Green Party

Watch video of Howie Hawkins arrest during health care protest: http://bit.ly/1Cnbrd.

all this for trying to deliver a letter ... perhaps the CEO was nervous about the truth the letter carried ... kill the messenger.

I call them the 'corporate-sponsored parties'. The problem I see with 'advertised parties' is that it means Greens can never advertise, or we'll be seen as hypocritical. However, we'll never take corporate money, and if we did we would rightly be seen as hypocrites. So 'corporate-sponsored parties' clearly highlights what sets us apart from them, ... Read Moreand makes them sound like the corporate shills they are.

When the discussion is about "major" vs "minor" parties, I use the terms 'establishment parties' and 'independent parties'.

Framing is really important. Every Green convention should have a workshop on framing (it's nice that you can basically learn all the lessons of Lakoff's 'don't think of an elephant' in 45 minutes).

"Corporate-sponsored parties" it is!
I'll be using that from now on.

Thanks, Natalia.

You were absolutely right Richard, we are the Radical and Progressive Center - "not to the left, not to the right, but forward".

Every state has different ballot access laws and some are quite restrictive. We all need to work to level that playing field. Here in NM we have a double signature requirement, one for the party and one for the candidate, which makes it quite a task for a candidate. We are currently engaged in a lawsuit against the Secy of State here to fight a whole host of arbitrary regs that work to keep us off the ballot.

Although rural PA is lacking in Green candidates, I voted greenly by walking to the polls :)

Join the general strike for healthcare reform on Monday, Nov. 16th. Stay home or picket, but make your voice heard.

Since Thompson is going to lose, voting yes to political diversity is the only way to vote for democracy. Anything else is a waste.

I have two words for the Naysayers:

STRONG DEMOCRACY

And we're BRINGIN IT ♥ Fo Rizzle :)

yes instant runoff voting! power to the people!

Instant runoffs will help, but I still think a State needs to experiment with bring proportional representation here to America.

Cool!

Prior to the invention of ballot regulations by the Rs and Ds, Americans regularly sent all kinds of parties to Washington, DC. From 1878 to 1892, minor parties held the balance of power in every state but Vermont, and from the mid-1880s they held that power in a majority of states in nearly every election, culminating in 1892 when neither major ... Read Moreparty secured a majority of the electorate in nearly three-quarters of the states." according to history professor Peter H. Argersinger. At the end of the nineteenth century, Americans elected twelve senators from minor parties. In 1911, at least 33 cities had Socialist administrations.

This lawyer completely agrees!!!

this article sums it up pretty well. I found the observations about the hyper-masculinity to be particularly poignant. our culture celebrates destruction and hate under the guise that these are "manly" but are truly symptoms of weakness. it takes real strength to exercise dialogue, compassion, and understanding without the need for violence.

The Democrats and the Republicans have stacked the deck. They need each other to maintain the illusion of choice, but fear real choice. We do need to build locally like Joe Hill said ... Organize, organize, organize. We need to raise the consciousness of the voting populace and we need to win some races and effect real change. Coalitions with other minor parties via ballot measures may be an effective strategy too. It won't be easy, but rules can be changed.

I highly recommend Theresa Amato's book "Grand Illusion" if you want to fully understand how rigged the system is for third parties.