Re: Information on V-66

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@world.std.com>]

On 17 May 99,  Kevin Vahey wrote:

> Let me see if I understand what happened in Spingfield....the democrats
> had a convention to vote on the site (Lowell) for 2000 ...
> 
> That's what Howie Carr said anyways...

Which is why I don't like Howie Carr.  He could at least bother to get his 
facts straight.

The Lowell site for next year was chosen by the state committee, as 
always.  This convention was an "issues convention" to vote on amendments 
to the party charter and the "action agenda."

The issues convention was an invention of the Dukakis years which many 
people think has outlived its usefulness.  But the party charter calls for 
an issues convention in odd-numbered years, and whenever the state 
committee has presented an amendment to do away with the issues 
convention, the delegates at the issues convention have voted it down.

I suppose it has its uses as a chance for activists around the state to 
get together, schmooze, and renew acquaintances.  I have a few friends 
from college and law school that I seem to see only at these conventions - 
not to mention Mike Dukakis, who was there to talk about health care.  He 
was looking good, and I told him that if I had known he was going to 
speak, I would have brought one of the old "Mike Dukakis Should Be 
Governor" signs from his 1974 campaign.  

And our delegation had a meeting with Senate President Tom Birmingham 
which I, at least, found useful for some issues that I am concerned about.

And, to get back on topic, Ken Mosakowski of Amherst was there both as a 
delegate and taping certain parts of the convention for use on his "Focus" 
show on Sunday on WMUA.

==================================================================
 A.Joseph Ross, J.D.                                 617.367.0468
 15 Court Square                             lawyer@world.std.com
 Boston, MA 02108-2503              http://world.std.com/~lawyer/
==================================================================

------------------------------