Fellow Green and GPUS Alternate Delegate Tom Yagerfrom Virginia, the pleasure of whom we had meeting in Tulsa last summer, has given me permission to post his message to the GPUS National Committee from yesterday. There is a lot of internal struggle at the national level and Tom’s post was a pleasurable, encouraging and insightful message.
The 2006 elections are the greatest opportunity that the Green Party has ever had in this country. In addition to the series of post-2004 capitulations on Bush’s legislative agenda, Nancy Pelosi handed the
Greens a tremendous gift when she announced that the Democratic Party was not taking a position on Iraq. Any political party that refuses to take a position on the foremost issue that our country faces richly
deserves to be defeated at the polls.
Unfortunately, it looks like the highest decisionmaking body of the best alternative to the Democraps and Repukenicans is mired in procedural minutiae and factional struggle. We are in the sixth month- THE SIXTH MONTH of the SC election saga. Every day that we spend on this nonissue takes away from focusing on the 2006 elections. Peter Camejo and David Cobb buried the hatchet over the 2004 election, and it’s high time that those on the NC who have not done so to follow their example.
There is no excuse for us to not take advantage of our opportunity. If we fail to do so, I really don’t think that it will matter who we nominate for President in 2008 or what his or her campaign strategy is.
We need to set aside our differences and focus on the issues and how we can succeed in the elections.
In states that have partisan registration, what are we doing to encourage new voters and progressive Democrats and independents to register Green?
What about the states with difficult ballot access requirements? What are we doing to help our Green brothers and sisters in states like Indiana to get their statewide candidates on the ballot?
What successes have states had with recruiting candidates? What can Pennsylvania share with us about its victories in local elections? What can Alice Green tell us about how she came in second in the Albany mayor’s race?
What are we doing to follow up on the September antiwar demonstrations in DC? Every day that we spend in Iraq not only increases the death toll and breeds the next wave of terrorists, but also gives the neocons
the opportunity to start a war with Iran. After lying us into war, torturing, illegal spying, and using WMDs in Fallujah, it would hardly be a surprise. Perpetual war abroad and a garrison state at home are two sides of the
same coin.
What are we doing to educate the public about peak oil and to come up with position papers on our alternative? At best, we have about 30 years until the day of reckoning comes.
What are we doing to reach out to the bottom 95% who continue to see their wages decline as the economy grows? The corporados are going pedal to the metal to take back the 20th century. What are we doing to
come up with an alternative to http://www.19thcenturycaptialism.com?
We Greens have our differences, but we agree on so much more. Let’s focus on what we have in common so that we can build a viable national alternative to our broken two-party system.
Tom Yager
Alternate, GPVA
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 