Green Party Watch

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.

Sent in by William, Maria Allwine is an activist with the “Maryland Coalition to Re-Regulate BGE.” It called a press conference on Oct. 27, 2010, in front of the office of the Public Service Commission, in Baltimore, MD. Over the years, Ms. Allwine has battled hard against any more rate hikes and for “a moratorium on any rate increases in BGE bills.” Ms. Allwine is also the Green Party’s candidate for governor in Maryland. At today’s event, she ripped into BGE; incumbent Governor Martin O’Malley, a Democrat; and also, the Republican candidate for governor, Robert Ehrlich.

Fighting to be included in debates is a familiar exercise for Greens in the United States. Most political organizations fall into one of two camps: either they support open debates with all ballot-qualified candidates, or they support closed debates, which are typically limited to Democrats and Republicans. However, the League of Women Voters, in various times and places, has played the role of both ally and adversary to supporters of open debates.

The League of Women Voters ran presidential debates until 1988, when the Democratic and Republican parties, unhappy with the LWV’s inclusion of independent candidates like John Anderson, formed the Commission on Presidential Debates to seize control of the debates. The LWV issued a statement to announce its withdrawal of sponsorship for the debates:

The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates … because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates’ organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public.

However, this year the League of Women Voters in Illinois has invited only the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor to an October 20th televised debate, despite the fact that Green Party candidate Rich Whitney received over 10% of the vote for governor 4 years ago. Whitney has called a press conference for Monday October 11th to demand that the LWV include him. Whitney’s campaign has also created the facebook group “Let Rich Whitney into the League of Women Voters Debate” and this video message from Rich Whitney to Illinois voters, which the campaign will release as a TV ad if it can raise enough money:

Whitney will take part in a debate with independent Scott Lee Cohen and Libertarian Lex Green on WJBC on Monday 11 October from 3-4:30PM. Democrat Quinn and Republican Brady declined to participate.

In Connecticut, Green Party Attorney General candidate Steve Fournier has filed a complaint with the IRS challenging the LWV’s tax-exempt status. Fournier says that while the League is supposed to be nonpartisan, its criteria for debate participation discriminate against independent and third-party candidates.

In Maryland, a post at the Baltimore Sun’s Maryland Politics blog entitled “Third-party gov candidates demand to be in debate” drew this comment:

The gubernatorial debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters is the “real” debate to attend. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 19, 7:30 pm, in the Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery College’s Takoma Park campus, 7995 Georgia Avenue. For more information, see http://lwvmd.org/n/node/3261 or call 301-984-9585. Unlike WJZ-TV and the Baltimore Jewish Council, the LWV serves only the voters, and all of them. Third Party candidates have to work hard and overcome many electoral hurdles to get on the ballot; they deserve to be heard.

Maryland Green Party gubernatorial candidate Maria Allwine also commented on the post.

Is the League of Women Voters in your state a friend or foe of open debates? Can Greens call on the League’s better angels to ensure that our voices are included in the debates? What do you think?

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party candidates for US Senate across the country have broken new ground in their races, gaining greater public attention and more campaign contributions than ever before.

For a complete list of 2010 Green senatorial candidates, visit http://www.greenscc.org/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=7

Green candidates for the US Senate: top stories and videos

• The Green Senatorial Campaign Committee (http://www.greenscc.org), which is recognized by the Federal Election Commission, is distributing its first round of funds to candidates.  Despite the recession, the committee has already surpassed the funds raised in the last election cycle.

• In Maryland, Kenniss Henry has replaced her daughter Natasha Pettigrew, who was killed when an SUV struck her bicycle in September, as the Green Party’s US Senate candidate.  Ms. Henry will carry Ms. Pettigrew’s issues forward and work hard to change Maryland law to win greater protection for bicyclists.
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-state.php?ID=355
http://www.gazette.net/stories/09282010/prinnew180534_32576.php

• LeAlan Jones, running for the US Senate in Illinois, is drawing equal support from McCain and Obama voters, challenging the common belief that Greens draw votes solely from the left and potentially spoil for Democrats.

“Illinois voters have figured out that the Green Party, not the Tea Party, represents the real alternative to business-as-usual two-party politics,” said Matt Lavery, chair of the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Video clips of LeAlan Jones interviewed: http://lealanforsenate.org and http://www.greenscc.org
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/fox-news-poll-kirk-edges-giannoulias-by-two-points-in-il-sen.php

• Green candidates have received increasing endorsements and support from Democrats.  In West Virginia, Democratic leader and defeated US Senate candidate Ken Hechler endorsed Jesse Johnson of the Mountain Party (affiliated with the national Green Party).  Mr. Johnson and Mr. Hechler are leaders in the movement to ban mountaintop removal mining.
http://jesse4ussenate.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25:hechler-endorses-mountain-partys-johnson&catid=1:media-news-reports&Itemid=2
http://www.jesse4ussenate.org

• Tom Clements has emerged as the choice of South Carolina voters who support neither incumbent rightwing Republican ideologue Jim DeMint or Democrat Alvin Greene, whose campaign is collapsing after troubling revelations about his past.

“If enough voters in South Carolina learn about Tom Clements by Election Day, we will make history by placing the first Green in the US Senate,” said David McCorquodale, Treasurer of the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee.

http://www.thenation.com/article/154601/greene-green-sc
http://www.wfae.org/wfae/1_87_316.cfm?action=display&id=6499

• While Green candidates for the Senate are attracting more media coverage than in past elections, they’re still struggling to get included in televised debates.  In Illinois, LeAlan Jones is currently petitioning for the right to participate in the Meet The Press candidates’ debate.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-illinoissenate-jo,0,6014610.story

Green candidates who get into the debates raise issues and ideas that the Democratic and Republican contenders won’t touch.  In Arizona, Green Senate candidate Jerry Joslyn confronted incumbent Sen. John McCain on war funding during a September 26 debate.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Arizona-US-Senate-candidates-debate-103835038.html
http://www.joslynforsenate.com

• Duane Roberts, Green candidate for the US Senate in California, has taken the lead on immigrants’ rights, demanding “immediate amnesty.”  In September, Mr. Roberts accused Democrats of being “anti-immigrant.”
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100928144003zzzz.nb/topstory.html
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/immigration/duane-roberts-beware-of-democr/
http://voteforduane.wordpress.com

• More videos:

West Virginia Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson speaks at the Sept. 27 Appalachia Rising protest in Washington, DC, against mountaintop removal mining: http://vimeo.com/15421038
Audio clip of interview about the rally: http://westvirginia.watchdog.org/2084/audio-senate-candidate-johnson-joins-hundreds-to-protest-mtr-in-dc/

“Colia’s Song,” about New York Green candidate Colia Clark: http://www.coliaclark.org

LeAlan Jones and other US Senate candidates from Illinois meet with the Chicago Tribune editorial board (audio): http://www.chicagotribune.com/wgnam-senate-candidates,0,2709990.mp3file

MORE INFORMATION read more »

Natalie McGill reports at Gazette.net:

The mother of Natasha Pettigrew, a Green Party Senate candidate who died Sept. 20 after her bike was struck by a sport utility vehicle, will replace her daughter as the party’s nominee.

Kenniss Henry of Cheverly will run in Pettigrew’s place in the Nov. 2 general election, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections website. read more »

Natasha Pettigrew, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland up until her tragic death earlier this week, appears here in a televised question and answer session.

There will be a candle light vigil at the site where Ms. Pettigrew was hit on her bicycle by a SUV later today. The Maryland Green Party will be meeting this weekend to decide if they will be replacing her on the ballot.

Very sad news:

Natasha Pettigrew, a 30-year-old Maryland Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, has died from injuries she received after she was hit by an SUV while riding her bike early Sunday morning, WUSA 9 reports.

Pettigrew was training to compete in a triathlon about 5:30 a.m. Sunday when she was struck by a Cadillac Escalade headed south on Route 202 near the intersection with Campus Way, said Cpl. Darryl Clark, the duty officer at the Maryland State Police’s Forestville barrack.

Pettigrew’s bike was trapped underneath the SUV, and the driver traveled all the way home to an address in Cheverly apparently thinking “they ran over a deer,” Clark said.

The Maryland Green Party Hopes for Full Recovery for U.S. Senate Candidate Natasha Pettigrew

Natasha Pettigrew, the Green Party’s candidate for United States Senate in this fall’s General Election, was critically injured Sunday morning when her bicycle was struck by an SUV. Natasha is currently being cared for at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly.

“We are very concerned and upset about this horrible accident and the serious injuries to a brilliant young woman with a bright future ahead of her,” said Karen Jennings, party Co-Chair.

The Green Party learned of the accident through DC-area news reports late Sunday night. Representatives of the Maryland Green Party have spoken with hospital staff and are awaiting updated news of Pettigrew’s condition.

“We hope that Natasha will be able to make a full recovery,” said Brian Bittner, party Co-Chair. “In addition to her work talking to Maryland voters about her campaign for U.S. Senate, Natasha is also looking forward to completing her degree in law and spending many more years with her family. We are confident the doctors and staff caring for her will provide her the best chance for a full recovery.”

Cards and other items of personal support can be mailed to Natasha Pettigrew, 3540 Crain Highway #475, Bowie, Maryland 20716.

The Maryland Green Party will also accept items of personal support on Natasha’s behalf at Maryland Green Party, c/o P.O. Box 29915, Baltimore, MD 21230.

The Baltimore Sun’s Maryland Politics blog reports that 2 candidates have filed to be the Maryland Green Party candidate for governor:

Investigative Voice reports that Maria Allwine has joined the race for Governor of Maryland as a Green Party candidate:

A well-known community activist and tireless crusader against the deregulation of the state’s utilities declared Monday she will join the race for Maryland’s highest office.

Maria Allwine, whose vocal and well-publicized opposition to Constellation Energy cost her job with a local law firm, says she will be seeking the Green Party nomination for governor.

This is not the first time Allwine has run for public office. In 2007 she ran for City Council president, garnering 18,000 votes, a large number for an alternative-party candidate.

“It’s not that people need or want no government or less government but that we understand the government we have no longer serves our interests,” Allwine said in a written statement released Monday afternoon.

Read the full article at Investigative Voice.

Eric Hartley of the Annapolis Capitol reports on Maryland Green Party candidate for Anne Arundel County Executive Mike Shay in a story entitled “Shay gives Green Party a chance”:

Shay, a businessman and environmental activist who lives in Churchton, told me he’s something different.

“I’m a political player,” he said. “I’m going to take the Green Party to the next level.”

What he is not, as you might have gathered from that quote, is modest. Shay speaks confidently and frankly (if sometimes off the record) about political motivations and how he expects the race will play out.

Shay said he gives the Green Party the best chance it’s had to win an elected office in Anne Arundel County.

“My track record is that we win,” he said. “We won against millionaire developers and billion-dollar corporations.”

Read the whole article at the Annapolis Capitol.

From the Green Party of the United States:

One Month ‘Til the Green Party National Meeting in Detroit – Register Now!

The Green Party of the United States will hold its national meeting in Detroit from June 24th-27th. Greens from across the country will gather to discuss strategy, learn campaign skills, talk about fundraising, and more! This year’s meeting will be held alongside the U.S. Social Forum, a gathering of tens of thousands of people organizing people’s solutions to ecological and economic crisis.  The Green Party will be on hand to illustrate the important role we play in those solutions.

Register now! Your registration for the Green Party meeting includes registration for the U.S. Social Forum, so you can pay once for twice the networking, workshops, and fun in Detroit.

Click here for more information about the 2010 Green Party meeting.  We’ll see you in a few weeks in Detroit! read more »

Via Baltimore Greens:

Kathy Phillips, Keynote Speaker for Maryland Green Party Annual Assembly;
Panel discussion to feature Maryland Green Party 2010 candidates

WHAT: The Maryland Green Party Annual Assembly is the annual meeting for registered Green Party members in the state of Maryland. Maryland Green Party members from across the state will meet to elect officers for the organization and participate in panel discussions. The keynote speaker Kathy Phillips will speak at 1:15 pm and will be followed by a panel of Maryland Green Party candidates running for office in Maryland this year. The event is open to the public regardless of party affiliation. read more »

Liam Farrell at the Annapolis Capital Gazette reports:

Read the full article at the Annapolis Capital Gazette.

At least ten state Green Parties have statewide events coming up in May. Listed below are details for upcoming Green Party events in Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, and South Carolina. Attending statewide Green gatherings can be a good way to get more involved with your state’s Green Party.

Saturday 1 May

Colorado – Green Party of Colorado 2010 state convention – Florence, CO

Maine – Maine Green Independent Party 2010 state convention – Greene, ME

Minnesota – Green Party of Minnesota 2010 statewide nominating convention – Red Wing, MN

South Carolina – Green Party of South Carolina 2010 state convention – Columbia, SC

Tuesday 4 May

Ohio – Green Party of Ohio primary election

Friday 14 May

Florida – Green Party of Florida 2010 state meeting (5/14-5/16) – Peace Farm (near Gainesville, FL)

Saturday 15 May

Michigan – Green Party of Michigan 2010 state membership meeting – Lansing, MI

North Carolina – Green Party of North Carolina spring gathering – Greensboro, NC

New York – Green Party of New York 2010 state nominating convention – Albany, NY

Saturday 22 May

Maryland – Green Party of Maryland 2010 state assembly – Annapolis, MD