Republicans Recruit Arizona Homeless to Run on Green Party Ticket
The New York Times has brought to light a thought provoking story out of Arizona, where a Republican “political operative” has recruited several homeless people to run for state wide office on the Green Party ticket:
Mr. Pearcy and other drifters and homeless people were recruited onto the Green Party ballot by a Republican political operative who freely admits that their candidacies may siphon some support from the Democrats. Arizona’s Democratic Party has filed a formal complaint with local, state and federal prosecutors in an effort to have the candidates removed from the ballot, and the Green Party has urged its supporters to steer clear of the rogue candidates.
The article paints the three candidates with broad strokes of stereotypical street people descriptions: homeless, “eyes darting back and forth…”, etc.
Now apparently the Arizona Green Party has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block 11 candidates from running on their ballot line:
The Arizona Green Party is asking a federal judge to block 11 candidates from being listed on the Nov. 2 ballot, alleging that they are “shams” and not standard bearers for the Greens.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, also asks the court to declare as unconstitutional the state law that allowed these candidates to qualify as write-in candidates with as little as one vote.
The suit and its request for a temporary restraining order comes four days before Maricopa County elections officials begin printing ballots, and as Secretary of State Ken Bennett is certifying candidates nominated in the Aug. 24 primary.
Read that story here.
You know, I can’t help thinking that if Republicans are so hot to get Greens on the ballot, maybe we should try to get them to recruit some more viable candidates for the Green Party…
It’s a good thing.
This looks like a Green Party gift that will keep on giving. Meaning more Green Party coverage.
First the New York Times covers the Green Party. Tonight Newsweek is covering the Green Party. It takes sensational Green Party stories to break the media blackout.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/08/green-party-tries-to-dump-its-own-candidates.html
The New York Times had Green Party story yesterday.
It’s about homeless people in Arizona on the ballot as Green Party candidates for statewide office.
This is terrific news. The Green Party has always advocated for including everyone in the political process.
The poor in America vote the least. Now the Green Party has three homeless poor as Green Party candidates for office.
It is a great Green Party victory. These poor have a strong voice on the ballot, in the debate thanks to the Green Party. It is how America should work, and thanks to the Green Party ballot status is working.
These good Green Party poor folks now have an opportunity to be heard, and perhaps even elected.
The Times spin is that these Green Party candidates were recruited by the Oil Party.
Whether true on not..
That is not a bad thing. These Green Party candidates could be spectacular successes for America, and the Green Party.
There is always Murphy’s law of unintended consequences.
Already the Green Party is getting coverage in the New York Times that otherwise the Green Party would never have seen.
The major media blackout of the Green Party is broken.
Others will now know the Green Party exists and they may be future Green Party candidates.
And the economic underclass, long abused, and neglected, have three representatives on the ballot as Green Party candidates.
This is one of the Green Party’s great success stories of 2010.
The Green Party story in the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/us/politics/07candidates.html
11 Green Party Conservative // Sep 6, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Interesting Green Party lines from story..
About the Green Party candidate..
The view along Mill Avenue, where the first-time candidates appear to have been emboldened by the exercise, as Mr. Pearcy’s street corner campaign speech last Thursday night attests. Dressed up spiffily, he described himself as the illegitimate son of a stripper who had had run-ins with the law and a tough childhood but who had pulled his life together.
“I’ve been homeless,” he said, his eyes darting back and forth. “I got a place. Anyone can do it. We’re all good enough.”
There was nodding all around, more than when he went into his pitch to solve the budget deficit through the installation of solar panels. As Mr. Pearcy went on, Mr. May whispered “focus, focus, focus” into his ear to get him back on track and help prepare him for a debate in early October, which will be televised across the state
It’s a strong positive Green Party message..