Methuen Democratic City Committee Straw Poll 5/5/18

Comments

1. SomervilleTom says

   May 5, 2018 at 6:55 pm

   I wonder how the gubernatorial race would have looked with Setti Warren still in.

   I don’t much about Jay Gonzalez other than that he is well-known within party circles (which perhaps accounts for some his strength here). With Mr. Warren out of the race, I’m leaning towards Bob Massie, who has a very strong second here.

   It will be interesting to see if the general gubernatorial race is even competitive.

   • jconway says

     May 6, 2018 at 12:02 pm

     I too would was undecided between Warren and Massie. I like Jay just fine, I do think Massie has a more powerful and unique vision for what he hopes to accomplish with the office. It is really unfortunate this race has attracted nearly zero media attention or fundraising. This is a winnable race our state party and local grassroots is going out of their way to concede without a real fight.

     • Christopher says

       May 6, 2018 at 4:50 pm

       I don’t think the state party is conceding, but I agree with you regarding media attention.

       • SomervilleTom says

         May 6, 2018 at 7:51 pm

         Let me try different words for this:

         We have a Republican governor. Our public transportation system continues to get worse and worse. Our public education system continues to decline. Our gateway cities are in dire need of assistance. State spending is controlled by the state House of Representatives, and that august body has an overwhelming and veto-proof Democratic majority.

         Our Democratic Speaker of the House agrees with our Republican governor that no new taxes are needed, in spite of the above. A popular potential Democratic nominee has already dropped out of the race citing inadequate campaign funding.

         There is virtually NO media discussion of the upcoming race. The so-called “millionaires tax” shows precious little organizational support from the party at all. My perception is that whatever becomes of that will happen in spite of, rather than because of, the state party organization.

         If Massachusetts had a vibrant, energized, and effective Democratic party organization, would the above be true?

         I think NOT. I agree that no party official has given on-the-record interviews where he or she agrees that Mr. Baker will be our next Governor. The point is that there is absolutely NO visible activity of the state party.

         Where are the media interviews? Where are the provocative press releases? What actual concrete steps is the party taking to support and encourage the current gubernatorial candidates? What actual concrete steps is the party taking to support and encourage new gubernatorial candidates to step forward?

         I think this profound absence of activity from the state party is what James is referring to — and I think he’s hit the nail square on the head.

         • Christopher says

           May 7, 2018 at 8:30 am

           Party has actually been very outspoken under the current chair. You can sign up for emails to get the releases and statements directly.

           • SomervilleTom says

             May 7, 2018 at 9:23 am

             Emails? Really? My church sends out emails to its members. That is NOT “outreach”, “evangelism”, or “mission”.

             Perhaps you can provide examples where any of those emails finds its way to media or public discourse.

             • Christopher says

               May 7, 2018 at 10:26 am

               I’m not sure how much to fault the party if the public press doesn’t disseminate the information or talking points, but the emails I refer to often are in the form of press releases intended for broader consumption.

               • SomervilleTom says

                 May 7, 2018 at 1:36 pm

                 I’m not sure how much to fault the party if the public press doesn’t disseminate the information or talking points…

                 You’re not?

                 Surely the mission of a party is to ensure that its agenda is advanced and that its candidates win.

                 If the public press ignores press releases and emails, then those press releases and emails are inadequate by construction.

                 The Massachusetts Democratic Party should not be a private social club that operates for the convenience of its members.

                 This exchange, to me, epitomizes the dysfunction of the formal organization.

2. jconway says

   May 6, 2018 at 12:00 pm

   I continue to be impressed by the positive race Josh Zakim is running and the statewide effort is team has put forth. Methuen is no Cambridge, and Zakim still came within two caucus votes of Galvin. It is time we had an activist Secretary who does everything in his power to expand voting rights and increase voter turnout.

   We also need an activist Secretary willing to look into all of these sweetheart deals and protect consumers from being fleeced. To his credit, that latter function of the office used to be a strength of the incumbent, but not these days as he rakes in contributions from the very businesses he should be regulating. It is truly time for a change in this office.

   Also the CD-3 is a poster child for why we need ranked choice voting. The folks over at Voter Choice MA ran an (unscientific) straw poll using both methods which produced a different winner. Only one of those winners truly could claim to have majority support. Unfortunately the ultimate winner will be lucky to have an 8th or the primary electorate selecting him or her as their first choice.

   • Christopher says

     May 6, 2018 at 4:51 pm

     Regarding CD3 I’m looking forward to the signature deadline and getting this race stabilized because there are a couple I frankly have my doubts about meeting that requirement.