There are good discussions popping up in some different places about Green-Rainbow electoral strategies, and I’d like to take this opportunity to create an ongoing dialogue that could help catalyze some action.

Leo Maley points out on Blue Mass Group that there will be something like 25 open seats this year in the Legislature. In the same space, he also argues that the Green-Rainbow Party has no business running for high office without having demonstrated political viability or acuity at any level other than a small crop of municipal officials.

Jason Pramas ponders pretty much the same question at Open Media Boston, with a little less devotion to the Grand Old Democrats, and a little more interest in seeing a local electoral focus take hold.

And Peter Vickery makes an eloquent case to run for office and to run Green right here at GMG.

Of course, the Green-Rainbow Party’s electoral strategy for 2010-2012 was to go after State Rep. seats with an eye towards winning one or two in 2012. And Jill Stein’s gubernatorial bid emerged as a powerfully synergistic opportunity to help spur stronger legislative challenges. A strong municipal field in 2011 would also be synergistic with this top-to-bottom-and-up approach.  

Now, it’s February 10th, and we’ve got about 8 months ’til election day. I believe the deadline for registering Green-Rainbow in order to run on that ticket is February 23rd, and the deadline for submitting signatures for State Rep. seats is April 27th.

I know of a few people who are likely to throw their hats into State Legislative campaigns, and a few more who are thinking about it…

Let’s put our heads together and see what we can do to get at least 10 State Rep. candidates this year who are willing to run again in 2012! We can use this space to organize information about open seats and other districts worth targeting, and let’s invite more people to this important conversation!

It’s only in the absence of serious challenges that Beacon Hill can act with such impunity when they throw out Clean Elections on a voice vote, exempt themselves from Public Records and Open Meeting laws, and generally disregard the will of their constituents at the behest of lobbyists and big campaign contributors.

The Republicans are surely trying to take advantage of a changing tide, but there is a window of opportunity for the Green-Rainbow Party to become the second party in Massachusetts, and the only party that will shun corporate influence and stand vigilantly for justice, sustainability, and common sense.