I had this e-mail in my mailbox this AM. Sorry to post and run, but I thought that this would be of interest to readers. The bolding is mine.
Dear State Committee Member,
This wasn’t on my bucket list.
When I signed on with a guy named Deval Patrick over eight years ago, I was mostly focused on how to utilize the 2005 Platform Convention to best introduce the most remarkable candidate I had ever met to the Democratic activist community as it existed at that time. I never thought I would be responsible for running seven conventions as MassDems Chair. No, that wasn’t on the list.
After being elected Chair of this party, I definitely didn’t think I’d be in charge when we lost Ted Kennedy’s seat in the US Senate and provided encouragement to Tea Partiers all across America. Wow, that was awful, huh?
But sometimes things don’t work out like you plan, right? Sometimes opportunities (even opportunities to learn from your mistakes) just pop up. I’ve learned that when possible, you need to be ready to seize those moments. That’s why this fall I’ll be stepping down as Chair of the Mass Democratic Party and wrapping my arms around a new – if somewhat familiar – role. In September, I’ll be assuming leadership of Governor Patrick’s political operation as Executive Director of the Deval Patrick Committee and Together PAC. He’s STILL the most remarkable political leader I’ve ever met and I am so excited to have the chance to work more closely with someone who excites my sense of possibility for the future and inspires me every day.
He and I will work together to define the exact duties and there will be plenty of time to share those details once they are finalized, but I know there is much to do in the final year and a half of his term as Governor to move Massachusetts forward in the spirit of the clear doctrine he has established: Grow a backbone, stand up for what you believe and talk to voters face-to-face about what is important. I look forward to dedicating myself fully to that mission.
I have appointed an ad hoc committee of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee consisting of James Roosevelt, the party’s legal counsel, MarDee Xifaras, Co-chair of our By-laws Committee, Gus Bickford, Chair of our Rules Committee and Eric Turner, the party’s Treasurer to advise me on a process and timeline whereby the members of the state committee will choose our next Chair. They are experienced and respected by all. I’ll present my recommendation to the party’s Executive Committee at our upcoming meeting on July 24th. In the interim, I will be consulting with the top elected Democrats in Massachusetts because I know that coordination with these leaders is essential for our continued success. I will keep you all informed as this process is developed and finalized.
The last six and a half years have been extremely rewarding for me and, to be clear, I remain fully committed to the Massachusetts Democratic Party and our candidates. I’m more certain than ever that grassroots, issues-based politics is the key to our success. I won’t be tossing out my door-knocking shoes and I’ll be available for whatever assignments our new Chair asks of me.
And oh yeah, just in case our friends over at the Mass GOP are wondering, there are just about 450 days until GOTV’14 begins and I intend to be up to my eyeballs in it.
John Walsh, Chair
Massachusetts Democratic Party
John has a winning record and I hate to see the Mass Dems lose that. While not always thrilled with his decisions I tremendously admire his understanding of GOTV and his record of not just talking about it but pounding the pavement himself. Best of luck to him.
n/t necessary.
You have left an indelible mark on our state and our state party, one that will last for a very long time. You’re also an incredible guy, one of the hardest workers I know and extraordinarily kind and down to earth. As far as I’m concerned, we’re always going to look back at political organizing in Massachusetts as BW/AW — before Walsh, after Walsh.
It has been a pleasure not only to have had your years of service and the change its helped instilled in this state and even country, but also to have been one of the many, many people who you’ve helped or inspired along the way. I hope your new gig will be a sign of great things to come from Governor Patrick’s committee. There are a lot of activists and organizers in the state who would follow both of you a very long way!
The first campaign I volunteered on was Deval Patrick’s campaign for governor – John Walsh inspired me to get involved, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
Good luck at Together PAC, John!
John Walsh has been a very good Party Chair. But, he is wasted as a PAC Chair. In truth, he should have been sworn in to the US Senate today. He is head and shoulders above some of the people he has helped elect and I am including the Governor in that assessment. Walsh is a better politician.
He does not consider himself a politician. Back in the summer of 2008, after Obama had won the primary, we had a grassroots picnic in Hopkinton, about 300 people showed up. John got there just as people were settling down for lunch, with Governor Patrick and then Senator Kerry in tow.
They wanted to say a few words, but the place was packed with folks holding their own conversations and there was no PA system. I was standing near John as he wondered out loud how to silence the crowd. Background: in college, my friends labelled me “the world’s loudest human”, and I haven’t lost that talent. I offered to get their attention, and John told me to go for it.
I shouted as loud as I could: “May I have your attention please! Attention please, everyone! My name is John Tehan, and it’s my honor to introduce a few politicians who would like to address the crowd today! First up, John Walsh, the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party!”
John gave me an absolutely withering look and asked, “Who are you calling a politician?” – I apologized…
and a good one. A rose by any other name is still a rose. He is a good debater. He knows how to strike a compromise. he knows how to push an agenda. He knows how to get others to follow. He is definitely a politician (which I do not think is a bad word)…He should be in office, not helping others get there. Some of the people he has helped are not worthy of his efforts.
John, as someone who has personally heard your BOOMING laugh echoing across a crowded convention hall, I am here to testify that you are, in fact, the “world’s loudest human.” Occupy wouldn’t have needed a mike check if you’d been there.
Great anecdote!
…to be the Chair of the Democratic National Committee!
There are a lot of states that need stronger grassroots democratic organizing!
Living in a red area of the state, John never shied from chasing Democratic voters here for statewide races (despite the fact that the General Legislature basically forsook the area to the Republicans in recent redistricting). I believe he would support a 50-state strategy, which the current round of DC Insiders doesn’t seem to like.
The real unanswered question is why does Gov. Patrick need a PAC unless he is running for another office? Clearly he passed on two great Senate opportunities meaning it might be a higher office than that….
Obama turned his war chest into a 501-c-4 (during the height of the heightened scrutiny of TEA party groups!) called OFA. So it went from being OFA, to OFA, to OFA.
Why treat your donations as if they were for your campaign? You can keep on truckin’, being a kingmaker and creating those ads you are calling people to pledge not to allow.
Closing your campaign and giving any surplus to the party or a charity is so 20th century.
There was no heightened scrutiny of Tea Party groups – there was scrutiny of all groups applying for 501c(4) status. Darrell Issa and the house GOP manufactured that “scandal” by the manner in which they fashioned their request to the IRS:
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/307813-irs-ig-says-audit-limited-to-tea-party-groups
I’m sure I’ll be pointing this out to folks on your side for years to come, just like I had to do for the guy who claimed John Kerry still hasn’t released his military records a couple of months ago. Kerry did release everything 8 years ago, but anyone who uses Fox News as their sole source of “news” would never know that.
That and the People’s Pledge are not mutually exclusive.
Porcupine’s piteous attempts at slander notwithstanding I asked myself the same question. I always thought the next logical step for Deval was the federal cabinet as Eric Holder’s (long overdue) replacement. Mind you, given Obama’s policies that may not be a great post to hold. Not too many people can go from the Cabinet to elected office (and as much as anyone may like him he doesn’t have Hillary’s cachet to pull that off). I cannot imagine him getting far along the road to the White House. Maybe he is stalking the vice presidency? Could be a decent running mate for Biden…
There is certainly room to the left of Clinton in the primary, room O’Malley* and Cuomo ain’t filling. Schweitzer just backed out of an easy Senate race too, maybe these Govs think they have a shot?
The only other thing is expecting Warren to run for something higher and he is angling for her seat, 3 years is a short time away….
*rumor has it DHS, and my sources inside Annapolis tell me he is honestly considering it.