[lbo-talk] Greens see success in Calif

[mike larkin]

--- Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
> http://www.gp.org
> 
> For Immediate Release
> Wednesday, October 15, 2003
> 
> Contacts:
> Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576,
> nallen at acadia.net
> Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
> mclarty at greens.org
> 
> 
> PETER CAMEJO'S GROUNDBREAKING CAMPAIGN IN THE RECALL
> RACE SETS THE 
> STAGE FOR GREENS IN 2004
> 
> Green gubernatorial candidate Camejo's participation
> and performance 
> broke the two-party chokehold on debates.
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON, D.C. - Green candidate Peter Camejo's
> strong performance 
> in the California gubernatorial debates drew praise
> from across the 
> political spectrum, giving further credence to calls
> for Green 
> inclusion in the 2004 presidential and candidates'
> debates.
> 
> "If the California recall election is any
> indication, Greens are 
> going into the 2004 election season with a focused
> message and a lot 
> of respect," said Mark Dunlea, chair of the Green
> Party of New York 
> State.  "There's no excuse for barring Green
> candidates from the 
> debates in 2004."
> 
> Many national commentators lauded Camejo as a
> serious candidate with 
> a sound platform budget plan, increasing Green Party
> credibility 
> nationwide. San Francisco Chronicle political writer
> John Wildermuth 
> praised Camejo's performance in the debates, calling
> him an 
> "articulate advocate" for the Greens, and declared
> that "Camejo isn't 
> going to be California's next governor, but the
> Green Party candidate 
> wasn't a loser in Tuesday's election" (October 8).
> 
> After the September 24 'Superbowl' debate, 32% of
> respondents chose 
> Camejo as the winner in a poll conducted by the San
> Francisco 
> Chronicle and Examiner.  The Los Angeles Times found
> that among 
> Democrats, 25% saw Camejo as the winner, compared to
> 13% for Democrat 
> Cruz Bustamante.
> 
> Camejo's favorable ratings increased after each
> debate, according to 
> a California Field Poll, with upwards of 2 million
> Californians 
> giving Camejo's candidacy positive marks by the end
> of the campaign.
> 
> In early October, when the League of Women Voters
> and media sponsors 
> initially barred Camejo from the final two debates,
> the public 
> responded with more than 20,000 letters of protest
> sent to debate 
> sponsors.  Greens note that the Commission on
> Presidential Debates, 
> which are controlled by the Democratic and
> Republican parties, are 
> unresponsive to the public's demand for inclusion of
> third party and 
> independent candidates.
> 
> Camejo's participation "broke new ground for the
> Green Party and was 
> an important victory for American democracy in a
> time of threatened 
> civil liberties," said Camejo campaign worker Linda
> Schade, noting 
> that Green presidential candidate Ralph Nader was
> excluded from the 
> debates in 2000. "Voters clearly support the
> inclusion of Green 
> voices in the political debate. The question is,
> will the 
> Presidential Debate Commission respect their call?"
> 
> 
> MORE INFORMATION
> 
> The Green Party of the United States
> http://www.gp.org
> 1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
> Washington, DC 20009.
> 202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
> Fax 202-319-7193
> 
> Peter Miguel Camejo for California Governor
> http://www.votecamejo.org/
> info at votecamejo.org
> 510-595-4619
> PO Box 32102
> Oakland, CA 94604
> 

They're smoking it. Talk about self-delusion.

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