Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Draft Harmony Wu for the 9th Congressional District

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Harmony Wu is seriously considering a run to represent the 9th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives. Like many of us, she has become frustrated with Congressman Steve Lynch’s lack of commitment to progressive issues, especially health care reform. Please help progressive democrats collect signatures for Harmony Wu’s nomination papers this weekend!

http://tinyurl.com/DraftWu

For those of you who don’t know her, Harmony is a Needham mother of two who took it upon herself to coordinate Needham for the Obama campaign, and shocked everyone in the state with what she was able to deliver.  Since then, she has been an inspired and passionate volunteer political organizer.  She has led the charge for health care organizing in Lynch’s district, mobilizing hundreds of people to call and visit Lynch’s office in support of reform.  Out of frustration, she has decided to consider a run against him both to show that there is passionate support for health care reform, and to hopefully remove him from office if he votes No.

So, what can we do?

1) A “Draft Harmony Wu for the 9th Congressional District” Facebook page has been set up:  http://tinyurl.com/DraftWu.  Join the group and spread the word.

2) Tomorrow at 12 noon, at Broadway Station in South Boston (Lynch’s backyard), volunteers will be collecting nomination signatures to put Harmony on the ballot.  Meet them there and help collect signatures.

A website is also being set up, as is an Act Blue page for collecting donations (if he votes Yes and she doesn’t run, she’ll donate the money to a charitable organization TBD).  A post is going up on Blue Mass group, and a more formal email is going out to people in the 9th CD and beyond, letting people know she’s considering running and why, and asking them to do the two things above.  

Please spread the word about the two actions above as soon as you possibly can.  If you can join in the signature-gathering tomorrow, please contact John Bowes at bowes3@yahoo.com, or just show up.

STAND UP FOR HEALTHCARE!!!

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Comments

  2. This is the real deal. I’ve seen these activists in action.

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    p>Please join the FB group.

  3. As a progressive candidate for State Senate in the Suffolk and Norfolk district, I have not seen the well spring of Democratic activists which has been mentioned in this post.

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    p>I have worked diligently for the Democratic Party and its’ candidates for the majority of the past twenty six years.
    I was a precinct captain for the single payor health insurance advocate John McDonough in his campaign for State Representative in 1984 when I was 19. I was up in New Hampshire for Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis, Tom Harkin and Al Gore.

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    p>I have coordinated phone banks for the nominees of the Democratic Party in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 & 2006. Not to mention the hundreds of hours I have given as a volunteer at phonebanks for Deval Patrick, the candidates forwarded by http://www.moveon.org nationally and Barack Obama.

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    p>Heck, I made sixteen trips to New Hampshire and three trips to Maine on behalf of Vice President Gore’s candidacy in 1999 and 2000. I worked as a staffer for the Virginia Democratic Cooordinated Campaign near Lynchburg in the year 2000.

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    p>Time and time again, I have given my blood, sweat and tears to the causes and candidates that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party purportedly holds dear, and I would appreciate some help now.

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    p>There are only two Democratic candidates vying for the State Senate seat that Marian Walsh is leaving. Myself and a very conservative Democrat who is pro-life, is against equal marriage rights and has voted for tax breaks for the wealthy and big business.

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    p>If I am able to get my message out, I firmly believe that the Democrats of this district will prefer a real Democrat as opposed to one who votes like a Republican most of the time. Furthermore, if I am fortunate enough to be the Democratic nominee I will work diligently to elect the entire Democratic Party ticket.

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    p>If you would like to be of assistance to my candidacy, please contact me at waynejwilsonjr@yahoo.com or call me at (857)719-4010. Thank you.

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    p>Respectfully Submitted,
    Sincerely,
    Wayne J. Wilson, Jr.
    Democrat for State Senate
    Suffolk and Norfolk State Senate District

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    p>P.S. Representative Lynch will be tough to beat as the Ninth District is the most Irish district in the country. I remember this from the 2001 Democratic Primary in which I was helping Marc Pacheco whom I had met in New Hampshire while working on the Gore campaign the year before.

      • wherein some people say, “he sucks” and even worse in the post of HGM MA on Thursday.  Huh, you really have to stop using these little double standards of yours. I didn’t see or hear a peep out of you during that vulgar abuse heaped on Lynch.  Fair is fair.  And, yes.  Her candidacy will be a joke.

            • Are you serious?  Read the comments from the post by HGM on Thursday. Huh, I am surprised at you; I thought that you were a gentleman above all. That Beck reference, by the way, was a low blow. Did I ever compare you to Olbermann?

              • What’s become clear is that you are not.

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                p>I still have no idea what you’re talking about regarding Lynch, but we’re discussing your behavior, not others.  

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                p>And yes, you’ve accused me of being a mindless Olbermann follower on many occasions.  And a sheep. And…

  5. I highly doubt GOPers will line up to praise Harmony Wu’s politics, but there is a reachable goal here. So often the MADP is criticized by our conservative friends for not contesting some many elected offices.

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    p>Well, here we go.

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    p>So come GOPers, heap on the praise. We are taking on the “Big Blue Machine” that you all so often decry.

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    p>Bring it!

  6. Personally, I’m not ready to consider a “no” vote on HCR a disqualifying factor for Steve Lynch. That could change, depending on what emerges as his motive for bucking his base like this. I’m also not eager to accelerate the power shift in the party from union-heavy city neighborhoods to suburban progressives.  

    • Support Harmony’s bid now, at least.  There’s a sudden new national story here: Bill Halter raising $4 million within a week of declaring against Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary, and now just in the past few days Connie Saltonstall entering the primary against Bart Stupak, and Harmony Wu saying she’ll run against Lynch if he votes no.  All of them say health care is why they’re running.  The more buzz they get NOW, the more pressure all wavering Democrats in the House and Senate will feel to make sure this passes.

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      p>P.S. I gave up on Lynch already, before the health care debate, when he seemed to object to the public option, which just cemented my opinion.  Lynch voted for the Iraq war and continued supporting funding it throughout, then voted against the stimulus bill on the pretense that it’s too expensive.  That kind of blatant idiocy can only come from two places: Complete ignorance and thoughtlessness, or an honest opinion that our money is better spent invading Iraq than building our infrastructure (not, mind you, that neither is worth running up debt, or that both are, but that Iraq is and the stimulus isn’t).  There’s pretty much nothing Lynch can do now to prevent me from actively opposing him when an opportunity comes along.

      • but there’s a difference between being passively frustrated and being motivated to work toward his defeat.  Right now I’m in the first camp.  Vote against health care and I’m in the second camp.

  7. I was lucky to meet Harmony during the Obama campaign.  She is a tireless advocate for progressive issues and an inspiring organizer.  GO HARMONY!

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    p>Note:  Word is spreading fast.  Just saw that she is has over 140 members (I couldn’t help but notice the names.  Many experienced organizers appear to be taking notice.)

  8. I might just be ignorant, but this isn’t really providing any information about her. I don’t know anything about her policies (except being vaguely “progressive” and presumably disagreeing with Lynch on health care reform), and coordinating the Obama campaign in a smallish town isn’t a background so amazing that she obviously deserves to be Representative.

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    p>I mean in general any sort of primary challenge is fine. Lynch deserves SOMEONE to primary challenge him, and if it turns out she’s an undeserving candidate, then she’ll lose the primary. And again, maybe I’m just ignorant of things people on this blog (who actually live in Lynch’s district) are expected to know, so maybe these are things that don’t need to be said. But it does seem like a few more specifics should be said even at this very tentative stage in the process.

    • A new somewhat expanded bio got posted on the Facebook group late last night, but keep in mind that she doesn’t even have a campaign yet, and just decided to consider it last night.  There will be more information about her soon, but right now the key goal is to get her into the news today because we expect a vote on health care tomorrow.

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      p>Right now, the issue isn’t yet whether Harmony is the right candidate for you – right now, the issue is to make it clear both to Lynch and to other wavering Democrats that voting no on reform can earn you a high profile primary challenge.

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      p>Once that vote actually happens, if Lynch does vote no and Wu does officially enter the race, we will see a lot more information about her fairly soon, and you can make up your informed mind about her.  For what it’s worth, I’ve already heard from several progressive organizers who I trust, that they know her and she’s worth supporting.  I don’t mind waiting a little bit for more information; I think that one way or another, what’s important right now is to make it very clear to Democratic legislators that blocking health reform is a political risk that could draw a credible challenger.

    • Harmony isn’t an actual candidate yet, right now it’s a scramble.  People are out collecting signatures.  Setting up a Facebook group is near-instant, while registering a domain and getting an ISP account and putting up a web site (even a simple one) takes a bit more time.

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      p>For now, you might want to point non-Facebook people at my post on OpenLeft giving some context about why and how this matters.

    • From FB:

      About Harmony

      Harmony Wu is a resident and Town Meeting member of Needham, MA and a well-known Democratic activist who has effectively organized hundreds of volunteers in support of progressive candidates and issues. Harmony, who is a mother of two and holds a Ph.D., had little political experience before she took it upon herself to organize Needham for the Obama campaign in 2008. She shocked political insiders with the number of people she mobilized to support and volunteer for then-candidate Obama. Since then, Harmony has been a creative and passionate organizer who has worked tirelessly on behalf of national, statewide and local candidates and issues. Most recently, she has been a key volunteer health care reform organizer in Massachusetts and has led the charge for health care organizing in Rep. Lynch’s district, mobilizing hundreds of people to call and visit his office in support of reform. Harmony received a B.A. from Amherst College and a Ph.D. from University of Southern California. She was an instructor at Emerson College and is a published author on media and culture. She has served on the Board of the Needham League of Women Voters. Harmony is married to Jason Hornick, a physician

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      p>I have never met Harmony, but know of her from others that I trust. Above, someone stated that a Draft movement merely gets her on the ticket. She sails over the bar for this. Once the primary starts, then the microscope comes out.

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      p>At a glance, I’d say she is more Khazei than Coakley. :v)

  10. It’s great that Lynch will get opposition.   I just wish that Max Kennedy were the opponent.

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    p>At any rate, it will be a tough race.   That congressional district is very Irish.    But, Harmony should have a good shot.  

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    p>I really dislike Steven Lynch.  

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