Why I think Alan Khazei is an incredible candidate:
1. He is a true community organizer: he knows how to effect and build change, empowering individuals and communities. This is about what works, not some hothouse Washington theory–this is about grassroots, bottom up. Yes. Yes we can.
2. He has vision. It’s beyond any one policy position (and let’s face it, the Dem candidates are all roughly in the same universe from Health Care to Afghanistan). He has a clear sense of what the honor and duty of a Senate position entails, and how he would use it, and it doesn’t include power for power’s sake, self-preservation or moving up the ladder, but leveraging true progressive causes, partnering with the White House and taking stands AGAINST the White House as/when necessary. He understands that Obama needs allies who are not just Yes People but allies of principle who speak up against the WH if it is called for. Enough with the spineless Dems of the last 10 years.
3. He has passion. He believes in his causes, and it comes from a place of honesty. Anyone who has met him can testify to this. We have passionless sober Senator already in Kerry. We don’t need another.
4. He has integrity. In spite of being an underdog candidate w/ little name recognition in a short race, he has refused to take PAC/lobby money. Yes it’s true not all PAC/lobby money is “bad” but there’s no question to me and a majority of AMericans that money is fouling up our politics/policy and we need candidates to start taking a stand. Capuano/Coakley supporters would like to downplay this move, suggesting Khazei “wouldn’t get any $$$ from anyone anyway”, but that’s disingenuous (understandable since both Coakley and Capuano have had contributions that might cause someone to question where their loyalties lie; see recent Bos Globe ed.).
5. He has vast experience. In spite of the opposition’s desire to say the only good senator is one who has been trained as a Congressman or state prosecutor, Khazei HAS legislative experience, working with our dear Ted Kennedy on legislation on service projects (see how he worked to turn Republican congress to turn over votes to restore and ADD to Americorps funding). Has Capuano ever flipped the Republicans against their leadership? Coakley? No. So let’s put the “he doesn’t have experience” thing to rest.
6. He is real, he is not put together by polling data or cautious about image. He dances at parties and wears costumes on Halloween. I love it. [Edit to add: I am not a personal friend–this is just what I’ve observed thru volunteering and doing due diligence campaign stops]
Very similar to my experience.
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p>I also like his sense of humor. He is passionate, and a visionary, who does not take himself overly seriously.
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p>I was convinced to join his campaign by many of the things you mention. Although I have met Alan only once in person, I did have an opportunity to have a long, open-ended telephone conversation with him, in which he pled his case and listened carefully to my concerns. He was very forthcoming in his answers to my questions.
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p>The things that have stuck out for me are:
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p>o Alan truly has the experience necessary for the job — he has had to do the sort of thing that Ted Kennedy did so well, in order to get legislation passed to implement his visions. I can picture him “reaching across the aisle” (as the expression goes), which is something Kennedy did so well. Alan also has had experience pulling together coalitions of disparate people and groups.
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p>o He is, as you say, willing to oppose the President on such things as his Afghanistan policy, if he believes that to be the right thing to do.
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p>o I asked him how he differs, if at all, from our former Senator in terms of philosophy about major issues. He honestly couldn’t come up with anything, though he went on to explain to me how well he knew Ted Kennedy, having worked with him for many years on the things that mattered to the both of them. He also pointed out that he is of the generation to which “the torch must be passed” — and can bring the office into the 21st Century.
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p>Finally, like you, many of my friends whom I respect had already made up their minds to support Alan and were begging me to consider him, so I did my due diligence, and found that they were right!
Not my candidate; but hardly the last chance at governance for Alan Khazei. One thing is for sure, we will all have the same candidate come 12/9/09 and we have a bunch of great choices. I will continue to support my candidate, but I surely appreciate all you have said about YOUR candidate and hope to meet him one day. He sounds like good company, and someone I want to see in governance – but I don’ don’t know him, have not worked with him on anything and while I find your report very positive, after supporting “the portrait of Dorian Gray” way back when in 2004-2006 personal knowledge counts for a lot with me.
I agree with all of the positives that have just been said about Alan Khazei and his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Here is one other example or reason I really like the guy and am now working hard to get him elected.
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p>He truly gets that fact that the Dems in D.C. can be just as bad as the GOP when it comes to insuring a variety of social justice issues such as revoking the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA.
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p>Why don’t the Dems just submit a bill to revoke DOMA, take a vote, and bingo we have equal marriage rights for all? Because it seems too many Dems don’t want to offer equal marriage to LGBT folks, even if it is 2009.
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p>At the first candidates’ forum, held at Merrimack College in North Andover on Sunday Oct 18th, the first three candidates, Coakely, Capuano and Pagliuca, responding to the question, “How will you work to revoke DOMA, if you make it to the U.S. Senate? , were politically correct in their answers.
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p>They each said they would talk to their senate colleagues and urge them to revoke DOMA as a matter of offering full civil rights to all etc. etc. Yawn..
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p>But Khazei, ignoring such useless Senate-speak, roared,
referring to the example given about a now- deported Brazilian spouse who cannot be reunited with his American-born husband in the States, so long as DOMA is on the books.
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p>Khazei then described how it is no use having sixty Democrats in the U.S. Senate, if they won’t stand together to uphold basic civil rights. Khazei also described how, if elected, he would bring together a variety of gay rights groups across the country and help them coordinate a powerful citizens’ campaign to turn specific pro-DOMA senators around.
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p>Too many senators and congressmen are servants to lobbyist and special interests, he told the audience.
is how I remember his words.
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p>Khazei’s ideas felt like a breath of fresh air that brushed most in that auditorium; a candidate who was intelligent, aware and passionate, with the ability to think outside the box. He had my vote, hook, line and sinker. Khazei’s three competitors suddenly looked like generic- brand, vanilla- flavored, ho- hum candidates.
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p>On Oct 21st, the Globe’s Scott Lehigh wrote a column “Khazei’s dynamic flair“, that described the candidate’s extensive work and influence in Washington over the past twenty years and ended with
Turns out that Lehigh and I were both in that auditorium on that rainy Sunday afternoon in North Andover; we both got the Khazei message at the same time; it was hard to miss.
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p>Now we all have to work our tails off to make sure Alan slides into first place with enough other voters in next month’s election.
… here’s the link!
See Teddy’s Rightful Heir
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Jonathan Alter’s discussion of the race and why Alan Khazei should get Ted Kennedy’s seat is really clear and unequivocal.
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p>It’s interesting to me how little serious local coverage and interest the race is getting, which of course benefits the candidates with greatest name recognition, but at the same time there is this national interest.
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p>I hope all of the undecideds and lukewarm Martha and Mike supporters read Alter’s piece and really think about the how we want to move forward from the Kennedy era. This is a big piece of my thinking and why I love Khazei’s passion/fire and his resolute determination to stick to the right thing, regardless of its personal political costs (PAC $, eg).
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p>We’ve had so many decades of career politicians, politicians as institutions in/of themselves, and we have loved it and benefitted from Teddy and Kerry. But as we turn the page, how amazing to not try to shoehorn in another “insider” (and without that passion that is so compelling in Khazei) but rather a CITIZEN politician, one whose heart and goals are in the community, the grassroots.
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p>It sounds so crazy but there isn’t anything more I would want in a candidate and so I must support Alan with everything I’ve got, cynicism of “can he win?” and “he’s not next in line” triangulating be damned.
… I absolutely know he can win. In my post above, I was merely referring to the cynical calculus I’ve heard some other natural Alan supporters play out in their logic. “I really like Alan; he’s everything I want in a candidate. I’m worried though, can he win? So I’m wavering and thinking I’ll go with Mike or Martha, even tho Alan fits my kind of candidate perfectly…”
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p>I don’t understand that reasoning, personally, though obviously it’s a narrative that Cap/Coa campaigns would love to perpetuate to minimize any peel away.
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p>At first when I got involved in Khazei’s campaign as a volunteer, I thought, “WEll, this is someone who I REALLY believe in–everything I want in a candidate. I will work on the campaign out of commitment to an IDEAL; not sure if he can win, but I can’t NOT support this candidate who is doing and is everything I want!!”
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p>BUT… I have become quite convinced that he can win by a few things:
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p>1. When voters find out about him, they really like what they see/hear. Voter education benefits Alan Khazei, b/c he is an incredibly strong candidate.
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p>2. His impressive fundraising is primarily thru small dollar donations, illustrating broad support/votes already.
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p>3. I’ve seen people walk in to meetings as Mike and Martha supporters and walk out as Alan supporters with my own eyes. It’s amazing/incredible.
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p>It’ll be a hard effort and by no means a sure effort, but it is DEFINITELY winnable, and I encourage all the cynics out there–feel the love, go with the passion and idealism, and the impressive record and substance–yes you can elect a candidate who isn’t compromised! If there’s anything I learned from the Obama campaign (where I worked on a campaign for the first time), it’s that there’s REAL POWER in the grassroots and people believing in the process and insisting it come to their terms.
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When I first met Deval Patrick, I decided to support him even though, at the time (it was before he had announced), I gave him little chance of beating “the machine.” But I was (obviously) wrong, as the power of grassroots organization won the day.
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p>The difference here, of course, is the timeframe. Still, I agree with you that Khazei can win this race; it’s just going to take a huge amount of effort from volunteers, like you (whoever you are!) and me, to get the word out and to raise money in a relatively short period of time.
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p>The good news is that I think that (like me) lots of people work best under tight deadlines!