Today's Hopes and Dreams

I hope Barack Obama wins in an electoral landslide today.

I hope that landslide continues into the US House and Senate.

I hope that Proposition 8 fails in California.

I hope that local progressives, including and especially Sara Orozco, are victorious.

I hope that 100% of this country's progressives vote.

I hope that no one who wants to vote is denied their sacred right because of excessively long lines, broken machines, electoral shenanigans or any other reason or rational.

I hope voters acknowledge animals shouldn't be abused for profits and that this state cannot afford to lose its primary funding mechanism.

I hope, if everything else comes true - leading to more and better Democrats being elected, along with the affirmation of important and key policy - that Republicans will learn their lesson and adapt to America's will, instead of trying to thwart it, by becoming do-nothing obstructionists over the next two years. Change can't wait that long.

What are your hopes and dream for today?

Help Sara Orozco

I an email from her campaign today. It's absolutely endearing, talking about all the many ways leadership matters. Electing Sara Orozco to the State Senate would remove an absolute dead weight from the Senate, replacing it with someone filled with compassion, energy, enthusiasm and a desire to help the working people and middle class of this state. As bad as Senator Brown is, a Senator Sara Orozco would be that good: good for her constituents and good for the entire state. Here's the email:

Dear Friend,

As hard as it is for me to write this note, it would be harder for me to wake up in three days wondering what else I might have done to win my election if I hadn’t let my pride get in the way. I know that so many of you are simply tapped out and I get it. But I am so afraid that I will not take the chance of asking for help in these final days only to find that it would have made all of the difference in the world. If there is any way you can make an online contribution before noon on Monday, I would be so very grateful.

So why is winning this race so important to me? At first, it was because I was personally dissatisfied with the representation I was getting from my opponent and because I knew I could do a better job, offering more thoughtful, compassionate, active leadership. Now that I have met thousands of people in the district, my ambition is to serve their needs. Here’s a snapshot of just four of the people that have touched me already:

1. Recently, I made a ‘cold call’ to a female undecided voter. As it turned out, she had been diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer that very day. She broke down on the phone and was so worried about how she would keep her house and that she would not be able to give her son a better life than she had because her medical bills would prevent her from paying for college or keeping her home.

2. Early in the spring, I met an elderly woman whose husband of over 50 years had died in May. She was embarrassed by the way her yard had become overgrown in his absence and we talked at length about her fear of having to leave the home she raised her family in because the local property taxes were going to make it impossible for her to stay there on a fixed income. I did a lot of research to learn about ways to alleviate property tax burden on the elderly and know I can fight for her on Beacon Hill. I, coincidentally, ran into her outside of a supermarket last week, while shaking hands, and she remembered our first visit and was still so touched by just having someone listen to her and care.

3. A married young father of two small children who became actively involved in my campaign and recently wrote a long opinion piece that he sent to all local papers in which he explained the many ways in which my opponent has used his power to attempt to discriminate against gays and lesbians. This man had the courage to challenge his community to really think hard about what their support for my opponent signified and to reconsider supporting a person who would have made gays and lesbians second-class citizens. He didn’t do this for himself – he did this for all of us and our children and because it was the right thing to do. His public voice lifted me and my family.

4. And, finally, I am doing this for the nine-year-old girl I met while taking my kids trick-or-treating. She was wearing a bejeweled turkey headdress and kept staring at me. I thought, perhaps, she was puzzled by the plastic knife that was going through my head, but when her mother nudged her over to me, she stuck out her hand and told me in a nervous voice that she was my biggest fan. I almost cried. Her mother told me that she has been following the news of my race closely and it seems she wants to be able to do the same thing some day. Maybe to run for office – to do something big for others.

So these are the people whose stories I carry in my heart. They represent so many others and for me, today, they are the reason I must ask for your help one more time. I don’t want to let them down. What began as a terrific leap of faith now feels like a responsibility and a humbling honor. To represent these people and to fight for them and their needs and to – hopefully – make them feel visible, valuable, and heard – would be my proudest accomplishment.

All of the ‘experts” say that I can win this race and that the Obama Blue Wave certainly works in my favor. I cannot leave any stone unturned.

If there is any way you can make an online contribution before noon on Monday, I would be so very grateful. And, if you can forward this desperate appeal to any of your friends, neighbors and relatives who might be sympathetic to an eager Democratic under-dog, please send it along with a personal note.

I still need to raise a few thousand dollars to pay for a ‘robo-call’ and perhaps some newspaper inserts. My opponent has done more than 20,000 of these calls and I have focused on mail pieces and free media, but am now convinced that one friendly call could make all of the difference in the world. If you can make a donation of any amount, please do so online at www.SaraOrozco.com or click the DONATE BUTTON.

If you can make a donation (or another donation), I respectfully ask for your help. And I also ask for your warm thoughts, prayers and good karma to carry me and my team to victory on Tuesday.

Thank you so much.

Sara
www.SaraOrozco.com

Mission Accomplished

Today's primary turned out as good as any progressive could have possibly hoped for. According to Bay Windows, Carl Sciortino defeated his challenger. Sonia Chang Diaz pulled out the nail biter and managed to overcome the tremendous institutional support Wilkerson pulled together in a 51-49% vote. Jon Hecht, of Watertown, claimed victory in his tough sticker campaign. These are all strong, progressive voices who will make a difference in Beacon Hill. They won tough and heavily contested primaries and will now be able to work, or continue to work in Carl's case, for the progressive causes that will make a difference in the lives of those who need it most, most especially the average voter.

The only failure of the night was the seriously uphill battle in unseating Paul Donato, one of the state's most entrenched and powerful incumbents - he's a DINO that's lived to see another day, but he certainly was sent a message loud and clear. Even when we fail, we win - just consider the fact that Donato voted for ending the 1913 discriminatory bill that prevented out of staters from marrying here, when in years past he was unforgiving in his anti-equality stances.

The work is not over, though. Among the five state candidates I've endorsed, progressives facing tough challenges who could make a tremendous difference in this state, one has yet to actually face her big election day. Sara Orozco didn't have a primary challenge, but she's facing a tough anti-equality, fringe-right incumbent as an out, proud latino woman. She still has some time before the election, but this is now the race in which progressives must rally around because winning this seat is big. We have a chance to truly change the dynamic in the senate - sending in Jamie Eldridge, Sonia and Ken Donnelly will all make a difference in the tenor and ability for progressives to build coalitions from within that body. The importance of adding another bonafide, energetic and hardworking progressive to the mix - and subtracting one of the state's worst politicians - can not be overstated. We've been changing Beacon Hill one politician at a time - and the results are starting to bear fruit. Soon, we'll have the numbers and coalitions to bring the kind of change that will truly impact the lives of the people of this state.

Candidates I Wish I Could Vote For on Tuesday:

I've never been a huge fan of endorsements; I don't think they sway very many voters. That said, if I believe strongly enough to support a candidate and become interested in their race, I may as well say it out loud for everyone to hear. So, for the pleasure of my readers, the following people make me passionate enough that I only wish I got the opportunity to vote for them in these supremely competitive elections. If any of you feel as passionately as I do, please click on the link to their website and find ways you can help in this last week of the primary season.

For State Senate: Sara Orozco & Sonia Chang-Diaz.

For State Representative: Pat McCabe in Medford, Jon Hecht in Watertown & Carl Sciortino in Somerville.

I believe these are five candidates who, if elected (or reelected, in Carl's case), would do a lot to bolster the progressive movement in Massachusetts. They're candidates who have an extensive grasp of policy, as well as the energy and drive to bring about the kind of change the people of this state want. Make no mistake about it; these are people who will make a difference.

There's been a lot of progress since Deval's been in office - and a lot of that has to do with the progressive change in the Beacon Hill legislature. These five people will ensure that not only will things keep moving in the right direction, but that they do so even faster, with leadership that will make us proud. I wish I could be at all five places on election day, but since I can't, I hope readers will find a way to get involved in their most important hours of need.

Finally, most of these candidates have done interviews on LeftAhead, the Massachusetts Political Podcast. If you need to find reasons to be enthused, go take a listen. These are people who know their stuff and will do a lot of good, if elected.

Orozco Flying High?

One of Sara Orozco's first campaign newsletters came out today and clearly the campaign has momentum.

A major campaign milestone was reached after months of hard work and so many questions leading up to April 29 such as:

1. Would Sara and her volunteers collect the required 300 certified signatures from voters in the district to put her name on the ballot?

2. Would Sara be the only Democrat in the district to submit nomination papers?

3. Would 5:00 PM on April 29, 2008 ever arrive?

Perhaps you heard Team Orozco members exhale in unison when all three questions were answered with a resounding: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Good news - and keep it up!! People should pay attention to this race, because Sara is courageously running against Senator Brown, a Republican in the true Bushiest sense. He takes a liking to swearing off at children and doing all in his power to keep equality from being a reality in Massachusetts. If people are interested in Sara's campaign, please go to www.SaraOrozco.com and volunteer. This is going to be a tough campaign and she'll need all the help she can get.

Friday Roundup: Casinos, Scoops and More

• The Globe finally got around to talking about Diane Patrick's connections to the casino industry, something I brought up on December 24, 2007. When do I get my own column?
• Seriously, though, while I'm not going to automatically expect Patrick to be supportive of casinos because his wife works for the nation's most influential law firm dealing with casinos - I do think the Governor ought to be upfront and frank with that conflict of interest.
• I say that as someone who has been and is very supportive of his administration. This casino issue is a serious drag on his base, though, and I hope it stops soon - because we have an election to worry about in two years and need the base strong. Plus, we've been successful in other areas and should focus on them for now, until the job is done (Municipal Partnership Act, education, biotech bill, etc.).
• Speaking about up front and frank, I had a down-right irate Lynne on the phone today, not very happy with what we'll politely call "distortions" on casinos (emphasis mine):

  The governor also prodded his fellow Democrats who control the Legislature,
  saying delays in acting on the bill will not forestall the inevitable arrival of casino gambling on Indian tribal lands but may prevent the state from implementing the controls and deriving the tax benefits outlined in his legislation.

• Ignoring all the legal reasons why the Governor is wrong here (federal law, for one), I'm hoping this basic point can resonate with the public: if casinos were that damn inevitable, wouldn't they already be here by now? Seriously, since they're not, there's got to be a reason why. There have been federally-recognized tribes here for years now, yet no casinos. That's not a coincidence.
• Here is a local campaign we need to rally around. Donate time, donate money and donate energy to this thing, because State Senator Brown has got to go - he's literally one of the worst on Beacon Hill.

Update: Dan Kennedy's linked to me with an interesting look at the Patrick-Ropes and Gray connection.