I recently read an article by Yvonne Abraham entitled “Wu Stumbles Out of The Starting Bloc.” First of all, Many people of District 2, including myself, are displeased with the author referring to Councilor Linehan’s supporters as “cheap seats.” Their was a definite lack of civility in the author’s tone. I was taken aback by the acerbic tone in the article. It emanated a latent hatred.
It seems the author automatically takes umbrage with an Irish-American candidate from South Boston because he is, well, an Irish-American candidate from South Boston.
The author represents a dangerous faction of people who falsely claim to be progressive. They perversely re-define diversity. Their diversity calls for supporting or not supporting a candidate based on the color of their skin. True progressives define diversity as the acceptance of all people. For true progressives, the color of a person’s skin is not an issue at all in deciding whether or not to support a particular candidate.
Many folks are lured into supporting a candidate because of their affected rhetoric that speaks of progressive values. But we “cheap seat” progressives–as Abraham referred to us–are not deceived by the sophistry of charlatans that refer to themselves as progressives. We will not vote for someone just because he or she is waving the progressive banner; we vote for the true progressive that demonstrates progressive values.
Councilor Linehan has support from the gay community, the Chinese community, and, yes, the Irish-American community. That is a truly progressive coalition. A coalition that led to Councilor Linehan winning by about 1200 votes, which does not meet many people’s standards of a close election–although the author thinks otherwise.
City Councilor Linehan has proven that he is very affective at bringing folks together whom at first may appear to have different goals and aspirations, but in fact have the same wants and needs in life. That along with his experience, demonstrates the sagaciousness of Wu’s decision to support Councilor Linehan’s bid for city council president.
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The New American Progressive
I grew up in the Old Harbor Housing Development in the Irish American neighborhood of South Boston. Currently, Southie has gained fame for being the home of gangsters, powerful politicians, and as the toughest inner city neighborhood in America. It is the home of Speaker of the House McCormick; but it’s the home of three housing projects as well. It’s the home of Senate President Bulger; but it’s also the home of Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger—the most infamous gangster of our generation.
I survived the streets of South Boston by learning to defend myself in a boxing gym with national champions and professional boxers. I still box to this day. I also am very blessed to come from a family that values education and demands top academic performance. Out of my Irish grandmother, who has her high school diploma, she had a daughter that put herself through nursing school as a single mom (my mother); out of four grandchildren, I went to Boston College High School founded in 1864 by the Jesuits as Boston College, and the girls went to Fontbonne Academy. Both are college preparatory schools run by the Jesuits and the Sisters of Saint Joseph, respectively. These Catholic orders inculcate their students with the belief that we are meant to be of service to others. Three of the four have Bachelors Degrees. One has a graduate degree, and I am a graduate degree candidate at Suffolk University in marketing. My BA is in political science.
I ran a multiplicity of Boston campaigns. I managed campaigns and was field coordinator. However, as field coordinator, my role was that of a campaign manager. I developed the theme, message, and strategy. The candidate and I start off with a SWOT analysis, and go from their. It requires tremendous trust for a public official to put her reputation in your hands, to trust you with their deepest, darkest secrets, and to develop a working relationship, so that the candidate does not need to be a campaign manager. Not all candidates are political scientists who grew up in politics and knew that campaigning was one of their callings.
I remember taking on a campaign managing role in one of my campaigns en medias res, and it was a campaign manager’s worst nightmare: I had an articulate, courageous, progressive candidate from a great Latino family, including a father who was a Boston Public School teacher. However, he knew not how to campaign. I proudly took over that campaign. That candidate went on to serve as the Boston Coordinator for Kennedy’s U.S. Senate bid.
I ran a presidential campaign for a labor union, and I needed to utilize my Southie street smarts to come out with the win.
I worked for the Obama ‘08 Campaign as a co-founder of South Boston for Obama. I then worked for him for a year in NH, where I got to meet and speak with him.
I served in two branches of government. I worked for the Committee for Public Counsel Services (public defenders), and, as an Adams, who going all the way back to John Adams, believed that the keystone to free society was fair and proper representation under the law for all people, no matter the court of public opinion.
I also worked in the legislative branch for a statesman named Senator Hart. I did constituent service work, which was so rewarding. I got to give back to a community that gave me the opportunity to achieve my dreams and goals.
As an undergraduate at Suffolk University where I served as the President of the Pre-Law Association and graduated with a 3.4 GPA, I was honored to be given a scholarship to study the effects of fascism and communism on Central Europe after writing a paper about my own family’s tragic experiences in Poland during Nazi occupation. I completed an independent study with a brilliant political scientist, Kenneth Cosgrove, PhD., author of Branded Conservatives, opened my eyes up to the ways in which conservatives successfully utilize modern marketing techniques to win elections. They shifted the country to the right with their use of marketing strategies.
I am currently an MSM (Masters in Science in Marketing) candidate at Suffolk University. I am proficient with Wordpress and Squarespace; Google Analytics; social media advertising campaigns; and other forms of marketing like STP (Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning).
This site will be the home of my new blog that will discuss politics and marketing.
I hope my life experience and my education in these fields creates a healthy dialogue that can lead to higher truths.
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