Kerry Mocks Romney

"Talk about being for it before you were against it, folks," said one Bay Stater about another about health care.

Plus: Sen. hits Miller for calling Social Security, Medicare "unconstitutional," while Miller campaign says Alaska GOPer is "running to stop" Reid, Kerry.

Pool report:

Awaiting Obama’s speech.

Motorcade arrived at Hynes Convention Center at 2:26. Got here wicked fast thanks to the closure of the highway from Logan into downtown, and a good-to-be-the-POTUS u-turn on said highway, to allow a better exit to Copley Square. Hundreds of onlookers outside the Prudential Center snapping photos.

Mayor Menino arrived with pool, which passed David Axelrod backstage after climbing a few flights of stairs, arriving in place with about 16 minutes left of Sen. John Kerry singing the praises of Gov. Patrick and dishing on Republicans.

Kerry blamed “a roadblock of gas, oil and big business” for stalled legislation in Congress, and Republican obstructionism. “Time after time, more times than in all the history of our country… They said no and filibustered everything -- the Party of No.”

The crowd booed when Kerry mentioned Mitt Romney who, he said, “came in, left it with a $1 billion deficit.” Romney even turned against his own health care reform. “Talk about being for it before you were against it, folks.”

“I rode in a high speed rail in China the other day. 200 miles an hour… a trip that used to take 10 hours took 29 minutes… and we’re barely able to get money from the Republicans to keep Amtrak alive,” Kerry said.

“…I’m here... because I believe very deeply in the job that Deval Patrick and Tim Murray have done. They have earned reelection,” Kerry said.

Kerry also riffed on tea party candidates.

“You got Sharron Angle out there in Nevada… She wants to phase out Social Security. You got Joe Miller up there in Alaska. He thinks Social Security and Medicare and unemployment benefits are unconstitutional. … You’ve got Carly Fiorina saying all this talk about climate change is just a whole lot of fuss about the weather…” He made a crack about Christine O’Donnell thinks she can “wave her wand and this will all disappear.” “These people are coming at you folks.” As for Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, he “says Americans ought to be reeducated about the dangers of government.”

We’re told that before we arrived, Vicki Kennedy spoke, as did former DNC chairman Steve Grossman (now running for state treasurer). Rep. Ed Markey introduced Kerry.

James Taylor had not yet performed. He took the stage after the Pledge of Allegiance, and after the Boston Children’s Choir led the crowd in the National Anthem.

Taylor launched into a quick diatribe against the “unnecessary recession caused by malfeasance and lack of leadership….This is how it works… We get involved or else we hand it over to people who will serve their own interests and not ours.”

He lauds Obama and Patrick as examples of public servants who are in it to help the public as opposed to for self-interest. He denounces Republicans. “The other side has a formula that they think works” – to scare people, and “to focus on small things that we can’t legislate anyway, such as sexual orientation or religion or race.”

Three songs. Taylor seated on a high stool, wearing a brimmed hat, strumming his guitar. First, “American the Beautiful.” Then my 9-year-old’s favorite lullaby, “Sweet Baby James” (aka Cowboy Song). He then urged the crowd to encourage their friends to vote and “take responsibility for our own government and our own lives.” He dedicated the final song to Deval Patrick: “You’ve Got a Friend.” The crowd sang along with the chorus. Let’s just say, it wasn’t Tanglewood on the Fourth of July.

From Randy DeSoto, Miller campaign spokesman:

"It makes total sense that John Kerry and other liberals would attack Joe Miller. They're very comfortable with their good friend Lisa Murkowski. Joe's not running for the Senate because he wants to work with John Kerry and Harry Reid on issues like cap and trade, like Lisa does. He's running to stop them."