Great time at the Billerica Democratic Committees family free picnic today, why sometimes reply doesn’t work, Pablo is right about the primary timing, and I am firmly in the “undecided” column

George and Ann Noel and the Billerica Democratic Town Committee were great hosts at their annual free family picnic today at the Elks Pavilion.  Seeing so many friendly, welcoming faces was great – and the weather was unbelievably wonderful for October 9th!  The original date was clobbered by Tropical Storm/hurricane Irene.  As always, I took photos of everyone to share, those on facebook can see the photos (not sure how to share or embed any other way, sorry).

Billerica’s local access cable was there, and did interviews for local access cable of the three candidates who came, as well as State Senator Ken Donnelly.  Those interviews will air not only in Billerica, but all affiliated public access stations, which is most of the 54 cities and towns in Middlesex County.  The three candidates who spoke were (in alphabetical order):  Tom Conroy, Alan Khazei, and Herb Robinson.

Senator Donnelly also spoke, identifying himself as an “FDR Democrat” and talking about how we can, and must do better for our children and grandchildren.  Ken said that from 1884-1930 we had robber barons running this country.  Under FDR we build a solid middle class.  He said that from 1980 on we watched family income diminish.  Ken stated that he is a proud member of the 99% and that he wants to ensure that our children and grand children have the same life we have.  He also gave notice that he would be running again, and would fight on until he could fight no longer.  As Democrats, we won’t agree on everything.  There will be issues that some of us disagree on, or that some think are important and others do not.  However, I think what Ken spoke about is a common core that we all can agree about.

I don’t know about you, but I am fed up with the Neo-robber Barons, and the reality that only the rich and their proteges can run for office due to the costs of today’s media and the importance of media in what some here call “catching on with voters.”  I have not a clue at times why a certain candidate “catches on” and another doesn’t.

For that very reason I think Pablo has cut to the core of the problem with this primary, and the primary timing in Massachusetts.  With the final election in November, there is only 47 days after the primary before the general election to have unity in the push to defeat Scott Brown.  I think there should be at least six months for the  final nominee to campaign between the primary and the general election.   Now I wonder if the reason that there are so few contested elections in this state against incumbents is the schedule itself; the short window after a hot primary before a general election.

Also, I am bothered by the idea that a candidate who doesn’t get tons of delegates, or air time, should “do the right thing” as some put it, and just bow out of the primary.   I would rather see the timing for the primary itself changed to the end of June.

There may be some social scientists reading this who can tell me (and the rest of us) why “the voters in general” latch on to a candidate.  Which comes first – media attention or popularity?  I have not a clue.  When it comes to “media attention” I may be tone deaf anyway.

Also, the readers of this blog are not typical.

Further, everyone has different reasons for choosing which candidate to support.   I choose Bob Massie when he declared back in January because I had known him for years, and preferred him as a candidate and potential senator to anyone else who might enter the race.  I.e. – “it was personal”.  I was excited at the idea of having Bob as my senator, so was my husband who knows him too, and honestly expected everyone else to feel that way too – but that did not happen.   Well, so I took the $100.00 budgeted for Bob’s campaign in October, and split it among four candidates in four $25.00 donations, which felt very satisfying.  That is the last donation for a while, though.

I freely admit that in choosing to support John Edwards I made a terrible error, and that as a result media coverage or the official public pronouncements of a candidate just don’t cause me to commit any more.  Think of my condition as a sort of political PTSD.  Sad, maybe, but true.  Therefore, I am in the undecided column unless my contacts, research, and the passage of time lead me to have certainty, not based on media or PR spin, as to one candidate over another.  I don’t personally “know” any of the other candidates.  Similarly, having someone I know “vouch” for a candidate is also of minimal weight for me.

That takes me back to Pablo’s strong argument – yes, the timing of our primary and general election unfairly advantages incumbents.  It should be changed.

As to why “reply” sometimes doesn’t work, it is because it turns out that “reply” does not work if you use Internet Explorer, and you need to use Firefox or Google Chrome; something about the way the current platform is set up, and about how Internet Explorer works.  I thought it was high traffic, but I was wrong and so I have updated & corrected this post.  I hope this info is useful, and this will almost certainly be my last post on the US Senate race for a good long while.

Thanks to all for a lively conversation.  I hope that the big money donations don’t go to just one candidate, and that there is a real set of debates on more than one issue.   I have no illusion that I have control over either, though.

I truly believe that there will never be economic fairness without the rule of law and access to justice – the best laws and agencies in the world are not worth spit if the ordinary citizen cannot use them to protect themselves.