Today, Saturday February 4th, is a vitally important day for the Deval Patrick campaign. Massachusetts Democrats will begin the caucus process all over the Commonwealth to choose which delegates attend the state Democratic Party's nominating convention in June.
These delegates are the people who determine whether Deval Patrick, the progressive candidate hoping to become the first Black governor of Massachusetts, will get his name on the Democratic primary ballot. Patrick must receive 15% of the vote at the nominating convention in order to appear on the primary ballot, and in order to help him get that 15% in June we must choose as many Deval Patrick delegates as possible now, in February. Starting TODAY.
This is basic activism, folks. After the ScAlito vote was final there were a lot of "get off your butt" diaries about how we need to get in the trenches and concentrate on the basics as the Rs did back when they were the minority party. Don't mourn, organize. We've mourned so much and said it so often but it is still true. A lot of ground floor grassroots work needs to be done and we are the ones who have to do it.
Click here for general information about Deval Patrick, An Extraordinary Leader.
Click on this link for a complete list of caucus dates and times by city. Many caucuses are TODAY and some are as early as 9:00 am EST. You may be surprised to find that the caucus location is right nearby. Mine is at 1:00PM and less than ten minutes away from my house.
If you live in a larger city or town click here to find out your ward (and precinct) number.
Any registered Democrat can simply show up for the caucus. Make sure to vote for the delegates who are pledged to Deval Patrick.
Interest in this race is likely to go national because of the political significance of trying to flip this governorship from Republican to Democrat and the additional historic moment of working to elect the first black governor of Massachusetts. I am hoping that eventually progressives all over the country will start giving money and time to this campaign as so many people outside of Illinois did to get Barack Obama elected. If you're already persuaded and ready to make a contribution, please make one on my page.
If you have previously indicated your support for the Deval Patrick campaign, you have already received several email and phone call reminders. This action alert is an attempt to beat the bushes for every last handful of progressive Massachusetts dKossacks who might be looking for an activism opportunity today. This diary may disappear fast so I'm hoping some other person here who has already stated support for Deval Patrick will use his/her diary quota to bump it up after it scrolls off the bottom of the page.
I just made a decision last night that in spite of everything else I have to do today, I have to attend the caucus. Not only to show support for Deval Patrick delegates, but to start to find out for myself how local-level organizing works so that I can be prepared for 2008.
Even if you don't live in Massachusetts, take a minute today to find out more about your local Democratic Party. Do you have a caucus system? How are statewide elections organized? If the local-level Democratic administrative structure is poor, or non-existent, do something about it yourself. Become part of the 50 state strategy.
Again, this is the perfect opportunity to get off your butt and make a real difference!
Progressive Massachusetts Democrats--Please caucus for Deval Patrick TODAY!
