Towards a just & healthy democracy in the Commonwealth... and beyond!
Don't we deserve a progressive alternative?
I just watched the US Senate debate. It was nice seeing a 3rd party candidate, who was very clear about why we need to hear more voices in our political campaigns. I also applaud Attorney General's Coakley's principled position that Mr. Kennedy belonged in the public debates simply because he went out and got the signatures to get on the ballot. My only regret with the debate was that the 3rd party candidate was not a member of the GRP.
How are we going to bring about progressive change? There is no one answer. Certainly running and electing progressives to office is an important way. Another way is to influence public opinion. Both Jill Stein (2002) and Grace Ross (2006) have done a great job in their campaigns getting a lot of favorable attention from the public. Every time they have participated in a televised debate, they have done very well.
There are now 4 candidates running for Governor. "Comment Planet" (above) stated that s/he is "more concerned that a Republican governor is elected than re-electing the present governor", I do not deny that there are differences between the 3 well-funded campaigns and that it is doubtful that Jill's campaign will be financially competitive. However, as of this month, there is now a progressive voice in this race, and JILL WILL BE HEARD!
4 years ago the GRP was not fooled into supporting the lesser evil. What has Governor Patrick done since he took office in January, 2009 to change our minds? What has he done to show us that we were strong to support a progressive choice? I can't think of one thing. OK, we can do worse. We can always do worse!
I am 63 years old and there is a good chance that I may die an old man. My daughter is 19 years old and I'm not very confident that she will die an old woman. Whether we are talking about the economy, the environment, the growing misery around the world and at home in our state, we are speeding in the wrong direction.
If all that we ever do is to put our energy into preventing the worse evil from happening by supporting the lesser evil, I guarantee that life will continue to get worse. I am proud to be a member of the GRP because my friends and comrades are marching together for a better future.
Green Mass Group is an online forum for Green thought and collective action in Massachusetts. It is a community forum for justice, sustainability, democracy and health in the Commonwealth and beyond.
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Quotes
Only one species on earth does not have full employment and that is Homo sapiens.
--Paul Hawken (Blessed Unrest)
We built what history will record is the broadest and best-organized grassroots organization this Commonwealth has ever seen... We didn't build up this grassroots just to win an election. We built up the grassroots to govern in a whole new way, to make change real, and lasting, and meaningful.
Deval Patrick acceptance speech
Nov. 7, 2006
and Now...
We had this incredibly rich relationship that we built with the grass-roots network the last time. And then we got in, and we let it go. And there are reasons for that. But I think it's a terrible thing. We missed it. I missed it personally. And I think a lot of the folks in the organization missed it.
Governor Deval Patrick, to a room of supporters, trying to reignite the grassroots
February, 2010
How are we going to bring about progressive change? There is no one answer. Certainly running and electing progressives to office is an important way. Another way is to influence public opinion. Both Jill Stein (2002) and Grace Ross (2006) have done a great job in their campaigns getting a lot of favorable attention from the public. Every time they have participated in a televised debate, they have done very well.
There are now 4 candidates running for Governor. "Comment Planet" (above) stated that s/he is "more concerned that a Republican governor is elected than re-electing the present governor", I do not deny that there are differences between the 3 well-funded campaigns and that it is doubtful that Jill's campaign will be financially competitive. However, as of this month, there is now a progressive voice in this race, and JILL WILL BE HEARD!
4 years ago the GRP was not fooled into supporting the lesser evil. What has Governor Patrick done since he took office in January, 2009 to change our minds? What has he done to show us that we were strong to support a progressive choice? I can't think of one thing. OK, we can do worse. We can always do worse!
I am 63 years old and there is a good chance that I may die an old man. My daughter is 19 years old and I'm not very confident that she will die an old woman. Whether we are talking about the economy, the environment, the growing misery around the world and at home in our state, we are speeding in the wrong direction.
If all that we ever do is to put our energy into preventing the worse evil from happening by supporting the lesser evil, I guarantee that life will continue to get worse. I am proud to be a member of the GRP because my friends and comrades are marching together for a better future.
Mike