Thoughts On Direction

I wanted to write this and send it out before Monday’s meeting as a way of promoting discussion, if there's time...or, if we do get a chance to do a retreat, perhaps we could discuss it there. I’m not sure how I feel, writing an open letter to the Green Party. I haven’t been a member for very long. But there are two topics I would like to add my input to, they are: 1. The need to maintain a 50,000 vote minimum on the New York ballot and 2. A thought on increasing party membership. These two items are obviously linked...increasing party membership would definitely lower anxiety over meeting the 50,000 vote minimum. However, this does leave us at a bit of a moral crossroads. I’m speaking in particular to the idea floated about at the last meeting, concerning the endorsement of non-Green Party candidates (for governor) who may have more “get out the vote” power than our own self-described “lackluster” candidates. It’s an argument of political pragmatism versus political idealism. In other words, who are we, and where do we want to go as a party.

Maintaining the Green Party line on the ballot is very important for us since it provides us with a legitimacy in the eyes of would be voters that would be lacking if it weren’t there. Write in candidates never get many votes. The party would be easily marginalized and made to seem irrelevant. This would lead to deep frustration on the part of the everyone, which could in turn lead to a steep decline in membership along the lines of the Socialist Party many years ago.

We have developed (especially in Cayuga County), a healthy sense of forward momentum. Although we still face a long up hill battle to achieve political equality in the sense of taking on the Republicans and Democrats and getting our own people elected, we have a sense that we’re gaining. Our optimism is contagious and our membership is increasing. We are touching on a pulse that’s been ignored by both Republicans and Democrats, and I think we can address this better than them because we are a 3rd party in the traditional sense.

Republicans and Democrats are entrenched in the “system” and therefore to a large extent are its prisoners. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t good Republicans or Democrats but they, to a large part, are stuck in an endless cycle of raising campaign funds in order to stay in power, to possibly do some good(if we give them the benefit of the doubt). In order to do this they have to deal with people with money, and this automatically cuts them off from the very people and interests we care about. The danger here for us is...how do we work within the “system” to change the “system” without becoming part of the “system”, and therefore corrupted by it.

A traditional 3rd party acts as a magnet for ideas that are marginalized from the mainstream...both progressive and reactive. As this populist pull increases, the two main parties are forced to address populist issues or...see their parties dramatically weakened. Ralph Nader, as a truly articulate spokesman for Green Party values did this in the 2000 election, drawing out the two main parties on issues like the environment, the high cost of prescription drugs, even campaign finance reform. George Bush’s dramatic about face upon entering office was all the more stunning because at times during the campaign he sounded more like a Democrat than Al Gore. This is what happens when people are so willing to compromise their values to get elected that they forget who they are, or what they’re about.

I’m very worried that we could be heading down the same road by endorsing non-greens for the purpose of getting more votes. We have a core set of values that are unique in the political arena...and are the values of common people all over the world. They are: social justice, non-violence, future focus and sustainability, personal and global responsibility, grass roots democracy, community based economics, feminism, decentralization, respect for diversity and, ecological wisdom. These are great values that can really resonate with people if given the chance...our biggest adversary is cynicism...especially here in Central New York. People have a deep seated desire to believe...to have hope...but I think people are afraid to hope too much. There’s been so much hypocrisy in politics, and ideas come and go. It’s hard not to be a cynic. But every time we stand for what’s right and remain true to our values, we gain strength in the fight against cynicism. Does that mean I think we should go ahead, stand firm and become marginalized as a result of our beliefs? No it does not!

I think we need to think about who we’re talking to. If in the process of these discussions some conservatives are swayed, or end up re-accessing their own positions ...great, but the people we really need to reach are the ones who are already half way here. For example, how many people belong to the Sierra Club in Cayuga County...or Green Peace? Would they maybe be interested in the Green Party’s Pro-Environment stance? How many people belong to Amnesty International, or The Southern Poverty Law Center? Might they not be interested in our stance on non-violence or global justice issues.

Pick any kind of social-justice or environmental group and we are the obvious political choice...we just need to talk to their members.

Working Assets is a national long distance phone company that champions all kinds of social causes. Their customer list is growing daily. They are also a clearing house for information on all kinds of social-justice and environmental groups. We need to track down these mailing lists and make contact with the people in our region who are on them. Believe it or not, many of these people still might not know much about the Green Party, but considering their social and environmental affiliations, I’m sure they’d be interested in learning more about us. Many of these people would probably consider themselves apolitical...part of that huge group of disenfranchised non-voters that Ralph Nader was talking about.

If we maintain our values, they might consider casting their votes for Green Party candidates, and if this were done state wide, those numbers could be significant...perhaps even large enough to keep our ballot line...and more. As the Republicans and Democrats become more of a mono-party, they cast their nets in ever smaller circles. We can be the beneficiaries of their short sightedness by reaching out to the vast oceans of people they’ve left behind.