[Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Someone interested in running for Governor?

[Caroline Yacoub]

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: shane que hee <squehee at ucla.edu>
Sent: Wed, November 11, 2009 6:57:16 AM
Subject: Someone interested in running for Governor?


Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:25:57 -0500
>From: davidquinley at aol.com
>Subject: Re: Someone interested in running for Governor?
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>this maybe of interest http://network.greenchange.org/news/11126-growth-of-independents-could-bolster-green-party 
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>Growth of Independents could Bolster Green Party 
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>Voters have been increasingly re-registering as independents in recent years, growing from 30 percent of all registered voters in 2007 to 39 percent of all registered voters in April 2009, according to the most recent Pew Research Center surveys. 
>Posted: 03:54PM 
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>By: Tom Risen 
>Source: Scoop Daily 
>Published: 11.10.2009 
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>Voters have increasingly been re-registering as independents in recent years, growing from 30 percent of all registered voters in 2007 to 39 percent of all registered voters in April 2009, according to the most recent Pew Research Center surveys.
>Already established in European parliaments, the Green Party of the United States ran 158 candidates in local and state races last Tuesday. Many of their successes were small local positions like school boards or common council in states like Maine, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Maryland and Illinois.
>Because of their nationwide restrictions regarding special interest contributions, Scott McLarty, national media coordinator for the Green Party of the United States, hopes the 2010 election will win them voters discouraged by the Wall Street crises and by government spending.
>“We are fiscally conservative in the sense that banks are not too big,� McLarty told ScoopDaily. “One Green solution to the national bank crisis is that the banks should be broken up into the state and local levels – like the way AT&T was broken up in the 1970’s. One of our challenges to voters is to stop voting for parties who make decisions based on corporate money. Even progressive Democrats like Barney Frank have acted very much in service to financial interests.�
>The Pew survey indicated that independents more often resemble Democrats regarding social values, religion and national security. Many issues like stances against torture, protest of the War in Iraq and support of same-sex marriage are in the Green Party’s national charter, but Green candidates take varying positions on other issues at their local levels, said McLarty.
>“I would ask progressive Democrats how long they can stay with a party that betrays their ideals over and over again,� said McLarty. “Lately we’re actually more in tug of war with forces on the Right, since their voters shift when there’s economic uncertainty. The Green Party has an interesting mix of people on certain issues. The Green Party national platform has a health care national single payer platform. On the other hand, some of our candidates recognize a diverse opinion on gun laws.�
>When most people talk about the Green Party, four-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader comes to mind. Yet Nader only ran under the Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000, and as an independent in 2004 and 2008. Nader told Scoop Daily that the Greens have an impractical approach to elections.
>“Unfortunately they have a culture where the people who talk the most get the most attention,â€� said Nader. “The Greens are generally too fractious. I’m done with the Green Party but I wish them the best…They should model themselves after the more organized Green Party in Germany since it’s been the most successful.â€�
>Yet a mix of fiscal conservatism and liberal approach to social justice struck a chord with Illinois voters in 2006 under the Green’s gubernatorial candidate, civil rights lawyer Rich Whitney. Whitney ran against the now-removed former governor Rod Blagojevich (D) and Judy Baar Topinka®, who was state treasurer under former governor George Ryan, who was likewise removed from office on corruption charges and is currently in prison.
>Pointing to the status quo as the problem, Whitney ran on the slogan “Times Call for a Change,� and with only $100,000 from individual donors his campaign won 11 percent of the vote. That showing guarantees the Greens a space on the Illinois ballot through the 2010 election, when they plan to run more than 30 candidates, compared to their 16 from 2006.
>A major challenge for any third party candidate is to get enough petition signatures before an election to even appear on a ballot. This must be done in neighborhoods where Republican and Democrat incumbents use millions in political war chests to advertise against the candidates. When a candidate reaches 10 percent of the vote in Illinois they are guaranteed a ballot space in the next election, and a 5 percent showing by a gubernatorial candidate extends that privilege to their entire party.
>While hoping that Whitney will score big in 2010, Patrick Kelly, spokesman for the Illinois Green Party, believes running with the example of a non-corporate funded campaign might inspire election finance change in states like Illinois even if they lose.
>“Especially now that Blagojevich has been arrested there will be no getting around the fact that the Republican and Democratic Party and the way they operate,� said Kelly. “The fundraising system in Illinois has unlimited contributions. It’s basically a corrupt politician’s dream and needs to be changed. It’s not going to just go away, so we have caps on individual donors.�
>Responding to the Green Party claim to rally against the status quo, Steve Brown, press secretary for the Illinois Democratic Party, believes Green voters join the Democratic Party when they want a more practical vehicle to shape policy.
>“The Greens are fine people, they pay attention and they’re involved in the process, which is great,� Brown told Scoop Daily. “People listened to Whitney’s message against Blagojevich and reacted accordingly. I think our Democrats stood our ground against Blagojevich and made his impeachment happen. I did not see Mr. Whitney or Republicans initiate that process. They tried two years ago to wrap Blagojevich around peoples’ necks, and it didn’t work then, but they’ll try again.�
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>Following the loss of governor’s seats to Republicans Tuesday night in Virginia and New Jersey, which trended toward the Democratic Party in recent years, Brown did not believe the election signals waning support for Obama or Democrats.
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>“The national media likes to sweep up all these races and put them on a template rather than write about issues so they can have something to talk about,� said Brown. “We think Democrats will do well in Illinois in 2010 but we take nothing for granted.�
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