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Towards a just & healthy democracy in the Commonwealth... and beyond!
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Thu Nov 04, 2010 at 13:16:05 PM EDT
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| From the Green-Rainbow Party
November 3, 2010
The Green Rainbow Party congratulates Deval Patrick and all of the winners in yesterday's election. We thank all candidates for offering their public service, especially the independent candidates for various offices who faced an uphill fight against financial disadvantages and media bias. We wish the Patrick administration and the legislators the best of luck in dealing with the issues facing the Commonwealth.
"It's clear that the Green-Rainbow Party has a vital role to play in being the voice for some urgently needed solutions that are not going to be put on the table without us" said Michael Horan, Green-Rainbow Party Co-chair.
"The Green-Rainbow Party made some major advances in yesterday's elections, and achieved most of its goals despite the fact that our long-shot campaigns fell short of dislodging the major party grip on elected offices." |
| eli_beckerman :: GREEN-RAINBOW PARTY NOTES PROGRESS IN 2010 ELECTION SEES OPPORTUNITIES IN COMING YEARS |
| "Thanks to the splendid showing of Nat Fortune in the state auditor's race, the Green-Rainbow Party is now classified as a major political party in Massachusetts. That frees us from the very restrictive law that limits a candidate's financial support from our Party to $500. It also means that our party name will appear as a check-off option on every voter registration form - which is key to expanding our enrollment efforts."
"Jill Stein set a new record for fundraising by a Green-Rainbow candidate. She doubled the size of our donor list - and that's critical to future campaigns. We've put down roots in over eight communities by establishing new Green-Rainbow locals. We have dramatically increased the number of experienced Green campaign workers and professional staff. We made a lot of friends and won support from many very influential people who are fighting the good fight for jobs, the environment, and justice in Massachusetts."
"And the Green-Rainbow strategy for running in legislative districts resulted in a very encouraging field test in our two House races. Mark Miller and Scott Laugenour took on two entrenched incumbents and ran superb races. Miller set a new record for GRP vote total in a House race - taking 45% of the vote. And he did this despite never having run for office before. These races set the stage for 2012 when we will bring increased experience and resources to bear."
Party co-chair Nancy Lee Wood noted that "it seems clear that Deval Patrick's victory in the governor's race was due in large part to the fact that the people of Massachusetts perceived him as the more progressive alternative to Charlie Baker. But there is a fundamental deception at the core of that victory. We are going to see those progressive voters disappointed on almost every key issue over the next four years. The Green-Rainbow Party is going to be fully engaged in resisting the backsliding and fighting for the future for ourselves, our children, and our planet." |
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Green Mass Group is an online forum for Green thought and collective action in Massachusetts. It is a community forum for justice, sustainability, democracy and health in the Commonwealth and beyond.
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| Quotes |
"Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required - on entitlement reform and tax reform - right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year. Most importantly, it will allow us to avoid default and end the crisis that Washington imposed on the rest of America."
--President Barack Obama on the debt ceiling "deal"
"Despite Democratic control over the White House, despite Democratic control over the Senate, despite overwhelming opposition from the American people, a small minority of the members of the Republican-controlled House have successfully pushed an extreme right-wing agenda onto the American political landscape. It is an ideology which believes that despite the fact that the rich are getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, and poverty is increasing, all - all of the burden for deficit reduction should rest on working people."
--Independent Senator Bernie Sanders on the debt ceiling "deal"
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Then and Now
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Then...
"Last year Evergreen, a Massachusetts company, agreed to establish their first-ever United States based manufacturing facility here in Massachusetts. They did so, or are doing so, at Devens. They have now agreed and chosen to triple their size at Devens. Their next phase of expansion, right here in Massachusetts, a signature company in a signature sector, and we congratulate all of the folks at Evergreen and look forward to continuing to work with you...
We made a personal commitment to Evergreen for the sake of Evergreen, but also because we wanted to show that there are ways in which state government, in working together with private industry and with the utility companies, could begin to create a different kind of environment, a different kind of business climate here, to grow that sector, and it is happening. It's happening. Evergreen is one of the most prominent examples, but there are a whole host of examples."
--Governor Deval Patrick, April 7, 2008, boasting about state investment in Evergreen.
and Now...
"Evergreen Solar Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, completing a stunning reversal of fortune for a high-flying alternative-energy company that once seemed to herald a new era for the Massachusetts economy... At its peak, Evergreen employed roughly 900 people locally and attracted more than $50 million in state support, as its stock price soared above $100 a share.
Yesterday, Evergreen's stock closed at 18 cents. The company shuttered its manufacturing plant in Devens earlier this year and now has only 85 employees left. Massachusetts is one of its top creditors, owed $1.5 million in rent."
--Erin Ailworth, Boston Globe, August 16, 2011
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