Tag Archives: Green Party

The feature for the Green Party National Annual Meeting on Saturday, July 14 was Ralph Nader, speaking to the issue of ballot access and and challenges to ballot access.

Prior to the event, this delegate from Georgia picketed outside to urge Nader to seek the Green Party *nomination* for President (2008) and not merely an endorsement by the Green Party:

Nader’s presidential campaign was pulled from the ballot in PA in 2004 which resulted in a legal battle which is still continuing, including the state trying to collect money from the Nader campaign.   At the end of his speech, Nader auctioned two of his books which raised a few thousand dollars for the GPUS.  You can view videos at these sites:
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader Press Conference on Ballot Access
Ralph Nader – speaking on challenging the system and ballot access
Nader & Romanelli Press Conference on Pennsylvania Ballot Access
Below are some photos of the event:

Rebecca  Rotzler, GPUS Co-Chair and Deputy Mayor of New Paltz, NY, emcee’s the event

Jennaro Pullano, Berks County, PA Green running for Mayor of Reading, PA

Carl Romanelli-Green Party PA US Senate Candidate ’06(YouTube)Carl Romanelli-speaks at Green Party Convention2007

Phil Huckelberry (IL) speaks to ballot access in all 51 states

Tom Neilson sings his intro to Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader

Every night at the GPUS National Annual Meeting there was entertainment – artist after artist after artist, mostly local from PA.  It was great.  Tom and I found it difficult to stay up every night for all the music, but we did the first night and were glad we did.  Each night we heard a variety of styles of music and enjoyed it all.  It was hard to choose a favorite, but we really liked Tom Nielson, activist folksinger songwriter. who performs and political and activist events all over.
Tom Neilson:

Local PA Musicians:

One of the components of the Annual National Meeting is the offering of workshops for Delegates and state party members to learn about issues, committee work, and other items relevant to Green work.  Below are photos I took of the sessions I was able to attend.
Green Party Vision for the Next 25 Years – (link to You Tube video) – John Resenbrink, Maine Independent Green Party

Media Workshop, Scott McLarty, GPUS Media  Director

GPUS Green Pages Workshop – the GPUS National Newspaper
David McCorquodale, Mike Feinstein, David Doonan and Deyva Arthur

A Forum was held at the Green Party of the United States Annual National Meeting on Friday, July 13, 2007 for people who have thus far declared their intentions to seek the Green Party of the United States 2008 Nomination for President of the United States.  There were several candidates who either do not yet belong the Green Party or just joined the Green Party over the course of the National Meeting.  However, over half of the candidates have been active Green Party members.

I will be posting later about two big names that gave presentations at this year’s National Meeting who many in the GPUS are attempting to pursuade them and ultimately the GPUS to run on the 2008 Green ticket.

Here are photos I took and links to You Tube Videos that California Delegate Mike  Feinstein Produced.  You can watch the videos to get an idea of each person’s platform.
Panel of Candidates and Barbara Rodgers-Hendricks (FLA), moderator:

Jared Ball – Washington, D.C.                          M. Jingozian – Oregon  
 
Jesse Johnson – West Virginia                        Jerry Kahn – New York City
         
Kent Mesplay – California                                Gail Parker – Virginia Independent Greens (not GPUS affiliated)
                     
Kat Swift – Texas                                               Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyawaisifza-Curry – Vice President Hopeful                                                                              from California
           

The GPUS National Annual Meeting in Reading, PA ran from July 12 – 15 with workshops, meetings, presentations and plenary of delegates from each state.  The Plenary began Friday, July 13 and held 4 sessions through Sunday.  Each session had a packed agenda, including presentations from GPUS staff, from committees, from states and caucuses, and from delegates presenting issues and proposals for discussion and vote.  We also held Steering Committee Elections to elect four new GPUS Co-Chairs.  A big focus of this year’s agenda items also centered around the 2008 presidential elections and ballot access.

We normally have tables for the delegates with official nameplates for each state during plenary sessions.  There were some logistical difficulties, however, and we ended up with only chairs resulting in not being able to use our nameplates – but we made do!

Each plenary session began with a roll call of states to make sure there was quorum.  Each session had at least two facilitators.  A group of folks with orange armbands served as peacekeepers.  Each presentor and each person who joined the stack for questions were timed to ensure the sessions flowed smoothly.  Overall, it did!

This year we welcomed two new state parties:  Montana and West Virginia.
Friday, July 13 – Ballroom of the Historic Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Hotel in downtown Reading, PA:

Saturday, July 14 – Sovereign Performing Arts Center, Downtown Reading, PA:

GPUS Co-Chairs (Steering Committee):

GPUS Delegates:

Jennaro Pullano, Berks County, PA Green running for Mayor of Reading, PA:

Plenary Room:

Delegates step up to the mic to ask questions and/or offer opinions/positions on issues and proposals:

The afternoon plenary consisted of breakout sessions on GPUS Finances, Fundraising, and Strategizing:

Delegates get a little time to collaborate with each other:

Sunday, July 15 – Ballroom of the Historic Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Hotel in downtown Reading, PA:

Tom and I participated in the first Annual Green Party 5K Walk in Reading, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 14.  Through our donations (the fee to participate) we collectively raised, with other Greens, over $300 for the national party – and had fun while doing it!  Below are some photos, along with the plaque in the park where we walked.