While Democratic Party factions and interest groups (among others) try to figure out the reasons for Martha Coakley's historic loss in the special election for Ted Kennedy's unexpired term -- and who to blame -- those of us who live in Massachusetts have a different problem: How do we prevent this from happening again, and what should we do going forward?
On January 10th, I wrote here about this very point. I'm sticking to my basic analysis of the time, that after winning the Demcratic primary, Coakley didn't really start campaigning until Brown, however improbably, had already obliterated her overwheming lead in the polls. True, the party and out of state activists poured money, time, and effort into the state, and Coakley lost by only five points. But I believe most if not all of that would have been unnecessary had Coakley run a more standard campaign. But of course, it doesn't really matter what I think. The consultants and out of state activists have all gone home. And those of us who live here, have two years to get ready to take back that seat.
Tip O'Neill, who had many a relevant political aphorism, and filled the Congressional seat once held by John F. Kennedy and ultimately became Speaker of the House, said not only that all politics is local, but that you have to ask people for their vote. I will assume that the next candidate will appreciate that this is best done by the candidate and by local activsts rather than people calling on cell phones at the last minute from out of state. I don't know who that candidate will be, but we have many effective state and local electorally focused organizations here -- and therefore there are lots of oportunities to get ready; help build progressive democratic infrastructure, electoral capacity, and gain relevant knowledge and experience.
Many of these organizations are part of the Boston headquartered Mass Alliance, a coalition of twenty one progressive political and advocacy groups. The Mass Alliance hosts trainings of various sorts throughout the year -- and has a prospective candidate training coming-up on Saturday, January 30th:
Getting Ready to Run: A Workshop for Potential Progressive Candidates
Ever thought about running for office? Curious what it would take?
This one-day workshop is designed for progressives who are thinking about the possibility of being candidates one day. Progressive elected officials and election experts will outline what it would take to run, win, and serve. Attendees will get a picture of what it is like to be a candidate and an elected official. Trainers will outline concrete steps that potential candidates can take right away to prepare to be a successful candidate.
Potential candidates for any level of government and at any stage in the process (from curious to ready to take the plunge) are welcome.
The Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus also offers an annual candidate training seminar, among other electorally oriented resources.
Two of my favorite electorally-focused groups with long term political development ideas (both members of the Mass Alliance) are Neighbor to Neighbor and Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts. (I wrote about them a few years ago in In These Times magazine.)
Neighbor to Neighbor of MA has chapters in major cities. Voter empowerment is central to the project.
Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts has seven chapters and a statewide network of electoral activists. PDM has a very useful listing of electorally-related resources on its web site. PDM is hosting a statewide issue briefing in Lexington on January 24th.
Where: Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington in the downstairs large meeting room.
When: Sunday, January 24, 2010
Time: 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm (Library doors open at 1 PM. Program will begin promptly at 1:30.)
The program will be in two parts. The first will be informational: We will have a speaker from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, who will discuss the state's fiscal situation, its causes, and its prospects. And a second speaker, from Community Teamwork, a Lowell-based provider of services for low-income families, will describe some of the direct impacts of state budget cuts.
The second part of the meeting will be focused on action: How can concerned citizens become effective grassroots activists and advance solutions to the state's fiscal crisis that further progressive values? How can PDM play a constructive role in supporting and coordinating citizen activism. We will discuss effective organizing strategies, and plan a specific action agenda.
We also have world class organizer training resources via the Practicing Democracy Network, headed by Marshall Ganz out of Harvard's Kennedy School.
And of course, we have an active progressive political blogosphere, the hub of which is Blue Mass Group.
And anyone who is looking for a progressive Democratic candidate to support, please consider veteran activist Margot Barnet, who is running for State Rep. from Worcester.
And this is certainly but a sample of the many resources and opportunities we already have right here and right now. We have no shortage of places to begin or to continue our political education, skill building and direct involvment in long-term electoral capacity building in Massachusetts.
Let's get started!