Green Party Watch

Breaking news from California:

The Green Party candidate for governor of California, Laura Wells, was arrested in protest tonight after being excluded from the California gubernatorial debate between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman.

“Laura Wells got arrested to help put the unemployed back to work, and to save the planet from climate change,” said Marnie Glickman, organizer of today’s debate protest and co-chair of the Green Party of Marin County, where the debate took place. “Wells stood up for the people whom Democrats and Republicans have forsaken: the unemployed, workers, children, and people whose homes have been foreclosed.”

Debate organizers say they excluded Wells from tonight’s debate because she did not poll at 10% or more. But in other states, Greens are included in debates. For example, in Arizona, U.S. Senator John McCain debated Green candidate Jerry Joslyn and two others on September 26th. In Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick debated Green gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein and two others on September 21st. The New York State gubernatorial debate scheduled for October 18th will include the Green candidate, Howie Hawkins.

Tonight’s event with Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman was billed as an “eco-friendly” debate, despite excluding the Green candidate for governor. “An eco-friendly debate without a Green is like an economic recovery without new jobs. It’s a fraud,” Glickman said.

The Wells for Governor campaign is backing the Green New Deal, which has been endorsed by more than 100 Green candidates across the country. It has ten planks:

* 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
* Pass sweeping electoral, campaign finance and anti-corruption reforms

For more information about the Laura Wells for Governor campaign, see http://www.laurawells.org/.

For more information about the arrest of Laura Wells, see: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=74454

From Marnie Glickman at GreenChange.org:

I’m excited to introduce you to 6 Green women candidates who are running hard to bring our values into the halls of power: Laura Wells (CA), Anita Rios (OH), Annie Young (MN), Gloria Mattera (NY), Julia Willebrand (NY) and Jill Stein (MA).

With your help, we will elect these outstanding leaders who reflect – and respect – the diversity of America.

Laura Wells of California is a citizen activist with a background in finance and management. Laura is running for Governor to work for single-payer health care, sustainable water policy, democratic reforms, fixing the budget crisis with fair taxation and a state bank, and more. Her message should resonate with voters unimpressed with political insider Jerry Brown and billionaire businesswoman Meg Whitman. California is mired in a fiscal crisis, and Laura is the only candidate offering ecologically wise, far-sighted economic solutions.

Anita Rios in Ohio is the daughter of migrant farm workers, a passionate social justice activist and President of Toledo’s National Organization for Women. Anita is running for Lt. Governor of Ohio to work for single-payer health care, progressive taxation, quality public education, replacing coal and nuclear plants with renewable energy, and more. With Ohioans tiring of incumbent governor Ted Strickland, Anita Rios and running mate Dennis Spisak offer a forward-thinking alternative to voters. I’ve known Anita for many years.  She has the focused strength and vision necessary to lead the State of Ohio.

Annie Young is a six-term elected member of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board with an extensive background in environmental, health and justice advocacy. Annie is running for Minnesota State Auditor, an office charged with overseeing more than $20 billion in annual spending, to advocate for sustainability, life cycle cost accounting, and more holistic economic indicators. Among supporters of Annie’s campaign is renowned economic and environmental justice activist Winona LaDuke. With many voters ready to toss out political insiders, Annie Young should do well against incumbent auditor Rebecca Otto and former auditor Pat Anderson. I volunteered with Annie on a national campaign in 2004 and was impressed with her attention to detail and kind spirit.  She is ready for the next step in her political journey.

Gloria Mattera is a public health worker and activist for peace, universal health care and community-based development. Gloria is running for Lt. Governor of New York to work for renewable energy, green jobs, mass transit, single-payer health care, and more. With heir apparent Andrew Cuomo leading Wall Street favorite Rick Lazio by a huge margin, Gloria Mattera and running mate Howie Hawkins should do well among New Yorkers looking for fresh ideas. I volunteered with Gloria on Reverend Billy’s campaign last year.  She’s a dynamo.

Julia Willebrand is long-time activist for peace, social justice, the environment and political reform. Julia is running for New York Comptroller, the state’s chief fiscal office to advocate for sustainable, socially responsible investment and address issues such as affordable housing. She is likely to build on her performance in her 2006 campaign for comptroller, when she earned well over 100,000 votes. Over the past 10 years, Julia has impressed me with her relentless commitment to transforming our world.

Jill Stein of Massachusetts is a pioneering environmental health advocate and community leader. Her record of public service and passionate advocacy for healthy communities makes her an exceptional candidate for Governor of Massachusetts.  Jill is the sole challenger to three candidates widely considered business-as-usual insiders, meaning that she could win with as little as 26% of the vote.  Jill is eligible to receive public matching funds when her campaign raises at least $125,000.

Read Green Change’s endorsement of Jill Stein for more about her race and why she will be a transformational governor. read more »

Two members of the Green Party US Platform Committee have produced short videos explaining how you can still get involved in improving the Green Party platform. The videos already have almost 400 views on youtube, which is still less than the creepy Russian singing dude, but it’s a good start.

Asher Platts (aka The Punk Patriot): The Green Party is Accepting Platform Amendments

Marnie Glickman, PlatCom co-chair: How You Can Improve the US Green Party Platform

(Originally posted by Marnie Glickman at Green Change for blog action day on climate change)

We all know the truth. Our planet is dying. Climate change is a major ecological crisis.

Glaciers and polar ice shelves are crumbling. Species are being eradicated at record numbers. Air pollution kills about two million people prematurely each year. Water supplies are drying up, while water systems are being sold off to big corporations concerned only with expanding their profits. And it turns out that lead poisoning may well be a major cause for violent crime.

Meanwhile, our nation keeps building new coal plants, even though they are the most destructive way to meet our energy needs. Some government leaders are pushing dangerous new nuclear power plants.

There is a way to make a sharp break from this madness. Immediately. We can make drastic changes quickly to avert global catastrophe is we take matters in our own hands. Our elected leaders are making too many compromises.

In 2010, let’s run for office and win. Our top priority must be protecting our planet from global warming.

It’s up to us because we, Greens, believe life, diversity, justice and grassroots democracy are more important than corporate profits and business as usual. We won’t compromise.

Here’s the Green Change platform for our 2010 candidate team:

The global climate crisis is likely the defining challenge of our generation. We are ready to lead the way to save our planet.

We believe, as does the IPCC, that the world must reduce emissions aggressively — 25-40% by 2020, compared to 1990 levels — to have a 50/50 chance of avoiding runaway climate change.

To forestall disaster, we call for a halt in increases in greenhouse gas emissions, and then reducing these emissions 90% by 2050.

As a nation, with less than 5% of the world’s population, we consume 22% of the world’s energy resources. That must change.

Greens support a decisive shift away from coal, oil, and nuclear power, towards clean and renewable energy such as wind, solar, ocean power, geothermal and small-scale hydropower. Republicans and Democrats do not.

We call for extensive energy conservation efforts, to reduce energy consumption by 50% in 20 years. Republicans and Democrats do not.

We call for a Manhattan Project-level of commitment to developing clean renewable energy technologies.

To jumpstart the solar market, we call for massive federal, state and local investment in solar cells on government buildings.

Unlike Democrats and Republicans, we are opposed to nuclear power. The prospect of a radioactive catastrophe is ever-present, and there is no safe way to dispose of the radioactive waste.

We call for early retirement of nuclear reactors in less than five years, no new nuclear plants, and an end to all corporate welfare for the nuclear industry.

We also support a ban on new coal-fired power plants, and phasing out of electrical production by the burning of coal.

Much of the solution to climate change is at the local level. We support massive subsidies for the growth of mass transit, as well as more bike lanes, bike paths and auto-free zones.

We support major changes in agriculture. We call for a dramatic expansion of organic farming. We want to shift price supports and subsidies away from industrial agriculture to organic agriculture, small family farms and cooperatives.

We want environmental justice. That means no new siting of toxic chemical or waste facilities in areas already contaminated.

We support a shift away from the use of toxic chemicals, and towards an industrial system based on clean production.

We call for a halt on all industrial timber cutting and clear-cutting on federal and state public lands.

We want to end the scandalous giveaway of our nation’s mineral wealth to mining corporations.

Do you agree with our platform? Will you consider joining our team of candidates?

The Democratic and Republican parties are failing our planet and our children with hollow promises and watered-down policies.

Greens have clear, decisive solutions. Greens don’t just hope for a cleaner environment. We have a detailed plan to create one. Greens have the focus and commitment to implement our plan.

Be the change. Consider running for office. We will help you.

If you are interested in learning more about our candidate team, please contact me.  My email address is marnie at greenchange dot org.

Together we can transform power and politics in our country.