It all started last year with a tremendous effort to get the Green Party on the ballot in California. We had become a part of the world-wide effort to organize the Left. And here in the USA, the name of the political game is "winner take all."
On January 26, 1992, many California county-level representatives gathered in Sacramento to vote on bylaws for the new party as well as plan media strategies, bring forth initiatives, work with students, share ideas on how to run the party, and much more. Much was accomplished toward developement and much more remains to be done.
Fed up with "Republocrats" and frustrated with their primary system which seems to ensure mediocre candidates, the Greens adopted article 14 which effectively closes primary races. But fearing spoilers, the None of the Above clause was also passed as a protective measure. It was not known then or now how these developments would fare in the courts.
Then came February. Green party candidates were standing by. But the process of selecting candidates proved trickier than some thought. One realistic concern remains how not to split the vote on the left which would in turn help Republicans get elected, thus making things worse.
By the March 6 deadline, the wrestling match between the candidates and bureaucrats was over. Names emerged in many of California's congressional districts as to who would represent Gree issues as candidates.
It would be wise to recognize that these issues: global warming, air quality, recycling, sustainable forestry and many other environmental problems are long term, while terms of office are limited. Everyone gets his or her turn.
Meanwhile, some Democrats who registered Green are now going back so they can vote in the that primary for Jerry Brown and Dan Hamburg.
The next Green state meeting set for April 4 in the Bay Area has a full agenda, but it is clear that we will need a committee to rectify and mediate mistakes.
Mistakes are often painful, but can be helpful. Our recent experience of infighting and misunderstandings illustrates the need to clearly define how a candidate recieves the Green endorsement before primary elections if primaries are to be closed.
Or perhaps the party would reconsider Article 14 or the None of the Above option. I porpose there be a committee for such recosiderations -- a sort of healing committee if you will.
In June, it will be the voters' turn to accept or reject the surviving Green candidates. Here in Mendocino County, we have Margene McGee, a brave Native American grandmother, for state Assembly. Green registrants can vote for her in the June primary or select None of the Above, which means no candidate preferred in the November general elections.
It seems to me that Article 14 on top of None of the Above clause is a bit much. But that's what we have this time around. We should improve the process before the 1994 primary season. For the present, however, we must focus on electing our local candidates for office.
Only a grassroots effort around Green candidates can help elect those who represent the people, environmental integrity, and a sustainable future. We all know it will be difficult for those candidates to be adequately financed, so we all need to work together.
And in order for the left to organize into a visible third force within the system, Greens need to join with Latinos, Natives, impoverished, homeless, nature groups, anti-nuclear, women's rights, the peace movement and generations to come.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2004
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