This week is CANCELLED! Future DLs are also on summer vacation until further notice.
Weekly meeting of the Lowell chapter of Drinking Liberally, an informal network of progressives looking for like-minded conversation and drinking partners (drinking optional!).
The Brewery Exchange, second floor, 7:30pm
201 Cabot St
Lowell, MA
If you’re a delegate and still have not made your pick for Lt. Gov, Sec-State or other down ticket races, you only have a few days to decide!
You can start by taking a look at (or another look at, if you caught it previously) the LDCC/GLAD/BlogLeft MA sponsored LG forum, now available for streaming on Lowell Telecom Co’s website at your convenience.
Also, there’s this BMG open thread with diarist Max’s thoughts as well as other delegates’ comments to peruse. My own thoughts are here (complete with grouchy commenters…)
As for the Secretary of State’s race, I’ve stayed away from commenting on it. However, I’m going to put down a few sentences. First, I would like to say, I have seen supporters of both Bill Galvin and John Bonifaz acting like teenagers. No, actually, that’s an insult to teens everywhere. Galvin supporters have also attacked me because they perceive all bloggers are behind Bonifaz. Which I have never personally indicated. I was against the Dem party rules interpretation that “elected” delegates meant all delegates, as was Bonifaz, though I think he went a little too far with his inflammatory rhetoric. However, I have never endorsed anyone in this race.
Bonifaz to me seems like a one-issue candidate running for an office which has many aspects. Granted, that one issue is a major one - voting rights - but I haven’t seen a convincing argument that Galvin has done a bad job in that area. Last I checked, Massachusetts has purchased exactly none of the famous no-paper-trail electronic voting machines that have plagued elections officials in states like Ohio. I’d love to see that encoded in law of course: that Massachusetts will never have voting machines without a paper trail. And there are other rules about voter access and election official accountability that if there has been no legislation, there should be. To that end, I’d have preferred Bonifaz ran for the state House or Senate instead. The Sec-State executes existing laws, he doesn’t really introduce new ones.
Other than that I have no idea what Bonifaz stands for. And that includes after listening to some of his supporters drone on at the Q & A session at the Crashing the Gate event a week ago. They managed to hijack the mike for their candidate instead of asking real questions of Markos and Jerome. Many of us were very annoyed. (And as many of us are dedicated Patrick supporters and can understand enthusiasm for a candidate, that’s saying something.)
And then, barring the fact that I’ve seen some nauseating actions on the part of Galvin’s people (many are, I happen to know, employees of his department), I’ve seen nothing wrong with his administration of the Commonwealth’s business. He’s been very keen on upgrading the technology of his domain, such as at the Registrar of Deeds, and been open-minded in requests for more transparent government and access to public records. I am going to stop short of endorsing Galvin over Bonifaz, but I do think I will be voting for him come the primary, and would if I were a delegate as well. The Secretary of State’s job is complex, and it’s technocratic for the most part. I believe Galvin has been a good public servant, where Bonifaz is untried and, apparently, unprepared to govern most of the departments under the purview of the Secretary.
This Sunday’s edition of the New York Times included an article entitled “Can Bloggers Get Real?” The author, Matt Bai, is one of many panelists invited to discuss the current state of “lefty blogs” at the YearlyKos Convention (Las Vegas, June 8 -11).
The Convention was organized to “help important, politically active netroots communities make a real difference in the public sphere.” It is the hope of the organizers that by the event will amplify the voices of bloggers and netizens who will meet, exchange ideas and “learn how to be more effective in influencing the public debate.”
For the most part, I agreed with Bai’s observation that “devotees of the liberal blogging universe” are “transforming the old smoke-field insiders into an expansive chat room for anyone who wants in.”
He is correct in stating that politicians need to listen to Netrooters not because they are another “influential lobby” as he states but because these are the ones whose voices in the past have not been heard by the “mainstream insiders.”
Blogging is the medium that has given these voices an outlet. Bai is right, the Web did not replace the public square, it drove people to it. However, he is totaling wrong in his conclusion: “…those who lead the most consequential revolts against the status quo never really vanquish the party’s insider establishment. They simply take its place.”
If that is what he truly believes that he is not paying attention. I am not saying that there are those who use the blogsphere for self-promotion but the great majority of its inhabitants are here to advance the basic concepts of democracy; that is open up the politic process to as many people as possible.
The internet in general and blogging in particular are the perfect vehicles to achieve this goal. Perhaps after Bai attends the Kos Convention, he will come to a different conclusion.
With everything going on, including the Democratic Convention in Worcester this weekend, this Wednesday’s Drinking Liberally is hereby officially cancelled.
Drinking Liberally will also go on summer hiatus from here on out (unless someone else would like to host for the next few months). Not only is it vacation season for a lot of people, but the campaigns are ramping up and a lot of people are playing double duty right now. If you would like to keep DL going by volunteering to host, however, I will gladly hand over the reins, and also appear from time to time. I just can’t do the every week thing for the time being.
Consider this also an Open Thread for your commenting pleasure.
It’s nearing convention time, and I know a lot of delegates probably don’t want to hear this. But everyone who is a delegate should be at the convention on Friday night before 6pm (when the call to order happens).
I know everyone wants to get out of there quick as can be, and many don’t want to come for both days, requiring them to stay overnight or drive to Worcester twice. But here’s the thing: though only the uncontested races are on the schedule for Friday night, it is your duty to be there in the official capacity for which you were elected. You ran at the caucus, signed up as an add-on, or are a member of the party structure because people trusted you with their best interests. So come and represent them!
One other thing: just because there’s nothing exciting on the schedule for Friday night doesn’t mean a motion can’t be made at the convention after the call to order. If you arrive on Friday and find yourself with a diminished voice because of a decision made by the small number of delegates who showed up the night before, you will regret it.
Show up and be counted, even if you think you don’t need to be. Then, head on out to a Friday night party if you feel the need…just finish business before pleasure.
If you’re a Deval delegate, there’s a PDF on his website explaining more about the procedures and what else you can do to help.
We are holding another Lowell for Deval meeting on Thurs, May 25th, at 6pm, at 122 Western Ave (past the loading docks, up the handicap ramp, on the fourth floor, unit #19). I will put up copious signs so that no one gets lost this time. 
Political Intelligence is reporting that Sam Kelley has dropped out of the race for Lt Governor, leaving three candidates to vie for delegates at the June 3rd state convention. Phil Johnston says he had troubles with getting past the 10,000 signature mark, despite the fact that there might be enough to get him