Progressives and Revolutionaries win 25 seats in Local Democratic Party

By Keith Joseph
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Submitted to http://carldavidson.blogspot.com/
June 10, 2009

New Brunswick NJ-- Democrats for Change, a coalition of
moderate, progressive, and revolutionary democrats
inspired by Obama's campaign, shocked the political
establishment in New Jersey's recent primary election
winning twenty-five out of fifty-six Democratic Party
committee seats against New Brunswick's entrenched
Daleyesque political machine.

The election marks the first time New Brunswick's
conservative Democratic Party machine suffered a defeat
at the polls. "For far too long the administration has
heard only the voices of commercial developers and
business," said life-long New Brunswick resident
Charlie Renda, "Yesterday's vote signals the beginning
of a renewal of democracy in New Brunswick" he added.

For many organizers this is the beginning of a larger
political project. "It is time for progressives and
radicals to get out of protest mode and to start taking
power at the local level.  It can be done. We are
proving it," said Keith Joseph a campaign organizer,
"we hope to start uniting with progressives who are
struggling for political power in other cities" he
added.

New Brunswick's Mayor Cahill and party incumbents tried
to play the game of divide and conquer by casting
Democrats for Change as a movement dominated by Rutgers
students.  But like the movement that elected Barack
Obama President, Democrats for Change was a diverse
coalition uniting all of New Brunswick's residents.
"This is a city movement," said Ginile Weeks newly
elected committeewoman, "a city moving forward to
change."

The slate won seats all over the city, including a
sweep of New Brunswick's fourth ward a Black and Latino
working class stronghold far from Rutgers University.
Rutgers students, of course, played pivotal roles
initiating and leading the campaign. "Yesterday Rutgers
University students made it clear with their record
turnouts that they wanted to be represented by
committeemen and -women that truly understood their
needs.  In the districts that are made up primarily of
students in the sixth ward, Democrats for Change
candidates won in landslides" said Mike Shanahan the
new 6-4 committeeman.  "In all of them" continued
Shanahan, "students sent a clear message to the city
that they wanted change."

Democrats for Change emerged out of a campaign to
change New Brunswick's government from an at-large
system to a ward based system.  Yesterday's
unprecedented victory at the polls vindicated the
argument that a ward based system is more democratic,
representative, and desired by the majority of city
residents.

_____________________________________________

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