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IGloucester Daily Times
Catherine Bayliss
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:
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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 Chair of the Gloucester Democratic City Committee and a member of the Democratic State Committee.
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