Pic from Monday

[TayTay]

Nice dinner. (I couldn't go. The cheap seat was $250.00. But they raised $700,000 to get rid of Rethug Govs from Massachusetts, which is sort of like charity work. )

Anyway, nice pic. More pics here: http://www.massdems.org/hotissues/mdppr_128_success.htm

And they really don't look that much alike, if you ask me. (Cam and John.)

[TayTay]

1. Also, anyone who wants to go to the Mass Dem Conv.

and didn't get elected, well, go anyway. Volunteer. I bet interesting people show up.

http://www.massdems.org/involved/Vol062b.cfm (Yeah, locals can come.)

[ginnyinWI]

2. Is that Cam Kerry at the podium?

Hard to tell on that small pic. Yeah I agree; Cam favors his dad, while John looks more like his mom.

Reminds me: I'm just now reading that Boston Globe bio for the first time--finding new and interesting facts. Like JK's grandfather Fritz Kerry was 6'2". Maybe that's where he got his height--from the Austrian side. I also never knew that there was another Senator in the family: John's great-great-grandfather, Sen. Robt. Winthrop, had one term, 1850s.

[TayTay]

3. So, what do you guys see in this?

Outside of the chance to post a nice but tiny pic, what's really, really, really interesting about this? (Come on, other people can do the heavy lifting here. I still talk too much.)

Let's review, shall we:

Massachusetts has not had a Democratic Governor elected in 20 years. We fundamentally know that this is a funding and structural problem. The Massachusetts Democrats beat the crap out of each other during the primaries and enter the general election wounded and nearly bankrupt. By the time a nominee is chosen, the Democrats are weary, unable to unite and cash-poor. (Does any of that sound at all familiar on the national stage?)

Sen. Kerry has really helped to step in and build an organization that will be able to provide money, coverage and organization to whomever the Mass Dems nominate in Sept. This is different. (Mass Dems organized? Next you'll tell me I can go skiing in hell.) That dinner the other night was supposed to raise $500,000. It raised $700,000. Wow! I am impressed. The Victory '06 campaign, co-chaired by Cam Kerry (whom I think the Sen. knows, snark, snark, snark) was a huge success. The REthugs in my State are expecting the Dems to implode again in in-fighting and be unable to put together a successful structure for the post-primary period. This might not be the case this time. And if the Dems win, who gets a share of the credit?

I wonder what else they learned and how they plan to use it?

Hmmmmmm. Interesting, no? What was learned from that national race that Mass Dems are the beneficiaries of? (We have had other Mass Dems run for President. This is the first time I remember the lessons learned being applied at home so quickly and so well.) Gee that guy's wicked smaht.

[ProSense]

4. What I see is

what you said. Great analysis and very impressive. Cam honing his skills. Thanks Tay.

[TayTay]

5. Combine that with the emphasis on grassroots organizing

and I think you got something there. Really interesting stuff.

Field-tested, and ready to go stuff.

[karynnj]

6. Gee Tay, Who will this Cam guy support in 2008?

It really does show that the Kerrys can organize and raise money. You've always listed having the support of skilled organizers as one of the things needed to run. That Kerry had to quickly expand in 2004 from the primary to the general getting many people not primarilly loyal to him may have been part of th edifference between the primaries and the general election.

[TayTay]

7. I love what they are doing. I love it.

Getting precinct coordinators for each of the 2,000+ precincts in Mass. Really putting money and effort into grassroots organizing. And flying sort of under the radar on all this. (It has received little to no press in MA.)

Given that there are candidates for national office in 2008 who are perceived to have a deep money advantage, how do you overcome that? Hmmmmmm.