Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

It’s Time for a Change to Someone Who Shares our Values.

By

Dear BMG community,

14 months ago, I announced on this blog that I was entering the race to oust my incumbent state representative, Paul Donato. At the time, my community, Medford, was one of the epicenters of a massive struggle taking place statewide over the future of marriage equality, as I and other members of the community tried to lobby Representative Donato to change his position and embrace equal protection under law for all our neighbors. As we did this, it became clear to me that Rep. Donato was not a leader. He was not willing to take action on a controversial issue and build consensus in our community. He is a politician who is out of touch with the values of his district. From reproductive choice to stem cell research to universal health care and marriage equality, Donato has consistently voted against the values held by his constituents. I knew it was time for a change in leadership to someone who shared our values, and I vowed to make it happen.

I’m writing now because the day of reckoning, primary day, September 16th is fast approaching. My family, my staff and I have worked long hours alongside our over one hundred tireless volunteers to make this vision of progressive change a reality, and we are exceedingly close to making it happen. With less than five weeks remaining, this is a less than ten-point race. And there is no doubt in my mind that it will be decided by what happens in the coming days.

In order to bring this campaign home, I need your help. We’re well within striking distance, but we need you to get involved to help bring us across the finish line- contributions of time or money will go farther than almost anything else. You can sign up to donate to the campaign or volunteer at our campaign website, http://www.mccabeforrep.org/co… and http://www.mccabeforrep.org/vo… We will need over 100 volunteers for election day, September 16th, so every single person will have a huge impact.

In return, I can promise you this: In your legislature I will work every day to realize the dream of a more economically and socially just Commonwealth that we all know is possible. I will never back down to people who would strip the rights away from our neighbors, be they gay, female or non-citizen. And I will never be influenced by the moneyed interests that so often play a powerful role in shaping our public policy. This government is yours, and I will never forget that.

To do this, I need your support and your help. Together, we can change Beacon Hill and make it work for us again. We need a change in leadership in Medford and Malden to someone who shares our values, stands up for working families, protects a woman’s right to choose, and votes for important issues like stem cell research and universal healthcare. Paul Donato has voted against our families, against our rights, and against our values and it’s time for a change. With your support, we can make change happen.

Thank you for everything.

In Unity,

Patrick McCabe

Democratic Candidate, 35th Middlesex District, State Representative

http://www.mccabeforrep.org

PS, please feel free to contact me at any time at Patrick@mccabeforrep.org

 

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  2. How does this quote from you today

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    p>

    At the time, my community, Medford, was one of the epicenters of a massive struggle taking place statewide over the future of marriage equality, as I and other members of the community tried to lobby Representative Donato to change his position and embrace equal protection under law for all our neighbors. As we did this, it became clear to me that Rep. Donato was not a leader. He was not willing to take action on a controversial issue and build consensus in our community. He is a politician who is out of touch with the values of his district. From reproductive choice to stem cell research to universal health care and marriage equality, Donato has consistently voted against the values held by his constituents. I knew it was time for a change in leadership to someone who shared our values, and I vowed to make it happen.

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    p>make sense with this quote from you today in the malden observer

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    p>

    These days, the Walsh Street resident is looking at another representative’s seat – the one currently being occupied by Paul Donato. And he’s not sure how he arrived at the decision.
    “There wasn’t a single moment,” the 36-year-old father of two explains. “Over time, I kept seeing conditions become more and more difficult for working class people. They say my generation will be the first not to provide a better future for our kids and I don’t want that to be the case. The only way I know how to change it is to be a leader.”

    • Yes, those are two contradictory stories, each one tailored for who McCabe thinks is listening.  

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      p>Tell the progressives on BMG the truth, that it was all about the gay marriage vote (Patrick, who did you talk to at the concon about running, and who came to your first house party 14 months ago?  What role is MassEquality playing?)  

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      p>Lie to the residents of Malden, tell them that it was about conditions for working class people, don’t mention marriage and equal rights at all.

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      p>Looks like you aren’t willing to try to build consensus in the community either, you’d rather just lie to them and hoodwink them.  Good start.

  3. I don’t live in the district, and I have little sense of the dynamics in the district, but it seems rather difficult to oust an incumbent with two challengers.

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    p>Again, not knowing the district well enough to know if I was driving down a street where Jim Caralis and his entire family lives, I saw a bunch more Caralis signs than for anyone else.

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    p>So what’s a progressive to do?  Guess I can sit in the next town and watch how things unfold in beautiful Medford.

    • You’re right that Caralis’ run makes McCabe’s job a little harder than it would’ve been.  It’s unfortunate that someone like Caralis who appears to want to promote the same progressive causes, would so completely ignore political strategy, and spend his time and energy on an effort likely to hurt his political aims and his political allies.

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      p>However, it’s definitely a hurdle that Patrick McCabe has the ability to get across.  I’ve spoken to people following this race and most of them can see that if they want to oust Donato, and if they want to promote equal rights, access to health care, economic justice, and other progressive causes, Patrick McCabe is the best candidate to place their vote for.  McCabe’s endorsements by progressive organizations & issue groups such as Democracy for America, Planned Parenthood, and MassEquality, as well as unions such as the Teamsters and Bricklayers, further reinforce the fact that he’s the progressive challenge to Donato.

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      p>It’s unfortunate that we don’t have Instant Runoff or another preference voting system, because if we did, we wouldn’t have to choose which of two otherwise good candidates is the one, but since we don’t, we do have to make that choice, and Patrick McCabe is very obviously the clear choice.

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      p>The key is communicating that to enough voters.  McCabe has the background, the broad coalition, and the endorsements, to convince people that he’s the right choice, and will win if he can get the message out to enough voters by election day.  That’s why he’s right: this comes down to how much his campaign can do in the coming weeks.

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      p>And so, I just now contributed $50 to the Patrick McCabe campaign.  Join me and give them something.

      • I agree with Cos. I live here in Medford, although I’m a little ways outside Patrick’s district. I’ve been volunteering with the campaign (I have little money, but a lot of time), and so I’ve gotten to know some of Medford where I rarely go and part of Malden better than I used to. My experience has been that few people know that Donato has a challenger, but when they hear about Patrick’s positions and Donato’s positions, most immediately become McCabe supporters.
        It’s really true what Patrick wrote above: Donato doesn’t represent the people of Medford and Malden, and so getting the word out that he has a challenger and what the two men’s positions are on the issues is really most of what we have to do to win.
        Furthermore, Donato is not just a conservative Democrat, he is a very important part of the House leadership, as I understand. He runs the Steering committee, I think, and therefore controls what bills are voted on. Thus, unseating him will be a really great progressive victory.

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        p>~Russell

      • Look at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s website (http://www.massaflcio.org/node/1541) and you will find that Paul Donato’s voting record is better than 95%. The union supporting McCabe (Teamsters) has only one interest – casinos – not progressive interests.  That is one reason that Progressive Unions like SEIU will not support McCabe.

  4. I’m in the district, and it’s a pretty entertaining race — Donato’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and I heard he’s acting pretty nervous in spite of the split competition.

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    p>There’s a big demographic shift in the 35th, and both McCabe and Carallis are on the right side. Donato’s not.  The gay community is out for his blood, and it’s definitely not just the teamsters who Donato has irritated on the union front.

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    p>Carallis is winning the “signs on main thoroughfares” side, but McCabe seems deeper into the neighborhoods and is getting in a lot of door-knocking.  Plus it looks like he has an organized staff, has been in the campaign longer, and some key locals behind him.

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    p>Sucks that it’s a three-way against an incumbent, but anything to get rid of Dinosaur Donato…

    • Don’t know what neighborhoods in Medford you are going to but Donato signs outnumber McCabe around 4-1.

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      p>McCabe looks like he will sell snake oil, make a zillion promises, do anything to get elected.  Where’s the substance?

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      p>Too many creepy special interests appear to be surrounding
      Mr. McCabe.  How friendly has Local 25, which seems to be embracing McCabe, REALLY been to the gay community?  How about West Point – ya can’t get more pro gay than that?

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      p>A betting man can see the plethora of Donato signs everywhere with Caralis signs appearing to be pretty prolific as well.

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      p>How tenacious will Patrick McCabe be if he comes in third on election day?  

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