[External Relations] CC Position statement on attempts by Nader/Camejo campaign's supporters to usurp

[Owen Broadhurst]

http://green.gpus.org/vote/displayproposal.php?proposalId=111

Please note that I, by no means, am attempting, or hoping to, step on the 
toes of any GRP delegate to the GPUS CC. By no means am I hoping to direct 
any vote, and by no means am I suggesting in any way, shape, or form that 
our delegates are not capable of considered wisdom in their decision-making 
capacities. I'm merely stating a concern about the proposal.

http://green.gpus.org/vote/displayproposal.php?proposalId=111

This proposal before the GPUS Coordinating Committee has been stated as 
follows:


Background:

The right of voters to select the candidate of their choice is sacred and 
should not be limited.

The Green Party of the United States has consistently fought for the right 
of all voters to select the candidates of their choice and actively opposes 
any attempt to eliminate competition and restrict the voter's freedom to 
choose.

We have been upset to learn that, while Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo are 
condemning the efforts of the Democrats to keep their name off of state 
ballots, their supporters are trying to replace Cobb/LaMarche with 
Nader/Camejo on Green Party state ballot lines, most notably in California, 
Utah and Vermont.

The Green Party is profoundly disappointed and regrets that some of Ralph 
Nader and Peter Camejo's supporters are resorting to these low, 
anti-democratic tactics to get on the ballot.

At this time, it is not clear that Mr. Nader and Mr. Camejo are aware of 
these efforts, or that they approve of them.

Final Note: This resolution is to be released as a press statement after 
passage by the CC, in order to make Mr. Nader and Mr. Camejo aware of these 
efforts, to give them an opportunity to correct these wrongs, if they are, 
in fact, unaware and unsupportive of them, and to set the record straight so 
far as the position of the Coordinating Council of the Green Party is 
concerned.

Proposal:

This past June, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Green Party of the United 
States held a nominating convention that was the culmination of a democratic 
process involving Greens across the country. The Coordinating Council 
recognizes that there are always improvements that can be made to our 
decision-making processes. Nevertheless, when one considers the 
extraordinary efforts that the Green Party has made to both follow the 
extremely restrictive electoral laws that exist in most states, and meet our 
own high standards for grassroots democracy, the Coordinating Council of the 
Green Party is proud of the success of the Milwaukee process, and is equally 
as proud and supportive of the Green Party's nominees for President and 
Vice-President, David Cobb and Patricia LaMarche.

Ralph Nader and his running mate, Peter Camejo, did not seek the Green Party 
nomination. By their own choice, they are running an independent campaign, 
and have accepted the nomination of the Reform Party, as well as other 
independent and third party ballot lines. The Green Party is concerned that 
the supporters of the Nader/Camejo campaign have been involved in attempting 
to remove (and in one case successfully removing) our candidates, David Cobb 
and Pat LaMarche, from ballot lines, and have attempted to replace them with 
the Nader/Camejo ticket.

Since Ralph Nader has, on many occasions, expressed respect and support for 
the independence of the Green Party; and

Since, in his recent court case in Michigan, Ralph Nader has argued that a 
national political party has a right to place its national candidate on the 
ballot, even over the objections of its state affiliates;

We therefore call on Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo to publicly support the 
right of the Green Party of the United States to place the Cobb/LaMarche 
ticket on state Green Party ballots wherever that is legally possible.

We further call on Mr. Nader and Peter Camejo to publicly condemn any 
efforts by their supporters to prevent the placing of the Cobb/LaMarche 
ticket on the ballot in states where there is a Green Party ballot, and to 
publicly refuse to accept any such ballot line, even if offered to them.

To do less than this would go against Mr. Nader's and Mr. Camejo's own 
public statements, both in support of the independence of the Green Party, 
and in support of the Nader/Camejo Reform Party candidacy in Michigan.

The Party asks Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo to rise above the norm of the 
petty and vicious politics of the Duopoly parties, as they have asked the 
Democrats to do in their case. We call on Mr. Nader and Mr. Camejo to 
continue building on their reputation and increasing the respect and 
affection that many Greens and other Americans hold for them, by working 
together to fix the ballot access problem and create true democracy in the 
United States of America.

================

I have concerns about this proposal!!!

"We therefore call on Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo to publicly support the 
right of the Green Party of the United States to place the Cobb/LaMarche 
ticket on state Green Party ballots wherever that is legally possible."

This is a violation of the Grassroots Democracy Key Value!!!

While I do firmly believe that any state party that refuses to field the 
candidate of the national nominating committee should indeed, having 
violated the terms of GPUS Rules and Procedures regarding affiliation, be 
dis-affiliated from the GPUS;

I DO NOT BELIEVE that the GPUS should IN ANY WAY use the State as a weapon 
against the democratic decisions of any state party! State parties MUST be 
free to decide a course of action that might or might not result in their 
dis-affiliation. This is THEIR decision to make!!!

Had the GRP decided to field, say, Nader- then that would have been OUR 
DEMOCRATIC DECISION and OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT!!! I firmly believe this 
proposal is ANTITHETICAL to GREEN VALUES!!!

In fact, I CALL UPON THE GRP STATE COMMITTEE TO DISAFFILIATE IF THIS MOTION 
PASSES!

Should offending state parties be dis-affiliated? YES!!!

Should offending state parties have a decision THRUST VIOLENTLY DOWN THEIR 
THROATS BY PEOPLE WHOSE DECISIONS THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER?

Most emphatically-- NO. NO WAY IN HADES. NO WAY PERIOD. NEVER. NO HOW!!!

==========

Should this offensive and puke-inducing motion actually pass, then I shall 
sponsor a resolution before the next state committee meeting to 
disaffiliate. I'm serious. This is not a joke.

Sincerely yours,
Owen R. Broadhurst