Good article from the Globe about Patrick’s plans to keep the grass roots alive and use the political muscle of the group to help in Patrick’s budget and agenda plans for the state he touted during the election.
“The grass-roots organization could be used to build support for Deval’s agenda,” said Doug Rubin, who served as his chief strategist in the campaign. “Any governor has the bully pulpit to persuade voters that their agenda is worth supporting. This organization can help build popular support.”
The folks on Beacon Hill are treading carefully, they are wondering of the effect and pressure Patrick can do within their districts with the grassroots to push on the agenda of change that we voted for with Patrick.
The decision also has caught the attention of some Beacon Hill lawmakers, who wonder how much the new governor will use the grass-roots network to mount pressure within their districts to get them in step with the administration’s legislative agenda or budget priorities. In interviews this week, several lawmakers, none of whom wanted to speak for the record, said Patrick’s talk of flexing his political muscle with a political machine, his post-election statements rejecting legislative patronage, and his decision to freeze lawmakers out of the transition teams have ruffled some legislators.
“There are uneasy people out there,” said one lawmaker, referring to his colleagues. “The legislators have been in charge, and now there is a new sheriff in town.”
During a recent grass roots campaign in which I was involved, from 2003-2005 I was often in the gallery at the state house, watching votes, noticing roster conferences, and that almost all the actual decision making took place out of public view in “Room 348”. Several legislators told me they were given hefty legislation to read, and told they had anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour to vote on that legislation.
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I was often shocked and saddened to be the only private citizen, non-lobyist there in the gallery watching. I felt that the decline of open debate and actual democracy was in no small part due to the fact that I WAS the only citizen up in those galleries – sometimes the house, sometimes the senate, watching. And often I saw familiar eyes looking up, as if to say, “Is SHE still there?”
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I hope this changes, and there are other citizens in the galleries and the halls when legislation for higher education, or indigent access to justice, or housing (etc.) are up for funding or change.
IMHO, is finding out when critical legislation is up for a hearing.
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Any thoughts on constructive steps toward making that process more transparent?
have been asking this question for a while now. At the BlogLeft conference in Worcester last December (seems so long now!) we had a very lively discussion about this very topic.
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If we knew enough in advance we could have a real discussion on issues around certain legislation, but for some reason it all seems to be protected by some double-secret process.
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There are bloggers (myself included) right now trying to come up with a workable solution.
You can find out when a bill has a hearing scheduled through the legislature’s website.
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Go to http://www.mass.gov/… and you can search by the bill number or by phrase or title. Pretty handy.
The legislative reps won’t even know what hit em. Deval’s outreach efforts seem more aimed at bringing issues to the forefront and trying to change public opinion. So, people who listen/heed Deval’s ideas that go through his field org will only start caring about them. Some of those people will be calling their reps.
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However, it’s not like Deval’s creating a seudo-Christian Coalition where everyone organizes mass-email alerts with little straight info, then demanding they call their legislatures right away! I just don’t see Deval being that confrontational.
A grassroots like Deval’s support do NOT take kindly to being pandered to or being bamboozled or being told to support something they are not really for. Deval only has his grassroots (I hope) if he keeps earning it.
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Deval’s “political machine” not only keep the legislature accountable, it keeps Deval accountable.