Green Party Watch

With the late addition of Roseanne Barr to the race, we are now looking at a four way Green Party Presidential race.

The Green Party nominates its Presidential slate at the Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention (PNC) in Baltimore, July 12-15, 2012. Delegates to the Green Party’s PNC are elected by the various State Green Parties and Caucuses. The exact number of Delegates and the distribution of them among the states and caucuses has not been determined since the last proposal on the matter was rejected in October 2011.

Although some State Parties will have state run primaries, namely Arizona (Feb. 28), Massachusetts (Mar. 6), DC-Statehood (Apr. 3), and California (June 5), most state parties and caucuses will elect their delegates at state conventions. If you don’t know when and where your state party’s convention is, go here, find your state, and find out.

Here are the candidates:

Kent Mesplay – Dr. Kent Mesplay is an air quality inspector in San Diego County. Dr. Mesplay has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He was born in Papua New Guinea, raised there for the first 10 years of his life. He identifies as 1/16th Blackfoot, and has a strong identification with indigenous peoples and their struggles around the world. Environmental issues and working towards sustainable, localized communities is at the core of Mesplay’s Campaign.

“Sustainability is Security. Humanity must do everything possible to stabilize the climate. Climate change is a public health and safety issue of epic proportions. It has been called the World War III of our time. Cutting way back on carbon emissions is a key step, requiring a change in our lifestyle as U.S. citizens. Scientifically, there is no debate that this is a real issue, that human behavior affects the climate, and that public policy and private action must be geared toward recognizing and correcting the problem.”

Dr. Mesplay previously sought the Green Party nomination in 2004 and 2008.

Jill Stein – Dr. Jill Stein is a mother, housewife, physician, longtime teacher of internal medicine, and pioneering environmental-health advocate. She was the Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party’s candidate for Governor in 2002 and in 2010, and ran for Massachusetts Secretary of State in 2006 and picked up 350,000 votes. She has twice been elected to town meeting in Lexington, Massachusetts. Jill Stein has built a strong campaign team, led by former Green Party co-chair Ben Manski, that has hired on three staff and raised over $40,000 through mid-January. Jill’s campaign has already committed staff to national ballot access, and Dr. Stein has campaigned so far in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, Virginia, DC, Massachusetts and Delaware. She has spoken at Occupy Wall Street events from Dover to Sacramento. The “Green New Deal” is at the center of the Stein Campaign. In her words:

“First, we will guarantee the economic rights of all Americans, beginning with the right to a job at a living wage for every American willing and able to work. Second, we will transition to a sustainable, green economy for the 21st century, by adopting green technologies and sustainable production. Third, we will reboot and reprogram the financial sector so that it serves everyday people and our communities, and not the other way around. Fourth, we will protect these gains by expanding and strengthening our democracy so that our government and our economy finally serve We the People.”

Harley Mikkelson – Harley Mikkelson is retired from a 26 year career with the Michigan Departments of Community Health, Education, and Human Services. He graduated from Michigan State University, served in the U. S. Army and spent one year in South Vietnam. He was an active American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and United Auto Workers (UAW) member, and he has held several union offices. Labor issues are at the core of his platform:

“It is the working class perspective I hope to bring to this race. I do not want the Green Party to be the party of a small group of left wing intellectuals. I want to represent people who shop at Walmart as well as Macy’s. I want to represent working people such as teachers, factory workers, farmers, government employees, health care workers, etc…”

Harley Mikkelson has not filed with the FEC to date.

Roseanne Barr – Comedian, Actress, and Author Roseanne Barr first announced her intent to run for President on the Green “Tea” Party ticket last summer, and made her intent to seek the Green Party nomination official in the last week. Her late entry into the race has prevented her from appearing on primary ballots in California, Arizona, Massachusetts and DC. Roseanne Barr may be more commonly known as a comedian, but she has been an outspoken social justice advocate for decades.

“Both the Democratic and Republican parties are bought and paid for by corporate America and cater to the needs of the highest bidder as opposed to the people they claim to represent. I cannot be bought. I have been a tireless advocate of Occupy Wall Street since Day 1 when I delivered my campaign speech in Liberty Plaza on September 17th, 2011.”

She supported the 2008 Green Party slate of Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente, and supported Cindy Sheehan’s 2010 congressional run against Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Ms. Barr lives in Southern California. You can find out more about Roseanne Barr at her personal website, Roseanneworld.

Additionally, in Arizona, which has very open ballot access laws for Presidential Primaries, six candidates will appear on their ballot. Besides Jill Stein and Kent Mesplay, on the ballot will be Gary Swing, who is also a Congressional Candidate in Colorado, and three Arizonans: Gerald Davis, Michael Oatman, and Richard Grayson. Grayson was a candidate for Congress in 2010,
but was embroiled in a controversy with the Arizona Green Party, which had identified him as a “sham” candidate.

Green Party Watch will be providing regular updates to the Green Party Presidential nomination news section as we hear it.

We will also be posting a Presidential Poll on Wednesday February 1.

For the full story, visit the Topanga Messenger:

Topanga resident David W. Steinman has announced his candidacy for congress as the Green Party candidate for 2012 in the redistricted 33rd District of California, which stretches from Malibu to Palos Verdes.

Steinman, a consumer advocate, author and magazine publisher, has taken on the nation’s most powerful corporate interests. read more »

The California Green Party held a statewide grassroots organizing conference call on January 9th in order to register 100,000 new Greens by Election Day 2012.

This is similar to the efforts by the state party back in 1990/1991 that officially placed the party on the ballot on January 1st, 1992.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

The first training session for all Green Party activists will take place on February 4th, 2012 from 10:30am-2pm. Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA.

The trainer is the only person in the United States who has registered 100,000 Greens. More details on our very special trainer soon.

Space is limited to 40 people, but PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS.

1030am -1100am: How to register voters on the streets
1130am -1:00pm: Voter registration on the streets of Oakland and Berkeley
100pm -1:30pm: How to organize information and process registration materials
1:30pm -2:00pm: How to train and coordinate voter registration volunteers in your county

Learn more, questions, or housing: Contact Marnie at 415.259.7121 or marnie@cagreens.org.

To RSVP: http://cagreens.nationbuilder.com/voter_registration_training

The Green Party of California is receiving a higher concentration of donations since the inception of its new website and donation link, which can be found here. https://cagreens.nationbuilder.com/donate

You also have the option of publishing your donation on the website, letting other people know that you contributed.

The Greens in California are undertaking a monumental effort to register 100,000 new Greens by the end of the 2012 election year.

We welcome all Californians who share the Green vision.
Join us in creating a new politics.

The new website is an improvement over their outdated website, which comes with all the perks of a political party ready to begin leading California.

Here is the link to their new website.

LA Greens & Green Party County Council of LA invite you to our combined annual potluck and celebration:

When: Wednesday, December 21st.
Time: 7-10pm
3916 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City 90230.

Please bring a vegetarian dish to share with others. We also ask that you bring your own re-usable utensils, glasses, plates, and serving containers instead of the single-use disposable kind.

Share in the cheer. Visit with new and old friends. Kids are always welcome.

Vote Green! Live Green! Register Green!

A facebook event page has been set up.

San Fernando Valley Green Michael Mccue says of the event:

Our “Occupy the Future!” event in North Hollywood Monday night was a great gathering of concerned valley voters finding consensus on the issues that really matter to us all. We also raised funds for Green Party presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, from Massachusetts. Many thanks to guest speakers, Mike Farrell, Mayoral candidate, Kevin James, City Controller candidate, Cary Brazeman, Thomas Watson, founder of Love Honor Cherish, and Bill Maxwell of Transition SF Valley. The speakers really made this an important event!

The event marks the third successful fundraiser hosted by the San Fernando Valley Green Party this year.

Here’s a local story on the event.

Veterans Day, for many Americans, means parades, speeches, flags, and the usual political theatrical displays of patriotism. Those who have never experienced war itself can never truly understand the effect on the lives of those who have endured the horrors of warfare.

Since the advent of industrialized warfare in World War I, working people have too often served as cannon fodder in wars for the profits of the ruling class. The dawning understanding of this dynamic has birthed anti-war protests and resistance movements like Occupy Wall Street, which continues to draw veterans and others outraged at the current wars and their cost in lives and a damaged national economy.

“The late singer and composer Phil Ochs wrote ‘It’s always the old to lead us to the wars, it’s always the young to die,’” said Mike Spector, chair of the Green Party of New Jersey. “The young men and women returning from the conflicts are finding themselves in trouble, mentally and physically. As wars become enshrined in the nation’s foreign policy, the more they will be forgotten, tear-drenched home-comings and memorial flag-waving ceremonies to the contrary. The Green Party has always been the party of peace in this country, the true alternative to the parties of ceaseless war. Our goal is to ensure that Veterans Day will eventually be replaced by World Peace Day.”

We in the Green Party have always believed what Gil Scott Heron said: “Peace is not just the absence of war, but the active pursuit of justice.” With this thought in mind, we offer the perspectives of Green veterans on war.

• TE Smith, Washington, DC, member of the DC Statehood Green Party: I am a Black Vietnam vet. Lke hundreds of other young Black males in Washington, DC in the 1960s, I really had no real idea what was going on. There was very little to no conversation or explanation in the Black community about the war, the draft, or much else of real importance. read more »

Here are some initial results from some of Tuesday’s elections involving Green Party candidates:

St. Paul, MN: Greens posted strong results in all 3 city council races they contested, in the city’s first election using instant runoff voting. In Ward 1, Johnny Howard came in 2nd with 26%. In Ward 2, in a race with 5 candidates, Jim Ivey took 27% of first-choice votes, while incumbent Dave Thune had 37%. As no candidate received over 50% of first-choice votes, the race will proceed to runoff rounds, and Ivey could still win the seat. In Ward 6, Bee Kevin Xiong finished 2nd behind a longtime incumbent with 45% of the vote.

Syracuse, NY: New York Green Party standard-bearer Howie Hawkins lost the race for City Council 4th District to Democratic/Working Families nominee Khalid Bey by 82 votes, finishing with 48%. In years of running underdog campaigns, from city council to US Senate and NY Governor, this is the closest Hawkins has come to winning yet.

Philadelphia, PA: In a 3-way race for sheriff, Cheri Honkala finished 3rd with over 10,000 votes for 6.6%. Brian Rudnick earned 12% in a 2-way race for 8th District City Council.

Toledo, OH: Anita Rios earned 1,888 votes to take 29% in a two-way partisan race with a Democratic incumbent.

Arlington, VA: In a 3-way races for 2 seats, Audrey Clement finished 3rd behind 2 Democratic incumbents with 16.5% of the vote.

More results to come! In the meantime, check gp.org or your state’s Green Party page for more info.

In 2009, Green candidates won 35% of municipal elections that they entered. Given this figure, it’s not hard to see that with more Greens running in more local elections around the country, the Green Party could become America’s third major party in the course of a few election cycles. Here’s a shout-out to cities where Greens are leading the way by running more than one candidate in 2011 elections, roughly arranged by population. Will your town be next?

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cheri Honkala, Philadelphia Sheriff

Brian Rudnick, Philadelphia City Council District 8

Baltimore, Maryland

Bill Barry, Baltimore City Council District 3

Douglas Armstrong, Baltimore City Council District 14

Tucson, Arizona

Mary DeCamp, Tucson Mayor read more »

Hugh Giordano, who ran a very effective campaign for state legislature in PA, has written to his supporters asking that they lend their support to Cheri Honkala in her bid to be elected Sheriff in Philadelphia. The letter is printed in full below the fold.

Friends and Supporters,

Thank you once again for your support during my campaign for State Rep. last year. Now, I would like to tell you about a really great candidate that I am supporting for Sheriff of Phila. in the November Election. Her name is Cheri Honkala and her campaign platform is simple: Keep Families Where They Belong; In Their Homes. Like me, she is running on the Green Party ticket.

One job that a Sheriff performs is enforcing the eviction process of people whose homes are foreclosed. This policy creates homelessness, vacant properties and neighborhood blight. When Cheri is elected, she wants to make some big changes. No more evictions until our economy is stabilized. read more »

GPCA Strategy Gathering in Ventura, CA

All California registered Greens are welcome

Join us in beautiful Ventura, on California’s central coast, for a weekend of fun, inspiration, information and activation!

This Gathering’s format uses the Open Workshop model.
Agenda and topics will be determined by participants on the spot.
This is an easy process – giving all an equal access to agenda creation
All presentations and discussions will be peer-led.

Now is the time to consider leading a discussion, panel presentation or information session!

Is there a topic you would like to see discussed, or want to learn more about?

What is your area of expertise? How can it help other Greens live well and organize in their communities?

Potential discussions could include:

• Campaign tips and tales
• The role of the CA Green Party in today’s political landscape
• Successful framing of issues in discussions and the media
• “Secrets of My Success:” tips for registering massive numbers of Green voters
• “We Did It!” Major successful actions in our area.
• Creative marketing and “branding” of the CA Green Party so people “feel it”
• Activist heroes and heroines

Pre-registration begins now,
Suggested $25 per person payable at the door (includes 2 meals, coffee, tea, and snacks throughout)

The creation of the agenda will occur during the first hour of the Gathering.
You will be asked to offer and weigh various proposals to guide the discussion for the weekend. Because this first hour is so crucial, we created a timetable that would ensure the most people could be present, even if traveling from a distance.

TO RSVP: EMAIL earthworks_works@yahoo.com and feel free to ask questions, offer comments.
We will send more reminder emails and updates via this webpage, and Facebook on-going.

For more information and updates, visit http://www.cagreens.org/plenary/index.html

GREEN PARTY MEMBERS WILL SHOW UP AND REGISTER NEW VOTING CITIZENS WITH THE GREEN PARTY/PARTIDO VERDE. IF YOU ARE FREE THAT DAY, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME OUT AND HELP US.

Anyone is welcomed to participate.

Leave a message if you would like to attend.(We can carpool). We will contact you.

Shifts:
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Number of Applicants scheduled to be naturalized: 12,000(6,000 per shift)

Applicants scheduled for 8:00 a.m. should expect to be on their way home by 11:00 a.m. at the latest. Applicants scheduled for 1:00 p.m. should expect to be on their way home by 3:00 p.m.

Arrive at least 30 minutes before the shifts are to begin.

The Democratic and Republican parties are scheduled to be there, so the Green Party needs to be there as well.

“WE ARE NEITHER ON THE LEFT NOR RIGHT, WE ARE FORWARD”

Facebook event page. Check it out! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jello-Biafra/15980682337?sk=wall#!/event.php?eid=154329987971237

Now that the Arizona Green Party is safely on the ballot for 2012, due to successfully getting a ballot access bill through this year’s legislature, Arizona Greens are now organizing a search for volunteer members who will petition to restore the Green Party’s ballot status in neighbor states New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. The party hopes to cover the out-of-pocket travel expenses for its volunteers.

Taken from ballot access news.