Alan Khazei for Senate

Blog

12.15.2009

Read Alan’s Primary Night Speech

Alan delivered the following remarks on Tuesday December 8th, 2009, at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston:

BIG CITIZENSHIP

Thank you all very much.

Running for the United States Senate in Massachusetts and for this seat vacated by our beloved Ted Kennedy has been among the greatest honors of my life.

I want to extend a heart felt congratulations to Martha Coakley, who ran an excellent campaign.

She will be an outstanding Senator.

I will do everything I can to ensure that Martha is the next Senator from Massachusetts and I ask all of you as my friends and supporters to join me in that effort.

I also want to congratulate Mike Capuano for his strong campaign.

Mike and I have become good friends through this race and I admire his passion and his willingness to fight for what he believes in.

And also to Steve Pagliuca who ran a spirited campaign and raised important issues.

I need to begin by thanking my extraordinary wife, Vanessa. I would not be standing here without her. She has been my rock and has made me a better candidate, husband, father and friend. I love you deeply.

And my brother Lance, who put his career on hold and flew out here from LA to stand by my side every step of the way in this campaign.

And, I have no idea how to thank all of you who supported and worked with me, especially an unbelievably dedicated campaign staff, led by Kelly Ward and Teresa Vilmain, our tremendous co-chairs, Sherrif Andrea Cabral and Representative Smitty Pignatelli and more than 100 Citizen Co-Chairs.

And also Senator Harris Wofford, David Belluck, Jim and Kristen Atwood, Eric Schwarz, Michael Alter and Billy Shore.

And mostly my Mom and Dad. Did you all know that my Mom is a Nurse and my Dad a Doctor?

They raised me with extraordinary unconditional love and an example of integrity and excellence.

You all came into this knowing that the climb was steep, the calendar short and the odds long, but you were so committed to the idea that citizens matter and can make a difference that you sacrificed and worked and brought pride to this campaign and to this commonwealth.

When we began this race, we were at 1% in the polls and unknown to the vast majority of voters. In ten short weeks our support has grown significantly.

We started with 400 of you on Boston Common and tonight we are ending up with tens of thousands.

We didn’t have the most money or the most name recognition, but we did have thousands of you and we had ideas about how to create jobs, provide health care, improve our public schools, seize the opportunities of the clean energy economy, end the war in Afghanistan and defeat Al Qaeda globally.

Ideas about how to reinvigorate our democracy and engage big citizens in solving the problems of our time.

And although we did not win, we were heard: by the Boston Globe and Blue Mass Group and by so many citizens who donated and canvassed door-to-door in record numbers, by young people eager to see more opportunities to serve their country.

And I want you to know, tonight’s election represents not an end to our efforts, but only a beginning.

We are living in extraordinary times with extraordinary challenges.

The world of today is dramatically different from the world of just ten years ago.

We know we must get beyond the tired debate that skips back and forth like a broken record between big government vs. Big Business and get on with something new.

New ideas, innovation, fresh approaches and Big Citizenship.

You know, it’s always been citizens combined with visionary political leadership that has brought change to America.

It was the citizen soldiers right here in Massachusetts who put down their pitchforks and picked up their muskets to join with our Founding Mothers and Fathers and defeated the greatest empire of the day.

It was the abolitionists and hundreds of thousands who shed untold blood who inspired President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

It was the suffragists who forced Wilson to grant women the right to vote.

It was the Progressives and trade unionists who insisted that work must have dignity.

It was the greatest generation who united to fight the depression and defeat the Nazis and save the world.

It was the Civil Rights workers who marched, rode freedom rides and held sit ins who inspired President Kennedy to make civil rights the moral issue of our time.

And now it’s up to all of us.

We are living in a time of big challenges.

And make no mistake about it, another era of Big Citizenship is coming.

Because that’s what we do in Massachusetts and that’s what we do as Americans.

We rise to the occasion.

We determine our own destiny.

We forge the future.

We can all be Big Citizens. We can all do our part.

Our next step will be putting our energy to work ensuring that Martha Coakley becomes our next U.S. Senator.

And then as our hero Ted Kennedy would say, the work goes on.

It has been such a privilege to run for the United States Senate here in Massachusetts.

I will never forget the stories of so many incredible people that I’ve met.

People like Maria Forte, an Italian-American immigrant, who came here, saved up and opened a restaurant in Hopkinton, only to lose that restaurant after being in business for more than 11 years because of this terrible economy. But She is determined to start over.

Or, George Sylvia, the formerly homeless Marine, who was in jail, but who thanks to Soldier On and his own commitment to turning his life around, learned that he could again be somebody important and make his big dreams real.

Well, we must all dedicate ourselves to making our state’s and our country’s big dreams real.

For jobs, health care, education and to end the wars.

I came into this election knowing from a lifetime of service that there are many ways to serve one’s state and nation and I will continue to seek and serve as I always have.

I have met so many people across our Commonwealth who are hurting.

Who have lost their jobs, homes, savings and dreams of college.

But I have also felt your undaunted spirit and your willingness to come together to overcome our challenges.

So, I will return to Be the Change and work with as many of you who will join me to launch a new movement in this state and in this country to restore equity to the middle class and low income people.

A movement for America to reclaim its founding tradition as an Opportunity Nation.

Thanks to all of you and the people I’ve met all across this Commonwealth.

I am more inspired, more committed, more determined than ever to work for a newer and better world.

To imagine the world as it should be, and to do the hard work with you to make it real.

Thank you all very much.

I love you all.

12.08.2009

Thank You

The results are in, and while we didn't come out on top, we are so humbled by the outpouring of grassroots support today and for the past 80 days. We couldn't have run this campaign without you. Every step of the way, Big Citizens like you believed in Alan's vision, even as he took on three better-funded, better-known opponents. Alan and Vanessa are so grateful for everything you've done -- and this is just the beginning.

Thank you so much!

If you are in Boston, please join us now for an election night party at the Omni Parker Hotel (on the Mezzanine Level) at 60 School Street. Congratulations to Attorney General Coakley on her victory tonight. We look forward to working hard to get her elected!

Thank you again for your continued support -- Alan will be in touch personally soon.

12.08.2009

No Matter Where You Are, You Can Help Alan Win Now!

Going into today's election, around one third of the electorate was undecided. That number is dropping precipitously and our numbers show that these last-minute deciders are breaking for Alan! We have hundreds of volunteers on the phones right now, contacting undecided voters and driving them to vote. But we need more people to get on the phones now!

E-mail aly@alanforsenate.com or sign up here and we'll get you talking to voters within minutes. No experience is necessary -- we'll give you a brief training to get you going. And you can do it from anywhere. Don't wait -- e-mail aly@alanforsenate.com to get started and let's use the next 3 hours to seal the deal for Alan.

If you want to make calls from one of our local offices, you can find their addresses after the jump.

12.08.2009

Vote!

This is it! Polls are open from 7am to 8pm today. Look up your polling place now and make your voice heard!

If you've already voted, you can still make a huge difference today by making calls to undecided voters -- it takes just minutes to get going and you can do it from anywhere! Send an e-mail to aly@alanforsenate.com or sign up now at alanforsenate.com/gotv. There are just hours left and every minute counts

Check out these photos of Alan voting this morning and e-mail aly@alanforsenate.com to get started making calls immediately.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Alan stayed up last night on a 40 Hour Blitz until the polls close, working to meet voters and demonstrate that, like the Big Citizens of our Commonwealth who work every day to provide for their families and improve their communities, he will be a Senator dedicated to working hard every single day to change people's lives. Check out some pictures from last night:

Created with flickr slideshow.

12.07.2009

Max Kennedy Call Goes Out to 500,000 Voters

Today, Max Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy, recorded a 30 second phone message going out to 500,000 Massachusetts voters in over 200,000 households between now and the election tomorrow. Listen to Max's message here and sign up now to get make calls to undecided voters in these crucial final hours of the campaign!

Everyone of us has a story about why we support Alan, and it is our stories that will help sway the 30% of likely voters who are still undecided about whom to support in this primary. Even if you have just half an hour, you can make calls today and tomorrow (no previous experience necessary) -- just e-mail aly@alanforsenate.com or sign up here and we'll get you trained and set up within minutes. As you can hear in Max Kennedy's message, and in the two dozen Citizen Testimonials below, personal messages are extremely powerful in swaying undecided voters. Please lend us just a few minutes of your time today to help propel Alan to victory.

News

12.05.2009

Alan Khazei: Washington needs another Mr. Smith

Source: Cape Cod Times

Impressed with his insight, depth of knowledge on local, national and international issues, ability to build broad-based coalitions and grassroot networks, we recommend Alan Khazei in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. He is exactly the kind of man that Washington needs.

Video

Alan Khazei: "New Ideas"

All Videos >>

The Boston Globe Endorses Alan Khazei

For Democrats - Alan Khazei for Senate

Globe Editorial Staff - November 29, 2009

ONE MAN’S talents and fame are not the only reasons why the US Senate seat being filled in January is legendary. The seat is the vehicle for promoting the ideas of a vast network of Massachusetts leaders in fields as varied as health care, science, law, and, of course, politics. Just as this state is a testing ground for national policies, a senator from Massachusetts should be a leader and an innovator, and an exemplar of the Commonwealth’s tradition of progressive values and independent thought.

The chance to replace one of history’s greatest legislators, Ted Kennedy, attracted a diverse field of Democrats. Predictably, none matches Kennedy’s ability to represent both evergreen values and futuristic thinking. Each comes from a different strand of Massachusetts’ leadership network: business, law, government, and citizen activism. Each represents a cylinder of the state’s policy engine but not the whole machine.

Any new senator will have to grow in the job. Voters must decide who has the capacity to become a great senator in his or her own right, and fully vindicate the interests of their Massachusetts constituents.

With high hopes, the Globe endorses Alan Khazei, the prime mover behind national-service policies, as Massachusetts’ best chance to produce another great senator.

The 48-year-old Khazei offers a strong vision for success in the Senate, channeling the energy of activist groups and private-sector policy incubators while dedicating himself to the laborious task of building legislative coalitions.
He offers a time-tested and relevant example of this approach: his two decades of work bringing together politicians of both parties and citizen-activists to develop a national service plan. The recent service bill named for Kennedy and providing for 250,000 volunteers in a domestic Peace Corps is largely the fruit of his labors.

Khazei promises to apply the same principles to other issues, believing that building a grass-roots network for change while demonstrating both commitment and a willingness to compromise in pursuit of common ground can break down political barriers. This isn’t just hopeful rhetoric. Khazei speaks admiringly of streetwise education reformers who, having seen challenging conditions in urban classrooms, dreamed up such innovations as charter schools and Teach for America. Along the way, these activists had to elbow their way around established interest groups that tried to squeeze them out of the policy debate. With the support of an energetic and idealistic senator, public policy can flourish.

Extended to issues like health care, the environment, energy, and job training, this entrepreneurial model of progressive politics offers hope for real improvements. It moves away from Reagan-era skepticism about government without relying on traditional government programs to provide all the answers.

In supporting Khazei, the Globe believes that this state’s future depends on new ideas. The next Massachusetts senator should be the person who best embodies forward-looking thinking, and not the traditional paths to power.
All of Khazei’s Democratic rivals are impressive in their own realms. Representative Michael Capuano proudly combines a bring-home-the-bacon approach to politics and a steadfast independence exemplified by his votes against the Iraq war and the Patriot Act.
Capuano traces his virtues to his working-class roots. Despite his close family, Ivy League education, and successful career in Congress, he believes himself to be underestimated and type-cast because of his Somerville upbringing. He often expresses a sense of class-based anger. Any such us-against-them attitude is inherently divisive, and makes a deeply admirable quality - his desire to stand up for average people - seem more like personal grievance. Capuano could well broaden his approach in the Senate, but his decision to base his current campaign on populist anger suggests that he doesn’t really want to change.

Attorney General Martha Coakley, by contrast, is measured and analytical. An exemplary public servant, Coakley has spent her life in law enforcement, as a prosecutor and, for the past three years, as the state’s top public advocate.
She combines a no-nonsense courtroom demeanor with a down-to-earth reasonableness - a personality that would play well in the Senate. But she hasn’t displayed as much policy drive and legislative energy as her rivals; her approach to a proposed second stimulus plan is to wait and test the effectiveness of the first one. It’s a responsible, perhaps even refreshing, instinct, but one more befitting an AG than a senator confronting the worst job picture since the Great Depression.

Private-equity partner Stephen Pagliuca promises to apply his business acumen to the economy, and if he were running for governor, his experience sizing up companies would be directly transferable to the public realm. As a senator, he would be in a position of advising his colleagues on business and health care policy, another of his specialties.

A wealthy man, Pagliuca sincerely wishes to give back to his community, a spirit that animates both his part-ownership of the Boston Celtics and his commitment to helping build a life-sciences center in Allston. He comes across less as a senator than as a builder or entrepreneur. Pagliuca would be a valuable adviser to the next senator, but an imperfect fit for the job itself.

Khazei, for his part, is also a risk. His policy background is unconventional, and he was unknown to most voters before launching his short campaign. But in choosing a senator who could end up serving a long time, Massachusetts should concentrate on a candidate’s potential, as much as any other single factor.

All four Democrats are likely to vote the same way on most major issues. The differences lie in leadership and personal style. In both, Khazei’s brimming potential stands out.

At this moment, he is more of an impassioned amateur than a seasoned pro. But his energy, idealism, and intelligence - combined with a grounded sense of how the Senate works - is unusual, and gives voters a chance to support a new, home-grown approach to politics. He isn’t trying to line up just enough constituencies to eke out a win; he’s asking voters to sign on to a vision - a less top-down, less programmatic way of improving people’s lives. His emphasis on capturing the energy of private initiatives and translating it into the conventions of the Senate feels rooted in Massachusetts and the Kennedy legacy, but also appropriate to this moment in history.