In the last several days, State Senator Pat Jehlen (Somerville), State Rep Jay Livingstone (Boston/Cambridge) and former State Rep Paul Demakis have all endorsed Don Berwick, increasing his list of Progressive endorsers as we approach the convention! Donward to victory!
Please share widely!
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Strong progressive voices and hard endorsements to earn. Berwick is the real deal! Who else is serious about significant steps forward for the state and country? Who else is talking single payer or unafraid to stand up for progressive values and how they can make the country a better place for all of us? Sometimes a candidate rises above standard political maneuvering and makes waves because of how they think, how they inspire people, and their core beliefs. I think Warren did that and I think Berwick is capable of it as well.
This 2005 article is well worth a read, if you are on the fence and wondering if Berwick is the right choice:
http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2010/03/30/who-is-don-berwick-and-what-will-he-mean-for-reform/
Great article. I thought the following was particularly apt in describing his presentation style:
He comes across as avuncular, intelligent, and passionate. And that’s quite different from the impressions I get from the other candidates. I saw them all in person at the Cambridge/Somerville for Change candidate forum last month. Grossman always strikes me as disingenuous–as though he’s acting. Coakley comes across as competent but rather passionless. And there’s a certain affectation to Kayyem’s presentation style that rubs me the wrong way. And I find Avellone boring and quite forgettable.
He has been passionate about these issues and has walked the walked in both his political and business roles going back decades.
I agree with your impressions of Dr. Berwick, but I actually like Steve Grosman a lot. I disliked his grandstanding on the EBT issue two years ago and he is the candidate that most embraces regressive gambling revenue, otherwise I’d say he has the second most progressive platform.
But I think the most electable candidate is also the most progressive. Berwick will offer the starkest contrast to the status quo on Beacon Hill, which all three of his main rivals have varying degrees if connection to. He also offers the starkest contrast to Charlie Baker on the core bread and butter issues that will determine this race. I’m proud to support him going into this Convention, but would be happy to vote for Grossman if he is nominated.
I predict that Grossman will take a hard right turn on public benefits once he is past the convention. He has been purchasing new data mining tools from our EBT vendor to “root out fraud and abuse.”
Link
When she ran for Auditor last time Suzanne Bump often said that as the party that favors government action we also bear the responsibility for making sure it works the way it is supposed to, including being the first to notice and fix misspent funds.
… I don’t have a problem with it either. It will be interesting to see if any money is saved though. I wonder, why go for a 7-year contract if we are not sure yet how much fraud we will actually find and whether we will save or lose money on the software.
This is the type of thing that can be citizen-sourced for little $$. Strip out identifying info and open the data to the public. The public is nosy enough to want to see where everyone is spending $. If there is something wrong then the people will find it. No need to pay big bucks for this.
to the Treasurer’s press release. Interesting. I wonder if he also released one a few months later when the Xerox Corporation mistakenly “deactivated” EBT cards on the weekend before a snowstorm, leaving people without a way to pay for food.