Ending one party rule in Massachusetts: United Independent Party

The Boston Globe published my letter to the editor today (A third way for governor). This blog post provides more detail.Massachusetts is the cradle of the American Revolution, and people here enjoy vigorous political debate. We generally have healthy competition between Democrats and Republicans for Governor --including this year when both parties are fielding credible candidates. (I interviewed all nine candidates about healthcare policy earlier this year.) Sometimes the race for US Senate is competitive, too. But beyond that it's pretty much single party rule by the Democrats.That doesn't sound like a prescription for a healthy democracy, and in fact it isn't.From time to time the Boston Globe and other publications draw attention to this sad state of affairs, including in Monday's paper (Few GOP foes for Mass. delegation), where the Globe pointed out that six of nine US House races will be uncontested this November. It's even worse in the state legislature, where just one third of races are contested.I respect what one Congressman has to say about it:

“Look it, I was fully prepared for a campaign. And I expected one. It just didn’t happen,” said Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Worcester who is running unopposed in both the primary and general elections. “For the sake of our democracy, it’s not a bad thing to be challenged. . . . But my job is not to find myself an opponent. That’s somebody else’s job.”

The usual conclusion drawn by such articles, including this one, is that Republicans need to step up and get organized. But they've failed to do so even when they've had strong leaders such as Bill Weld, Mitt Romney, Charlie Baker, and Scott Brown.Part of the problem is clearly a lack of leadership and discipline to build the party at the grassroots level. But there's more to it than that. A fatal flaw is that the national Republican party has moved too far to the right, and has taken positions on social and civic issues that put it outside the mainstream of Massachusetts voters. For example, marriage equality is a settled issue here, people understand the value that immigrants bring to the economy and culture, RomneyCare is broadly popular, and there is a belief that government can work. Even those who don't feel well served by Democrats think twice before voting in someone who identifies with the national GOP on issues like this.Believe it or not, most voters in Massachusetts are independents. As of late 2012 there were close to 2.3 million people registered as independents compared with fewer than 1.6 million Democrats and 0.5 million Republicans.This is why I'm excited about the United Independent Party, which describes itself as follows:

Founded in 2012 by Evan Falchuk and enthusiastic supporters from around the state, the United Independent Party (UIP) is a bold new movement on the Massachusetts political map. It is committed to changing the conversation from “small government versus big government” to one focused on greater accountability to voters, stronger protection of social freedoms, and more innovative, fiscally sane solutions that improve the day-to-day lives of individuals, families and communities.

Laws in Massachusetts make it hard for a new party to establish itself. There are limits on fundraising and it's hard to get candidates on the ballot. But Evan Falchuk easily generated enough signatures to get on the ballot for Governor and if he wins at least 3 percent of the vote then the UIP will qualify as an official party and be able to more easily get its candidates on the ballot. It intends to recruit candidates for a wide array of offices and help express the will of the people in Massachusetts. The demand is there: a 2013 UIP poll revealed that most voters favor an independent party like the UIP, committed to fiscal moderation and the protection of civil liberties.If it sounds interesting to you, have a look at the Falchuk for Governor website and consider changing your voter registration to United Independent Party.----By healthcare business consultant David E. Williams of the Health Business Group