4-Way Race for Governor and One Clear Choice for Democracy
It's Democracy Day today, and Massachusetts voters have a clear choice before them. They can support the one candidate who refuses to take corporate money to fuel her campaign, or the 3 candidates who swim through lobbyist-fueled campaign coffers like Scrooge McDuck. They can support the one candidate who unequivocally stands up for justice and sustainability, or the 3 candidates who treat ill-fated and harmful get-rich-quick schemes as though they were sensible, thoughtful, and helpful policy. They can support the one candidate who is standing up for real democracy -- clean elections, open meeting and public records laws that apply to the legislature, and meaningful transparency and oversight of government spending -- or the 3 candidates who laugh at real democracy as though it were a joke.
Why one Massachusetts voter is supporting Jill Stein on Democracy Day.
With the Green-Rainbow Party putting 3 candidates for statewide office on the ballot November 2nd -- Jill Stein for Governor, Rick Purcell for Lt. Governor, and Nat Fortune for Auditor -- Massachusetts voters have some real choices. These candidates will unwaveringly support, and fight for, government of, by, and for the people. They have great ideas to strengthen the Commonwealth and a compelling vision of our common future. While Bill McKibben laments the shameful collapse of the mainstream environmental movement's ability to push climate legislation, the Green-Rainbow Party's leadership never held out hope that our government -- nearly entirely beholden to corporate interests -- would have the answers.
Which brings me to Democracy Day. Real democracy means participatory democracy. While upstart candidate Deval Patrick managed an impressive grassroots campaign in 2006, it would have been nice to see him carry that kind of participation into the halls of power. Oh well. The same can be said for Barack Obama's campaign in 2008. Disappointed? You were had. Plain and simple. You projected your dreams and your hopes onto the blank slates that they put out there for you -- never publicly committing to any sort of progressive vision for the Commonwealth or the country. They inspired people for sure... to VOTE for them, to DONATE to them, and to tell their friends to do the same.
Well, Democracy Day is just like that, only it's about We The People insisting upon much higher standards for the candidates we support.
If we don't demand this from the people we give money to and ultimately vote for, then we're undercutting our own vision for the Commonwealth and our common well-being.
But if we work our butts off, we can build a citizen-led clean elections infrastructure, pooling together small contributions from thousands of people who refuse to support candidates who will take lobbyist money.
Some of you will point out the spoiler argument in this election, but real democracy doesn't happen on election day -- it happens between elections, every day. What are you building? What are you working for? Where are you throwing your money?
The Green-Rainbow Party candidates are building THE independent political alternative for Massachusetts, and supporting them now and on November 2nd is a step towards real democracy, regardless of who becomes the next governor of Massachusetts. They got the 10,000 certified signatures they need, and you'll have that choice.
Now if 10,000 people gave just $10 to Jill Stein by mid-September, it would help her secure $125,000 in state matching funds. And while she received over 75,000 votes when she ran in 2002, if 75,000 people from across the Commonwealth and beyond gave her $10 by mid-October, we'd be talking about $750,000 in clean-money donations, another $750,000 in state matching funds, and a $1.5 million campaign for Jill, which could propel We, The People into the corner office.
What do you say?
This article has been cross-posted at Blue, Green and Red Mass Group.
