Bostonians rushing into the breach

In the 20th episode of “Talk It OUT: LGBTQ Voices In A Queer Election Year,” we visit Massachusetts, among the least likely of swing states — the only state where bumper stickers could boast, “Don’t blame me, I voted for McGovern.”

Massachusetts is important because it demonstrates what folks in deep blue states can do to pitch in to help secure a Kamala Harris victory on November 5.

That might mean canvassing and driving voters to the polls in nearby purplish New Hampshire.

It might mean traveling to Scranton, Pennsylvania, the weekend before the election to pitch in on two key congressional races (here and here), on Bob Casey’s Senate reelection fight, and in the crucial effort to put the Keystone State’s 19 electoral votes in the Democratic column.

And for committed activists looking to contribute while staying in their own neighborhoods, it might mean spending Sunday afternoons writing letters and postcards to Democratic-leaning voters in swing states.

I speak to Bob Binney, a retired owner of a financial software company who first became involved in politics out of his despair over the results of the 2016 election.

In the eight years since, Bob has become the campaign treasurer to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman and the first person of color to lead that city. Bob is also the chair of the Ward 5 Democratic Committee.

The phrase Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee might conjure images of political machines and big city bosses, but what Bob describes is a picture of concerned citizens finding camaraderie in devoting hours to reaching out to fellow Americans hundreds or thousands of miles away to protect our 250-year-old democracy.

“Talk It OUT” is presented by Gay City News.

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Music courtesy of IMG via uppbeat.io.