(a very encouraging day it was. – promoted by eli_beckerman)
Excellent reporting by Worcester’s telegram.com, sharing the enthusiasm the Green-Raibow Party has as they continue to fight for a government that works for all of us. Jill Stein and all of the party activists look to the future and reflect on the successes that were achieved this year:
While their leader and flagship candidate from the state election earlier this month, gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein, captured just 1 percent of the votes and finished a distant fourth in the governor’s race, Green-Rainbow Party members seemed anything but discouraged at their state convention here today.
“I am so excited about where we are coming out of this race,” said Ms. Stein, a physician from Lexington. “This is our springboard into a really exciting era going forward.”
Ms. Stein said the Green-Rainbow Party’s showing in the recent balloting was enough to win back official party status in Massachusetts, which allows the party’s name to be listed on voter registration forms.
“We’re better equipped to fight the fight going forward,” she said.
Having been on the ground promoting the Green Rainbow Party candidates this election cycle, I know that many people were interested in this new voice for change. They will be even more interested next time. I’m sure of it. Two steps forward and no steps back. Next time it will be many more steps forward. There is a lot to be excited about.
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the plan of attack? From what I’ve seen in Philadelphia and heard about from Illinois and read about in other countries, it seems like the logical way to go is to start building the party as much as possible and try to win very, very local races in 2011 and 2012, and going on from there.
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and campaigns need to be started well in advance of elections.
At the state and federal level, the difficulty faced by the Green-Rainbow Party, at least as I see it, is competing with Democrats who run on the same progressive values that the GRP party does. The difference now is that many, but not all, of the Democrats may run on those values, but then lead as a member of the Oligarchy Party, which unfortunately holds the majorities in the US House and Senate, and I would say that Barack Obama leans Oligarchy too. It’s going to be a long slow fight, but to get to the federal government level you have start by leading at the state and local level and impressing your constituency there.
There can be a lot accomplished at the local level. First and foremost, educating the electorate. So many of them have no idea or the wrong idea of what keywords mean. Examples: progressive taxes, regressive taxes, universal healthcare, external costs, and more. During this time, it would be great to slowly build a base by talking to people about what is really going on in America today. This can be accomplished in many ways; in matter of fact, unpressured, enlightening conversations with family, friends, the person standing beside you in the deli line,
via emails to your online contacts etc.
I am still a Democrat, but a very disillusioned one. I am disillusioned 100% because of economic issues. This country is headed in the wrong direction because it is destroying the middle working class in order to give greater power, wealth and control to the top of the economic ladder. Both parties are guilty of supporting this destructive ideology. There are still a few Democrats who support a fair and sustainable ecomony and support the same ideals that progressives do. They have a documented track record proving it. Do not run against or try to compete with these people. There are plenty of bad Democrats to run against. It’s in those areas that you will see a flip of votes to your candidates. But you have to start early and make a commitment to talk to people as often as possible about what you stand for.