Host Rachel Miselman discusses diplomacy and the rise in polarity under the current state of the Massachusetts political climate.
WBCA Podcasts
Bostonian Rap
Hello and welcome to Bostonian Wrap. My name is Rachel Meiselman and you were listening to me on WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston. This is Boston's Community Radio Station. We're going to go to a quick disclaimer and then we're going to come right back on and jump in to tonight's show. The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network 3025 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617 708 3215 or email radio at BNNMedia.org. Hello and welcome back to Bostonian Wrap. Again, my name is Rachel Meiselman and you're listening to me on WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston, Boston's Community Radio Station. So on last week's show, I focused a lot on behavior. So it was still politically themed but I was really kind of zeroing in on a few different phenomena in terms of behavior. Yes, it was directed toward or mostly the examples I gave were politicians, politicians that engaged in this behavior, that embodied this behavior. But I always like to remind people that I did start off doing social and political commentary and that's what I'm still doing. I've been doing it for 16 years. And my argument, the reason why I've never just done straight politics is because what we are doing on a daily basis, how we interact with one another. The lexicon that we use, the behaviors that we adopt, all of this sooner or later it's going to spill over into the political arena. And so Bostonian Wrap has always been about initiating, I don't want to use the word provoke, but initiating thoughtful conversation in the marketplace of ideas, but also acting as verbalized observation. And then when I, of course, when I actually blog or write a piece or an article, it's been that written observation. And through a lot of people that, you know, that might seem a little bit jarring, you know, pairing verbalization, you know, speaking with observing and describing observation also as being written when it's about seeing, right? It's about seeing. It's about taking in. It's about, it's not about being invisible. It's about being present and just really absorbing what's around you. I do qualify it. I do try to describe the observation because I am effectively either articulating what I saw, what I see, or writing about it, right? Whether I'm, you know, on a microblogging site such as X or from actually, I have to get my blog going again. But, you know, if I'm actually blogging my own personal blog or if I'm writing, writing an article, as I said, it's, again, it's creating, if not a physical record, an electronic record, if you will, of what I saw. It's so funny, isn't it? Because when we think about punditry in general, and when we think about politics, there's this idea that you have to always be on and that you always have to be talking. You always have to command the spotlight. And if you're not sucking up a good percentage of the oxygen in the room, will you just, you just not, you're not there, you're not present. And I disagree with that. I disagree with that greatly. I am a very conservative person. I'm a very conservative woman. And I, I, it's not just about my position on this issue or that issue. It's really about the way in which I see the world, the lens to which I look at the world. I have an idea of what an elected official should be like. And I talked about that at length on an episode of Bostonian rap, but on television. And it aired, the air date was just on Monday. It was just on Monday. And people should already be able to watch it. It should already be up. And there will also be re-air dates. So just check out the TV guide, the program and guide on BNN. And you should see my show and just check it out. I invite you to, I talk a lot about public servants. And I have very much, I have a very strong idea of what, what a public servant who holds office, what he should be like. And it's, it's just, it's not, it doesn't mesh with what I see today. We have a lot of people and it's about narrative. It's about someone's backstory. It's about hashtags. And the most amazing thing about these hashtags, and I've, I've said this before, but it certainly bears reiteration. These hashtags, it's, it's image, right? It's public persona. And often these hashtags don't, they don't bear much resemblance to the reality of the person that is using these public markings, if I can phrase it like that. So one of the examples I give is Julia Mejia, you know, hashtag all means all. But the reality is that she spent, she has spent most of her time. And I, I say this respectfully, but I think there's this idea that if we speak honestly, and it's not positive, or it's not a fusive praise, it's not glowing praise, then we're being negative, that we're being harsh. That I mean, sometimes I suppose that I can be, but if a person is, is, is expressing an opinion, and it doesn't amount to approbation, if you're not giving someone props, it doesn't mean that you're trying to tear somebody down, and you're trying to be hurtful or you're nasty, doesn't necessarily have to mean any of that. And in fact, if we had more honesty, maybe people wouldn't run around and behave the way that they do, they wouldn't feel that, that they could get away with it. And that's, of course, for the people, and I'll be more specific, the elected officials, I think they can get away with anything. And then of course, their people, whether they're community leaders, but they serve air quotes there in a different capacity. And maybe what looks like them trying to get away with things, and maybe to a certain extent they are, it's more inadvertent than anything else as their activity. But the point is, is that we need more honesty, we need more candor. And as I start to say, the reality is, Julia, my key, there are positive things you can say about Julia, but she didn't come to the council, she didn't arrive and hit the ground running, so to speak, she didn't set out to represent everybody. She approached her work more as an activist. And so that's why I said, look, if you want to be an activist, and, and, you know, so I wasn't, so it didn't seem like I was just kind of directing it at her toward her. But my idea was, my point was if you want to be an activist, go be an activist, but don't cash checks for being an activist as an elected official. As an elected official, your job, I understand that you don't leave your opinions, your, your, your positions, your, your work, what's close to your heart, you don't leave that at the door when you, when you get sworn into office. Having said that, you should still be able to move with a certain amount of objectivity. And that's not what Julia did. And it was very, her activity was very agenda driven. And it was more in line with, as I said, being an activist, right? So all means all one fact, she wasn't representing everybody. And she quite frankly still has a ways to go. It's every neighborhood. And it's every person, regardless of the person's background, you know, his zip code, his skin color, his ethnic background, his faith, whether we're talking male, female, born in bread or immigrant, it's just none of it matters if it is a constituent. In any one of the boss, if it's, if it's the resident in any one of the Boston neighborhoods or the Harbor Islands, it's a constituent of Julia Maheas. And she needs to, she needs to function as if she understands that. You know, you have Erin Murphy, she, another hashtag, you know, they're both, they both graduated from an emerge program, right? So it seems like a lot of the alumni, they, they're big on hashtags. Lydia Edwards, I believe, yeah, I believe she's an emerge alum alum, alumna too. I haven't seen hashtags. I haven't seen her use hashtags. But you know, a lot of the other alumni, they, they, they're big on branding, they're big on branding. And, and I get it to a certain extent. And I understand how politics has, has really, it's taken on a commercial feel and look. And so I get that people who are running for office who hold public office, they are products, if you will, I do get that. But at the end of the day, it's still about, it's still about providing your constituency with access to the existing resources. It's about solving problems. And, and if it's outside of your purview, working with people that can bring about a resolution, it's, at the end of the day, it's not it's, it's, it's not commercial. It's, it's, it's visceral. In other words, it's, it's something that you really, it's not about bottom line. It's, it's, well, I mean, bottom line and so far as you can, you're either willing to do the job and understand what it is or you're not. And if you're not, then you shouldn't be there. But it's not about a bottom line per se. And, you know, like how much money is being brought in? The efficiency or how someone, the efficiency of someone who holds public office, how that's judged is his willingness, his record of, of listening to constituents. Right? So, and I talked about that a lot. So I do hope you get a chance to, to check out the televised version of Bostonian rap. And again, it aired. The original air date was on December 2nd. So you should be able to, to check it out now. But for me, Ed Flynn is, he's, he's a gold standard because he, he has a lot of courage. He has a lot of courage because I think that there's, there's, there's this desire or this, there's this push. That's a better word. There's this push to, as I said, render politics really, like make a commercialize it. And he's just very nuts and bolts and what do my constituents need? That's what drives me, not an agenda, but the needs and concerns of my constituency. And so I actually started to, to mention, I started to talk about Erin Murphy and her hashtag, although I don't know how much she uses it now, but coming together. That was her thing. You know, she is going to bring people together. And I mean, it's, I'm wearing my diplomatic hat right now. Oh, you can't say it, but it's huge and it's massive. And it's on my head. It's just firmly on my head. And I say that because I, this isn't about, I mean, there are other times when I freely criticize Erin Murphy and I have very good reasons to do that. But I, like right here in this very instance, it's, it's just about that honesty I was talking about a little bit earlier. She hasn't brought people together. And she's been fighting, arguing with her colleagues, with Mayor Wu. And I do believe that there is a time and a place where you might not be on the same page as as colleagues. And I think that, that's okay. In fact, that's good. That's healthy. That's what we need. It's, it's not about being on the other end of an argument with Michelle Wu, though, it's, it's not about being combative for the sake of being combative. And so, you know, coming together, how coming together to argue, coming together to fight, because the, the other one I almost forgot, and I don't know how, because she, she used it, she used to use it, like incessantly actions, not just words. The reality is though there haven't been much, there hasn't been much action. There hasn't been. And she herself admitted it. After her, her, she got clobbered in her, her, her bid for a clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court, she never should have run for that. She had, she did not have any qualifications whatsoever. And the fact that people were even willing to entertain her candidacy and the fact that she was able to raise money, that's, that's some privilege right there. That's some serious privilege. And for her to complain that she's being just somehow discriminated against or, or she has been somehow discriminated against, she's not being treated fairly. She's not being given fair shake. I would argue, if anything, that Aaron Murphy has been treated with respect that she has not earned. And she's been treated with kid gloves in terms of questions about her performance, about her positions and asking her to explain, provide details. I mean, she's really, really kind of coasted. You know, so Julia Mejia, all means all. Aaron Murphy coming together and actions not just words. So it's, the marketing doesn't match the product, right? And ultimately, Boston, Boston is not, that's not what it's about. Boston is about, it's about being pragmatic. If I would say that if, if pragmatism had a birthplace, if it were actually, if we could, the personification of pragmatism, right, I would say that it's birthplace is Boston. People are no frills, no nonsense. And that's what I know. And that's what I grew up with. And that's what I want to see. I don't care about hashtags. And I don't care about trends. I care about nuts and bolts. And that doesn't mean that there's no room for vision. There of course is, but if there's no grasp of the nuts and bolts, then what kind of vision could one possibly have? Because it's, if one doesn't understand the fundamentals, any vision, so-called vision that one might have, it's, it's not in that instance, in that context then about, we're not even talking about feasibility. It's, it's, it's just really on a more, I think, basic element, elementary level, it's, it's about, is this even worth articulating? Because against all odds is one thing, damn near impossible is one thing. But it's, one has to understand already what is in front of one's face. That's what we need. We need our return to pragmatism. And, you know, to kind of piggyback or continue with what I discussed in last week's show, I think that what has been greatly privileged is this idea about getting attention. And being low-key, which again is what Boston is and no frills, that doesn't get, that doesn't get one noticed. Notice, attention, tears, relikes, views. And that's really, really unfortunate because, you know, as I explained on my Monday show in the television studio, that's what kept Boston from falling prey to all the, the problems that had embroiled so many other cities across the nation. We don't do trends here. And so I guess, as I said in the last week's show, that's why I don't want to hear about how people are seeking greater understanding of, of opposing views. I just, I'm not interested in participating in any activity along those lines. I'm not saying I'm going to categorically rule it out. But I'm very leery, very wary, because I just feel like wherever you fall in the political spectrum, I mean, obviously, not including the extremes, right on either side. I feel like there should have been room all along to entertain, to consider other points of view and the fact that it took a trend. And I don't know how it got kicked off, but that it took a trend for people not to be quite honestly, so self absorbed. I just, I, I, yeah, I, I don't want to have any part of it. I'm going to go to a quick break now. When I come back, we're going to continue to talk about this, this idea about listening to other people, learning from other people, and what we need to really kind of turn things around, not only just the climate, but also to add balance to the political landscape. And that last bit is going to take me into discussing the Massachusetts Republican Party because we have elections for chairman coming up in January. So stay tuned because you don't want to miss that. Let's quick, let's quickly go to a little bit of a break. Dear grandma, I can't wait to see you. We can bake your special cookies, play cards. 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Visit nhtsa.gov/therightseat, brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council. Hello, and welcome back to Boss Joni and Rap. If you're just tuning in, thank you so much. I'm really grateful for that. If you've been with me from the top of the hour, well, know that I'm super grateful for that too. I just, I really enjoy people listening and it really is a privilege to be able to speak to you and then receive your feedback and suggestions and have your conversation. So, yes, thank you, thank you, thank you. You are, of course, listening to me on WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston. This is Boston's Community Radio Station, community that's me and you, you and me. So before I went to that bit of a break, we were talking about just what makes Boston work, what Boston is all about. And, you know, I'm going to be increasingly vocal. I'm going to get increasingly vocal. I want to see more people like Ed Flynn. I want to see more people who are driven by what their constituents need, not what they want as elected officials, but what their constituents need, what their constituents want to see. That's really how it should work. It shouldn't work any other way. And so, you know, these people that all of a sudden want to listen to others and interface with others, you know, as I've said already now more than a few times, it can't be stressed enough. I just, I'm not, for the most part, I'm just, I'm not interested in being party to any of those discussions. And it's so funny because I remember, I remember living abroad and I remember thinking about how lucky I was to be an American because there was so much tolerance and there was, there was this wonderful, beautiful, magnificent freedom that we all have to be ourselves. You know, I'm thinking, oh, you know, I had so much freedom. You know, all Americans, we have so much freedom. We can, we can speak as we wish. We can dress as we wish. We can look as we wish. We can be individuals. And so sometimes America, of course, gets slammed for this, this focus on the individual and it gets, it gets translated as Americans being selfish. Oh, you know, Americans, this, this individualism. But I think, I think that it's a beautiful thing. And I think that we are tolerant of minorities. We are very tolerant of minorities, right? Because as the late, great, Ein Rand said, the smallest minority is what one person. And so rather than being selfish, I think this focus on self, this focus on individualism is actually, it's a beautiful thing. And it's, I think it's, it's allowed so many Americans, so many of us to just really create and innovate and just inspire, right? But I also remember where I still lived abroad coming back home. And I would generally come home the longest I ever went without coming back to the United States was about a year and a half. So that was, that was a long time for me. So I did come back pretty regularly. It was like about once a year. And I remember over time, I would see differences. And generally, I was home for about a week or two, no more than that. But yeah, I remember seeing differences. And I just, I didn't like them. I didn't like them. And that, that freedom that I cherish so much, I began to see changes. And then of course, when I came back, it was like, whoa, okay. Wow. You know, because you have people who, who don't appreciate what you have to say. But of course, they want to be heard. You have people who sometimes, not only do they just simply dislike what you have to say, but they want to, I'll use what is now a hack need, a trite, trite expression. They, they try to cancel you. And I mean, that just goes against everything that I believe in. It's, it goes against, it goes against what I know to be American. It goes against what I know to be a Bostonian. And it's just my character. I just, I don't, I don't like this. I don't like these echo chambers. I don't care if I agree with what's being said in an echo chamber at a particular point in time. It doesn't matter. The fact that it's an echo chamber, the people who, who are, who are coming together as one to, to express a particular stance, that for me is, is going to override my shared, my shared stance. The fact that I agree with those people, it's going to be a very much distant second to the fact that for these people, this position is about not merely having it, but believing that anyone who doesn't share it, there's something wrong with that person that there, these, that there's then, these are true attributes and these negative attributes that are affixed, that are stuck to a person because he or she, or maybe they, you know, maybe it's a group of people that, that don't have the same point of view, and I don't like that. I don't like, another thing I don't really like is that it's, it's become so bad. So for obviously, let me just say this, for all the people that like, and it's artificial, right, but for all the people who want to suddenly hear what other people have to say, there's still plenty of people who, who are not interested in that, right? But they're just more honest, that's all. But, but there are people, because it's just gotten so bad that we, it's become so polarized and, and, and people have become so turned inward, if I could phrase it like that, that it's not only, it's no longer enough just to have the same position as someone else, it has to be articulated in the same way, at the same volume. And if it's not articulated in the same way, at the same volume, then, then it's, it's all wrong, it doesn't count. Look, we need, we need people who, who, who think, who, who can think critically, who are going to listen to other people, who are going to contemplate what someone else might be experiencing or encountering. We, we need to, to freshen up. We need to brighten up. And we need to fix up the marketplace of ideas, because it's just become this very, like dark and dingy place. And, and, and I will say this in every show, if I have to, I mean, there's certain points, and I say that often do, but the, but there really truly are certain points that I have no problem with repeating again and again and again. But we, but we really do need to listen to other people. We have Celeste Headley, and I absolutely adore her. And she's known, of course, for being a speaker, a great, tremendous speaker, an interviewer, a writer, and her TED Talk. It's, I'm paraphrasing the title, but it's essentially, you can find it very easily. And I've referenced this TED Talk before, because I absolutely adore it. It's how to have a great conversation, how to have a good conversation. And so much of it is, is just focused on just being a great listener. And one of the most profound lines of lines, sentences, things that she said during her TED Talk was, I always grew up, when I was growing up, I always had the idea that I had something to learn from everybody. And when I think about Ed Flynn, it's, that's, that's, that's how, that's how Ed operates. Ed thinks, Ed truly thinks that he has something to learn from everybody. So he listens. You know, a lot of people can learn quite a bit from him. But then that would require them to listen more than they talk, than they currently talk. And I don't see that happening anytime soon. So that's what I think we need to really change the way we operate and function, because Boston's not, it's nowhere near where it should be. And it's, it's suffered from lack of a lack of an intellectual and political diversity. It's suffered tremendously. There are things that I'm seeing in Boston that I never thought that I would see. Really, truly. And I think that when we do have, I'll say this on a last note before I go into the next and last topic that I really kind of want to delve into. But when we have a lack of political and intellectual diversity, I also think that within we have a lack of intellectual and political courage. And in a place like Boston, that just, it just seems particularly tragic that that's what has happened, right? So I did say that I wanted to talk about not only what I think we need in order to have better conversations, better collaborations, to improve the marketplace of ideas, to to really vastly rework for the benefit of everybody, the political and social fabric. We just, we need, we need to be more accepting and tolerant. And we need to just really, just listen and observe, observe, listen and observe. Two critically important activities that don't happen nearly enough in politics or in the world of activism, which often, as we know, very much overlaps with politics, but sometimes, as I said, more than it should. But I think the other piece of the puzzle to make Massachusetts livable, because Massachusetts really isn't livable right now, Massachusetts, in fact, is a very difficult, extremely difficult environment state in which to live. It's incredibly expensive. It's one of the most expensive in the nation. And I've talked about that extensively. It's not just, it's not just affording housing. It's just, it's everything. It's everything now, because I think that, you know, even what do we, 2024? So even time just, yeah, it's still 2024. But I would say, like maybe 18 years ago, it was, you could still find reasonable rents. I remember, I found, I could, because I lived in Alston for a little bit, fantastic, fantastic neighborhood. I lived in Alston and I paid, I found two places in Alston where I was paying under $500. For rent and utilities. And I mean, it was, it was just, it was awesome. It was awesome. And and that's, I just, it wasn't that long ago, really, 18 years, really that, is it really that long ago? I mean, a lot can happen in 18 years, but I feel like the extent to which the cost of living has risen, it's just, there's something incredibly wrong. We just, certain things are being done while others are not. And it's just, some people have clearly had free reign and, or maybe a better way to put it is some people, if yes, some people have had free reign, they've been able to do, as they please, at the expense of, at the rest of us. And the people who were supposed to safeguard our interest and in watch out for our well-being have not been doing that. I think that's probably a better, more apt way to describe what has happened. But the rent, the mortgages, it's crazy. And, and I have to get this in here. I would be remiss if I didn't. I'm so tired of people talking about, I'm incredibly, tired of people talking about the underserved, the underprivileged. Look, I got news for you, when they say underprivileged, underserved, they're invariably talking about black and brown people. But I got news for you, there are plenty of white people who are underserved and underprivileged. They really, truly, and I'm going to tell you something, and not all black and brown people are underserved and underprivileged. You have black people who are wealthy, black and brown people, right? And, and I understand that poverty in certain societal ills can impact one group, or several groups more than others. I get all that. But we just categorically assign narratives to people just by looking at them. And, and that's wrong. And it hasn't, it hasn't served us at all. It hasn't done us any, any, any good. In fact, it's just been, it's been very much the opposite. So, to my point, you have, you have now, all these people who are supposedly underserved and underprivileged, and as I said, they're black and brown. And we're ignoring people who are white, or black and brown people who are middle class, along with some of these white people. And it's just really tough for them too. You know, I, I was talking to a fellow Republican, and I should have him on. And he was like, you know, look Rachel, like, I, I live in such and such place. And I kind of tell you, I, it's, it's not easy for anybody or any of us, most of us. And, and he was right. And it's, it's just, I don't understand why there can't be this, this acknowledgement of that. You know, it's not about zip code. It's not about skin color. I mean, I understand the concerns and about some zip codes and, and, and in some groups of people, if they happen to live in those zip codes, I understand that there's some truth to some of the narratives that people push religiously and ferociously. I'm just saying though that the, this is, this doesn't amount to a categorical truth. It's not the whole truth. And so there are a lot of people who, who are in need. In fact, someone else close to me said something that I thought was really profound. You know, you have people who don't have anything. And then you have people who are wealthy. And there's a middle ground. It's like this middle area. It's gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. And it's just, she says, I mean, she didn't say anything vulgar, but I'll use a different word. You know, it stinks and it does. It really, really, truly does. It does stink. It is horrible. It's tough because you could be denied food stamps because you make $3 more than a number that some bureaucrats came up with. Some hack politicians. But you're not necessarily any more in the position to be able to buy all your groceries from week to week. No more capable perhaps than someone who is able to access the food stamps. I guess we say snap now. I still say food stamps because I'm in my early 50s and that's what was said when we were growing up. When I was growing up, we said food stamps. Now, I guess the newer generations and then just everyone today, you know, the terminology is snap, snap benefits. But same thing. But my point is that you have people that are in the middle and it's just really difficult because you have to navigate. You might wind up homeless and then you have to figure out how you're going to manage. You might have a home. You might have two or three jobs, but it's still not enough with the expenses that you might have. You perhaps have. So you, again, you have to navigate. You have to figure things out. And that's not right. That's not right at all. I don't care where you are on the socioeconomic ladder. You have a right to be heard. And I think that when you have a state like Massachusetts where it is a one party state, people don't feel like they have to be specific. Politicians don't feel like they have to listen to you. What's going to happen if they don't? You know what my favorite is? Oh, well, you're going to be voted out soon. How's that going to happen? Let's look at Aaron Mikeowitz. I've been very critical of Aaron Mikeowitz lately. I'm going to get into that. That's a story that needs to be unpacked. But Aaron Mikeowitz, let's look at him. He's been in office, well, what, like 14 years, something like that. Let's say something like that approach. Maybe it's a little bit more. Maybe it's a little less. But that's where he's been in office for quite some time. And when he ran, there was a Republican candidate. And I believe that there was an independent candidate as well. Okay, guess what? Once Aaron got in, Aaron Mikeowitz got in, he got elected. That was it. And that's how it works, especially in Boston. If there isn't a Democrat that wins the seat, that Democrat generally has that seat as long as he or she wants. Really? That's how it works. Because it's just if you're liked well enough by the right people, if you don't piss off the wrong people, which are the right people to please, you just you have the position as long as you like. And I don't think that's right. I don't think that's right. So there's that. But Mikeowitz also has not had any Republican challenger since because we just stopped running Republicans and we have to change that. And so I'm going to continue to insist that we need a two party state. And you know what burns me up is when I hear Republican candidates that are running statewide, but yeah, I got to get an imposting because you know, I'll say, well, you know, Boston, you know, there's this issue, there's that issue. And then the response is, as I start to say, yeah, you know, yeah, I got to get an impostor. I just can't figure out how can I, and I'm like, sitting there looking at the prison, like, wow, I can help you. I can show you around. And obviously at the end of the day, and I hate to say this, but I have to ask even of the candidates whom I really like, I have to ask how much of an interest is there because I think if there were a greater interest, we would have some candidates. We don't. And so what I'm going to be talking about, a fair amount, is that there are going to be elections in January, as I believe I mentioned earlier, for a party chairman. It's every two years that we vote. Amy Carnavoli, whom I love, I think she's fantastic. She is running for a reelection. And so I'm going to talk a lot about her, but to be fair, I'm going to tell people all the choices that, you know, all the candidates that present themselves. Unfortunately, while we, the people cannot vote, we can certainly reach out to our state committee man and state committee woman. And we all have them. We just have to know what our state Senate district is. And that's, you know, that's how we know who our state committee man and state committee woman is. But I think, I think we need to keep Amy because we're on the right track. She understands the importance of the two party state and for the people who are complaining, wow, there are a lot of seats that Ron contested. Well, the reality, the cold reality is, is we need to build an infrastructure. And so coming out of the gate, we're not going to have a candidate for every single public office in every election. But we're certainly moving in the right direction. And I want to make that argument as to why that is. But that's all I have time for. I thank you so much for listening. And I look forward to hanging out with you next week. The preceding commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302-5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts-02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617-708-3215 or email radio@bnandmedia.org.