No more prizes for predicting rain
Only prizes for building arks.
Children’s Campaign San Francisco 1988
In Bob Neer’s comment somewhere in the middle of David’s “SJC Damning Report” diary, we are reminded that even in the midst of another expose of an abuse of power by public officials, there exists an unapologetic “hack-progressive alliance” within the BMG community, “staked and sprinkled with holy water”. Presumably because so much ”progressive” policy moves forward thanks to the attention of a BMG designated “hack”. A recent example is Speaker Sal DiMasi’s championship of gay marriage. And energy come to think of it.
Consider me staked and sprinkle me with holy water please, because there is a lot of progressive policy work that needs to be done.
For one thing there’s this little problem of a 2 billion dollar structural deficit and a Governor who got himself backed into a corner pledging no new taxes.
(Couple Patrick’s no new taxes pledge with his offer to personally reform Probation and us old timers get the creeps. We remember how Mike Dukakis’s failed fight with the Legislature around reform of the MDC, coupled with his final realization that his lead pipe guarantee of no new taxes was ill considered doomed his chances for a second term.) Oh well, we still got some good work done during Eddy Kings term building arks with Sen.President Bulger and Speaker McGee.
Only negative energy comes from predicting rain, so many of us, willing to look foolish rather than cynical, cultivate positive energy by building arks. We all know colleagues in the advocacy world who, in the midst one scandal or another, succeeded in creating more affordable housing, more access to quality health care, more programs for the developmentally disabled, more dedicated teachers for our children, more open spaces for our communities and on and on. (Maybe it was the holy water?)
Now, while so many engaged and involved people are bitter, angry and frustrated over the latest abuse of public trust in the Department of Probation, experienced successful advocates are writing notes (yes, notes, handwritten or typed, put in an envelope and mailed) congratulating every Constitutional officer and their own State Rep and State Senator. Just a short note reminding her or him that they are one person in a network of local constituents who want to work with her/him to repair and reform a vital the public programs that —– (whatever their organizational priorities happen to be).
A good example of ark building is the March of Dimes, maybe one of the oldest advocacy organizations around. They were up at the State House lat week talking to newly elected legislators about their policy priorities. Or as the headline on th Wicked Local site called ‘getting the policy pitch” including a little love and positive energy from Representative Haddad
