock is starting to tick,” said Nicole Dersey, an Obama staffer who has been in New Hampshire for more than a year. “But we need more. We need all of you!”

Later on, Patrick took the stage and spoke about what he felt were the needs of the country. Echoing the ideas behind his successful campaign for governor, Patrick said the nation needed to share the momentum that brought him into office last year.

Without naming Obama until late in his speech, Patrick spoke of the necessity for a leader who supported the needs of the people: quality and affordable education, universal healthcare and an end to lobbying that has brought Washington politics to a standstill, among many other issues.

“The truth is we do not need a president, we need a leader,” Patrick said.

At the end of his speech, Patrick officially endorsed Obama.

“You see, this election is not just about who we want. It’s about who we are,” Patrick said. “I want a president who understands that. I want Barack Obama.”

With a handshake and a hug, Patrick welcomed Obama to the stage as the crowd went wild beneath a flurry of campaign signs and a lightning storm of camera flashes. Obama spoke about his hope for a better nation and why he was the best candidate for the future.

“It is good to be back in Boston … I had a convention speech in Boston that went pretty well,” Obama said, recalling his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention that shot him into the national spotlight and locked in a victory in his race for the Senate.

Obama said the American people are tired of an administration that saw “the Constitution as a nuisance” and want a change.

In response to the view that many of his opponents, on both the left and the right, said he lacked Washington experience, Obama said he didn’t think political experience in Washington was as important as leadership and grassroots experience.

Obama closed by echoing his message and calling on supporters to rally behind him

“Let’s go change the world,” he said.

Josh Robin, a middler political science major and president of the NU Democrats, said he was inspired by seeing Patrick and Obama on stage together.

“It’s an amazing testament to where our country’s gone … you probably wouldn’t see [two black politicians together on stage] 20 years ago,” Robin said.

Julia Judge, a freshman sociology major, was impressed by Obama but wasn’t sure if she would vote for him.

“I think he made a lot of promises,” Judge said. “A lot of the stuff was not specific and pretty general.”

Judge said her ideal candidate would have to have favorable positions on many issues.

“I think that, aside from the war in Iraq, reforming healthcare is an important issue,” she said.

Judge, who said she was about 30 or 40 feet from the stage, called Obama an “amazing orator.”

“You can’t really beat the feeling from one of those huge rallies, being one of those 10,000 people,” Robin said.