A special thank you to David for including in his promotion of today’s caucus open thread, a link to that wonderful 2006 post regarding the caucuses. I got so deep in the comments, I was almost late for my early (non-politics) meeting this morning!
One commenter was enthusiastically (and accurately) extolling the virtues of the volunteer leadership responsible for the great success that year and as evidence, pointed out that the campaign had only a single organizer on staff. Although technically she had hired a couple very talented folks just before the caucuses, Nancy O’Connor Stolberg was that first singular grassroots genius. Nancy was (and remains) the best organizer I have ever known. I wish I could claim credit for hiring her, but the truth is Deval Patrick [with his keen eye for talent đŸ˜‰ ] had already found her before I joined the campaign in early 2005. In fact, Nancy was responsible for introducing me to this future Governor.
Looking back at the ever-growing and expanding run of community organizing, face-to-face, grassroots campaigns that Massachusetts has experienced, it is appropriate to acknowledge and thank my friend Nancy for her leadership in that critical period.
Anyone who has worked with her, will testify to Nancy’s warm, kind and persistent nature in bringing people together for an important cause. If you marveled at the breadth and depth of the grassroots movement that seemingly “appeared” that day, you must appreciate the capacity for hard work and organizing that Nancy brought to that campaign for almost a FULL YEAR before those caucuses began. For so long, it WAS just her and the remarkable combination of the best rolodex of “Democrats who work” (BTW, that doesn’t include everyone) and a welcoming openness to engaging and empowering new people every day. Being shoulder-to-shoulder with her from the earliest days through caucus success, a convincing primary win and a November victory that ended a sixteen-year run of Republican governors, I can attest that the most important capacity Nancy added to our team was a strategic focus that kept us consistently on our grassroots game.
Nancy meticulously and painstakingly built a corps of leaders whose “volunteer” status was only because they weren’t paid – for so many, the time they gave was much more than “full time.” The capacity to nurture this team while pushing it so hard is a hallmark of the Nancy Stolberg Way.
For every organizer who finished their caucus today – or are still pulling it together for one in coming days – join me in saluting her. For every Democrat in Massachusetts and beyond who is grateful for the grassroots revival in so many places, please join me in thanking Nancy O’Connor Stolberg for all she’s done and continues to do.
If I’m not mistaken she currently lives in Maine. There were comments on the other thread, including one of mine, about relatively low caucus attendance despite the DSC’s admonitions that they could be huge. I am actually frankly a bit disappointed in the lack of action on the part of campaigns, including the ones I support, compared to where the Patrick operation was at this point in 2006. They aren’t well staffed yet, waited forever to hire field directors, and do not have the caucus GOTV mechanism we had in 2006. I appreciate Nancy’s bringing me on as a regional desk that year; it was one of my more rewarding volunteer experiences.
I’ve written about this before, but once I was asked to help with the caucus in Lexington in 2006, I went to a training held by Nancy and Kate. We were given all of the tools and knowledge we needed to succeed, along with continued encouragement. All we had to do was do the work.
Nancy’s leadership was indeed a huge part of the outcome of that caucus season. Those of us involved knew we had a really good chance of winning locally, but I was a bit blown away when I read about the statewide results. All of a sudden, Deval and his crew were to be taken seriously.
I’ve not seen anything even close to this effort since. I didn’t attend the caucus today, so I’m not sure what happened.
Raising a glass to Nancy. Thank you!
I appreciate your kind words. But right back at John. And this is about Nancy. I learned about caucuses and slates beginning in 1982 during the Dukakis campaign. Honed them in the 86, 90, 98 and 2002. John had a strategy that went beyond getting delegates elected – it was about winning the general from day one. I continue to hear people say things like, “I learned that from you in your 2005/2006 training sessions. I taught the mechanics and the strategy. John had the vision.
I had been supporting Steve Grossman for Governor in 2002. Nancy, in her capacity of Senate district co-ordinator for Shannon O’Brien, called me the same day Steve announced he was dropping out to try to get me to come on board with O’Brien.
Glad to see you’re sticking around.
I was fortunate to get a chance to work with Nancy in ’05 / ’06 and see firsthand how good she is at what she does…just want to echo John’s comments and say a great big “Thank You” to Nancy for leading the way.
Nancy got the MTA Political Action Program off the ground as its first director. Working with her, and for her was the best first step such a program could have taken. She knew how to get the most out of people, and how to get people to believe in what they’re doing in order to give their best. A wonderful person in any measure.
Nancy is the best. She drove me crazy during Deval’s election, primary and general as I was working hard to coordinate a winning effort for Deval in Waltham. She didn’t like my attempts to run things my way, and not follow her direction. She taught me so much. Miss her!!! The best political time was working with her and Mark Waterbury to deliver an incredible victory for Deval Patrick in 2005.
Working (volunteering) for Nancy reminds me of what hockey players say about playing for Hall-of-Fame coach Scotty Bowman. You gripe about him all season long until the last game, where you get to hold the Stanley Cup over your head.
Nancy expected a lot and we had similar “interactions” with her. But I learned a ton and we got to lift the Cup! đŸ™‚