Return-path: From: PabloQ@aol.com Full-name: PabloQ Message-ID: <128.449eb4d0.2e0a7c43@aol.com> Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 02:25:07 EDT Subject: Re: [Greensfornader] Delegates: Which way in 2004? To: greensfornader@greensfornader.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part2_1e.2cb51663.2e0a7c43_boundary" X-Mailer: Thunderbird - Mac OS X sub 208 --part2_1e.2cb51663.2e0a7c43_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sure, put me on the list--that is, if you don't mind a dissenting voice. I have to wonder if the Nader/Camejo campaign will brook dissenting voices, since we seem to be dismissing the most important voice of all--the voice of the Green Voter. We had primaries. Ralph Nader chose not to run in our primaries. His supporters now make the disingenuous argument that he couldn't run because he had an exploratory committee and was prohibited from running. Other candidates, including David Cobb, managed to be done "exploring," and to get out there and make their case to the Green voters. At the end of this process, David had the most votes. Peter Camejo won the California primary as the "favorite son," but never said explicitly to the voters that he was actually runniing to be the vice-presidential candidate on a non-Green ticket; to be fair, I'm sure he didn't expect this, but the point is the voters didn't either. This is supposed to be a party based on grassroots democracy, not backroom deals. The notion that Peter would say to this party, in essence, if you don't nominate me, I'm running against you on an independent ticket, is both infuriating and saddening. Look, I'm a gay man in my forties. I have an old address book with page after page where everybody's dead of AIDS. For years I couldn't even look at it. Last year, I had a friend who died in the UN bombing in Baghdad--a gay man who dedicated his life to justice for Palestine and was the UN's chief expert on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He died because this incredibly reckless and stupid war destroyed security in Iraq and let a cement mixer full of explosives roll through the wall of the UN building while the American tanks were guarding the Oil Ministry. I spend every day of my work life giving health care to homeless people with AIDS, hepatitis C, diabetes, mental illness, and substance abuse. Please don't anybody try to insinuate that I don't know how bad the Bush Administration is, or how useless the Kerry candidacy is. Would it feel good to watch Peter cut down Dick Cheney in the debates? Sure. I frankly doubt Peter would be in those debates. But so what? Are we a party that wants to debate Dick Cheney with a celebrity candidate, or are we a party that wants to grow from the grassroots? The most dangerous thing we can do, in my opinion, is to become a party that prioritizes protest candidacies over our longterm growth. I couldn't possibly care less about helping Kerry win; that's a lost cause anyway, I mean, have you listed to him? What I care about is being able to give a clear, coherent message to voters: "Here's what the Green Party stands for. You know the stakes. Vote your conscience at the presidential level, support local Green candidates, and register Green." It will be disastrous for our ability to organize among currently ambivalent voters, if we are seen as a party whose futile protest led to four more years of the Bushites. And make no mistake, those ambivalent voters are our future. We are a party that believes in democracy, but that still affords the minority to have their concerns heard, and insofar as possible, met. I have heard all kinds of misrepresentations of David's candidacy, from a mischaracterization of his position on electoral strategy, to misrepresentations about his views on Iraq. Our convention should be an opportunity for delegates in the electoral minority to express their concerns, many of which I believe could be successfully addressed. What we are seeing instead is an electoral minority that wants to hijack our process. I believe their ultimate goal is to prevent our coming to consensus, so their non-Green ticket can run without a Green challenge. I had decided this week for personal and health reasons, not to go to Milwaukeee. But I will not stand idly by while the future of our party and its principles are compromised, so I'll see you in Milwaukee. Paul Quick San Francisco --part2_1e.2cb51663.2e0a7c43_boundary Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Sure, put me on the list--that is, if y= ou don't mind a dissenting voice. I have to wonder if the Nader/Camejo campa= ign will brook dissenting voices, since we seem to be dismissing the most im= portant voice of all--the voice of the Green Voter. We had primaries. Ralph Nader chose not to run in our primaries. His support= ers now make the disingenuous argument that he couldn't run because he had a= n exploratory committee and was prohibited from running. Other candidates, i= ncluding David Cobb, managed to be done "exploring," and to get out there an= d make their case to the Green voters. At the end of this process, David had= the most votes. Peter Camejo won the California primary as the "favorite so= n," but never said explicitly to the voters that he was actually runniing to= be the vice-presidential candidate on a non-Green ticket; to be fair, I'm s= ure he didn't expect this, but the point is the voters didn't either. This is supposed to be a party based on grassroots democracy, not backroom d= eals. The notion that Peter would say to this party, in essence, if you don'= t nominate me, I'm running against you on an independent ticket, is both inf= uriating and saddening. Look, I'm a gay man in my forties. I have an old address book with page afte= r page where everybody's dead of AIDS. For years I couldn't even look at it.= Last year, I had a friend who died in the UN bombing in Baghdad--a gay man=20= who dedicated his life to justice for Palestine and was the UN's chief exper= t on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He died because this incredibly=20= reckless and stupid war destroyed security in Iraq and let a cement mixer fu= ll of explosives roll through the wall of the UN building while the American= tanks were guarding the Oil Ministry. I spend every day of my work life giv= ing health care to homeless people with AIDS, hepatitis C, diabetes, mental=20= illness, and substance abuse. Please don't anybody try to insinuate that I d= on't know how bad the Bush Administration is, or how useless the Kerry candi= dacy is. Would it feel good to watch Peter cut down Dick Cheney in the debates? Sure.= I frankly doubt Peter would be in those debates. But so what? Are we a part= y that wants to debate Dick Cheney with a celebrity candidate, or are we a p= arty that wants to grow from the grassroots? The most dangerous thing we can= do, in my opinion, is to become a party that prioritizes protest candidacie= s over our longterm growth. I couldn't possibly care less about helping Kerr= y win; that's a lost cause anyway, I mean, have you listed to him? What I ca= re about is being able to give a clear, coherent message to voters: "Here's=20= what the Green Party stands for. You know the stakes. Vote your conscience a= t the presidential level, support local Green candidates, and register Green= ." It will be disastrous for our ability to organize among currently ambival= ent voters, if we are seen as a party whose futile protest led to four more=20= years of the Bushites. And make no mistake, those ambivalent voters are our=20= future. We are a party that believes in democracy, but that still affords the minori= ty to have their concerns heard, and insofar as possible, met. I have heard=20= all kinds of misrepresentations of David's candidacy, from a mischaracteriza= tion of his position on electoral strategy, to misrepresentations about his=20= views on Iraq. Our convention should be an opportunity for delegates in the=20= electoral minority to express their concerns, many of which I believe could=20= be successfully addressed. What we are seeing instead is an electoral minori= ty that wants to hijack our process. I believe their ultimate goal is to pre= vent our coming to consensus, so their non-Green ticket can run without a Gr= een challenge. I had decided this week for personal and health reasons, not to go to Milwau= keee. But I will not stand idly by while the future of our party and its pri= nciples are compromised, so I'll see you in Milwaukee. Paul Quick San Francisco --part2_1e.2cb51663.2e0a7c43_boundary--