Doug
Glick (not Sammy) on the GP convention, http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=33&ItemID=5792
-----Original Message----- From: obeynow20001 [mailto:obeynow20001 at yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 3:55 AM To: RalphNader2004 at yahoogroups.com Subject: [RalphNader2004] Need To Reform GP Re: A farewell to the Greens.
Bill and all,
I hope no one leaves the GP-US. We on the grassroots end still have a fight to make the Party more democratic, to recruit new members in this election season who will fight for democracy within the Party, to build the general Left wing of the Party.
As Lorna has noted, the majority of the NY and CA members are working on strategy to take back the Party. So it is way premature to give up.
I'm attaching a letter below that I sent out to local members and activists explaining the situation and encouraging them to defend Nader/Camejo and IGP local candidates.
Yours,
Alex Chicago
IGP Green Alliance GP-US
Hi Ira,
Thanks for calling. Sorry I haven't called back- I'll be calling you and others soon.
In brief: we in the Nader/Camejo, Green Alliance, Greens For Nader camp hope to move on from the conven, supporting the Nader/Camejo campaign and recruiting from it to the GP as well as local campaigns. I think that very few of us will be supporting the Cobb campaign as should be the right under grassroots democracy and true democractic (de) centralism.
It seems that the conven was highly undemocratic- no plenary to discuss our options, democratic party trojan horses campaigning against Nader/Camejo, misinformation and threats to the delegates, etc.
At the same time, the above forces do not wish to re-fight a battle that has already been fought, although we will probably be issuing one or more letters to the membership of the GP re the need for more internal democracy in the GP, need for Left and general grassroots, pro independent political action members and the need to have proportional representation on the state and national levels.
Also, Nader and Camejo made the mistake of Nader not coming to the convention which was seen as arrogant and undemocratic probably by the majority of delegates. If Nader had come and asked for the nomination or endorsement in person, he probably would have got it.
In the meantime, here in Illinois, I would urge you and others to support the State GP candidates and Nader/Camejo as the best way to build the Illinois Green Party and Independent Working Class Political Action.
The first task is defend the ballot lines under attack from the Dems. I would call/email Phil Huckelberry our Government and Elections Chair at 309-268-9974 and huckelberry at softhome.net and Lucretia Krause, one of the IL Nader/Camejo Coordinators at 773-426- 1839 and illinoisroadtrip at yahoo.com to volunteer and to send volunteers to them.
The Nader Camejo campaign will probably need more volunteer help right now to defend the ballot line because they have tens of thousands of sigs to our ones of thousands, but activists should try to volunteer for both and put out the call for help for both in the interests of Green unity.
Activists should also volunteer to help defend the IGP ballot line for Prez, VP and Senate but the results there were so pathetic that it may just be a waste of time at this point. (I/we were told estimates of 15,000 sigs total and Phil told our caucus at the conven that we only collected 3,500!).
Those wishing for a larger picture may want to sub to green_all_views at yahoogroups.com (the list sponsored by the Green Alliance, the Left rank and file democracy network in the GP) and RalphNader2004 at yahoogroups.com for more news on how we can aid Nader/Camejo.
Anyway, I would urge everyone to remain calm for now, not to make a fight. We need to focus on defending the Green movement from the attacks of the two corporate parties and our enemies right now. Letters and actions from the above wings of the movement will be coming shortly. Let's act in a strategic, constructive, thoughtful manner.
Yours,
Alex K., member Illinois Green Party
Steering Committee Green Alliance
GP-US
Michael Pugliese