Regulating Money in Political Campaigns: Where are the MA leaders?

From the Washington Independent:

Sen. Al Franken and 16 other senators are proposing a constitutional amendment that would return the authority to regulate money in political campaigns to state and federal governments, an ability that was partly undermined by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizen United decision. The Senate amendment, which has a recent House counterpart, would give Congress and states the authority to regulate money spent in federal and state political campaigns.

Only one of our MA congressmen--Jim McGovern-- has signed onto this.  Where's Stephen Lynch?

Blue Massachusetts and Better Democrats

34% of Needham's registered voters are Democrats (2010).

This Boston Globe article has a great graphic and town by town breakdown of registered Democrats: Snapshot: Democrats as percent of voters 2010 - Boston.com

With a state this blue, why don't we have universal health care (not just mandated health insurance)? Why do we have regressive state taxes? Why is the legislature voting against union bargaining rights?

Occupy Politics/Occupy the Burbs coverage

It's a MAIN STREET movement. (Natick MA 11/2011)

This is a new thread (instead of cramming more and more into old ones) for coverage on "phase 2" of Occupy tactics (engaging politics) and a running list of press coverage of MA Burb'ish Occupations.

(click here for other posts on this blog re: Occupy)

*****

Report from the Field: Elizabeth Warren (Jim's Take)

I've asked Jim Miara permission to share this email, describing his experience at a recent volunteer meeting for US Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren:  

Report from the field-- 

The rally yesterday for Elizabeth Warren at the Reggie Lewis Arena in Roxbury felt like a gathering of a massive church choir: We were all singing the same song and all (a thousand or so of us) were determined to harmonize.  
Chairs were arranged in a pentagonal formation in the infield of the track with a small stage in the center.

Barney, we hardly knew ye. (Redistricting and MA-04)

UPDATE 1/2/2012: Joseph P. Kennedy III likely to run for Congress « On Politics
-----------
(pulling these updates from my Lynch town hall post, to make a separate post on these developing topics)

11/9/2011: The new, proposed Congressional maps have been released, and as widely expected (at least by me), Needham has been taken OUT of Lynch's district, and we are now in the MA-4th Congressional District, along with our neighbors Wellesley and Newton, which is currently represented by Barney Frank.   Though it was anticipated that there might be a challenge between Lynch and Keating, turns out that's not going to happen.

New Progressive Era?

A "new progressive era"? I won't hold my breath. Too many disappointments. Too many cats to herd.

But maybe there are some good things happening.  And it won't happen without work and organizing.  Let's keep trying.

Cynicism, Apathy, Distraction, Disengagement

I have things to say on this.  After an election day (I worked for Suzanne Lee for Boston City Council on Tuesday), I inevitably am left with a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction/unease about what it means to VOTE and ENGAGE with our democracy.  Even though I personally successfully encouraged many people to vote, the ones who DIDN'T are the ones that stick with me.

I'm going say more when I get around to it.  But for now, a link or two:

Obamify

Watch!:

On Bootstraps

Are people who are out of a job lazy?  Are people who are protesting Wall Street and the unequal economy moochers who disdain real work?  Is the American Dream--that hard work, education, will be rewarded with a comfortable life, no matter what station in life you were born into--still true?  Are we a meritocracy?

Let's explore.

Rep. Lynch's Needham Town Hall: The Surprising and the Not

[see UPDATES at end of post for REDISTRICTING and BARNEY FRANK]
Recently, Congressman Stephen Lynch came to Needham as part of a series of "town hall"-style fora around the 9th District.

This Needham Patch article offers a good write-up of the scene and the topics covered.  I just want to point out here the surprising and not surprising elements of what I heard on that day.

First, Mr. Lynch deserves kudos for being much improved from his spring town halls, which felt much more uni-directional than being an open exchange of ideas. In spring, attendees submitted questions on index cards, which were sorted thru by a moderator, and then the Congressman answered. The opportunity for follow up and questions was not there, or did not happen for whatever reasons.  For dog's sake, someone said, "Keep government out of my Medicare" and Mr. Lynch replied, "I totally agree with you sir" without any opportunity for pushback!!

"In Needham - activists see a need to bring Occupy movement to the suburbs" - The Boston Globe

In Needham - activists see a need to bring Occupy movement to the suburbs - The Boston Globe:
'via Blog this'

The sign by the front door of Artie Crocker’s Needham home bore a plain message: “I am the 99 percent.’’

At 52, the graphic designer and engineer still lives in the town where he was born and raised. He has two grown daughters, an aging cat, and a growing sense that somehow the America around him is just not right anymore.

Like others in support of Occupy protests on Wall Street and elsewhere around the globe, Crocker feels that America’s richest 1 percent have benefited fabulously in recent years while the other 99 percent have seen their wages and living standards stagnate.

“I saw what was going on on Wall Street and then I heard it was going on in Boston and I said, ‘I just can’t sit here and do nothing. I just can’t do it,’ ’’ Crocker said during a lull in the action at his home Sunday night.

There, crammed on green floral-patterned couches and folding chairs in the small living room were about 30 like-minded men and women from Boston’s suburbs who wanted to help keep the message of the Occupy protest in Boston and all around the nation alive - without having to actually camp out downtown.

The gathering was a pilot meeting, Crocker explained, for an expansion of the downtown-centered protests against big-money influence in politics to the suburbs.

Occupy Needham / Occupy the Burbs Pilot Meeting

(UPDATE: Press Coverage links are now in their own post, for clarity's sake)
On Oct 23, at Artie's home in Needham, 30 people from all over the metrowest suburbs came for a standing room only meeting to discuss how we can support the Occupy Boston movement--from our own communities.  Following are the notes from the meeting: 
---------------------------------
Let's keep the momentum going!

Meeting notes from last night are after the flip.  You can find one of the handouts from last night here.  

Why We #Occupy (the Burbs).

Here's why:

(1)   Our ECONOMY is working only for a very privileged few (the 1%. If you make less than $320,000, you are in the bottom 99%)

(2)  And our POLITICAL SYSTEM has been hijacked, because of the corrupting influence of $$$$ and the faulty premise that ‘MONEY = SPEECH’.  Therefore, POLITICS AS USUAL cannot solve the problem of our broken economy.  POLITICS AS USUAL can only be be fought by a POPULAR MOVEMENT--a large and loud enough demand from the public that cannot be ignored because it is so large and loud.  


(3)  These are facts we all know, have known.  Many people and groups have been working on changing this for a long time (e.g., Common Cause has been talking about “The Other 98%” for a while).  HOWEVER, OCCUPY has been the first movement to successfully break thru the clutter and seize NATIONAL ATTENTION to these problems. (Polling shows broad support for Occupy)



(4)  Because of this broad buy-in/attention to the OCCUPY movement, WE HAVE THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY SINCE THE 60s to demand and GET systemic changes. These changes will ONLY happen with broad support; without broad popular demand for change, THE CORRUPTED SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE AS USUAL (see #2 above).



(5)  Therefore, for the Occupy movement to succeed in creating the political will to effect the massive changes we need, it is IMPERATIVE that the Middle-Class, Suburbs, and people who do not normally “get involved in politics” BUY-IN/SUPPORT the Occupy movement and message. (it’s also imperative that poorer, urban communities and communities of color are involved, but that’s not Needham)

(6)  THE RISK/DANGERS:  

**	The Occupy movement, with the passing of time, runs risk of fading from public attention, or perhaps worse, becoming painted in a distasteful light that turns the “mainstream” (white, suburban middle class) against the movement.  If that happens, we will have LOST/SQUANDERED a very rare opportunity to change the system.
Those w/vested interests* in maintaining the status quo are desperate to smear Occupy as hippies, hypocrites, mooches, suckers, racists...	*or have been convinced by the 1% to fight against their interests

(7)  However, with GOOD GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING, we can productively (not reactively) BUILD and SPREAD the movement--ON OUR TERMS, THE TERMS OF THE 99%.  That is why we are here tonight:  

____________________________________________

TO BRAINSTORM HOW WE CAN HELP

- build broad support for and

- spread the movement,

and then

GO OUT AND DO IT.

__________________________________________

Framing Occupy Wall Street - Lakoff

[WeCanOccupy and Occupy the Burbs's attempts to frame our efforts (pdf)]


(Below is an excerpt from George Lakoff: A Framing Memo for Occupy Wall Street)

A Moral Focus for Occupy Wall Street

I think it is a good thing that the occupation movement is not making specific policy demands. If it did, the movement would become about those demands. If the demands were not met, the movement would be seen as having failed.

We Love America. We're Here to Fix It

It seems to me that the OWS movement is moral in nature, that occupiers want the country to change its moral focus. It is easy to find useful policies; hundreds have been suggested. It is harder to find a moral focus and stick to it. If the movement is to frame itself, it should be on the basis of its moral focus, not a particular agenda or list of policy demands. If the moral focus of America changes, new people will be elected and the policies will follow. Without a change of moral focus, the conservative worldview that has brought us to the present disastrous and dangerous moment will continue to prevail.

Flat Taxes, "9-9-9" = Tax the Poor

Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Plan = Tax the Poor | Barry Nolan, Boston Daily:
Cain’s 9-9-9 plan also proposes a flat 9-percent income tax. This will be a huge tax break for the wealthy and a tax increase on the poor and many elderly. Using an analysis performed by the Tax Policy Center, a recent report on PBS found that:

… the Cain plan would give the very richest taxpayers an average tax cut of almost $1.7 million. [but] A typical middle class taxpayer would pay about $3,000 more. Low-income Americans would be hit hard. Instead of getting tax rebates, they would face a tax increase of almost $1,700.

When the non-partisan Politifact looked at the Tax Policy Center’s analysis, they found that:

83.8 percent of tax filers would get a tax increase under Cain’s plan.

On the other hand, most of the tax filers who make more than $1 million would get a tax cut under the Cain plan … And the average tax cut for millionaires would be $487,300.

As Robertson Williams, a Senior Fellow at The Tax Policy Center put it: “the rich would make out like bandits”

_____________________

MORE READING

• Related posts: Investing in our communities
• Flat Taxes and Angry Voters - NYTimes.com  (10/30/2011)
• By wide margins, Americans are now telling pollsters they want a tax system that raises more money and is more fair by asking the rich to pay more. They are connecting the dots between the lavish high-end tax cuts of the past decade and today’s serious problems — including widening inequality and mounting deficits — and demanding change.

Occupy Wall Street : "What's it all about?"

in a nutshell

I've posted this before. This is what the teaparty is angry about (but don't realize it),
too. It's what everyone should be angry about. 

It's About an Economy that has Screwed the Middle Class and Poor for 30 years. It's About a Political System that has been Corrupted by Big Money Controlling Policy

The 99%: Occupy and You (and Me)

Faces of the 99%: whether we know it or not, we've all got skin in this game. #Occupy

This entry is on how/if the #OCCUPY movement is relevant to non-hippie-radicals who are non-college-students and Not Camping in Dewey Square (short answer: Yes). On hands-on/nuts-bolts ORIENTATION/information: "#OccupyBoston: a beginner's guide by a beginner."   On the POLITICAL aims/critiques: "Occupy Wall Street : "What's it all about?" .

I've been thinking a lot about the Occupy movement and what it means and what it can/might become. Polling indicates that there is widespread support for the movement right now (more polling). This makes a lot of sense to me; the message at the heart of the movement--that our economy is broken and serves the interest of a very few with money to rig the political system--is a true fact that indeed affects almost all Americans (99%!).

But as the #Occupy protests (encampments on Wall Street, Dewey Square in Boston and all across the nation) go on longer, public opinion may not stay with the movement. Because the central message IS so important and real (and resonant), it matters whether or not Occupy can sustain (indeed, build on) support.

At least the War on Voting is Going Well

Bill Clinton has called the wave of assaults
on voting rights the "worst since Jim Crow." 

Overviews of the Issues:

Why New Photo ID Laws Mean Some Won't Vote : NPR (1/28/2012)
[link to this page: http://hmny.me/waronvoting ]
My facefriend succinctly/accurately summarizes:
 It basically comes down to this: do we want to maximize or minimize the number of voters - and how difficult or easy you want to make it to participate in the democratic process. Is the proposed ban on the bilingual ballot but a new version of literacy test, and the voter ID requirement a new version of poll tax???"
My response to that question:
It IS the question. I know what my answer is. In a context where all people have the same tools and the same ACCESS to tools to allow them to vote, then OK, voter ID seems reasonable. I guess. Or at least falls in the category of "do no harm". Maybe.

But as is, the harm is CLEAR and it is disproportionate and UNrandom in its impact: 
The Old - The Non-White  - The Young  - The Poor

Is there any reason that we should be disenfranchising these groups, none of which have their hands firmly on the rudder of Power (except maybe the Old, but it took them a while and a lot of voting to get there)?

Yes? Then let's hear it. Why SHOULD we disenfranchise the Poor, the Minorities, the Young and the Old over the non-colored-middle-aged-middle-class-or-rich?  Because the non-colored-middle-aged-middleclass-or-rich are so disproportionately underrepresented now?

Policy Brief on the Truth About “Voter Fraud” | Brennan Center for Justice, 2006

--Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare.

--Many vivid anecdotes of purported voter fraud have been proven false or do not demonstrate fraud.

--Voter fraud is often conflated with other forms of election misconduct.

--Raising the unsubstantiated specter of mass voter fraud suits a particular policy agenda.

--Claims of voter fraud should be carefully tested before they become the basis for action.

Don't talk about voterID to me: it's all BS: Pennsylvania case study: Latest Stats on the Republican attempt to Disenfranchise Voters « Sky Dancing (2012) http://bit.ly/PL7VIF
See also: so. blog.: Disenfranchisement and race and poverty - http://bit.ly/MRJuJh

Making Needham a Green Community

UPDATE Nov 2011: Town Meeting voted to send the Green Communities article back for further study.  From my perspective, a depressing reflection of short-sighted special interests dominating Town Meeting.  
------------

Green Communities (Needham) - Town Meeting will be asked to adopt the "Stretch Code" on November 7, so that Needham can join the 95 other designated Green Communities that have already voted to support higher quality, more energy efficient homes that save owners money. Eleanor Rosellini's describes the stretch code in the Needham Times. If you are interested in helping the true grassroots and important efforts on stretch code adoption, please contact me, Michael Greis, Susan McGarvey or Debbie Schmill. This is an extraordinary opportunity to make real and meaningful changes, and many members of our community have been working hard on this. There's little time left to make sure this passes, please get involved!

#OccupyBoston: a beginner's guide by a beginner

who is this all about? all of us.

Occupy Wall Street doesn't need a manifesto; the message is as clear as a bell:

Wall St. broke the economy, badly; we're all still suffering for it.

Wall St never got held responsible for it, and now they're using their power and their money to stop us from fixing the mess.

They broke the economy and then they ate the political system.

So not only do we have a broken economy, we do not have a way to fix the broken economy.

--Rachel Maddow on her 10/12/11 show(lead-in to interview with Ron Suskind)

Some quick notes of my personal observations/thoughts about Occupy Boston, with a specific eye toward orienting anyone who hasn't been down to Occupy Boston yet. I've not been to the Occupy site too much; I went for the first time during the day on Oct. 11 and during the evening General Assembly on Oct. 12 for about an hour from 8-9PM. [UPDATE: I've added a separate new post on Occupy, re: the political implications] [UPDATE: another Needhamite writes a great piece on #Occupy, with lots of orientation for the Occupy Beginner.] 

Mark Your Calendar: Congressman Lynch in the District in October

[UPDATE: Needham Patch covers Lynch's Needham visit (Artie, Phyllis, me are quoted) The Dedham Transcript covers the Dedham one (Ken Farbstein quoted!)]

If you attend one of these meetings, please share your experience in the comments below! Also, if you have QUESTIONS you'd like to see ask, also indicate so in the COMMENTS

---------

via Town of Needham alert

Congressman Stephen F. Lynch Visits Constituents

Congressman Stephen F. Lynch will be visiting towns throughout the Ninth District to meet with constituents. The “Congress on Your Corner” meetings will take place outside town halls and senior centers and Congressman Lynch will be available to take your questions and listen to your concerns. Please note: all venues are wheelchair accessible and will be held rain or shine. Meetings will be moved indoors in the event of inclement weather.

FULL SCHEDULE, OCT 17-21 2011

My Coffee with Scott

(Writing this up quickly; will make edits to update/add as I have more time)

Last week I flew down to DC to participate in "Coffee with Scott," the one opportunity Sen. Brown has given MA constituents to be able to speak with him without having to pay into his campaign coffers. (12 times a year! First Wed. of every month. If you pre-arrange it with the office. Coffees are in Washington D.C.)

I went down to speak to the issue of efforts in Congress to weaken the Clean Air act provisions. I spoke as a mom of two kids, and I was with 3 other Massachusetts moms.

We asked Sen. Brown his disposition on Sen. Rand Paul's bill to roll-back cross-state air pollution regulations, and his position on regulating mercury emissions from smokestacks, biggest emitters of mercury which is POISON to our children's developing brains (as any pregnant woman learns when she finds out she can't eat Tunafish---too mercury-soaked).

Progressive Massachusetts Kick-Off Meeting

Because MA isn't as Progressive as its citizens. Because activists shouldn't re-invent the organization every tough election cycle only to see it dissipate again and again. Because it's fun to be w/ other progressives.

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13% Turnout - Town Election Results - Apr 12 2011

By all accounts, turnout for Tuesday’s election was extremely light. Out of 20,159 registered voters, only 2,793 voters participated in the election for a turnout of 13 percent. By the afternoon, poll workers at precincts G and H reported seeing few Needhamites at the polls.

...

“The people who are coming out are mostly an older crowd,” another worker added. “We usually see a lot of younger people come out early so they can vote before work, but we haven’t seen that at all.”

Read more: Low turnout, expected results for town election - Needham, Massachusetts - Needham Times

Full vote counts/totals are at the Needham Patch.

For SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
Kim-Marie Nicols (1,515) elected and Michael Greis (1,874) were re-elected

For PLANNING BOARD
Bruce Eisenhut (1,389) re-elected

Our friends in Precinct G, Katy Dirks (136) and Scott Muldoon (169), both were elected to Town Meeting (2 year and 3 year terms, respectively)!

Congratulations all!!

Today is ELECTION DAY in Needham! (Tue Apr 12)

And it looks like very few people are voting--only around 275 votes cast by 12:30PM in precincts G and H. (which are usually high turn-out precincts--so other precincts probably even lower).

POLLS ARE OPEN UNTIL 8PM.
Don't know your precinct? Check here: http://wheredoIvotema.com
Full ballot guide provided by the League of Women Voters

FWIW, here's who I'm supporting for the contested seats:


SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
Michael Greis and
Kim-Marie Nicols
(both endorsed by the Needham Times)

PLANNING BOARD:
Bruce Eisenhut
(endorsed by the Needham Times)

And if you live in PRECINCT G (votes at Broadmeadow)--for TOWN MEETING--
please vote for our allies and friends K. Scott Muldoon (3 year seat) and Katy Dirks (2 year seat)!

PARKS AND REC:
I am supporting the WRITE-IN CANDIDACY of ANDREA SHORTHOSE, 11 GAGE STREET. (you have to write-in full name and address)

Framing our values/winning the argument

the cinephile in me loves this 'frame'

(April 4, 2011, Maddow, "Winning the Argument": Yes. Exactly:)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Framing OUR Values

• Lakoff, Words That Don’t Work | Common Dreams  (Dec. 7, 2011)
• Cheap Labor Conservatives: Perhaps it's a little harsh, but I think that the essential point is correct: the conservative's central ideology revolves around an economy that keeps a workforce dependent on whatever scraps the wealthy few are willing to share.
• George Lakoff, The Dems Need to Speak to Progressive Values, or Else Lose Badly Come November | News & Politics | AlterNet (Sept. 2, 2010) 
• Lakoff/Framing "Occupy Wall Street" (via DailyKos, 10/2011)
• Framing: The Key to ‘Selling’ Sustainable Ideals « Dan Smolen (Oct 2010) 

Framing, Conservative-style (see also Welcome to the Echochamber) 

• The Secret List Of 14 Words That Republicans Are Never Supposed To Use (Luntz's secret playbook) (10/30/2011)

Miscellaneous: 

• How the Press Erodes Our Belief in Government | The Nation (4/9/2012) http://bit.ly/GGAbdy

• The Righteous Mind,’ by Jonathan Haidt - NYTimes.com (REVIEW) (3/2012) http://nyti.ms/GSvkn4 
  
  
  
  

  Haidt argues that people are fundamentally intuitive, not rational. If you want to persuade others, you have to appeal to their sentiments. But Haidt is looking for more than victory. He’s looking for wisdom. That’s what makes “The Righteous Mind” well worth reading. Politics isn’t just about ­manipulating people who disagree with you. It’s about learning from them.

• N Kristof - Politics, Odors and Soap (3/22/2012) - NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/GG0uEp
• Another way of putting it is this: Americans speak about values in six languages, from care to sanctity. Conservatives speak all six, but liberals are fluent in only three. And some (me included) mostly use just one, care for victims. “Moral psychology can help to explain why the Democratic Party has had so much difficulty connecting with voters,” writes Haidt, a former liberal who says he became a centrist while writing the book. 
• What the Left Gets Right - NYTimes.com (1/22/2012) 
• What the Right Gets Right - NYTimes.com (1/15/2012) 

Hilarious and on-point.  Colbert and Frank Luntz want to convince you People are Corporations (10/24/2011)

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