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by Dave Schwab

14 Greens to Watch on Election Day

November 2, 2010 in National Greens

From Green Change:

Tonight, we will be focusing on the campaigns of 14 transformational Green candidates who are building the Green movement across the country. Some of these candidates are poised for history-making wins. Others are blazing the trail for future success by running party-building campaigns for statewide office.

14 Greens to Watch on Election Day

Jeremy Karpen for IL Assembly – Jeremy Karpen’s vigorous grassroots challenge to a Chicago Machine insider has earned him endorsements from the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Teacher’s Union, Independent Voters of Illinois, and even Chicago Progressive Democrats of America. Karpen, a strong supporter of single-payer health care, affordable housing, mass transit, and progressive taxation, has run a clean-money campaign as part of his commitment to reforming Illinois’ notoriously dirty pay-to-play politics.

Ben Manski for WI Assembly – Ben Manski’s insurgent run has earned the support of Madison’s teachers union, the Madison Capital Times, and leading progressives including Jim Hightower, Medea Benjamin, and Thom Hartmann. The outgoing Democratic assembly member revoked his endorsement of Manski’s main opponent, a Democrat who left the Sierra Club to lobby for the coal industry. Manski is racing to the finish line with the support of a broad transpartisan coalition of elected officials, unions, students, newspapers, and activists committed to renewing Wisconsin’s trailblazing progressive tradition.

Gayle McLaughlin for Mayor of Richmond, CA – With a population over 100,000, Richmond became the largest US city with a Green mayor when Gayle McLaughlin was elected in 2006. Since then, McLaughlin has made Richmond a center of the emerging solar industry, fought successfully to increase taxes on the local Chevron oil refinery while lowering them for small businesses, and brought down violent crime with expanded community policing. Her supporters, including Green For All founder Van Jones, hope that her record of positive accomplishments in office will carry Mayor Gayle to victory.

Hugh Giordano for PA Assembly – Hugh Giordano is a union organizer from Philadelphia’s Roxborough neighborhood whose people-powered campaign has electrified the race for an open seat in a traditionally Democratic district. After a CEO won the Democratic primary with only 30% of the vote, Giordano’s strong support for public education, single-payer health care, and worker’s rights has gained him the backing of local unions and maverick Democrats and made him a contender for the win.

Dan Hamburg for Mendocino County (CA) Supervisor – In a county the size of Delaware on the coast of California, former member of Congress and Voice Of The Environment executive director Dan Hamburg is running for supervisor to build a vibrant, sustainable local economy and protect the beautiful natural landscape for generations to come. Hamburg finished first in the 4-way June primary, and has been endorsed by the third-place finisher as well as local unions and environmentalists in his head-to-head race against the conservative, developer-backed candidate who finished a close 2nd in the primary. Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Schwab

Green candidates support marijuana legalization

November 1, 2010 in Social & Economic Justice

In a year that has seen the biggest upsurge of activism against marijuana prohibition in American history, Green Party candidates across the country are leading the fight for marijuana legalization while Democrats and Republicans defend the failed, destructive “war on drugs” prohibition regime.

The eyes of Americans who oppose prohibition are on California’s Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. The California Green Party and its leading candidates, including gubernatorial candidate Laura Wells and US Senate candidate Duane Roberts, support Proposition 19, while the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor and US Senate all publicly oppose it.

Meanwhile, Green gubernatorial candidates like Howie Hawkins in New York, Rich Whitney in Illinois, and Jill Stein in Massachusetts have injected marijuana legalization into the public debate and rallied anti-prohibition voters, who number 46% in the latest Gallup poll, around an issue considered taboo by the political establishment.

All of these candidates, plus other Green gubernatorial candidates including Deb Shafto in Texas, Dennis Spisak in Ohio, Maria Allwine in Maryland, Morgan Reeves in South Carolina, and Jim Lendall in Arkansas as well as over 100 Green candidates for federal, state and local office, have signed onto a 10-point program called the “Green New Deal”, which includes legalizing marijuana and ending prohibition as one of 10 major reforms needed to put the country back on the right track. See Green Change for a list of candidates endorsing the Green New Deal by state.

By voting Green, you not only send a strong message that you want a sensible drug policy; in many cases, your vote helps the Green Party maintain its ballot line in your state, enabling Greens to run more and stronger campaigns in the future. If you want to legalize marijuana, vote Green.

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by Dave Schwab

If you want real change, vote Green

October 28, 2010 in Editorials

Gary Ruskin has written a piece at Green Change entitled “If you want real change, vote Green”:

Ladies and gentlemen, the results are in.

Democrats in Washington have enjoyed a rare opportunity during the last two years. With control of the presidency and giant majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate, this was the Democrats’ best chance in more than 30 years to take charge and lead.

Let’s take stock of where they led us. Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Schwab

Help a Green who can defeat the Machine

October 26, 2010 in Local Elections

From Green Change:

Jeremy Karpen’s clean-money Green campaign for the IL State Assembly is poised to pull off an upset victory against his Chicago Machine opponent.

Jeremy and his volunteers have already knocked on 7,000 doors and made 3,000 phone calls. Jeremy has earned enthusiastic endorsements from leading newspapers, unions, and voter groups.

At this critical moment, Jeremy needs to raise $3,000 to air a bilingual TV ad, “I support Jeremy Karpen/Yo Apoyo a Jeremy Karpen.”

Watch the ad and make a donation at www.jeremykarpen.org/content/put-jeremy-tv .

If you have a spare hour to phone bank, please volunteer by emailing diane@jeremykarpen.org with the subject line “phone bank”. Even if you don’t live in Chicago, you can make calls from the comfort of your own home.

Jeremy Karpen’s election could spark a peaceful Green revolution from coast to coast. His victory will prove that Greens can start winning state legislative races.

Let’s do everything in our power to help him win.

Please donate and volunteer today to help make Green history.

Here is more information about Jeremy and his campaign: Read the rest of this entry →

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Avatar of Dave Schwab

by Dave Schwab

Gonzalez, Cobb endorse Manski for Assembly

October 22, 2010 in Local Elections

From Green Change:

Ben Manski’s campaign for state representative in Wisconsin is exceptional. Ben is a bold, experienced Green leader. He is running a stellar grassroots campaign. He can win.

His opponent is a corporate lobbyist who was paid $192,000 to lobby for the coal industry. His opponent has also been falsely claiming endorsements from Wisconsin leaders like Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin.

Ben has the people power to win.  More than 140 volunteers are working for him to get-out-the-vote on Election Day.

Now he needs more financial power.  He’s raised $30,000 so far.

Please give what you can today at http://votemanski.com.

Below is a letter from Matt Gonzalez, former president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and a member of the Green Change Board of Directors, and David Cobb, the 2004 Green Party presidential candidate, about Ben’s campaign. They are supporting his campaign too.  I hope you join us. Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Schwab

Green Change: Green candidates call for end of corporate personhood

October 19, 2010 in Grassroots Democracy

On Monday October 18 Green Change issued a press release entitled “Green candidates call for end of corporate personhood” announcing that 110 Green Party candidates nationwide are calling for a “Green New Deal” to end the legal doctrine of corporate personhood, which grants corporations constitutional rights that had previously been reserved for people.

The announcement was viewed by over 10,000 people in the first 24 hours. On the popular news site reddit, the story surged to the front page with well over 1,000 readers voting it up.

Green Party candidates for Governor in Tennessee and Arkansas, as well as for US Senate in Arkansas, earned mention for opposing corporate personhood in the Memphis Commercial Appeal in an article entitled “Green Party calls for change in legal status of corporations”.

Green Party candidates for US House of Representatives in Connecticut also earned mention in a piece in the Norwich Bulletin entitled “Green Party targets corporate election rights”.

Here is the full text of the Green Change press release:

110 Green Party candidates nationwide are calling for a “Green New Deal” to end the legal doctrine of corporate personhood, which grants corporations constitutional rights that had previously been reserved for people.
In addition, in August the U.S. Green Party endorsed “stripping [corporations] of artificial ‘personhood’ and constitutional protections,” along with “revoking the charters of corporations that routinely violate safety, health, environmental protection or other laws.”
In contrast, neither the Democratic nor the Republican parties support ending corporate personhood, or revoking the corporate charters of lawless corporations.
“Democrats and Republicans together have installed the judges who have brought corporate rule to America,” said Gary Ruskin, co-founder of Green Change, a national political organization.  “If you want to fix the economy, clean up corruption in Washington, and save the environment, then vote Green to abolish corporate personhood.” Read the rest of this entry →

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Avatar of Dave Schwab

by Dave Schwab

Green Change: Time for a Green New Deal

July 15, 2010 in Grassroots Democracy

This week GreenChange.org unveiled its new campaign for a “Green New Deal”:

Today we launch Green Change’s campaign for a Green New Deal – our answer to our nation’s vast economic and ecological problems.

The Green New Deal is an ambitious program to create economic prosperity together with ecological sustainability.

We are building a coalition of candidates, individuals and organizations to support the Green New Deal – starting today.

Join the Green New Deal Coalition now.

Here are the ten policies you endorse by joining the Green New Deal Coalition:

• Cut military spending at least 70%;

• Create millions of green union jobs through massive public investment in renewable energy, mass transit and conservation;

• Set ambitious, science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, and enact a revenue-neutral carbon tax to meet them;

• Establish single-payer “Medicare for all” health care
;

• Provide tuition-free public higher education;

• Change trade agreements to improve labor, environmental, consumer, health and safety standards;

• End counterproductive prohibition policies and legalize marijuana;

• Enact tough limits on credit interest and lending rates, progressive tax reform and strict financial regulation;

• Amend the U.S. Constitution to abolish corporate personhood; and

• Pass sweeping electoral, campaign finance and anti-corruption reform
s.

Will you help us turn these ideas into reality?

Yes, I’ll sign up for the Green New Deal Coalition now!

The first step is to agree on these ten priorities.  The next step is to push for specific policies to make them happen.

We need your help.  Share your ideas about a Green New Deal on the Green Change network.

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Avatar of Dave Schwab

by Dave Schwab

A better media strategy for Greens

March 31, 2010 in Editorials

Gary Ruskin has written a post on Green Change about “A better media strategy for Greens”:

At national, state and local levels, I think Greens should shift much of our media efforts to what parties out of power traditionally do: hold elected officials accountable for their actions, and expose corruption, waste and malfeasance.

There are two main reasons why muckraking and watchdogging makes for a good Green media strategy.

First: it’s popular across the political spectrum. Everyone loves it. It wins votes.

Second: it’s genuinely newsworthy….

Greens are not fated to receive little or no media coverage. Many Greens get good news coverage regularly because they do things that are newsworthy….

Gary Ruskin has copious experience with the national press from 14 years as director of the Congressional Accountability Project. Read the full post at GreenChange.org.

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Avatar of Dave Schwab

by Dave Schwab

Tuesday is the first Green Change day of blog action

November 23, 2009 in Grassroots Democracy

Inspired by the global day of blog action on climate change, Green Change is holding its own blog action day. The topic is local action.

We’re organizing Green bloggers to write about local action this Tuesday. Want to share an idea for local action? Have you run for local office or worked on a campaign? Publish your blog post on the Green Change network, then discuss it with other Green Change members.

Even if you don’t normally blog, come join the discussion on Tuesday, November 24th!

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Avatar of Dave Schwab

by Dave Schwab

Get Rev. Billy on Bill Maher!

September 17, 2009 in Grassroots Democracy, Local Elections

In June, popular TV host Bill Maher asked, “Shouldn’t there be one party that unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care — legalizing pot — and steep, direct taxing of polluters?… what we need is an actual progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren’t being served by the Democrats.”

Let’s introduce Bill Maher — and his national audience — to Reverend Billy Talen, the Green candidate for mayor of New York City.

Rev. Billy is an eloquent spokesperson for the Green movement.  He’s smart, dynamic and hilarious too.

Will you ask Real Time with Bill Maher to have Rev. Billy on the show?

Rev. Billy just turned in more than 18,000 signatures to earn a spot on this November’s ballot to run against the “billionaire mayor,” Mike Bloomberg.

Can you help Rev. Billy spread his message that we need Green solutions to create vibrant, diverse neighborhoods?

Yes, I want Green voices in the media – I’ll contact Real Time With Bill Maher today!

For more on Billy Talen’s campaign, take a look at VoteRevBilly.org.

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by Gregg Jocoy

Green Party social networking sites

June 17, 2009 in Grassroots Democracy

The Internet has a wide array of social networking sites. All have at least one, and often times several, Green Party related groups, and tons of individual Greens with their own pages.

While it’s not exactly a social networking site, New Menu is a great resource. With a run down of many Green Party candidates and info about their campaigns, this is a must-see for Greens. If you are running for office and are not yet posted to New Menu, check it out and get your info up.

Again, while it’s not exactly a social networking site, YouTube has a number of Green Party contributors. Ian Wilder of On the Wilder Side handles one, while Mike Feinstein has another. Green Progress has posted dozens of videos, and Craig Seeman has been posting videos there for some time. Of course, Polidoc Productions has always got good Green Party videos worth a look. To see all the various Green Party videos from across the globe, click here

The mac-daddy of Green Party social networking websites is Green Change. These folks do a wide range of Green Party activities and have a lot of information important to Greens.

Here are some more social networking sites:

Green Party Worldwide at Tribe.net

Green Party at Tribe.net

Green Party activists at tribe.net

Green Party at twibes.com

Green Party of the United States on Twitter…and there are several other nations and states.

On Facebook there is the Green Party of England and Wales, several that are just “Green Party”like this one, this other one, this one over here, and many more. Just do a search for “Green Party” at Facebook and be amazed…

Where else do you make connections with other Greens? Do you use MySpace? Ning? Something else? Clue us all in so we too can get connected.

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