Today’s Globe endorses Aaron Michlewitz to replace Sal DiMasi. The South End News, however, has endorsed Susan Passoni. The News’s editorial explains that its endorsement decision was made before the mini-scandal over whether Michlewitz received advance copies of debate questions. Passoni had already been endorsed by the Herald and the Phoenix.
Both candidates have racked up various institutional and individual endorsements as well. You can see Passoni’s list here, and Michlewitz’s list here.
As for the dreaded BMG Kiss Of Death … you’ll have to wait just a bit longer! đŸ˜‰
Please share widely!
Click on their respective endorsements. It’s pretty clearly the go-go liberals (mass alliance, various issue advocacy groups) vs. the old-guard machine (ward committees, electeds, unions). Both groups have their positive and negative attributes, but I’m surprised that the Globe looked at that and decided to side with the machine.
Who says the Globe decideded to side with the machine in this race? Seems to me that organizations who are considered the “anti-machine” are more and more becoming “the machine”. (See: MassAlliance). It’s all ice-cream, just different flavors.
What’s that saying, “every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” I am not that attuned to what’s going on lately with Mass Alliance, so I’ll reserve judgment.
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p>I’ve worked on campaigns with both “the machine” and “the grassroots” and they are different animals. “The machine” really still is people who do campaign work because their job is on the line. When people make calls for Tom Menino, it’s not out of love. They are obsessed with making sure they are on the sign-in sheet so their boss knew they were there. That’s what I meant.
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p>That being said, there are some real benefits for working with the machine: 1) because they have an real interest at stake, they actually show up when they say they will; 2) they aren’t there to socialize… they want to hit their call quota and go home; 3) you can have them door-knock in blue collar neighborhoods and not worry that they will annoy people with a 20 minute soliloquy on Mumia Abu-Jamal.
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p>My real point, I suppose, is that given the hammer lock that the public employee unions have on any genuine reform on Beacon Hill, I don’t know why we would want to add yet another person indebted to them.
Well obviously I forgot to log off the computer yesterday and someone accidently posted under my name. Hope I’m not the only one who reads Bluemassgroup when I supposed to be doing something else.
Although, I’m a big Aaron Michlewitz supporter, I hate seeing the Democrats in a circular firing squad. I love all 3 candidates. I’ve previously volunteered on a campaign for Susan Passoni and would be glad to do so again, hope to have an opportunity to support Lucy Rivera in the future, but I’m wholeheartedly supporting and volunteering for Aaron during this primary.
Certainly the Dem candidates sought all these endorsements and would have been honored to receive any of them. You become the machine when you are successful. Let’s see a debate on policy.
My prediction: the true grassroots, the community appears to be lining up more with Aaron and in a local election that’s everything.
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p>The 3rd Suffolk can’t hardly lose with any of these candidates, but Aaron has earned immense respect in the neighborhoods and as others get to know him, they will understand why.
Grassroots is just the new definition of machine!
The Tom Reilly grassroots? The Tom Menino grassroots?
Those grassroots – whats maks one interest group better than the others? The all are in it for their own self interests.
Did she drop out? She hasn’t been mentioned in recent discussions of this race.
but I have seen nothing suggesting that she’ll be much of a factor.
michlewitz seems to have listed many endorsements from neighborhood groups and people – The non North End list seems impressive – a lot of community “leaders” are listed.
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p>To bad Rivera wasn’t more of a factor – I know of her from her presence on the Dem State Committee – She is very bright and I thought she would have been a promising latina candidate – I would have liked to hear more from her.
This kiss of death hasn’t been apparent at the state-wide or national level. Your 1-0 for Governors and Presidents that’s gotta be worth more points than the few state rep and state senator races you keep losing.
Bob’s book aside, BMG has little influence on national politics. Sure, BMG was important for the governor’s race, but I think, given the right circumstances, BMG’s biggest influence should be on the smallest races, because that’s where a handful of bloggers really could make a tangible difference on the votes.
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p>BMG hasn’t managed to leverage that yet, and I’m not arguing that the Editors should become a crack team of GOTV lieutenants. Still, it would be nice if one additional result of BMG was a handful of bloggers going to work for the same campaign and really having an impact on the race.