Picnic time for Democrats

At the third annual Middlesex Area Democrats’ Democratic Party Picnic, Tom and Anne Larkin served up political potluck spiced with Democratic rhetoric.

The barbeque was held Sunday at the Larkin family’s home on Carlisle Road in Bedford.  It was co-sponsored, by the Massachusetts State Democratic Party.

The main issues at hand were the upcoming primary election for the Fifth Middlesex Congressional District, and the presidential election.

Just after 1 p.m., small groups formed and conversations followed, as guests filled the back yard.

There was no shortage of laughter among like-minded politicos tossing around topics like the worst president ever -- with Buchanan and Pierce as favorite choices.

State Sen. Susan Fargo and Congressional hopeful Niki Tsongas moved from group to group – exchanging a few words with practically everyone with whom they crossed paths.

“This is a really good political gathering based on my senate district,” said Fargo, who has attended the party each of the past three years.

She said there was “good company, good Democrats,” and she was pleased to have the chance to meet candidates running for other offices. “Picnics like this just serve to bring people together. … This is what July has been like every other year,” she said. 

Stacy Monahan, executive director for the Massachusetts Democratic Party attended the barbeque with field organizer Rose Staram, and two interns.

She said the third annual shindig hosted by Middlsex Area Democrats – also known by the acronym, MAD -- was the fourth such backyard barbeque representatives of the state party leadership have attended.

They hope to raise that total closer to 40 by summer’s end in a “friend-building, grassroots” campaign initiative. “The goal is to do one in every district,” she said. 

The MDP set up a table and handed out Mitt Romney flip-flops, and sold “flip flop” T-Shirts.  “We are trying to make Mitt Romney’s life not pleasant on his presidential campaign,” said Monahan. 

Larkin got on the PA system set up on his back deck, and introduced Master of Ceremonies Joe Mullin, saying, “He ran for senate, he ran for governor, and now he’s running for cover.”

Mullin, a former candidate for lieutenant governor, explained the logistics of the “very important” special election – Meehan accepted chancellor’s position – for which the primary will be held Sept. 4. 

Tsongas, who also stopped in Billerica this past weekend to greet supporters, next took the porch to explain why she had decided to enter the congressional race for the 5^th Massachusetts Congressional District seat. 

Tsongas said she got a feel for how Washington, D.C. works while supporting her late husband U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas’ political career, and said she “won’t lose too much time” acclimating herself if elected.

She said she’s running because in Washington she saw that it’s “time to change the tune of our politics. … We definitely need a change in direction.  The War is front and center.”

She also spoke out on the topics of global warming and healthcare.  Of the former hot button issue, she said, “This administration has denied the science” that exhibits we are changing our planet’s temperature. Remarking on the latter, she said, neither Massachusetts nor the country in general can “afford to go another generation without addressing this issue [healthcare].”

State Rep. Jamie Eldridge, a Democrat running against Tsongas, said, “The people of the 5^th are hungering for leadership.”

He said he’s the only candidate in the race to support universal single-payer healthcare. 

Democrats in congress don’t take a stand on important issues, and have done nothing to “cleaned up the cycle of corruption,” said Eldridge. 

He said Democrats “need to be bolder – need to show leadership in [advocating for] healthcare as a right.” 

Ed O’Reilly, who is campaigning for U.S. Senate, said people in Massachusetts are “ahead of the government in wanting change.” He supports getting insurance companies “out of the equation,” with single-payer healthcare systems. 

“Waiting six hours in an emergency room is unacceptable,” he said.

O’Reilly also spoke about his energy initiative, which would be based on the 40 municipal companies in Massachusetts, which are locally controlled, and not for profit.

He said he values public higher education, and advocated for immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. 

He said there is “no military solution,” in Iraq, and “70 to 60 percent of Iraqis think it’s OK” to kill Americans.

“We still have some time,” said O’Reilly, who is not running for anything come September.  “I might be a little more interesting when I come back next year.”

State Rep. Jay Kaufman, a legislator from the 15^th Middlesex District, said, “I remember standing here a year ago, reasonably optimistic about a democrat in the corner office.  My hope is two years from now, we’ll have a Democrat in the White House.”

He said the Democratic revival has been “aided significantly by the colossal, colossal mistakes of Republicans.”

While Democrats can celebrate the errors of their opposing party aiding their party’s resurgence, said Kaufman, it is important to remember the thousands of lives and millions of dollars lost because of those same mistakes.

A straw poll for the democratic presidential candidates was taken by 62 of the guests. 

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina received 15 votes.

Barack Obama, a senator from Illionois, was second with 14 votes. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York got 12, while New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson received 10.

Sen. Joseph Biden from Delaware and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio both tallied five, and Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd and Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel each earned one.

Mullin said, “This is the way you find out who the best candidate is – in backyard barbeques.” 

Tom Larkin said, “Almost every year there’s something brewing – whether or not it’s an election.

“Presidential “Candidates are very interested in this district, because it’s so close to New Hampshire,” said Larkin. The significance of Massachusetts is its geographical proximity to New Hampshire.  Presidential candidates gain tremendous momentum from winning the New Hampshire primary, which is the first in the nation, he said.

He said the major purpose for the picnics, and organizing the Third Middlesex Area Democrats, is to keep the activists active for the next campaign, because there’s always a next campaign.

“We think we had about – a lot of people came and went – but we think we had between 80 and 100 people,” said Larkin. “We try to create that old, backyard political rally atmosphere. I think we were successful in creating that – of course, the weather helps.”