In John Bonifazs campaign for Secretary of State he pointed out some serious problems that were not being addressed by the office of the Secretary. That office is the one that oversees public information, voter registration, elections, lobbyists, and corporate charters. It should be the watchdog for our democracy.
As someone who has been watching the crumbling of democracy in Massachusetts in recent years, I think weve reached a point of crisis. Laws are being written in secret with legislators huddling with industry lobbyists. Bills are passed without public hearings or any meaningful public scrutiny. The referendum process has been rendered almost void by the tricks used by legislators to undermine the process. We are suffering from voting rights violations, gerrymandering, and the undermining of traditional New England town government. Incumbents are reelected at a 98% rate while the money required to run for office is an increasing barrier to all except the personally wealthy. People are disengaging from the political process, and many have lost faith entirely in the ability of government to make a difference. If we keep going down this road we will wind up with a government run behind closed doors for the benefits of a few wealthy interests with insider connections. Its time for a real discussion of what is being done to us.
Unfortunately, the 12-year incumbent, William F. Galvin, refused to even participate in candidate forums organized to discuss the issues. Galvins tactic worked to get him through the primary, and he is probably now hoping that all this talk of reforms and change will fade away.
Sorry, Bill, we arent finished yet! Our democracy is in greater peril than ever, and some of us are not giving up the fight. Bill Galvin still has a pro-reform challenger in the general election. Her name is Jill Stein and she is running on the Green-Rainbow Party ticket. This is a two-way race (No Republican qualified for the ballot.) , so voters have a clear chance to vote for change or vote for more of the same.
Jill is the type of candidate that deserves our support. She is a proven champion of Clean Elections and shining sunlight on the hijacking of the public agenda by insiders and lobbyists. She is an articulate advocate for fair redistricting, eliminating the Legislatures exemption from the open-meeting law, moving to a modern single-payer health care system, and making the tax system fairer. As a medical doctor with a public health interest, she has been at the forefront of numerous struggles, helping people fighting for the health of their communities, their air and water, and the food they eat. Lessons learned in fighting insensitive bureaucracies has made her an advocate for empowering government at the grassroots level.
Jill hasnt had to call a public relations firm to invent a properly positioned persona for her race – shes the genuine article, having been in the trenches with us over the years as weve fought the power of big money and insider-influence on Beacon Hill. Jill is the clearest possible alternative we could have to the business-as-usual approach of William F. Galvin.
Jills campaign is already providing the critical missing ingredient in Massachusetts politics: A voice that speaks up to defend the public interest, and to explain why we dont have to settle for the status quo. We know from experience how important it is to speak truth to power, and not let the other side frame the debate and control the microphone. Win or lose, its important to make sure that we give Jill every opportunity to give a voice to all the people who the Beacon Hill establishment would prefer be silenced.
For more information, check out her campaign website. Call the campaign office at 781-652-0053. Or try to attend one of her Wheels of Change bus tour stops.
Please continue to stand up for our democracy through November 7 and beyond. Youre only defeated when they convince you to stop working for what you believe in.
– John Andrews
(Im a longtime worker for Clean Elections and other progressive initiatives, and currently an unpaid volunteer for Jill.)
Not Green Mass Group.
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p>For Democrats, Unity=Victory. Even though Bill Galvin does not have a Republican opponent this year, the same principle should apply, even against a fringe party candidate.
Green Mass Group would be kind of fun. We could talk politics while drinking Guinness and singing songs by the Pogues and the Wolfe Tones!
So you actually think that keeping a tired arrogant debate-dodging incumbent in office in the name of “victory” is better than electing a candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, who has time-tested ideas that will revolutionize and truly democratize Massachusetts?
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Wow, just wow.
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fixed.
But I fail to see how updating voting laws (which are some of the lowest standards in the world- did you know that international observers can’t even technically monitor our elections because our system is considered too antiquated?) and holding corporations accountable and responsible will “socialize” Massachusetts.
I can’t be mean to a Green. You all are just so earnest and well intentioned, it’d be like kickin’ a kitten.
He’s a Democrat. I’m a Democrat. The primary is over. That’s good enough for me.
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p>If some of our more centrist leaning BMGers like sabutai or MaverickDem decided that instead of doing the right thing and getting behind our gubernatorial nominee (thanks, guys!) that they were going to promote Kerry Healy or Christy Mihos, this site would be in an uproar. (though jdhaverhill has yet to take the unity pledge!) If Deval had lost, and someone like me or lightiris started stumping for Grace Ross, I’d hope that there would also be an uproar.
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p>The same thing should be happening now in the secretary’s contest. Galvin won. Bonifaz lost. If you are a Democrat, then support the Democrat. If you are a Democrat, and you can’t support Galvin, then vote your conscience, but keep it to yourself. If you are a Democrat and you can’t even do that, then you’re not a Democrat. Go down to town hall and unenroll; we don’t want you.
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p>Has Bonifaz pledged his support for Galvin?
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You have done a fair job crystalizing why I consider myself an independent. Though a necessary evil because of the way our political system has evolved, political parties are ultimately corrosive of the commonweal.
If you’re an independent or unenrolled, that’s fine. Promote who you want. It’s a free country. But anyone who voluntarily calls themselves a Democrat and advocates against a Democratic nominee (haven’t we seen enough Democrats for {insert Republican?}), isn’t a true Democrat.
You forgot Too Left for Me. I miss him/her already…
I’m probably not going to vote for Jill Stein, but it’s fine to have people here advocating for her. A vote for Stein for Secretary of State in no way detracts from our unity in supporting Patrick and Murray.
Sheesh, with the exception of the top of the ticket, for almost every Democratic candidate standing for election in November, having a pulse=victory.
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Does this mean that BMG is to be an agent of the campaign for the next 7 weeks? Which? All Democrats? Only Patrick/Murry/Galvin? Wilkerson? Fresolo? Spiliotis?
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Obviously, it wouldn’t be BMG unless it was intended to lean Democratic. But one hopes that it can remain an independent site leaning Democratic rather than an organ of the party campaign, mindlessly supporting the party regardless of whether it is right or wrong.
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Thank goodness, the candidate from that particular odious party isn’t a threat to Galvin, but that is no reason to refrain fom pointing out, as has been pointed out before, that many think that Galvin has done a poor job with respect to elections, and that this poor job is likely actively harming the campaign of a favorite candidate of many who post on this site.
Stein does worse against Galvin in the general than Bonifaz did in the primary.
Two hilarious comments in one post. Stop it, we are supposed to be serious, very serious.
I realize you’re being earnest, but really, you should be able to stump for your candidate without engaging in hyperbole. It would be foolish to say that “we need Deval beacuse cutting the income tax would close our schools” or “innocent people are being jailed by the dozens under Romney.”
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So when I read “the crumbling of democracy in Massachusetts…a point of crisis” I think of Thailand, not Tewksbury. On the day that a pretty much unprecedented grassroots effort pushed Deval to the top of the pile, you say “our democracy is in greater peril than ever”.
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This is why I can’t take too many Greens that seriously. In a time of unprecedented prosperity and quality of life, we’re told that we’re on the edge of the abyss. Listen, I favor Clean Elections, public financing, and vigorous challenges against the incumbent. But I’m against campaigning on fear.
I don’t want to speculate on your personal financial situation, but the Green-Rainbow Party is trying reach out to millions of low-income people, yes, even in rich Massachusetts, who ARE living on the edge of the abyss, and reelecting Galvin won’t do much for them when it comes to seizing their democracy and abolishing poverty. You and I may not feel marginalized or on the edge of abyss, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bring our standards up to a level where everyone can back off the cliff. Progress and equal treatment of the most down-trodden among us reflects positively on our society and elevates everyone.
“I don’t want to speculate on your personal financial situation” I don’t like passive aggressive politics. Since you brought it into the conversation, I rent my residence (moved out scant months ago), and make an average salary for a second-year public school teacher. How bout you?
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Oh, and I spend every day teaching kids who live in non-permanent homes, so don’t lecture me. I spend more time in contact with people on the edge than a lotta folks who vote Green.
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As for this… “millions of low-income people, yes, even in rich Massachusetts, who ARE living on the edge of the abyss, and reelecting Galvin won’t do much for them” well, neither will electing Jill Stein secretary. Are you running for economic improvement or to save democracy from the incipient coup?
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The Greens need to stop overreaching for high-profile offices they won’t come close to winning, and build a grassroots organization (ahem, how they did it in Europe). A party that sends the same name to get pummeled on a regular basis while neglecting to run candidates for state representative in more than a thin fraction of comfortable districts is not earning my vote. Lecturing people who challenge that, rather than trying to work neighbor-to-neighbor from the ground up, says a lot about the party and its candidates. I’m voting for Galvin.
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Both, really. Both directly relate to the office, as the Secretary affects how corporations do business in the state. If Jill is elected, she will work to make sure corporations are playing by the rules and will encourage a culture of responsibility and accountability. She will also work to implement modern electoral reforms like Instant-RunOff Voting, where voters rank their choices, eliminating “spoilers”, and causing candidates to run positive campaigns. This will bring more people into the democratic process and there will be less disenfranchised people for the wealthy to take advantage of. I wish he were, but I don’t think Galvin is prepared nor desires to take this road because he is very comfortable with the status quo.
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I’m just really confused by the previous Bonifaz supporters switching over to Galvin. I assume that Bonifaz supporters supported Bonifaz because they believed that he had the best interests of the people of this state in mind, clearly superior to Galvin. The best part is that Bonifaz and Stein both share an virtually identical platform, but it seems like as soon as Bonifaz lost the primary some switch went off in people’s minds. It is the ugly side of partisan politics because the people lose. The Greens are guilty of this at times as well.
The Green’s agenda on Corporate responsibility more closely seems to resemble that of Mr. Bonifaz than Mr. Galvin’s. No?
I’m no fan of Mr. Galvin, but I won’t vote for Jill Stein. My reasons:
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1. She really wants to be a legislator (read her we site, its all about the bills she wants to file). Jill, run for State Rep.
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2. She doesn’t understand what the Sec. of State does. She talks about using “power over corporate charters” to enforce labor and environmental standards. The Secretary of State does not do that. We have other officials who do that: the Governor and and the Attorney General. Wrong job, Jill.
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3. She would neglect her real duties. The Secretary of State oversees an agency that performs a great many boring and essential tasks–filing corporate charters, recording liens on property, and maintaining public records, to name just a few. If these jobs are not performed properly, our government and our economy will suffer the consequences. Does she even know these jobs exist? I doubt it.
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4. She is a GREENIE. You know, the folks who ran against Al Gore, and helped elect W. Its way too early to forget that.
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However, I am glad she is running. Why? She is a MOONBAT. When Healy Murphy Kerry (whatever) calls Deval a moonbat, we can say, “No, look over there, that’s what a moonbat really looks like.” That’s important.
She did run for state rep last cycle (2004), in Lexington, I believe. She managed to come in second, ahead of the Republican, if I recall correctly.
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That said, the Green-Rainbow party in Massachusetts remains a complete joke.
I posted the original message stating why we should be working for Jill Stein for Secretary of State. For the record, over the past 20 years Ive worked for about 16 candidates, and 14 of them were Democrats. Yet Im registered Green-Rainbow because I would never register in a party whose leader was Thomas Finneran. (Yes, lets be honest here – he was the de facto leader of the Democratic Party, dictating the budget and the legislative agenda of the state, redrawing districts to benefit his friends, and never losing a vote of confidence from the Party faithful.)
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From some of the comments calling for the slavish imposition of party discipline, I guess I should never, ever work for or vote for a Democrat again. But Im tempted to take another approach. I think slavish adherence to party discipline is a trap.
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One-party obedience is very bad for progressive values. It means that you will be silenced. It means you will be taken for granted. The evidence is abundant, and too long to include in this email.
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I think Greens and Democrats and Independents should work together, across party lines, with people putting their values and principles first, and voting for the member of the other party when their own party fails them. In doing this, progressives put pressure on the entrenched establishment to respond. They cant be taken for granted.
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I have to admit I dont have much respect for the party disciplinarians because Ive seen them abandon their principles and do great harm to people – all to keep a grip on power or to maintain a close relationship to someone who has seized some position of power. Just look at what were hearing now from those who are saying that we should shut up and vote for the incumbent – and allow another four years of decline to occur – all to avoid working across party lines.
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I know there are a lot of Democrats who will stand on principle and refuse to support their Party when it is out to kill progressive movements. Ive worked with a lot of such Democrats. I hope that the party disciplinarians dont drive them out of the Democratic Party, because they provide a bridge to cooperation, and make it difficult to suppress grassroots movements.
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Well, Im tired of all this party talk. Our goal as progressives should be to make the political parties and their insider-operatives hear from the people. Lets get busy and work together to organize, forge alliances, and support good candidates. Even when we lose, we win, because we have refused to let them silence our voices and we have made friendships in the struggle.
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– John
Tom Finneran was the best Speaker of the House since David Bartley. If it wasn’t for Finneran and his fiscal restraint during the good economic times of the 1990s, there would have been nothing in the state’s “rainy day fund” to cushion the budget when tax revenues declined after the economy went sour, and after the income tax was reduced to 5.3%.
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This is exactly right.
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I enthusiastically support the Democratic ticket of Deval Patrick and Tim Murray. But as a supporter of small ‘d’ democracy, I supported John Bonifaz in the primary for standing up for democracy, and will absolutely support Jill Stein in November.
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In March, I was still a Green-Rainbow member, and voted at the nominating convetion (it was an IRV ballot) for (1) Deval Patrick (2) NOTO for Governor, NOTO for LG, and voted to support the Secretary, Treasurer, and Auditor candidates.
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And just as there are many reasons I would not want to be associated with the Democratic party (Tom Finneran and his gutting of clean elections is absolutely one of them), I also have reasons to no longer associate with the Green-Rainbow party: I’ve disagreed on small issues with them before, but the party’s official opposition to economic sanctions or UN intervention in Sudan is utterly unconscionable.
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We can all have differences on issues, but overall there are very good people working for progressive change and strengthening democracy in the Greens, the Rainbow Coalition, the Democrats, the Working Families party, and as independents inbetween, and even in the Libertarians and occasionally the Republicans. Getting past “having to agree on everything before we can work together on anything” is absolutely the most important part.
I know I posted a long, detailed comment a few weeks ago about why to support the Democratic nominee even though I really like Jill Stein and her policy positions; however, Galvin’s complete refusal to engage in debate is really turning me off. He ought to debate Jill Stein.