Brenda Konkel, a Delegate from Wisconsin (and 4 term City Councilor from Madison) has a great post up on her site called “Faces of the Green Party”. She took a picture of most of the recorders from each state who took the stage to announce their votes on Saturday. It’s really amazing – you have to check it out. I’ll post a few pics here:
Arizona:
Arkansas:
Go to This Side of Town to see the rest!
Colin Young took some great photos at the Convention and sent them for us to use.
Cynthia and Rosa:
read more »
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.
read more »
The National Committee is meeting this afternoon, from 1 to 5. There was some delay getting started, waiting for a quorum but Nebraska showed up and the meeting got on its way.
The only really interesting thing so far is the candidates for the GPUS Steering Committee.
The candidates:
read more »
True, the GPUS Convention doesn’t have wireless on site, but the coffee shop on the corner does so here I sit with notes among the trains, buses, pigeons and millions of people. Greens are wondering by all the time, making it hard to get something posted.
Cynthia McKinney showed up at the hotel a few minutes ago looking very happy. Gail “for Rail” Parker is hanging around the delegate credentialling table looking for someone to nominate her from the floor. Last night there was a party/fund raiser for Jesse Johnson, Kat Swift and Kent Mesplay at Weeds Tavern nearby. Delegates and others are still rolling in today.
More below the fold
The Vibe is reporting that Hip-Hop Activist Rosa Clemente will be chosen to be Cynthia McKinney’s running mate.
If the Green Party accepts McKinney’s nomination this weekend at its convention, Clemente will make history as the first hip-hop generation candidate on a presidential ticket, and together with McKinney make up the first all-female of color ticket in U.S. history. McKinney is African American. Clemente identifies herself as Puerto Rican of African descent.
McKinney plans to announce her running mate at a press conference Friday morning.
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All Green Eyes on Chicago this weekend. Are you going? Are you watching it on C-Span?
I’ll be on the road to Chicago tomorrow but once in Chicago I hope to post frequent updates on what’s happening at the convention.
So what do you think?
This post is an open forum. Feel free to comment on anything Green Party.
Peace!
The Committee on Bylaws, Rules, Policies and procedures is the sponsor of the proposed Presidential Nominating Convention rules. As noted in the article below this one, this proposal seems headed for defeat by the Green National Committee. This begs the question, what happens in Chicago?
To answer that question I might suggest two things. First, take a look at this link and see if you recognize any of the names of committee members. If you know them personally, contact them and ask what they think the next step is.
In addition, the committee has set up a wiki which has loads of information about the BRPP’s deliberations, plans and ideas. Kick that around for a bit and you may find the perfect solution we all hope for. If ya do, share it here!
As I noted in an earlier post here at GPW, The Green National Committee is considering a proposal to change and establish rules for the Presidential Nominating Convention in Chicago. In my original post I pointed out that California delegates had not voted in support of the proposal, and anonymous asked why I singled out the California delegation.
Well, another look today shows why I took notice. Proposal 348 is in trouble, and in no small part because the California delegation has voted 13 no votes and not a single “yes” vote yet. With the vote currently at 20 yes, and 29 no, the California delegation is the only one of size that is unified solidly on one side of the question. New York is split, as is Illinois. Maine is unified behind the “Yes” position, and no one from Texas has voted yet.
That is why I said that California was worth keeping an eye on.
The Green National Committee is considering 3 proposals, including Proposal 355, which would elect members of the Green Party House Campaign Committee, and Proposal 354 which would elect the tabulations committee responsible for counting the votes in the election of the Steering Committee at the Nominating Convention. Both of these proposals is a repeat of earlier proposals, both of which went to a vote, but were cut off from voting early.
I opened my email and got this from the national party.
I can’t wait until Chicago.
Annual National Meetings have always been incredible experiences. My first Green National Meeting was in Washington DC and I haven’t missed one since. The experience fills me with energy to bring back home. Everywhere you turn there are conversations filled of hope and inspiration. I have met Greens from all over the planet at our meetings (and don’t worry I will be visiting all of your couches eventually). I have met so many people who floor me with inspiration. We have shared tears, laughter, songs, stories, bread, and drink. We have celebrated successes and overcome obstacles together. Come take a stand with me in Chicago.
In a new piece posted today at Dissident Voice, Chuck Giese explores the Green Party Presidential Nomination process and questions its fairness. In essence, Giese advocates the “one Green, one vote” philosophy that was rejected by the GPUS National Committee. Giese begins by fairly pointing out that 50 state election laws have created disparity for individual state Green Parties, making it very difficult to determine a fair distribution of delegates. Some states have voter registration by party, some don’t. Some states have primaries, some don’t.
The “One Green One Vote” position is simply that: If California’s voters in the Feb 5 primary represent 59% of the total votes cast in selecting the Presidential nominee (35,844 California voters out of a total 60,886 votes cast among the 21 states listed in his article) then California should allocate 59% of the Delegates, 493 to be exact, that determine the Green Party nominee for President. In Wisconsin, where there is no voter registration by party, mailed ballots to dues paying members resulted in only 97 ballots. By the “One Green One Vote” philosophy, Wisconsin should allocate 00.2% of the Presidential Delegates, or 2 Delegates.
I don’t disagree with the general argument. There is disparity that is made clear in the charts in this article. These disparities are a result in the disparate election laws from state to state. Would I feel ripped off if Wisconsin only got 2 out of 836 Delegates to determine the GP President? You bet. This is why:
As I help recruit people to serve as delegates from New York to the 2008 national Green Party Presidential nominating convention in Chicago, I find myself explaining that we have to find people who can afford to pay their own way to attend. Neither our state party nor our national party have sufficient funds to help defray delegate expenses. In contrast, delegates to the Democratic and Republican conventions have their expenses paid by US taxpayers. This is just one of the many ways that third parties are disadvantaged in the US electoral system. The general public sees us struggling, but doesn’t know the burdens we are struggling under.
According to the Federal Elections Commission website, each major political party is entitled to $4 million (plus cost-of-living adjustments) under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) to finance its national Presidential nominating convention. FECA was first passed in the 1970s, and the cost of living adjustments are now greatly in excess of $4 million. A minor party is eligible for a partial convention subsidy if its candidate received more than five percent of the vote in the previous presidential election. read more »
New York State Green Primary Results – McKinney wins 75% of Delegates
Statewide Totals:
30 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
4 Delegates to Kent Mesplay
2 Delegates to Ralph Nader
2 Delegates to Jesse Johnson
2 Delegates to Uncommitted
For immediate release
June 2, 2008
Contact:
John Judge 202-584-1021
press-secretary@runcynthiarun.org
Cynthia McKinney Takes Lead with Clear Majority of Delegates
As Green Party Heads to Chicago Presidential Nominating Convention
[Washington, DC] Recently released preliminary results show that Cynthia McKinney has taken a clear lead in the delegate count for the upcoming Presidential Nominating Convention of the Green Party of the United States, scheduled for Chicago, from July 10th – 13th. With the addition of the recent Florida and New York mail balloting results, McKinney now has an outright majority of 267 of the 550 allocated delegates. With these results, former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney now commands her first clear majority of convention delegates in the ongoing contested four-way race for a Green Party presidential nomination.
McKinney is widely acknowledged, both inside and outside the campaign, as a leading contender for the Green Party’s presidential nomination. Campaign organizers point out that nearly two-thirds of delegates have been named and instructed so far. There are 840 total possible delegates, including 34 uncommitted delegates, and some states for which allocation is incomplete. McKinney’s lead puts her ahead of all other announced and write-in candidates, including early returns for Ralph Nader, who has announced he will run independent of the Green Party.
However, her campaign is not taking anything for granted. Campaign supporters have taken the initiative to carry her message to the public in spite of inequitable access to the public airwaves and debates, which are being used to promote some candidates to the exclusion of others. “Ms. McKinney may be heading into the convention with an impressive lead,” said one campaign staffer, “but this contest is not yet over, and we’re urging our supporters to engage with this campaign and help us use this opportunity to bring to the forefront issues no other candidate in this race is prepared to raise as effectively as Cynthia does.”
Cynthia McKinney has an impressive public record serving two terms in the Georgia Assembly and six terms in the U.S. Congress. She is the only genuinely anti-war candidate currently running for President, and a recognized and beloved spokesperson and leader for the disfranchised millions of women, African-Americans and other people of color who too often have been denied their right to vote or to have their votes fairly counted. McKinney has been traveling the United States as well as abroad and speaking to tens of thousands of people who feel they are not represented by the existing political parties or leaders in office. Her campaign has built a broad coalition, greatly expanding on the Green Party’s traditional base.
Congresswoman McKinney broke with the Democratic Party after a newly elected majority in the House of Representatives failed to end the war on Iraq or address the critical social, economic and environmental crises faced by the nation. Even now her former party’s presidential candidates refuse to make concrete promises to end ongoing carnage in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor to address the Bush-Pelosi saber-rattling against Iran. These are issues that the Green Party has made a focus in their recent campaigns.
McKinney’s campaign and candidacy have not gotten the press coverage enjoyed by other emerging party candidates, such as former Congressman Bob Barr, who this past weekend won the Libertarian Party nomination. Nor has she enjoyed the media attention focused on the independent Nader campaign. Even so, her campaign is attracting broad grassroots support from citizens who have taken matters into their own hands to spread her message, on YouTube and elsewhere. As one example, see:
Campaign organizers point out that the Green Party is expected to be on nearly all state ballots by November. With over 200 elected officials currently serving at the local level, the Green Party is the most successful emerging American political party in nearly a century. The media, supporters note, particularly those using the public airwaves, have a responsibility to fully inform the American electorate of all their choices in the upcoming election.
McKinney emphasizes her long-term strategy of ‘adding a chair to the table’ for the disfranchised by winning a 5% electoral count, qualifying her Party for public campaign funds in future elections. “Despite the limits and problems relating to national elections, it will take only 5% of the Presidential vote in November to add a seat to the table of decision-making. This will open the door on the long-closed two-party system to some essential public scrutiny and input, and position the Green Party for the 2012 race,” noted Cynthia McKinney. “Reclaiming our nation from the corporate war makers will be a long and arduous process. But it is work we cannot afford to postpone. The Green Party has been tilling this soil for nearly twenty years now. And the stakes for people across this country and around the world are simply too high for us to shrink from the challenge in this election cycle.”
For more on Cynthia McKinney’s campaign, and the
issues being raised, please see her campaign site at:
http://www.runcynthiarun.org
The Iowa Green Party State Convention was held May 17 in Iowa City, IA.
One of the main orders of business was the allocation of Iowa’s delegates to the GPUS Presidential Nominating Convention. The final allocation was:
McKinney 3
Swift 2
Johnson 1
Mesplay 1
Uncommitted 1
Delegates and alternates were selected, and plans to begin petitioning to place the Green Party candidate on the Iowa Ballot began immediately.
The Iowa Green Party needs 1,500 signatures from at least 10 different counties. For petitioning, the IGP will be listing Cynthia McKinney as the Presidential candidate and Wendy Barth (IA) as a place holder for the Vice President slot until the actual candidates have been determined at the Chicago Convention in July.
Petitioning began May 20.
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