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YES

Keri Thompson

Cohasset resident; senior lecturer at Emerson College; 2016 United Independent Party candidate for state representative

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Keri Thompson.

As someone who was a dedicated Massachusetts Democrat for more than 10 years, I understand the frustration many voters have with the Democratic Party and Massachusetts politics overall. I became a registered independent almost a year ago because I got tired of waking up every morning not knowing what the Democratic Party stood for anymore.

For Democrats to survive and thrive -- in our state and nationally -- the party urgently needs to embrace a progressive agenda that is both necessary and popular. Voters are craving progressive and bold leadership, and we rarely see anything progressive or bold coming out of Beacon Hill.

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Our states bright shade of blue on electoral maps is deceiving because we still dont have a progressive Legislature even with an overwhelmingly veto-proof majority in both branches. The solidly progressive Democratic Party platform gets ignored year after year. For the place that invented America, we have become very good at upholding the status quo. But the status quo is stagnant and uninspiring and fails to tackle the major issues of our time.

If Massachusetts wants to remain one of the nations strongest states, going left is the only option. Non-progressive Democrats claim moderation and pragmatism are key to legislative compromise and getting things accomplished. But most of these accomplishments arent helping anyone. Voters struggle nowadays to find any contrast between our Republican governor and our Democratic Legislature.

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Our problems demand brave and creative solutions. We need to make voting easier and more convenient. We need a serious discussion about poverty and income inequality. Housing is getting less affordable. We need a $15 minimum wage. We need to protect our public schools while decreasing emphasis on high-stakes testing. We need to make higher education affordable. We need a fairer criminal justice system and sensible drug laws. We need cutting-edge environmental protection, immigration reform, paid family leave, and real single-payer health care. And we especially need campaign finance reform and legislative term limits -- especially for the House Speaker.

My plea to Massachusetts Democrats: Fight harder for progressive ideas. Start rocking the boat. Make voters like me walk into my town hall and proudly register as a Democrat again.

NO

Mark Linde

Ward 1 chairman, Brockton Democratic City Committee; Brockton representative to Southeastern Regional Vocational School District Committee

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Mark Linde.

For 37 years I have been a registered Democrat. I followed my dads lead when I registered to vote. Then presidential candidate Jimmy Carter spoke to our class at Brockton High School in 1975 and inspired me to get involved and volunteer extensively on many Democratic campaigns.

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I am one of the two Brockton representatives to the Southeastern Regional Vocational School District Committee, elected every four years in a non-partisan election. I believe there is no place in local races for partisan politics even though I am a committed Democrat.

In the same spirit, our state elected officials should try to limit partisan differences. Yes, legislators run under party labels, but their responsibility is to work together to solve problems. That means avoiding extremes and seeking common ground.

I will admit on issues like charter schools, which I oppose, our Democratic Party is on the right side. But we need to resist calls for Democratic lawmakers to abandon the political center and move leftward. Both the party and the state would be better off if they instead continued working with their Republican colleagues on policies that can command broad public support.

It has become very unfashionable to be a fiscal moderate, a centrist, or conservative Democrat. Our Democratic Party has moved left and the Republican Party has moved right. Remember when there were liberal Republicans like former governor William F. Weld and conservative Democrats like former governor Edward King? Honestly, one of the most liberal Democrats, the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, knew that to make things work he had to work with both sides.

I believe that President John F. Kennedy might not be welcome in the Democratic Party today because his views might not be viewed as progressive enough. President Bill Clintons positions angered some progressives.

On social issues I find myself more progressive on some and less on others. What I find ironic is that I am labeled as just plain wrong by many progressives if I take a different view from them. In the age of Donald Trump, my question is more important than ever. Why cant we all just get along and work together for the common good?

Last weeks Argument: Should out-of-state drivers licenses be an acceptable form of identification for buying alcohol in Massachusetts?

Yes: 96 percent (117 votes)

No: 4 percent (5 votes)

Read this article:
Do Democrats in the Massachusetts Legislature need to be more progressive? - The Boston Globe