I have a different take on it. You know I’ve worked a lot on national issues, and I’ve been to most of the states in the past couple of years. I registered voters in Columbus OH, volunteered on a state house race in North Dakota, flyered for Dean in California, attended organizing workshops in Texas, did election protection in Broward County FL…
But here in MA is where we can have the greatest leverage, because here is where we live, and know. Massachusetts is also in a unique and powerful position, if we use it properly. When national politics are in such a sorry state, it’s especially important for blue states to show the way, and we’re the bluest of the blue. We’re the only major state – politically influential, with a substantial population, one of the top urban, financial, and technological centers – the only such state to be safely blue. This is a place where Democrats can do truly bold things, without risking the state turning Republican.
Unfortunately, our Democratic party has a lot of inertia, and up until recently, was led mostly by conservatives. We’ve had the ability to do bold things but we mostly haven’t. That’s changing.
Gay marriage was almost going to be overturned, but through tremendous effort by local activists, and some surprising showings in primaries and special elections, we flipped over 60 votes in the legislature in less than two years. That’s truly amazing. And make no mistake, it matters. I can still remember a member of the Austin TX Stonewall Democrats I talked to last summer, when I was down there, who told me almost in tears how much they were all depending on Massachusetts not to turn back on gay marriage. How devastating it would be for their efforts if we lost it here. And now we’re on the verge of even denying the ballot amendment the 50 votes it needs to survive. This is all going to have a profound effect on the rest of the country in just a few years.
Imagine if we had universal health care. Or even, single payer universal health care. Imagine the economic boom we’d have when companies from all over the country, who already open offices in MA because they can find more smart people here, start coming here in droves because they can hire employees without worrying about health care coverage. When people all over the country look at what MA has and see it actually work, as reality and not just a concept, and start demanding it in their states too. We can do it in under a decade here in MA, I think. We have very little chance of doing it nationally, unless we do it in the states first, and MA is probably the best chance.
John Bonifaz is exactly an example of how to use Massachusetts to display national leadership. He’s already a national figure, for leading the Ohio recount, for founding After Downing Street, and for several other things. As a blogger on a conference call suggested, he’d set “the gold standard for secretaries of state”. If he were elected, and if in short order Massachusetts got same day registration, prohibitions on black box voting machines, nonpartisan redistricting… we’d really make waves. We’d finally have a secretary of state who can set an example, and make the news.
I agree that we need to help other states. But we must not neglect Massachusetts. We’re in a powerful position, and we can have tremendous leverage, if only enough of us realize it and start to use it.
