A good post by Frederick Clarkson on the state of the three special elections and on the emerging role of bloggers in local politics, with some helpful links. Remember: election day is TUESDAY, MARCH 15! If you live in the district formerly represented by Tom Finneran (Suffolk 12th), Brian Golden (Suffolk 18th), or Peter Larkin (Berkshire 3rd), don’t forget to vote.
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There’s certainly been a very significant amount of blog coverage of these special elections. But I think real significance is determined by outcomes. In my case, that means the election of true progressives: Tim Schofield in the case of the 18th Suffolk. I’m glad this blog has endorsed Schofield and I hope its readership can help out on Monday and Tuesday with GOTV efforts.Since we’re down to the wire, I want to comment on the progressive “vote splitting” issue that was posted here the other day.At public forums I’ve been to, only Schofield stood strongly for choice, for gay rights, and against the death penalty. To me, Moran’s claims to be a progressive just don’t hold up. He’s previously supported the death penalty after all, a means of punishment which falls disproportionately on those without means and on minorities. It’s the antithesis of a progressive issue. He’s also worked for councillor Steve Murphy, a foe of gay rights. And he’s been kind of hazy on affirmative action.Of course, Moran is trying to sell himself as a progressive because he knows well enough that the district is progressive. But spin can only go so far. Tim Schofield has been right on the issues from the get go, and it’s no wonder that he’s been endorsed by a long list of progressive organizations and individuals.Moran even seems to be arguing lately that progressive voters should “unite” and vote for him to keep Glennon from gaining the seat. Keeping Glennon out is a real concern. But that’s exactly why so many progressive organizations have contributed so much volunteer effort to Schofield’s campaign – because they judged his campaign to be the most well run and to have the best chance of winning. People like Robert Reich and groups like the Commonwealth Coalition don’t lend their names lightly.The role of blogs in this primary has been exciting to watch unfold. But for the power of bloggers and their readership to really be felt, we have to hit the streets during GOTV. We have to get Tim Schofield elected on Tuesday.
When it comes to vote splitting, the real solution is instant runoff voting. We don’t have it for this election, but we should try to get it for future elections so we don’t get another Brian Golden situation. And yet I just read in a candidate survey in the Allston-Brighton TAB, that Schofield is the only candidate who supports instant run-off. Moran clearly said he opposes it. I think anyone who genuinely cares about the vote-splitting problem should see this as a strong reason to favor Schofield over Moran.(Note also that Schofield is the only candidate who supports a nonpartisan redistricting commission, and Moran opposes it. The 18th Suffolk is an example of the bizarre districts we get when we let incumbents get involved in drawing their own district boundaries)http://www.townonline.com/allston/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=198139