[PDM Info] PDM's Celebration and Planning Party

Mon Dec 6 14:44:27 MST 2021

Justine -- Hope that all’s well with you.  I’m writing to make sure that you’ve seen the invitations to PDM’s year-end virtual wine-and-cheese party, where we plan to celebrate our accomplishments over the past year and talk about plans for the coming year.  We’re particularly eager to talk about our endorsement work for the 2022 elections, our legislative reform campaign, and our work on 2 crucial ballot questions.

The party is this Friday from 4 to 6 PM.  More details below.  If you can join us, RSVP by reply-all.

-- Peter

Progressive Friends – As we navigate these challenging times, we want to update you about the work that Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts (PDM) has been doing and to ask for your help for the ambitious work ahead of us. Most important, PDM invites you as a Sustaining Member for a virtual wine-and-cheese get-together via Zoom on Friday December 10, 2021 4 to 6 PM, where we can talk together about our accomplishments this year and our plans for 2022.  Please Reply All to this email for a link to join us.

In 2021, we’ve undertaken several important new initiatives, while continuing our work on numerous other fronts, including our Baker-Polito Watch which documented many failings of the current administration and--we hope--helped convince the two subjects not to run again!

•      We started a monthly series of on-line Public Policy Forums, in which prominent experts have discussed crucial issues, ranging from housing to climate to the opioid crisis. To access videos of the forums, and related materials on each topic, click here<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.progressivedemsofmass.org%2Fforums%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cp.enrich%40northeastern.edu%7Cbe57dcb5295740d8d1e508d9b85619c3%7Ca8eec281aaa34daeac9b9a398b9215e7%7C0%7C0%7C637743503097499692%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=BqvT4ZVxm6oULEEXimqvIsGLn64IychJt%2BRtYtyH9uY%3D&reserved=0>.

•      We have led an effort to address the dysfunction of the Massachusetts legislature, convening a working group to begin building the broad coalition needed to achieve meaningful change.  The working group has produced a powerful 30-page report, available at: https://www.progressivedemsofmass.org/legislative-reform/<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.progressivedemsofmass.org%2Flegislative-reform%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cp.enrich%40northeastern.edu%7Cbe57dcb5295740d8d1e508d9b85619c3%7Ca8eec281aaa34daeac9b9a398b9215e7%7C0%7C0%7C637743503097509685%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=iTJVc4QdFmXvEQ8G3xUZGJxT6ZSdzZ6SYG8CerrEJtg%3D&reserved=0> assessing the problems and identifying paths to reform. And we are creating a broad-based, diverse coalition of individuals and organizations to drive the reform effort.

•      We’ve hired an intern, who has greatly expanded our research and outreach capacity.  To maintain this momentum and to continue to bring talented college students into our activist community, we need the resources to make this internship permanent.

•      We continue our active participation in the Raise Up MA Coalition, the campaign to  pass the Fair Share Amendment in 2022, and our engagement with coalition partners Mass Alliance, Mass Power Forward, and others pursuing progressive agendas.

•      Our Education Working Group has taken a leadership role in tackling the huge challenges facing the state’s system of vocational education, pursuing the funding to expand capacity for the thousands of students on wait lists for admission to our vocational schools and attacking discriminatory admissions criteria.

•      We have begun to plan for the 2022 statewide and legislative races. As always, we’ll have a participatory endorsement process for the major statewide races and significant legislative contests. In 2022, we are hosting an online forum every Friday beginning on January 7, from 10 to 11am, to hear each of the declared candidates for Governor.

•      We’re also building the capacity for strong grassroots campaigns in 2022 for our endorsed candidates, for the Fair Share Amendment, and against Uber’s anti-worker ballot initiative.

That’s a big agenda for an entirely volunteer-led organization. To meet the challenges ahead, we need your support – your time and skills, and your financial support.

You are also invited to let us know, at info at progressivedemsofmass.org<mailto:info at progressivedemsofmass.org>, if you are interested in any of the efforts listed above and if you can lend a hand. We need you!

You can make a donation at this link<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.progressivedemsofmass.org%2Fcontribute%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cp.enrich%40northeastern.edu%7Cbe57dcb5295740d8d1e508d9b85619c3%7Ca8eec281aaa34daeac9b9a398b9215e7%7C0%7C0%7C637743503097509685%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=r0ngRRVjhIUTBba7ep79%2FgV6NO0miOHOFGfzo44m6N8%3D&reserved=0>.  Every dollar you contribute is highly leveraged by all of the volunteer effort that is at the core of PDM’s work.

Continue as or become a Sustaining Member: a) contribute $120 or $10 per month (or whatever you can afford), and b) actively participate in our work.

Thanks for all that you do!

The PDM Leadership Team

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