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Republicans and Democrats have a some competition this year in gubernatorial races.  Not always in terms of policy ideas as I will make clear, but certainly in terms of alternative candidates.

From a quick count: 21 Libertarians, 13 Greens, 1 Peace and Freedom, 1 Moderate Party, 1 American Constitution, and 5 or so Independents (those are Independents included in polling).

I’ve looked through a few of these candidates’ websites in order to analyze some of the messaging and policy ideas these campaigns are producing.  I will leave Massachusetts be for now, as this is mainly about uncovering new information.  And to keep things digestible, I am specifically looking at Rhode Island, Maine, Illinois, and Florida.

I didn’t look through the Libertarians’ websites, I have some crude guesses and bad jokes to share, I’ll let someone else search for the good idea needle in the haystack (j/k, there are plenty of points of agreement between Libertarians and Greens).

First Rhode Island, because its so damn close.

Continue reading A Look at Independent and Third Party Gubernatorial Candidates in 2010

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(I thought I’d share my campaign press release with the GMG community. I hope you will consider my candidacy. Jim)

BOSTON, August 17, 2010.  Stow attorney Jim Henderson has filed over 5000 certified signatures with the state’s elections officials, becoming one of the three sanctioned candidates, and the only independent, running for Secretary of the Commonwealth in this November’s election.  Henderson, the first unaffiliated candidate in a generation to seek the Secretary’s office, submitted signatures from over 70% of the cities and towns in Massachusetts.

“My nomination reflects a strong interest among the voters across the state in having an independent choice for Secretary, unfettered by party politics and outside of the entrenched political bureaucracy in Boston,” stated Henderson.

Continue reading Henderson now the Independent Choice for Secretary
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Boston Globe, August 18 2010.

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE Tim Cahill began his closing statement in Monday’s first gubernatorial debate with a plea to be included – along with Green-Rainbow party candidate Jill Stein – in subsequent debates. Then he and Stein went on to show, with their contributions to the debate on Cape Wind, that they bring thoughtful, distinct perspectives the voters deserve to hear.

Continue reading Boston Globe: “Cahill, Stein Earn Their Places”

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The MA Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus recently sent my campaign a questionnaire, which I am returning today.  My support on the issues of civil rights, marriage rights, privacy, HIV/AIDS policy, and education is resolute, which their members will see easily enough in my answers.

The cover letter to the questionnaire identified the caucus as being ‘bi-partisan.’  This made me wonder if the caucus is open to endorsing a candidate from outside the parties that are generally defined by the term ‘bi-partisan,’ or if they limit serious consideration only to candidates from two parties.  I asked about this last week, but have not received an answer yet.

Continue reading MA Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus: A Candidate’s Answer

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Who should be running the shadow war?

“Who should be running the shadow war?” asks a recent New York Times article which simultaneously exposes and lends support to the recent shift towards secret, unaccountable, and unconstitutional military aggression by the United States government.

The attack offered a glimpse of the Obama administration’s shadow war against Al Qaeda and its allies. In roughly a dozen countries – from the deserts of North Africa, to the mountains of Pakistan, to former Soviet republics crippled by ethnic and religious strife – the United States has significantly increased military and intelligence operations, pursuing the enemy using robotic drones and commando teams, paying contractors to spy and training local operatives to chase terrorists.

The White House has intensified the Central Intelligence Agency’s drone missile campaign in Pakistan, approved raids against Qaeda operatives in Somalia and launched clandestine operations from Kenya. The administration has worked with European allies to dismantle terrorist groups in North Africa, efforts that include a recent French strike in Algeria. And the Pentagon tapped a network of private contractors to gather intelligence about things like militant hide-outs in Pakistan and the location of an American soldier currently in Taliban hands.

While the stealth war began in the Bush administration, it has expanded under President Obama, who rose to prominence in part for his early opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Virtually none of the newly aggressive steps undertaken by the United States government have been publicly acknowledged. In contrast with the troop buildup in Afghanistan, which came after months of robust debate, for example, the American military campaign in Yemen began without notice in December and has never been officially confirmed.

Obama administration officials point to the benefits of bringing the fight against Al Qaeda and other militants into the shadows. Afghanistan and Iraq, they said, have sobered American politicians and voters about the staggering costs of big wars that topple governments, require years of occupation and can be a catalyst for further radicalization throughout the Muslim world.

Continue reading Private Empire, Shadow Warfare. America slips towards fascism.
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Gotta hand it to The Onion for saying it better than anyone else has.

massive quantities of oil reach their intended destination

PORT FOURCHON, LA-In what may be the greatest environmental disaster in the nation’s history, the supertanker TI Oceania docked without incident at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port Monday and successfully unloaded 3.1 million barrels of dangerous crude oil into the United States.

According to witnesses, the catastrophe began shortly after the tanker, which sailed unimpeded across the Gulf of Mexico, stopped safely at the harbor and made contact with oil company workers on the shore. Soon after, vast amounts of the black, toxic petroleum in the ship’s hold were unloaded at an alarming rate into special storage containers on the mainland.

From there, experts confirmed, the oil will likely spread across the entire country’s infrastructure and commit unforetold damage to its lakes, streams, and air.

Continue reading Millions Of Barrels Of Oil Safely Reach Port In Major Environmental Catastrophe
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I am forwarding this excellent editorial from Jason Pramas from OMG.

Mike Heichman

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Let Jill Stein Debate

by Jason Pramas (Staff), Aug-13-10

• OMB Editorial

It’s really something to watch the mainstream media in our fair state close ranks around the mainstream candidates in the Mass. gubernatorial race. On Tuesday, Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein was contacted by a consortium of nine major local media organizations and (to quote her press release) “invited to participate in two major televised debates, providing she met certain criteria including raising $100,000 in campaign funds and achieving at least a 5 percent score in election polls.” I would have to agree with Stein that the media outlets in question are setting the bar for entry to the debates too high to easily allow qualified third-party candidates to participate.

I would also agree with her campaign position on the matter, “All candidates that have qualified for the ballot under the election laws of the Commonwealth should be invited to participate in debates that use the public airways. We also think that fair treatment of all candidates is to be expected from the media corporations that are taking advantage of the privileges our society accords to journalistic enterprises. Those privileges are based on an assumption that journalists will contribute to the free and open dialogue that is essential to a healthy democracy. Journalists should refuse to be parties to any attempt to restrict the flow of information that voters need and deserve.”

Continue reading Let Jill Debate
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Massachusetts likes to call itself the Birthplace of Democracy.  But if giving voters a choice on election day is a measure of the health of a Democracy, we’re not doing very well.  Massachusetts has become a one-party state in which possession of the vote is often rendered meaningless because there is only one candidate in the race.

According to a recent tally by State House News Service, the 2010 elections are suffering from a dearth of candidates.

Continue reading Slim Pickings for Voters
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