(READ EXCERPTS FROM DR. STEIN’S ANNOUNCEMENT):

Dazzled by the efforts of the truly invincible cadre of folks who braved this summer’s scorched sidewalks to collect the signatures needed to place GRP candidates on the ballot, impressed all over again with our gubernatorial candidate’s eloquent grasp of pressing issues and ability to weave them together with both sense and grace, pleased to meet my comrades once again on the same Statehouse steps we did when Jill Stein announced her candidacy on a chill March morning, I for one am feeling downright re-invigorated. No, all’s not well with the world. Far from it. But we’re ready to go to war to make it well, and all of us–in the party, in the movement, and, in fact,  all of us across the commonwealth, who’ve been delivered a choice we didn’t have yesterday–owe a real debt to those who labored indefatigably to ensure our candidates would be on the ballot–and in the freaking debates–and to the slate of candidates–Jill Stein & Rick Purcell, Nat Fortune, and Scott Lagenour–who are looking simply to give a real voice, not to party partisans, not to big-time donors, but to citizens like themselves  (we’ll shortly be adding the tireless Mark Miller to that list).

From the heart: thank you.

Of course … that was the easy part. To get involved with stage two, please visit Democracy Days.

This won’t work for everyone, but it still does it for me. Some Shakespeare for you.

(Not addressed  to GRP loyalists, but to my lovesick Demecratic friends)

Help me out. Some of you have been in situations like these.

This isn’t about me. It’s about … a friend’s situation. Of course.

So: imagine you’re in love. The kind that only comes once in a life time: stars in your eyes, clouds at your feet; rainbow and unicorns on the dreariest of Monday mornings, the scent of musk, cognac, and opium in the bedroom every night.

The guy–make it a woman if you’re so inclined–is in so many ways everything you wished for. He’s good looking, a snappy dresser, has a great smile, your friends can’t believe you landed him, and you’re not ashamed to bring him home to dinner. He’s wicked smart, but he doesn’t put on any airs about it–just not his style. He has a great job, knows his way around limos and private jets, hobnobs with the occasional celebrity. Does it possiby get any better than this?

There’s a somewhat lengthy piece by Euegene Goodheart in the summer issue of Dissent–“Obama On and Off Base”–that’s well worth reading. Goodheart makes the case that far from selling out his liberal base, the President is operating as efficiently as he can within the the constraints (from constitutional to political) his administration faces, and has some genuine accomplishments to boast of–not, actually, a bad record for a president in his third year. I think it’s well worth reading for those who don’t understand why we don’t have single-payer, why Copenhagen went so terribly wrong, why enough isn’t being done in terms of economic stimulus. In any case, the historical comparisons to (and contrasts with) Lincoln and Roosevelt are insightful and rewarding.

There’s a disingenuous element here, too, however, in that the author, focusing pretty much entirely on domestc policy issues, doesn’t touch on military spending or the wars–two items that, to my mind, threaten the well-being being of the republic more than most anything else. The president doesn’t require supermajorities to drastically alter US involvement in Iraq and Af-Pak; when it comes to his status as Commander-in-Chief, he need accede to no powerful Senator nor fear a filibuster. In fact, a growing number of congresspeople and senators are pushing de-involvement, and there does exist a VERY broad colaition, which includes paleo-cons, who would vociferously support withdrawal. Unfortunately, standard-issue Dems are reluctant to criticize the President on this most critical of issues–the election of Obama was the single worst thing that could have hapened to what there was of an antiwar movement, as we got, not “Bush Lite,” but but Bush squared–and a movement that decided to castrate itself in obesiance.

I have no idea how to rescuscitate that movement, but I’m open to suggestions.

GRP Candidates Unanimously Support Bill and Decry Legislative Inaction

The Green-Rainbow Party calls on the Massachusetts Legislature to adopt, without delay, “An Act to stabilize neighborhoods” (H 4595, a.k.a. “the foreclosure bill”). As summarized by City Life/Vida Urbana & MAAPL, the bill

“…would prevent foreclosing banks from evicting tenants `no-fault’ in buildings banks own after foreclosure. The law would only affect foreclosing banks, not subsequent owners. The proposed law would not require state funding. It will help homeowners facing foreclosure by making banks make a good faith offer for a loan modification to prevent foreclosure or the bank will have to wait an additional 60 days up to a total of 150 days before it can foreclosure. This will provide incentives for more good faith negotiation by banks.”

The legislation will also make mortgage fraud a criminal action and assist localities in rehabilitating foreclosed properties.

…and pass h.4595, “An Act to stabilize neighborhoods?” The Senate passed the damn thing months ago–UNANIMOUSLY!!!–as it’s a NO-COST to the taxpayers, common-sense bill that actually affords real protection to those being screwed by our infinitely mismanaged economy.

(NB: the legislative session ends on JULY 31!!!)

We’re looking at around 12,000