By Sofia Friedman
One of my favorite Jewish teachings comes from Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa (try saying that 10 times fast!). The teaching asserts that we should keep two pieces of paper in each of our pockets at all times: one says, “The world was created for me” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 37B), and the other: “I am but dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:37). The traditional interpretation suggests we have both papers so we can simultaneously celebrate the importance of our life and individuality and remember our modest place in a big world. …
By Dave Cavell
I’m currently running in the 4th Congressional District Democratic primary against nine other candidates. In a race like mine, that means I could conceivably win the primary with 20% of the votes cast, meaning that even if 4 out of 5 voters cast a ballot for another candidate, I would still win. That’s crazy.
That’s why I’m planning to win on September 1, but also work to make sure I’m one of the last people ever elected this way. We need innovative election reform and a leader who is unafraid to call for it.
That’s why I’m…
As we celebrate the anniversary of marriage equality, we can’t forget the fight ahead
By Dave Cavell
Today, we celebrate the fifth year anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriage legal nationwide and guaranteed same-sex couples equal protection under the law. This decision changed the course of history, granting long overdue civil rights to the LGBTQ community and bolstering the integrity of our nation.
And even though we cannot celebrate with the giant and incredible parades we know Pride month usually bring, this year feels particularly joyous due to the recent Supreme Court ruling, which made workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexuality…
As a member of Congress, I will make the opioid epidemic my day one priority.
By Dave Cavell
Today five people will probably die in Massachusetts from an opioid overdose. Dozens more will overdose and be brought back with lifesaving doses of naloxone. When I was working with Attorney General Maura Healey, the office launched a nation-leading lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, who manufactured OxyContin. Through that work, I met countless families whose lives have been upended by this crisis. Parents who had to bury a child. Grandparents raising grandchildren. People still struggling in their battle against substance use, desperate for help as they navigate never-ending waiting lists, treatment shortages, and setbacks…
By David F. Cavell
Today marks Pulse Remembrance Day. Four years ago today, forty-nine people were taken from us, and fifty-three others were hurt in a cowardly attack that targeted members of the LGBTQ community in a space where they were meant to dance, love, and live peacefully. As we grieve and stand in solidarity with families, friends, and survivors whose lives were forever changed on that night, our commitment to prevent future atrocities remains strong.
Gun violence continues to devastate our country, and Republicans have failed to take action repeatedly. They have consistently fought against comprehensive gun reform, blocking…
By David F. Cavell
I have been struggling with what to say about the recent murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the subsequent protests. Even as a former speechwriter who has had to write about everything from war to mass shootings, I am still searching for the words to meet this moment of anguish and grief.
As a white man, I believe I should be listening and learning more than I am speaking right now. I’ve never had to think through how to stay safe if I get pulled over. I’ve never felt the searing pain of racial slurs…
By David F. Cavell
It’s official: the Boston Marathon will not take place in 2020. When I heard this news, my heart sank, as I know it did for everyone who was looking forward to it — especially our neighbors in Hopkinton. The Marathon is the best day of the year in Massachusetts. We already knew the Marathon was postponed from its usual place in April: those beautiful Patriots Day Mondays when streets are closed, the Red Sox toss their opening pitch before noon, and all of us come together to celebrate and raise money for worthy causes. It was…
By David F. Cavell
I don’t have to tell you that we are living in unprecedented times. We can feel it in our everyday lives — we are finding a new normal, masked and six feet apart. Some of you are on the front lines of this crisis, trying to keep our country afloat after a disastrously confusing and hesitant response by the Trump administration has left us completely vulnerable. Many of us have lost someone to the virus; almost all of us know someone who has.
And still, this administration continues to fail us. Attorney General Barr has stripped…
By David F. Cavell
We are about to enter into the most important trial of our electoral system since World War II. Already, the coronavirus response has resembled wartime mobilization — we’ve seen heroic efforts by frontline medical workers, grocery clerks, and others, lockdowns and curfews to stop the spread of the disease, unthinkable tragedy and loss of life on a scale not seen since the 1918 flu pandemic. Now we need to prepare for a battle on another front: defending our democracy.
No matter what, we cannot ask Americans to choose between their safety and their right to vote.
…
Professionalism and accountability in government have become a moral imperative
By Dave Cavell
Every day during the COVID-19 pandemic, we watch in horror as numbers continue to rise: of those infected and lost, of millions filing for unemployment assistance, of spiraling costs to our businesses and economy. Alongside it, we need to keep track of another number: how many of these tragic consequences were preventable.
To truly confront this crisis and learn from its horrifying lessons, I believe we have to begin by acknowledging that President Trump’s failure to take basic, critical steps in January and February — and long before — to protect our country, our economy, and our…
Cavell for Congress
The official Medium page for the Dave Cavell congressional campaign
