Green Party Watch

The Montana Green Party will hold their State Meeting Saturday May 31 in Missoula, MT.

On the agenda is selecting 8 delegates to the GPUS Nominating Convention, as well as electing state party officers, delegates to the GPUS National Committee, bylaw changes, etc.

The meeting is from noon – 5 at the Missoula Public Library, 301 E. Main St.

It is my hope, through this series of posts, to explain both the process by which the national party decides where to hold a national convention and what is happening as we prepare for the convention.

In an email one of the organizers of the convention shared some observations.

First of all, the best place to get info on the happenings in Chicago is at the convention website. I would particularly point those of us with severe limitations on our financial reserves to the page where housing options are discussed. These options include the host hotel, other nearby hotels, Hostels and local Greens willing to put out-of-towners up for a nite or two.

In addition, it was pointed out to me that the convention planners are discussing a “one day ticket” so those of us who can’t make the several day commitment for the full convention can still attend and participate.

The cost of proxies is the subject of discussion, with some believing that it is necessary to charge to cover the costs of the convention. Others think it might effect the outcome of the convention, with those attending possibly not representing the broad opinion of their state party, but only the opinion of those with enough ready cash to make the trip.

More later, but if this writer doesn’t get his fanny to work earning some of said cash, prospects of his being in Chicago are slim indeed!

Thanks for giving Green Party Watch such a solid kick-off. With Tuesday being our first “live” day we were fortunate to have at least 123 visitors, followed by at least 149 yesterday. Google analytics has higher numbers, but hey, I’m happy. Spread the word folks! We’re gainin on ‘em!

It has been suggested that the costs associated with attending the nominating convention in Chicago will be so high that some delegates will not be able to attend. For some states I imagine the costs are always high. Hawai’i (I think that’s the preferred spelling, no?), Alaska, Maine, states with big areas with sparse numbers like Texas, Montana, the Dakotas. I can see how costs for those folks can be prohibitive.

So, what to do? Apparently the GNC is debating the prospects of charging states to cast their proxy votes. At $250 a pop, these proxy votes may not be cast by some states just to save money. I am not sure if that cost estimate is accurate.

Over the next few days I hope to get information to share with you about how the process works, what costs are involved, how different people and states are handling the costs, and what impact this may be having on the four Presidential campaigns. I hope you’ll stay tuned.

The numbers just reported by Ronald Kane Hardy at Green Party Watch (GPW) show that, even with strongholds not yet decided,Cynthia McKinney’s campaign has secured enough votes for her to be our nominee for President. Unfortunately, as I reported in my last post, the national party has apparently decided to charge each state for their proxy votes.

While this may seem a bad idea at first blush, and indeed may be a bad idea, evidence from past discussions would indicate that lack of financial resources is what has motivated the plan to charge for proxy votes.

According to a source familiar with the national party and it’s internal discussions, the GNC is discussing possible changes to this policy of charging for proxy votes.

An unofficial tally of allocated delegates to the Green Party Presidential Convention is showing that Cynthia McKinney may have the nomination locked up. Here are the numbers being forwarded around by e-mail:

Total Allocated (so far) – 547
Cynthia McKinney – 274
Ralph Nader – 139
Jesse Johnson – 26
Kat Swift – 25
Kent Mesplay – 23
Howie Hawkins – 9
Elaine Brown – 8
Uncommitted – 34

These numbers are not final, there are still more delegates to come. On paper, there are 836 delegates assigned to states, territories, and caucus groups, but in reality there may be as few as 700 delegates allocated when all is said and done. 32 delegates are assigned to states and territories that have no affiliated green parties for example.

Some of the larger states that have not allocated their delegates include New York (40), Oregon (24), New Jersey (12), Ohio (12) and Texas (12).