Thousands of Democrats from all over Massachusetts converged on the DCU Center in Worcester Saturday at the MassDems Convention. The primary purpose of the convention was to nominate and endorse Senator Elizabeth Warren for reelection.
It was a large enthusiastic crowd of Dems delegates. The Convention opened with an extraordinary performance by Worcester students leading us in the Pledge or Allegiance and the National Anthem.
Sec of State Bill Galvin was the opening speaker. Secretary of State William Galvin said “some people” have taken the approach of reminding voters of “all the bad things that Trump did.” But Democrats, he said, are a “party of hope, not a party of fear.”
Local officials including the Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, City Councillors, State Reps and Congressman McGovern led the convention touting the accomplishments, advantages of the city of Worcester, and how the Biden Administration and Dems help the area and the urgency to win in November.
Worcester Mayor Joe Petty argued Democrats needed to stack up behind Biden because Trump is “guilty of leaving his fellow Americans behind as he works for … himself and other wealthy people.” “Here in the City of Worcester, we welcome the people that Donald Trump is trying to keep out. Racism, hatred, homophobia, xenophobia have no place in the United States of America,” Petty said.
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern said the upcoming presidential election is “about more than Donald Trump.” “It’s about what he represents, a political movement that is completely detached from our values, a movement that uses political violence and threats of vengeance and retribution to maintain power. If Donald Trump and his MAGA allies win, they will continue to push for a national abortion ban,” McGovern said.
Every state official starting off with Sec. of State Bill Galvin to Auditor Diana DiZoglio to Treasurer Debra Goldberg to Lt Gov Kim Driscoll and Gov Maura Healey spoke.
Even as each speaker touted the gains for Massachusetts and the nation achieved by elected Democrats, speakers from state Democratic Party Chairman Steve Kerrigan to Gov. Maura Healey urged the delegates in the audience to reach out to family, friends, neighbors in Massachusetts and beyond to urge them to vote in November and to support the reelection of Biden. All progress achieved by the current administration — the passage of the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, forgiveness of student debt, creation of a climate change job corps and even the reduction in the price of insulin to $35 a month — are at risk of being reversed and undone by a Trump presidency. We’ve accomplished a lot, there is more to do and we MUST win in November.
Each had a similar message, except for Diana DiZoglio who sang to her 2 minutes.
In the runup to the Nov. 5 general election, those on the left in Massachusetts, like Gov. Maura Healey, cast a potential second Trump presidency as likely “far worse” than his first time in office. “Donald Trump would be more vengeful, more divisive, more dangerous than he was ever before. But don’t just believe me, believe Donald Trump. Donald Trump said he’ll launch the largest deportation operation in American history and tear apart millions of families. He said he will use his Department of Justice to prosecute his political opponents,” Healey said.
Gov. Maura Healey and Lt Gov Kim Driscoll congratulated the Worcester North High School basketball team on their state championship at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention. On the way off stage, Gov Healey showed her basketball props by spinning the basketball on her finger as she departed.
Senators Markey and Warren closed the convention continuing the theme of we’ve accomplished much, there’s more to do and we cannot ever let Donald Trump near the White House. I don’t know who wrote Markey’s speech but he had a lot of good GOP zingers. One was: “We all know that Donald Trump’s got 34 problems and being rich ain’t one. So here’s the truth, we all know that the only man electable in Massachusetts who wears 34 will always be Big Papi David Ortiz,” U.S. Sen. Ed Markey said. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said “Democracy is on the ballot.” “Donald Trump cozies up to racists and white nationalists. He posted a pro-Nazi ad calling for a unified Reich and the convicted felon says he wants to be a dictator on day one. Listen to him,” Warren said.
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The conviction of Trump hung over the meeting but the convention did not dwell on it. Just about every speaker on the stage discussed the Thursday jury decision that made Trump a convicted felon, some mentioning him by name and others eschewing it. Each time the delegates responded with cheers or boos. They then dwelled on remembering why we are Democrats, what are values are and why we must defeat the MAGA Republicans.
However, “Lock Him Up” rolled through the building as Warren discussed former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who was convicted on 34 felony counts Thursday by a New York jury of his peers. “Give Democrats a trifecta in the White House, the Senate and the House and we will deliver,” Warren said, promising to codify the Voting Rights Act to ensure all Americans can exercise their civic duty with ease and to eradicate the filibuster, the mechanism used to prevent action on controversial measures, and to ensure statehood for the District of Columbia.
The convention ended with the delegates endorsing Senator Warren by affirmation.
The sole purpose of City/Town Committees is to elect Democrats. As such, conventions are always a call to action for the delegates but this year the imperative for all of us to so whatever we can to defeat the GOP was louder and more urgent than in years past for obvious reasons.
We must remind people about the importance of voting, we do have to make sure that they don’t stray off to fringe third, fourth, and fifth party candidates as some kind of a protest to nowhere. There’s too much at stake. There’s too much that has to be done,”
The message is clear. All progress achieved by the current administration — the passage of the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, forgiveness of student debt, creation of a climate change job corps and even the reduction in the price of insulin to $35 a month — our very democracy – are at risk of being reversed and undone by a Trump presidency. We’ve accomplished a lot, there is more to do and we MUST win in November. Get to work!
Senator Joan Lovely, State Committee Members Marilyn Hazel and Julie Curtis and Danvers Dems Lou Bernazzani, Phil Bolduc, Tom Meagher and Ted Speliotis attended