-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce R. Taub [mailto:brt@brucetaub.net]
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 6:51 PM
To: pdama@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Mass_for_Kucinich@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [pdama] Convention Reprise
Importance: Low

Dear Friends:

First and foremost, I want to personally thank all of the people who contributed to our efforts at the convention. I know of at least 25 separate folks from at least 6 different organizations who worked together to collect signatures for the platform amendment petitions and resolutions on Friday night and Saturday. This was a huge sacrifice of personal time (and in some instances personal cash) for a set of causes we all felt very strongly about. I am immensely grateful for your participation, company, guidance, and inspiration. Thank you.

Secondly, I want to offer congratulations to all of us on the success of the Iraq resolution. We collected signatures from nearly one third of all delegates at the convention and the resolution was unanimously adopted. And while there may be some feelings that once the signatures were turned in to the sergeant at arms the Party process was less than ideal, the outcome was absolutely spectacular. (I also learned a great deal from those delegates who were courteous enough to tell me why they declined to sign.) And while I am quite disappointed in the outcome for our other three petitions, IRV, Voter Fraud, and America in the World, I found much there to be hopeful about as well.

Most importantly, I suppose, we must learn from both our successes and our failures. As Churchill said, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." It's a powerful message for American progressives here in what is still the beginning of a new millennium.

I also knew and heard nothing about the charter reform situation before the convention. I consider this lack of advance knowledge a significant shortcoming in the MA Progressive community's communication efforts and, while I am absolutely not pointing fingers, I am hoping we learn from this negative outcome as well. PDA-MA, DFA-MA, PDM, PDS, PDC, CPPAX and a host of other progressive organizations are not yet talking to one another in as effective and coordinated a manner as we could. And the need to do so is immediate and important. If over 800 delegates signed an Iraq withdrawal petition, and over 500 signed a voting reform petition, many with great passion and conviction, then I suggest we have far more allies than we quite know of or understand how best to utilize and work together with ... in the rank and file, and also in the labor, peace, environmental, civil rights, gay rights, women's rights, etc., progressive communities.

I hope we will meet again in teleconference on Thursday evening June 2, beginning at 9:00 PM to discuss these matters and reflect on where we want to go from here. I hope between now and then we try to refine an agenda for a face to face meeting on June 9th beginning at 7:00 PM to continue our coalition building and prioritizing efforts and we reach out to as many progressives as we can to participate in the teleconference call and at the June 9th meeting. Coalition and alliance-building takes time, effort, and commitment. (And sometimes not getting what you want.) But, if we want to accomplish our mission, and implement a progressive vision, there is no way we're getting there without one another. The trick is not to avoid all conflict, but to manage it and use it for growth.

Thank you all again. I look forward to our continued work together.

Best regards, Bruce