I recently had a fairly long conversation with Alan Khazei, and then I went into his campaign HQ in downtown Boston to speak with many members of his campaign team.
I learned a lot from speaking with Alan and his staff. I’d already done my reading, thinking, and bouncing ideas and questions off of friends whose opinion I respect and admire.
Choosing a candidate for an office this important requires (for me, anyway) heightened due diligence. That said, I admitted to Alan (and to his staff) that I had been leaning in his direction for a while. The past 24 hours were my time for reflection on this decision, getting comfortable with it, checking in with my inner self to be sure that my choice could be heartfelt and more than a simple nod of approval.
Many of my readers know me well enough to know that I don’t do things in half measures, so now that I have decided to support Alan, my support will have an active component. I still need to work out, in my mind and as a practical matter, how much time and energy I can spare, and what form my support will take.
As I work this out, you will be hearing more from me, and I know I can count on you to make suggestions.
I am now part of the team!
I look forward to a vigorous campaign over the next 6 weeks or so!
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Scot Lehigh wrote a Boston Globe opinion piece that took me by surprise. I think this is the most positive, glowing piece of his I’ve ever read. Take a gander:
SCOT LEHIGH
Khazei’s dynamic flair
By Scot Lehigh, Globe Columnist | October 21, 2009
ON SUNDAY, I did some un-Patriotic duty, forsaking Tom Terrific and his talented teammates to attend a non-tailgate grilling of the Democratic foursome running to fill Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat. My hope was that watching the aspirants being interviewed separately would help highlight important distinctions among the better-known candidates.
The real story, however, turned out to be citizen activist Alan Khazei, who sparkled where the others plodded more prosaically along.
Khazei caught the audience’s attention the second he came loping onto the stage at Merrimack College, kept it with animated answers during the eclectic Q&A session conducted by Globe columnist Renée Loth and Democratic State Committee member Mark DiSalvo, and left listeners laughing delightedly at his mischievous summation.
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Khazei is just the kind of public-spirited figure voters often say they want in politics. He deserves a closer look.
Scot Lehigh can be reached at lehigh@globe.com.
Check out the link for much more!
So glad to see you’re on board! If any state is going to elevate a non-career politician, who has spent his life motivating a generation to action, it should be Massachusetts.
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p>Yep Weld, Romney, Patrick great track record there…
Bill Weld was a good Governor when he was engaged, which unfortunately for the state seemed to wane as time went on.
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p>Romney was an unmitigated disaster.
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p>Patrick has been a breath of fresh air, and a VERY effective Governor. Perhaps you don’t like him because he’s done what he promised to do: change the way business is done on Beacon Hill, and brought reform after reform, new blood into the government, and transformed the way people relate to their state government. But I suppose the now-famous Barney Frank comment would apply here: “I might as well be talking to my dining room table as having as conversation with you!” My guess is that your mind is made up and you don’t want to be confused with the facts, as the saying goes…
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p>See? I told you it was easy to make snide remarks!