Progressive Democrats of Cambridge - DFA - DFA

Next PDC-DFA Meeting Thursday, July 19, 45 Mt. Auburn St.

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 07:39:20 -0700

From PDC-DFA chair Lesley Phillips:

Dear PDCers,

The next meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge-DFA will take place at 7:00 pm this Thursday, July 19, at The Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn St. (near Harvard Square).

At our June meeting, we committed to conducting three candidates' forums over the next couple of months: our traditional -- and always very successful -- city council forum tentatively shortly after Labor Day, a school committee forum later in September, and a forum for the increasingly heated special state senate election (to replace Jarrett Barrios), for which as many as eight candidates have now announced, in early to mid-August. We will be making final decisions as to the dates and locations of these events at Thursday's meeting, and seeking volunteers for many of the tasks associated with them. PDC's candidate forums have been among our most successful and respected events in the past (as well as tremendous outreach opportunities), and we want to uphold our reputation, so please make every effort to attend and participate! (If you would like to assist with any of these but can not attend on Thusday, please let me know and we will work you in.)

If you have any other suggestions for agenda items or events this summer, please let me know, and I will distribute them prior to the meeting.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

Progressively yours,
Lesley

Reminder: Next meeting this Thursday, June 21

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:53:42 -0700

The next PDC-DFA meeting will be Thursday, June 21, at The Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge MA.

From an email from our chair, Lesley Phillips:

Dear PDCers,

This is to remind you that the next regular monthly meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge-DFA is this Thursday, June 21, at The Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn St. (near Harvard Square). The general membership meeting will start at approximately 7:30 pm, preceeded by a meeting of the Steering Committee (open to all PDC-DFA members) at 7:00 pm. This will likely be our last regular (i.e. third Thursday) meeting until September, so please make every effort to attend!

The agenda for our meeting on Thursday will include consideration of a proposed endorsement in the upcoming special election in the 5th Congressional District, a look at what progressives can expect in our upcoming municpal elections, and beginning to plan our now traditional (and expected!) candidates' forums in the city council and school committee races and any other special events over the summer, with a focus toward bringing more members into PDC.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

Progressively yours,
Lesley

DFA Meeting at Democratic State Convention Saturday

Thu, 17 May 2007 14:46:47 -0700

If you're going to the Democratic state convention on Saturday, you might want to check this out:

DFA members "meetup" - A few DFA leaders across the state thought that
it might be nice to get together informally at the Convention on
Saturday. Representative Jamie Eldridge has invited us to get together
at his "Meet and Greet" on Saturday from 3:45 to 5:00 PM at the Cape Cod
Lounge in the Student Union Building. Jamie is running for Congress and
has been unanimously endorsed by the local DFA group, as well as the
Brandeis DFA group. He has generously allowed us to share his space so
that we can have an opportunity to touch base with each other at an
informal gathering. We'll be able to brainstorm about plans for a
statewide grassroots summit. Burlington would like to get together with
us this summer.

... via an email from Kate Donaghue.

Next meeting on meeting on Thursday, May 17

Mon, 14 May 2007 06:35:46 -0700

From PDC-DFA chair Lesley Phillips:

Dear PDCers,

The next meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge - DFA will be on Thursday, May 17at 7:00pm at The Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn St.

The 2007 Cambridge municipal election season is almost upon us, so we will begin to take a look at both the incumbents running for reelection and the announced/anticipated challengers who will be wanting our support, and start making plans for candidate forums and other events.

We will be also be previewing the upcoming (May 19) Massachusetts Democratic State Convention in Amherst, including some possible last-minute agenda items. If you have not yet registered for the convention, you should know that in an effort to make the convention accessible to as many grassroots Democrats as possible, the non-delegate guest registration has been reduced to a very affordable $25; in addition, every paid delegate is allowed to bring one guest for free. If you are interested in attending and are unable to locate a delegate to "sponsor" you, let me know asap, and we will try to match you up! (If you are a delegate, and have not yet registered a guest, likewise please let me know, if possible even sooner!) Further information about the convention is available at www.massdems.org.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

Progressively yours,
Lesley

Election Day Registration on the PDC-DFA email list

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 04:25:52 -0700

There's a great discussion going on right now on the PDC-DFA email list on election day registration, and possible pro's and con's. On one side is the argument that election day registration lowers barriers and encourages more people to vote; on the other side is the argument that prior registration (i.e., what we have now) encourages people to think about their choice, and makes manipulation of the electorate by wealthy political machines more difficult.

Drop by and join the discussion! Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProgressiveDemocratsofCambridge/ to sign up for our email list, then share your thoughts with the rest of the group!

Update: PDC-DFA member Jesse K-B has more on election day registration.

By the way, I don't really like the term "election day registration". After all, if all you have to do to vote is show up at the polls and prove you're eligible, then it's not really registration, it's just voting. I think we should call it "voting for everyone".

From a technologist's point of view, also, I'd be curious to see what kind of technology is used to verify that no one votes twice. Hopefully not some kind of Diebold disaster. I'd prefer purple fingers.

Next Meeting: April 19, 8:00, 45 Mt Auburn St., Cambridge

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:40:46 -0700

From an email from PDC-DFA chair Lesley Phillips:

Dear PDCers,

The next meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge-DFA will be at 8:00 pm on Thursday, April 19 at The Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn St. A principal agenda item will be finalizing plans for a candidates' forum for the upcoming special election to fill the vacancy caused by Sen. Travaligni's recent resignation. Please note the later than usual starting time -- this is because of a special event at The Democracy Center causing heavier that usual bookings.

Special note to steering committee members (and others who might be interested): if enough of you want to do this, we could effectively start the meeting a bit earlier by convening an open steering committee meeting at 7:30 pm on Thursday at one of the eateries adjacent to The Democracy Center (I'd recommend either Daedalus or Unique Pizza), and then move over to "45" at 8:00. Please let me know asap if you would tentatively be interested in this, and I'll post a final announcement on Wednesday evening.

Progressively yours,
Lesley

Next PDC-DFA Meeting Wednesday, March 7

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 03:57:16 -0800

The next meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge-DFA will be at 7:00 pm this Wednesday, March 7 at The Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn Street.

Planned topics of discussion for the meeting will include established a Progressive Agenda for the City of Cambridge, reviewing the upcoming municipal elections, and previewing the developing candidacies for next year's presidential race.

If you are planning to attend and have anything else specific that you would like to add to the meeting agenda, please email Lesley Phillips at lrphillips (at) rocketmail (dot) com by no later than noon on Wednesday.

Reminder: Progressive Democrats of Cambridge meeting Thursday, January 18

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 06:38:34 -0800

A message from Lesley Phillips, co-chair of PDC-DFA:

Dear PDCers.

The first meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge/DFA for the new year will be tomorrow (Thursday), January 18, at 7:00 at the Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn Street.

The past two months have witnessed incredible gains for progressive politics both locally and nationally. Let's build on those as we assess our goals both legislatively and electorally for 2007 and beyond! Please bring your ideas and concerns.

Also, on a minor but important administrative note, we will be examining our current meeting schedule. If you are one of those who have not been able to attend regular because of ongoing conflicts, but email or phone (617-547-6465) me with your preferences prior to the meeting.

I hope to be seeing you on Thursday!

Progressively yours,
Lesley

P.S. Caucuses to elect delegates to the 2007 Massachusetts Democratic Convention will be held during the week of Feb 3 to 11, with the majority of caucuses on Saturday, February 3. (The convention will be in Amherst on Saturday, May 19.) This can be an excellent opportunity for newcomers to become involved with their local ward or town democratic organizations. We will have information about the caucus procedures and the convention at Thursday's meeting.

Planning the Progressive Caucus

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 08:10:03 -0700

Barring some unforeseen event, Kerry Healey will lose the gubernatorial election. The Massachusetts GOP will be dramatically reduced in power and influence and, realistically speaking, for the next two years and probably the next 4 - 8 years, it will be a minor party.

On November 8, there will be two major political parties in this state: the Democrats, and the progressive Democrats.

What can we do to build up the progressive Democratic party?

To be clear: I do not advocate that progressives should split from the Democratic party, and form their own party. I'm not even sure we should use fusion voting, if Question 2 passes.

I *do* advocate, and emphatically, that progressives should have a caucus in the Democratic party. That caucus should be a political entity in its own right, with a separate website, media presence, process for endorsing candidates for office, and possibly a fundraising arm.

The purpose of the caucus would be to coalesce progressive strength within the Democratic party, to allow progressives to act cohesively to reform the party and to hold officials accountable to progressive principles.

Another purpose of the caucus would be to shift the center of power in political media coverage. For better or worse, the media landscape of the past 16 years has portrayed political power in this state as a balance act between Republicans and Democrats. Even after Healey loses, there will be temptation in the news media to perpetuate that narrative, even though it will no longer be valid. Progressives have more power in this state than do Republicans, and they deserve more media coverage in order to promote and circulate their ideas. A progressive caucus within the Democratic party which can visibly demonstrate its electoral and legislative might will rapidly draw media attention away from the Republican party, and start to shift the narrative of political coverage.

The twinklings of such a caucus are already very much active. On the one hand you have a constellation of groups I would call collectively the "netroots": DFA groups, PDA groups, the MA blogosphere, a group of rowdy drunkards, and of course the MA Roots Project.

On the other hand you have larger, more established, very powerful groups, like MassEquality, Neighbor to Neighbor, SEIU, and the state AFL-CIO. I would call these groups collectively the "establishment progressives." Quite often the netroots see eye to eye with the establishment progressives, although we do have our differences. (There are, of course, some differences of opinion within the netroots, but these are comparatively rare.)

I propose that the netroots and the establishment progressives together form a progressive caucus within the Democratic party, for the purpose of highlighting and coalescing the strength of the progressive movement in Massachusetts. Each group would have some share of representation within the caucus, and the caucus would have the power to endorse candidates for office in the Democratic primary. The caucus would also make a concerted effort to publicize its candidates and its shared vision for Massachusetts; for example, it could coordinate on proposing amendments to the Democratic party platform.

The hope is that such a caucus would facilitate communication and coordination within the progressive movement, and would help to shift the statewide political debate and media coverage from a Democratic/Republican axis to a progressive/conservative Democratic axis.

I can imagine any number of problems or objections to this idea. What are yours?

(Cross-posted to Blue Mass Group)

PDC-DFA Meeting tomorrow, 7 pm, 45 Mt. Auburn St.

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 07:04:21 -0700

The next meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge - DFA meeting will be:

Thursday, October 19
7:00 pm
The Democracy Center
45 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge MA

This will be an important meeting, so please make every effort to attend: this will be our last opportunity both to plan any collective activity that PDC wants to undertake on behalf of the Deval Patrick campaign, and to prepare for the anticipated discussion of PDC at the upcoming Cambridge Democratic City Committee meeting. We will also be considering support of the ballot referendum on fusion voting ("Question 2") that is already being supported by a number of progressive democratic groups around the state.

If you have anything to add to the agenda, please email Lesley Phillips, lrphillips (at) rocketmail (dot) com.

Next PDC-DFA Meeting is Oct. 19; also, volunteer for Patrick/Murray '06

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 11:32:34 -0700

The October meeting of Progressive Democrats of Cambridge - DFA will be on Thursday, October 19 at 7:00 pm. (The location will be announced shortly.) The primary focus of the meeting will be on PDC-DFA efforts on behalf of the Democratic Party coordinated campaign for Deval Patrick for Governor. While it goes without saying that Deval has had the widespread support of progressives around the state since the beginnning of his campaign, this is an important opportunity for us to show our support for the party's candidates!

Please make every effort to attend -- in addition to election-related issues, we have other important agenda items coming up. If you have anything that you wish to put on the agenda, please contact Lesley Phillips at lrphillips (at) rocketmail (dot) com, by Oct. 18.

Also, don't forget to help out with the Patrick/Murray campaign! Call the Cambridge campaign office at 617-864-9653 to sign up or if you have any questions. A schedule of activities is below.

DEVAL PATRICK COORDINATED CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE

Thursday, 10/12: Phone bank at HQ, 1798A Mass Ave from 6-9 pm
Thursday, 10/12: Phone bank at HMFH Architects, 130 Bishop Allen Dr. 6:30-9 pm
Thursday, 10/12: Voter registration at Area 4 meeting (243 Harvard St) & Whole Foods (Prospect St) 6-8 pm

Friday, 10/13: Phone bank to seniors at 1798A Mass Ave 11 am -1 pm
Friday, 10/13: Visibility at Inman Square 4-6 pm

Saturday, 10/15: Voter registration, Whole Foods at Putnam Avenue, 10-12:30
Saturday, 10/15: Voter registration, Harvest Festival at Morse School, 1-4 pm

Sunday, 10/15: Community Meeting at Rindge Towers with Rep. Gloria Fox (approx. 3-5 pm - details tba)

Monday, 10/15: Phone bank at HQ, 1798A Mass Ave from 6-9 pm

Tuesday, 10/17: Phone bank at HQ, 1798A Mass Ave from 6-9 pm

Wednesday 10/18: "Last Chance" voter registration at Porter & Central Sqs, 7:30-9 am & 4-7 pm

News Flash! DFA Endorsed Deval Patrick Months Ago!

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 12:35:00 -0700

Many thanks to the Gabrieli campaign for reminding the rest of the state of this:

BOSTON – Monday, April 10, 2006 – The Deval Patrick Campaign and the national grassroots organization Democracy for America (DFA) today announced that DFA is endorsing Deval Patrick for Governor of Massachusetts.

...

"Deval Patrick earned our support through his pioneering efforts to involve citizens across Massachusetts in the democratic process," [DFA Chairman Jim] Dean said. "His grassroots activism and commitment to positive change makes him the ideal candidate for governor. We are proud to put DFA's support behind him."

Back in April, when Chris Gabrieli was spending untold sums of cash running ineffective TV ads, Deval Patrick was barnstorming the Commonwealth, asking Democrats for their support the old fashioned way. He gave speeches, answered questions, shook hands, and kissed the occasional baby or two. His followers talked to their neighbors and friends; they held house parties and raised money in small increments; they wrote letters to the editor. In short, they exercised their democratic rights. They started taking back their country.

And for that, Democracy for America - buoyed by broad and deep on-the-ground support from DFA chapters all over Massachusetts - went to bat for Deval Patrick. His values are in sync with our values; his approach to government is the same as ours. He is our candidate.

For that, the Gabrieli campaign would have you believe that Deval Patrick is some wild-eyed radical, unfit to govern the state. It's a sad way to go out, for a campaign that says "it shouldn't matter if an idea is Democratic or Republican". Apparently, it does matter, to the Gabrieli campaign. To Gabrieli, grassroots progressive campaigns, built on good old fashioned democratic citizenship, are not entitled to run the state. Apparently, only campaigns anchored by millionaires deserve to be in charge.

Cambridge, I know we can do better than this. Let's show 'em who we are on Tuesday.

Call the Cambridge for Deval HQ to find out how you can help: 617-864-9653, 1798A Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge

PDC-DFA Meeting Tomorrow Night

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 10:11:22 -0700

This month's regular meeting will be tomorrow night:

Thurs., Sept. 14
17 Worcester St., Cambridge
8 pm - 9:30 pm

The agenda will be as follows:

1. Welcome newcomers, especially those who attended the August BBQ
2. Supporting our progressive slate on primary day, Sept. 19
- Deval Patrick for Governor
- Andrea Silbert for Lieutenant Governor
- John Bonifaz for Secretary of State
3. Discussing outreach plans
4. Consideration of an endorsement in the US Senate Race in Connecticut
5. New business

If you have other items you'd like to add, please email Lesley Phillips at lrphillips (at) rocketmail (dot) com.

Great bbq!

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 07:49:02 -0700

Despite gray skies and a bit of rain, yesterday's barbecue was a big success! Many thanks to our gracious hosts, Robert and David, to the skilled grillsman, Matthew, and to all who showed up. Also, three cheers for Deval Patrick, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for governor, and Mayor Ken Reeves, both of whom showed up to say hello to the crowd. Patrick spoke for a few minutes about how we need to change the way politics is done (we need grassroots politics, not top-down politics), his views on Iraq (he's against the war, but won't delve into the hornet's nest of recalling the MA National Guard), his views on health care reform (the current bill is ok and needs to be tried out, but we have to get to universal single-payer coverage), and a few other topics. All in all, a great day!

Tomorrow - BBQ and politics! Meet your local progressive movement

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 05:19:32 -0700

To celebrate the impending end of summer, Progressive Democrats of Cambridge - DFA is having a barbecue, and you're welcome to join us!

WHEN: Sunday, August 27, 2006, 2 pm - 5 pm

WHERE: 17 Worcester St., Cambridge

WHY: To meet the members of your local progressive movement, to learn what we're up to and how you can get involved

HOW: Just drop on by! Feel free, of course, to bring some snacks or drinks to share

Bring your friends, bring your neighbors, and yes, even your Republican aunt from Schenectady! We'll see you there.