Since Dr. Don Berwick announced his candidacy for the Dem nomination for Governor of MA, he's been saying that we need to be the kind of community that if you see a car broken down by the side of the road, you roll up your sleeves and you help: "Today, too many of our leaders just drive on by."
During the Sudbury July 4th Parade, Dr. Don got the chance to show that he not only walks the walk, he "stops the stop." From the Sudbury Patch:
Don Berwick was marching in the Sudbury Fourth of July parade as a politician. But on Friday, the Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate was forced to rely on his medical background as he jumped to action to assist police officers in tending to a woman who had collapsed along the route.
More below the squiggle.
Berwick explained that his medical training made his actions automatic:
It was that medical experience that Berwick said made it instinctual for him to assist police officers on the side of the road in Sudbury as he helped obtain information from the woman and perform tests on her until paramedics arrived.
But for Don Berwick, it's not only automatic to help a woman at the side of the road where he's marching in a parade, it's automatic to help all the people of Massachusetts, including those who are lying curbside, battered by illness, disability, and financial ruin, and to help them back to their feet. His commitment to
all families (as his slogan says: "ALL MEANS ALL!") including the neediest among us is the reason that Progressive Massachusetts gave Don almost 80% of the vote in endorsing his for Governor.
According to the organization's Executive Director Ben Wright:
“Our members have spoken clearly. Don is the most progressive candidate in the race with a vision for the Commonwealth that includes single payer health care – Medicare for all, a livable wage and earned sick time for workers, and an education system that gives every student and every community the opportunity to succeed. He has set bold goals including the elimination of child poverty and chronic homelessness, and aiming to be the first carbon-neutral state. Don is an articulate advocate for the progressive agenda, and I am proud that our members have resoundingly voted to endorse him.”
On Wednesday, another progressive organization, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts (PDM), a statewide network of grassroots progressive organizers and activists, officially endorsed Don for Governor.
Berwick landed support from 70 percent of the unpledged delegates with Treasurer Steve Grossman coming in a distant second with just 21 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile current frontrunner Martha Coakley,
damaged by a controversial antitrust agreement her office reached with Partners Healthcare, continues
to bleed support in polls of a Coakley-Baker race.
This is beginning to look bad. Most committed Mass Dems will support Coakley over Baker if we have to (we sure don't want another Mitt Romney!) -- but we also worry that if Coakley is our nominee, she'll lose. Many of us feel that Berwick is our best shot to win. But we now have less than two months to go.
If you consider yourself a progressive, please consider contributing whatever you can to Don's campaign. And drop them an email to let them know it came from a Daily Kos member.