[Needtoknow] RESIGNING FROM GPUS -- NATIONAL COMMITTEE

[John Walsh]

Hi Nat,
Thanks for the kind words.  About half a year ago I defended the GPUS in an
exchange with Joshua Frank, as I began my tenure on the NC.
I knew there were problems, but I had been greatly inspired by Nader's talk
at the convention last summer.  And although the meeting had more than its
share of dysfunctional types there were also some fine people.  And then
resolution #324 came along which addressed the contentious problem of
apportionment.  I was impressed at the broad support it had - from Phil
Huckleberry the co-chair to Cat Woods, who are often on opposite sides of
issues.  It took two years of work to get the proposal ironed out.  BUT a
determined minority of 36% blocked it - many of these folks being Greens who
are committed to the Democrat Party or just hate Nader.  And so it failed
and another proposal was put together hastily, disenfranchising CA and other
larger states to one degree or another.
But I soldiered on, joining the national Ballot Access Committee since Phil
Huckleberry said ballot access was our number one priority.  I quickly found
that the BAC with Huckleberry as chair and with no co-chair was not
functioning.  It had never had a conference call!!!.  I insisted on that and
with the help of another new member from CT we managed to get a conference
call.  Our first project was AZ which needed money.  I then found we had no
functional fundraising machine at the national level.  So in an ad hoc way
we tried to raise money from AZ.  We succeeded by the seat of our pants
thanks to the initiative of some disenfranchised members from CA.  (You may
remember what happened here when I was stonewalled upon trying to get some
GRP lists for fundraising on what was a very tight deadline.)
And it goes on and on like that.
Frankly my assessment of the NC was wrong.  I was wrong in that CounterPunch
article and Joshua Frank was right.  My own bitter experience leads me to
that conclusion.
Ralph Nader has asked the GPUS repeatedly- Are you serious?  Like Ralph I
have sadly concluded it is not and cannot be revived.  Sad but we have to
recognize facts.  Fortunately there are promising state parties like the GRP
which may be part of a successor to the GPUS.
Best,
john walsh

On Sun, Apr 6, 2008 at 1:35 PM, Nat Fortune <nat.fortune at comcast.net> wrote:

> Dear John --Thank you for your service on the GPUS National Committee on
> behalf of the GRP. I know we haven't always agreed about national or state
> priorities, so I want to emphasize that I particularly appreciate your
> efforts to make ballot access a priority so that the GPUS might be able to
> field candidates in every state.  I am sorry that  your frustrations with
> the National Committee led you to decide to resign instead of continue those
> efforts.
>
> Elie -- could you please inform the rest of our state party
> representatives on the National Committee?
>
>
>