Green Party Tempest Weathering the Storm of 2004
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Green Party Tempest Weathering the Storm of 2004 By Greg Gerritt Moshassuck River Press Providence, RI 2005 Copyright 2005 by Greg Gerritt All rights reserved Moshassuck River Press Greg Gerritt 37 6th St Providence RI 02906 401-331-0529 [email protected] Table of Contents Acknowledgements . i Foreword . iii Introduction . v 2002 . 1 Winter 2003 . 5 Spring 2003 . 7 Summer 2003 . 11 Fall 2003 . 13 Winter 2004: Nader Opts Out . 17 Convention Rules . 21 The Primaries . 25 Spring 2004 . 27 Prepping for the Convention . 29 The Presidential Nominating Convention . 31 July in Rhode Island . 39 Claims of a Rigged Convention . 41 Utah and Vermont . 47 A Meeting With Camejo . 49 The Fall Campaign . 51 Election Day and the Aftermath . 53 Forward for the Green Party . 57 Acknowledgements John Rensenbrink, Jane Hunter, Ted Glick, William Anderson, Rick Lass, Michael Feinstein, and Brent McMillan provided information or permission to use materials they generated. John Atkeison designed and laid out the book. Tony Affigne designed the cover and discussed much of what went into this book with me in our walks along the Seekonk River. Gwen Andrade helped come up with the title. Charlie Green, Matt Tilley and Rick Laferriere read drafts and provided useful commentary and editing. I appreciate all who were willing to contribute blurbs for the back cover, Extra special thanks go to Kathleen Rourke. She keeps me on my toes. Thanks also go to all the Greens I have worked with over the last 20 years for helping me learn so much and for being willing to persevere in the face of a planet and culture that seem headed for destruction. You have before you a very personal book. I have written about what I know and empha- sized the things I saw with my own eyes and participated in. The candidates would write very different books. Events in Rhode Island loom larger in this book than would be the case if it was written by a Green from somewhere else. The analysis of the events reported is different than you would get from another reporter. But I think what I have to say will be interesting and edu- cational. Many Greens have helped me to see, but I accept full responsibility for anything that is inaccurate and for an inevitably flawed analysis. greg gerritt April 2005 Page i Foreword Despite the Green Party filling that niche better than he Green Party is an experiment. An anyone else in the last 100 years, there are tensions in experiment in American politics from the per- the Green Party that prevent it from doing an even spective that we must treat the earth properly, T better job, and the 2004 election cycle laid bare the that violence is wrong, democracy must be practiced, stresses within the party. Over the years the Greens governance should be founded on these principles, have struggled with questions about how to approach and that practical policies that promote the general our work, and factions have developed with different welfare can be derived from a clear understanding of ideas about how to fill the Green niche effectively. In these principles. Since human beings started living in Europe they called the argument over the direction of cities these principles have never formed the basis for the party one between the Realos and Fundis. In the civilized (urbanized communities) governance. So we US the argument has been between Greens who think build the bridge as we cross it. Greens are trying to of themselves as within the left and Greens who think build a new kind of politics, create a way of govern- of themselves as members of other traditions. ing, and govern at the same time. As with most Green arguments, the argument over As a real world experiment in politics the Green Party what approach the party should take is unwinnable, can be hard to get an accurate read on. There are mul- and arguing about it is a waste of time and energy. tiple centers of activity and they are invisible to all What really decides things is organizing and gaining but those who participate directly. Much Green activi- support in the community. If no one wants to work ty is purely local. It is one of the reasons the media with you, the best ideas in the world are not going to has such a limited understanding of the Green Party. get implemented. My academic background is in evolutionary biology One last note before the tale begins. Maybe it is and in anthropology. As a naturalist I have looked at because I remember the Maine Green Party when it the Green Party as part of an ecosystem with an eye was just 3 people that I tend to think about the Green towards understanding its ecological niche in the Party as a guerrilla band engaged in long term non American political system. In anthropology the partic- violent revolution. As a guerrilla operation the Green ipant observer is an honored approach to scholarship. Party has to live off the land and be a part of the com- One participates in the life of the community at the munity. This is how local Green politics operates, and same time they are studying, analyzing, and attempt- it is how rebellions from the American revolution to ing to understand and explain it. I have been a partici- the Iraqi resistance survive. pant in every aspect of the Green Party since its founding in the United States twenty years ago. I have In our case being a guerrilla operation means no con- helped founded Green Party locals, served in a variety tributions from corporations. We grow by being good of organizational roles at the local, state, and national neighbors earning the respect and friendship of the level, and run for office. I was the first Green candi- people in our communities. It is an each one teach one date for state legislature in the United States in Maine model rather than the left’s classic mass movement in 1986 and my most recent campaign was for Mayor model. There is a place for ideology, and an important of Providence RI in 2002. Over the years have written place for the Green Values and the programs that sup- about the Green Party extensively but eventually I port them, but practicalities have to overcome ideo- always come back to what is the ecological niche of logical purity and unrealistic expectations to thrive in the Green Party and what strategies and tactics by the community. This is most clearly demonstrated when Greens helps the party fill that niche well. Greens win local elections. Often Greens win because they are well integrated into the progressive fabric of If the Green Party did not exist we would have to their community, they are a part of the community. invent it. There is a place in the American political And when Greens win local elections they have to spectrum for an organization focused on elections out- govern based on community in order to remain in side of the two mega parties, based on a radical government, as an ideological mode of governance approach to peace, ecology, democracy, and justice, does not get their program enacted or get them re- and encompassing a holistic understanding of the way elected. the issues connect to each other. No political party in the last 100 years has managed to fill it as well as the Greens, though the niche itself has changed through the years. Page iii Introduction uring 2003 I started thinking about day or contributed to a bigger and stronger Green how the presidential campaign season was Party today? Would endorsing Nader have helped shaping up as a perfect storm for the Green local candidates more on election day? Where Green D Parties worked closely with Nader did that help their Party. This is what the Green Party faced. The Anybody But Bush (ABB) push in progressive forces local candidates more than working with Cobb would following on the tail of the “spoiler” factor left over have? Did the local parties working with Nader grow from 2000. A war on terrorism that was progressing more than those working with Cobb? In places where as a disaster that made it even more of a tool for Greens worked with Nader do they have new and Republicans to strike fear into the hearts of enduring ties to other centers of activism beyond the Americans. The Democrats were demonstrating that Green Party that will be used to build the party? Any they were their own worst enemy, supporting war in better than those in other Green centers? Iraq and generally trying to be Republican light, but In some ways these questions are unanswer- still insisting that progressives join their campaign as able. Alternative futures were unknowable at the there was no other choice or path for removing Bush. times we had decisions to make, and even in hind- Closer to the heart of the Green Party there were sight it is hard to say how something else would have additional discussions about what to do. Should the played out. For those few things on the list we could Green Party have a candidate? Should Ralph Nader theoretically measure, we probably could not get run? Should he run as a Green? If we decide to have good data. But I am pretty sure we did the right thing a candidate and its not Nader, who should it be? by running the Cobb/LaMarche ticket and have a What should the campaign strategy be? Just what is hard time imagining that another approach in 2004 the best set of tactics for growing the Green Party in would have produced better results for the Green 2004? Just who is our core audience and how do we Party.