The Other Mass Dem Convention Story

[TayTay]

In January, 2005, John Kerry sent me the folloiwng letter (Warning it's long.)

Dear TayTay,

Looking back on the 2004 Campaign, one of the things I am most proud of is the support and dedication we received from our friends in Massachusetts. Thank you for everything you did for our campaign. Starting in the primaries right up until election day, so many of you gave hours of your time, your money and your enthusiasm towards achieving our shared vision of a stronger America and it really made a difference. We will always be grateful for what you did.

While we did not reach our goal, we still have much to be proud of.

With your critical help, we were able to swing New Hampshire, a state that voted for Bush in 2000, into the blue column because so many of you traveled there to join up with our great New Hampshire team to knock on doors and phone the homes of undecided Granite State voters. We can be proud too that while we were in New Hampshire canvassing and phoning for the Presidential campaign, we joined forces with Democrat John Lynch's Gubernatorial campaign and added great strength to their successful effort to defeat Republican incumbent Governor Craig Benson. And again, thanks to those of you who traveled many hours to Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and dozens of other states on our bus trips or on your own. Our Massachusetts team blazed an impressive trail.

But our work is not done. Here, in Massachusetts, we have many important battles to fight in the next several years, beginning with reelecting Ted Kennedy to the United States Senate and winning back the governor's seat in 2006. The Massachusetts Democratic Party needs your help to build a winning field operation all across the state and to help ensure statewide victories in 2006. A state party is only as strong as the grassroots leaders it develops and deploys. We learned first hand in the last election how important it is to have vibrant strong state parties 365 days a year, every year, and not just during the peak of the campaign cycle.

I encourage you to stay involved in the Massachusetts Democratic party by attending your local caucuses taking place between January 29th and February 12th. These events are important venues where your participation will add strength to the Party's efforts and impact the direction it will take statewide. They will also help shape the direction our State takes as we identify key issues and key fights to organize around.

If you need any assistance in locating Democratic Party caucuses in your area, please contact David Howard, Massachusetts Democratic party Volunteer Coordinator at 617-472-0637 or by email at [e-mail] or go to www.massdems.org to sign up for their volunteer list and e-mail list serve.

What you did during my campaign made an enormous difference and we can keep on making a difference in people's lives by staying together and fighting. Join the three million people on line at johnkerry.com and make a difference today through our active campaigns on foreign policy and chidlren's health care.

We will also continue to work to support Democratic candidates, parties and causes across the country starting in the elections of 2005 and 2006. And once again we will call on our friends in Massachusetts to help. We will be in touch in coming weeks with specific ways you can keep on making such a critical difference for Massachusetts, for our country and for the values and vision we share.

With deepest gratitude,

John Kerry

[TayTay]

1. It wasn't me alone, of course

In the Lowell Sun (Hardly a bastion of KerryLove, if you ask me) there was an article on Sunday, May 8th, headlined: 'Here come the Democrats!', by Jennifer Fenn (that the Sun refuses to place on-line. Sigh!) That article talks about a statewide Democratic effort to defeat Republicans and elect a Democratic governor in Massachusetts for the first time since 1990. "The campaign is called Victory '06 and is based on the strategy the party used to nearly sweep legislative races during the 2004 campaign..."

Further on, the article states, "Sen. John Kerry has already played a role by urging his supporters to help the state elect a democratic governor."

"'We're trying to harness energy left over from the Kerry campaign, Lane (communications director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party) said. 'You had people involved in that campaign who were never involved in politics before but they thought that election was so important. Senator Kerry did an initial mailing to his volunteers saying the Democratic Party needs you and you need to stay involved. The response we got was overwhelming.'"

Overwhelming response and a surge in interest. From one e-mail from Sen. Kerry to his Masshole fans. Think about that. Think about all those people, like me, at a convention for the first time because they got an e-mail.

The debate over the Gay Marriage plank is a little speed-bump, nothing more. The convention will have a great deal of KerryLove, trust me.

Sorry for double-posting this pic, but I think it helps to put things in perspective :

Thank you Senator for the reminder. It was my pleasure to read the e-mail and get my arse out and into my local caucus. 'Twas fun. I look forward to the convention and to meeting a lot of locals and getting more involved in the MA Democratic Party. I deeply appreciate the reminder. 'twas nice of ya!

[TayTay]

2. Also, Massachusetts is hardly 100% behind this

Of course for this, they have a link. http://lowellsun.com/archives/ci_2710198

There are conservative areas of Massachusetts. (Hell, I live in one.) The inclusion of the pro Gay Marriage plank is causing a few centrists Dems trouble. (As you would expect. This is not the slam dunk some bloggers would have you believe. How could it be otherwise? No state, not even Massachusetts, accepts social change all at once.)

See this article too: http://lowellsun.com/archives/ci_2710192

[TayTay]

3. Keep this in perspective

Senator Kerry has 170,000 e-mail addresses for MA, RI and CT Dems in his database. (He also has $8 million still in the bank and available for distribution to good Democratic causes, including, I'm sure, some in good ole Massachusetts.) 170,000 e-mail addresses is more than the combined membership of DU and DKos. (By far.)

When Senator Kerry put out an e-mail advisory to his RI e-mail list to call Sen. Chafee and pressure him to vote against John Bolton for the UN Ambassador post, Chafee's office was inundated with calls. He got over 2,600 return e-mails from military families overnight when he asked for hardship stories to support his amendments to up the budget to assist military families. The Senator has 600,000 American co-sponsors on his KidsFirst bill. There is more, but I think you get the idea.

Keep the DKos stuff in perspective. The whiners are more than offset by supporters.

[whometense]

4. Absolutely right. n/t

[LittleClarkie]

5. They only look bigger because they multiple post

sort of like a cat arching its back.

And they tend to be louder it seems.

Do you know what the percentage is that supports the gay marriage plank? I wonder if some folks are mistaking support for gay marriage for support for the plank. Some people do recognize that the best way to get what they want is to sneak up on it. Coming full out seems to result in referendums on ballots as much as anything.

Someone over at Dailykos said that those who go for the all or nothing approach often get just that, nothing.

[karynnj]

6. Thanks for the reality check

I hope the convention is a real good experience.

I was shocked at how nasty some of the KOs things were mainly because I thought he had done a few nice ones (or at least allowed others too. Is it still the Dean would have won the election if Kerry and the otherws weren't mean to him in the primary. (the dumbest thing I ever heard as all the Dem together were less nasty than a week's worth of what Kerry got through the whole season - and he never said anything about being a pin cushion.

[kerrygoddess]

7. The one bright spot of the election for me

Was watching NH turn BLUE! Thanks for sharing this Tay Tay so that homesick displaced MA'ers like me can read it!

[rox63]

8. A lot of MA Democrats worked hard in NH

There was a temporary mass-exodus of MA Kerry supporters up to NH to help turn that state blue in November.