Green Party Watch

WASHINGTON, DC — In honor of Thomas Jefferson’s 267th birthday, the Green Party of Florida and the People’s Lobby Coalition for Public Funding Only of All Elections will hold a forum on the influence of corporate lobbies on US elections.  The forum will take place at the National Press Club (http://npc.press.org) in Washington, DC, at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 13, 2010.

The speakers will discuss ‘Money Morality’ and the effect of corporate money on health care, energy, the economy, treatment of the poor, and other major issues, with an analysis of military expenditures in light of campaign contributions from defense contractors.

“We’ll talk about the correlation between the influence of the 13,000 special interest lobbyists and our elected officials’ voting trends in relation to these issues.  And we’ll propose necessary changes to our election system to restore democracy,” said Jennifer Sullivan, organizer of the event.

The event is open to the public, with doors opening at 7 pm.  Admission is free for all members of the media with proper ID.  General admission is a suggested donation of $10.00 or $15.00 per couple; no one will be turned away.

Refreshments will be served, with a variety of selected hors d’oeuvres, house specialty dips, gourmet chips, beverages, and a cash bar.

Guest speakers at the forum:

• Dr. Margaret Flowers, Congressional Fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program (http://www.pnhp.org), advocate for single-payer national health care, from Maryland

• Jesse Johnson, chair of the West Virginia Mountain Party (http://www.mtparty.org), twice-nominated candidate for the US Senate, the only third-party candidate to receive an endorsement from the Sierra Club in his 2008 race for Governor of West Virginia, and filmmaker (http://www.mtparty.org/nominations/2004/jesse/bio.html)

• Pat LaMarche, weekly columnist for the Bangor Daily News (http://www.bangordailynews.com), 2004 vice-presidential nominee of the Green Party of the United States, and advocate for the homeless

• Head-Roc, Hip-Hop artist and community organizer (http://www.head-roc.com), from Washington, DC

• Jennifer Sullivan, regional representative of the Green Party of Florida (http://www.floridagreens.org) and coordinator of The People’s Lobby

More speakers will be announced soon.

WHAT: The People’s Lobby: Forum on the influence of corporate special interest money on public policy and the erosion of US democracy, Tuesday, April 13 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC

WHEN: Tuesday, April 13, at 7 pm

WHERE: 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC (map: http://www.press.org/directions.cfm)

REFRESHMENTS will be served

From Richard Winger at Ballot Access News:

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party activists and leaders today called coal a threat to publc health and a false alternative to petroleum energy in the effort to fight global warming.

Greens cited “Mortality in Appalachian Coal Mining Regions: The Value of Statistical Life Lost,” a study published in the July-August issue of Public Health Reports (http://www.health.wvu.edu/newsreleases/news-details.aspx?ID=1217), which reports that, while coal mining contributed about $8 billion to the economies of Appalachian states, the costs of reduced life-spans associated with coal mining were $17 billion to $84.5 billion.

“Coal mining doesn’t only destroy the landscape, it kills people,” said Jody Grage, treasurer of the Green Party of the United States. “There is no such thing as clean coal. President Obama is repeating a lie designed by the coal industry to maintain its profit margins and to continue turning states like West Virginia into a poisonous wasteland covered with giant craters.”

The Green Party has demanded a halt to mountaintop-removal operations, which have destroyed over 500 mountains in West Virginia, filled in river valleys, and caused toxins to be dumped into freshwater streams and rivers. The Public Health Reports studied offered evidence that the coal industry is causing sickness and early death not just among coalminers but among populations living near mines, processing plants, and transportation centers. The combination of these effects has elevated poverty rates in Appalachian states.
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The West Virginia Citizen Action Fund has endorsed Mountain Party Candidate for Governor Jesse Johnson. This is the second major endorsement in West Virginia for Jesse Johnson just one week before the election.

WASHINGTON, DC — The Jesse Johnson campaign for Governor of West Virginia was endorsed by West Virginia Citizen Action Fund

The Citizen Action Fund, a new political action committee formed by West Virginia Citizen Action Group, is the state’s oldest consumer protection and government watch-dog organization.

The endorsement, announced last week and reporterd in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch (“Citizen group announces endorsements,” Oct. 19) recognizes Jesse Johnson’s outspoken advocacy for West Virginians in public health, the environment, workers’ and consumers’ protections, transition to clean alternative energy, and other areas.

“The CAF endorsement clearly acknowledges Jesse as the gubernatorial candidate who will fight for the people of West Virginia instead of powerful corporate interests who’ve treated the state like a dumping ground,” said Lesia Angel, Deputy Commissioner of the Mountain Party.
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The Press Release says it all:

Sierra Club News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2008

CONTACT:
Regina Hendrix, 304-343-5211
Jim Sconyers, 603-969-6712

SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES JESSE JOHNSON FOR WV GOVERNOR

Conservation Group Highlights Opposition to Mountaintop Removal, Praises Work to Protect West Virginia’s Environment

“We are very pleased to announce today that the Sierra Club WV Chapter endorses Jesse Johnson for West Virginia Governor,” said Political Chair Regina Hendrix. “As the only gubernatorial candidate working for a statewide ban on mountaintop removal, we believe his candidacy will give West Virginians a chance to vote for a governor who is dedicated to helping West Virginia’s workers by promoting renewable energy and keeping our state clean.”

Johnson showed how seriously he takes this issue by speaking to tens of thousands of people nationwide during the last year about the harsh realities of mountaintop removal. His plan for the economy proposes tax breaks and incentives for businesses using renewable energy technology and he has urged that citizens be given a dividend from taxes generated from non-renewables such as coal and natural gas. Unfortunately, Governor Manchin’s support of mountaintop removal has kept West Virginia from moving towards a clean energy future that would benefit the economy and the environment.?

Mountaintop removal mining is a destructive form of coal mining that has already buried more than 1,200 miles of streams and threatens to destroy 1.4 million acres of land by 2020. The mining poisons drinking water, lays waste to wildlife habitat, increases the risk of flooding and wipes out entire communities.
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Jesse Johnson, Mountain Party candidate for Governor of West Virginia, is suing the organizers of the debates to require them to include all ballot qualified candidates.

Said Johnson:

“If we continue letting corporations ‘filter’ our political debate, voters will go to the polls with only partial information. We need transparency in the political process, not Big Brother deciding who is worthy to let voters hear on televised debates. Our founding fathers would be appalled at how our political discourse is now controlled by commercial interests.”

[...]

“…Both major party candidates are conservative and pro-business. Let’s get some new, progressive ideas in the debate…”

ht/Independent Political Report

Jesse Johnson, who ran for the Green Party presidential nomination this year, is running for Governor of West Virginia in November. Johnson was endorsed in his presidential run by former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel. The Mountain Party affiliated with the national Green Party earlier this year.

Johnson will be the guest on Green Party Watch Radio this Sunday at 3 PM East Coast time. To participate in the show call (646) 478-3778.

Have you ever been approached by a Democrat urging you to “Join us…”?

Have you seen a Green candidate make a big impact on a local or state race, only to find them being recruited by the Democrats two years later?

Many of us work locally on non-partisan issues of peace, social justice, and environmental causes – bringing us into working relationships with left-leaning Democrats on occasion. Sometimes those Democrats, come election season, attempt to pilfer talented Greens to run as Democrats. Other times the “missionary work” seems more intent on weakening a strong local Green Party chapter by chopping down its roots.

Mark Berlin has an article at “In These Times” called “Greens Not Turning Blue”, that highlights Farheen Hakeem, Jesse Johnson, and Rita Maniotis. With Hakeem of Minneapolis, who took 33 percent of the vote in a 2006 for a seat on the Hennepin County Board against the incumbent Democrat, she said “No Way” to offers this year of a run as a Democrat:
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Colin Young took some great photos at the Convention and sent them for us to use.

Cynthia and Rosa:

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For those of you not old enough to get the joke, sorry.

Deesings posted a weekly update from the McKinney campaign, but I wanted to bring the headline, as I see it, to your attention. The headline is, Cynthia McKinney is still in the running to secure federal campaign matching funds. How you may ask? By seeking the Peace and Freedom Party nomination in California, and they are not slated to finalize that decision for a couple of weeks. This means that we can secure more than $100,000 for the McKinney campaign. We know what McKinney’s goals are. They involve ballot access, so if you believe that is important, donate here. Her plans involve supporting local candidates, so if you think that is important, donate here. She has a vote goal of at least 5% nation wide, so if you think that is a worthy goal, donate now.

On a more personal side note, I would also like to encourage folks to also donate to Jesse Johnson’s campaign. He has campaigned actively and has worked to secure ballot status in other states.

kat swift has also led the way on ballot access, gathering signatures and campaigning hard across the nation. Her speeches were, by all accounts, well delivered and well received at the convention. Donate here to support kat’s hard work on our behalf.

Kent Mesplay has run for our nomination twice, and this run was both exciting and more expansive than the last run. As an actual scientist, Kent brought a sort of weight to his arguments that made plenty of Greens support him. You can donate here to his campaign.

kat swift told me last week on Green Party Watch Radio that she had donated $10 to each of the candidates because she knows money matters. I am here to tell you loud and clear, it matters a lot. We have a chance to put perhaps as much as $150,000 extra dollars in our candidate’s pockets by donating to her campaign. Give as much as you can possibly afford, minus $30. Give that $30 ten dollars at a time to the other three candidates, and you will be helping build up a karma bank we will always benefit from.

This post is a little long, my apologies, I threw in a lot of candidate opinion at the end.

The Friday night Presidential forum was moderated by Rich Whitney.

Before the Presidential forum, they gave time to SKCM Curry, who has been actively campaigning to be Vice President nominee of the GP. Curry is an incredible bundle of energy. She fires up the crowd like a cheerleader. She got the crowd on their feet, chanting “Paint – the White House – GREEN!” and got the mood of the crowd in the right place.

Whitney set the ground rules, and then introduced the candidates: Jesse Johnson, Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, and Kat Swift. The audience was overly enthusiastic about all four candidates; there was a real sense of respect and appreciation for all four candidates.
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Miller Politics at blogtalkradio reports that he will be hosting a debate for Green Party Presidential candidates Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, and Kat Swift. (Jesse Johnson is not taking part – I don’t know why). It is Saturday, June 21, from 8:00 – 9:30 PM (ET) airing online from www.blogtalkradio.com/millerpolitics.

While Cynthia McKinney has not locked up the Green Party nomination yet, she is well on her way to sealing the nomination.

Which leads one to wonder – who will she select as her running mate? Based on previous GP rules, the Presidential Nominee names whom they want to be their VP, and the Delegates vote it up or down (at least that is how it was told to me).

So here is a speculative list of potential Vice Presidential running mates if Cynthia McKinney gets the nomination:

Jared Ball – Jared Ball of DC was a very promising GP Presidential candidate up until he dropped out of the race in January to endorse Cynthia McKinney. Ball, a Communications Studies Professor, an independent journalist, a veteran of the first Iraq War and a hip hop activist, would bring the “Capital Resistance” component of his campaign to the McKinney campaign. He would be a tireless campaigner, and an all African-American Green Party ticket would be a very interesting aspect to the 2008 “race”. I see Ball as a real possibility.

Mike Gravel – His campaign for President as a Democrat got him a fan base but no party support (probably due to calling all the other candidates ‘losers’ and challenging the establishment). He then sought the Libertarian nomination and got shoved aside by Bob Barr. Gravel could bring to the McKinney ticket a nationally known “name” (with youtube videos) and probably pick up voters who are younger, anti-establishment, but turned off by the ’seriousness’ of Ralph Nader. I have huge respect for what Gravel did as a Senator during the Vietnam War (had a role with ending the draft, for one), but I don’t think he would be the best choice as a running mate. He could even drag the ticket down.

Kat Swift – Kat’s youth and veteran Green Party activism would give the Green Party an all female ticket, supporting the Green Party’s value of “feminism” and potentially appealing to a broad segment of the electorate that may not be turned off by Obama, McCain, Nader, Barr, and all the other men on the ballot in November. Its too bad the Green Party won’t be on the ballot in Texas, Swift’s home state.

Rich Whitney – Rich Whitney’s major impact on the Illinois Governor’s race (10%) put the Illinois Green Party on the map. Putting Whitney on the ticket would help in Illinois, where McKinney should have a good showing already, might make sense. Whitney also has campaigning experience, fund raising experience (his 2006 campaign has already donated several thousand dollars to the McKinney campaign), and almost 350,000 votes in 2006 could add to the ticket.

Jesse Johnson – Jesse Johnson is a Third Party champion after two huge statewide campaigns for Governor and U.S. Senate with the West Virginia Mountain Party. In 2007 the Mountain Party “merged” with the Green Party and became the WV affiliate of the GPUS. Johnson has a lot of appeal among Greens, especially those whom he has met first hand, but he does not have the history of Green “Party Activism” that others do. While he would bring some color to the ticket and could influence votes in the “Obama-challenged” Appalachian region, I don’t think he is the strongest choice for Veep.

Matt Gonzalez – Unfortunately he’s taken. (Plus, per the U.S. Constitution the Prez and Veep must have different home states and now that McKinney hails from CA Matt would thus be ineligible.) Ralph Nader scored possibly the best Green running mate possible when he tagged Gonzalez to be his Veep. The former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who almost defeated Gavin Newsom to become Mayor of San Francisco is a Green Party legend and hero.

Kent Mesplay – Another veteran Green Party activist and organizer who has run for major political office several times now. Mesplay would bring to the ticket a solid environmental / ecological component, which based on the four pillars (Grassroots Democracy, Peace, Social Justice, Ecological Wisdom) is probably McKinney’s weakest position. Mesplay would fill a hole in that area and in that ticket. Oh, wait, he’s a California resident as well…

Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry (aka SKCM Curry) – While SKCM Curry is the only “declared” candidate for the Vice President slot on the Green Party ballot, I have to again point out that she is a California Resident, thus can not be McKinney’s running mate. Curry is a Green Party activist in South Central LA. A video of her in 07 can be seen here.

Cindy Sheehan – “Peace Mom” Sheehan is a “Green Leaning Independent (GLI)” who was heavily recruited to seek the Green Party Presidential nomination herself. She would greatly add to the already strong anti-war positions of McKinney, as well as creating an all-female ticket, but she is running an Independent campaign for U.S. House against Democrat Nancy Pelosi. In California. Oh, right, she can’t be the Veep.

Other (unlikely) possibilities:
Winona LaDuke – 1996 and 2000 Veep on the Nader ticket, Native American from Minnesota. Ain’t gonna happen.
Pat LaMarche – 2004 Veep on the Cobb ticket, who surpassed 10% of the vote in her 2006 bid for Governor of Maine. She has been campaigning for Jesse Johnson. Does that take her out of the picture? Maybe not, but she would be an extreme long shot pick.
Ralph Nader – the “Dream Ticket” that never happened.

Who do YOU think should be considered for the Veep slot if McKinney gets the nomination?

Carey Campbell writes about Jesse Johnson of West Virginia and his run for the Presidential nomination of the Green Party. In the article over at Third Party Watch, Campbell explains his roots, his Hollywood connections, and his campaign issues.

Not wanting to steal TPW’s thunder entirely, I’ll simply suggest that the link is worth a click.

Green National Committee member Diane F. White of PA sent a couple of links to Green Party Watch from the Keystone State Green website. The first discusses ballot access laws in PA which are amongst the nation’s most restrictive, and the candidates seeking the party nomination.

The second announces the results of the state convention, including McKinney’s winning of almost 53%. “No candidate” came in second, with Nader, who is not running for the Green nomination, at third, followed by Jesse Johnson of WV, Kent Mesplay of CA and Kat Swift of TX. Uncommitted was in last place, and one delegate was allocated to that position.