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Renewing Our Commonwealth
What do the following
letters say about Gloucester?
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They have a
long-lasting impact on the lives of us all. But first let’s review the
statistics.
RRR-DDDDDDD-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUU shows the proportion of Gloucester voters
who are Republicans, Democrats, and Unenrolled. (The Unenrolled are
registered to vote but have not enrolled in a party.)
Many people think
that Democrats are in the majority in Gloucester. Perhaps that used to
be the case, but now the Unenrolled make up a whopping 59 percent of our
almost 20,000 registered voters.
If you were a
Republican running for office, you might say to yourself, “Well, even
though registered Republicans are in a minority, many of those
Unenrolled voters are up for grabs, and some of the Democrats won’t turn
out to vote, and so I can win.”
If you were a
Democrat running for office, you might think, “I’d better be careful how
I talk about my political values, because I don’t know what all those
Unenrolled voters care about.”
And if you were a
Democrat already in office facing a difficult vote, you might think more
than twice before supporting a strong Democratic position, not knowing
how many of the Unenrolled support the philosophy of the Democratic
Party.
It’s true that many
of the Unenrolled often vote Democratic. Gloucester did vote for
Democrat John Kerry and not for Republican George Bush. But Gloucester
also voted for Republican Governor Romney, and it’s quite possible that
in the future Gloucester could vote for Republicans at all levels of
government when our Democratic incumbents retire.
Gloucester’s
percentage of Unenrolled voters is higher than the 50% for the state as
a whole.
Let’s imagine what
could happen if Gloucester and our state looked more like this:
RRR-DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD-UUUUUU
The political
dynamics would be different. It would make Republican candidates less
likely to thwart Democratic principles; it would encourage more
Democrats to run for office; it would empower Democratic office holders
to be more outspoken about their Democratic values; and it would make
the election of a Democratic governor more likely.
What would this mean
for us as residents of Massachusetts as a whole?
First, it would help
us avoid having as our governor someone who’s naturally a lynchpin in
the Republican network of power, which gives huge tax cuts to the
richest Americans and expensive favors to some of the most profitable
businesses (pharmaceuticals, oil, tobacco, etc.) while many people, even
the discharged military, can’t afford to see a doctor, get a decent
education, or find adequate housing.
By electing a
Democratic governor, we would be counteracting the Republican web of
power under which the US is accumulating a staggering deficit for our
whole society and seriously mishandling international responsibilities
that are vital for national security.
We would have a
Governor and legislature believing in the common good – in a
society that builds and protects the well-being of all its
citizens. Public education, health care, housing, public transportation,
police and fire protection would have higher priority. This would in
turn make Massachusetts more attractive to employers expanding their
work forces.
After the 15 years of
Republican governors in Massachusetts we’ve become so accustomed to a
crumbling state that a better government may seem like a pipe dream,
impossible to achieve.
We’ve gotten used to
bad roads, risky bridges, failing hospitals, fire station closures,
unaffordable housing, cutbacks in a wide array of public services,
including education.
No wonder we’re no
longer attracting the companies that create good jobs.
When we register and
vote as Democrats, our Commonwealth can begin reversing the dysfunction
and deterioration.
If you’re a Democrat
at heart but still Unenrolled at City Hall, you can send an influential
signal of your values by registering as a member of the party of all
the people.
If you’re Unenrolled
because you used to think Republicans were better at managing public
funds, or at filling jobs based on merit, or at managing projects
effectively, or at making decisions based on scientific evidence, then
after the past 15 years of Republican administration in Massachusetts,
and the past 6 years of Republican rule in Washington, you may now be
convinced otherwise.
If you register as a
Democrat as well as vote Democrat, you’ll help convince candidates and
elected officials that you want them to work for the common good.
Catherine Bayliss is chairwoman of the Gloucester Democratic City
Committee and a member of the Democratic State Committee. |
Gloucester
