[Platform] BALLOT INITIATIVES UPDATE. Consider putting them to workin your community! Join the ABWG.
John Walsh
john.walsh at umassmed.edu
Mon Apr 7 20:22:44 EDT 2008
Mike,
There is a candidate running in Worcester for STATE Senate as you
should know.
Unfortunately he seems to be willing to pull his punches when it
comes to the Dems. He may be taking his signal from our
gubernatorial candidate last time who pulled her punches with Deval
Patrick and ended up with a minuscule portion of the vote. Without
the GRP platform her fate would have been even worse. Thank goodness
we had a good candidate for secretary of state who got enough votes
to preserve our ballot status.
That is what I was referencing.
If you want to see how to give to the Dems (by telling the
unvarnished truth), go to VoteNader.org. You might want to sit down
since resorting to the truth is shocking in some quarters/
Nader will of course have the majority of the MA votes on the first
ballot at the convention. As you know, he did splendidly here
despite not campaigning and despite the brilliant campaign run by our
last gubernatorial candidate on behalf of Cynthia McKinney.
john walsh
p.s. I have heard some whispers that Cynthia is growing concerned
that she is being used by the DemoGreens in the GPUSA. Just gossip
of course. But if she concludes this, watch out. She is a woman who
does not mince her words or hold back the truth - unlike some folks
we know.
On Apr 7, 2008, at 8:01 PM, Mike Heichman wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> What candidates are you referring?
>
> If there were a significant number of GRP members running this year
> for the US Senate, Congress or the state legislature, I would not
> have submitted this proposal.
>
> If we had enough time and strength, putting a question on the
> statewide ballot might be a good idea. However, we don't have the
> time nor the strength.
>
> Given the above, I believe that the advisory questions can be a
> significant electoral campaign for our party this year in
> conjunction with our support for the Green Party's presidential
> ticket.
>
> Mike Heichman
>
>
>
>
> John Walsh wrote:
>
>> Hi Merelice,
>> I am with Betts on this one.
>> These non-binding ballot questions elicit a collective yawn from
>> the general populace and disdain on the part of the Dems. The
>> only folks who might pay even a smidgen of attention to them are
>> already well informed of what the GRP stands for.
>> So I submit it is really a giant waste of time in an election
>> year when there will be much to do - like exposing Obama for the
>> fake he is and working for our own candidates.
>> john walsh
>>
>> On Apr 7, 2008, at 12:51 PM, Merelice wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Hello Betts and all,
>>>
>>> We are too late for "serious" statewide (massive-signature-
>>> gathering)
>>> ballot questions. We would need to plan much farther ahead (and we
>>> should).
>>>
>>> There's still a slight possibility there will be local candidates
>>> running for office (apart from president) and that would be an
>>> organizing opportunity. In the absence of such, however, some folks
>>> feel that selecting local advisory questions is another way to get
>>> Party members being visible on real issues that matter. It's also
>>> something that a presidential candidate can tie into when
>>> campaigning
>>> in the state.
>>>
>>> At the moment, ask the usual voter what the Green/Green-Rainbow
>>> Party
>>> stands for and it is largely personality politics. Working in
>>> concert
>>> on defined issues -- with ballot questions being just one element of
>>> the work -- could begin to make it clear what the GRP stands for.
>>>
>>> Merelice
>>>
>>>
>>> On 4/6/08, Betty H. Zisk <zisk at bu.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I support all four of these ballot proposals. My only question
>>>> is whether
>>>> they are strictly advisory questions or whhether they are
>>>> serious ballot
>>>> proposals for which we would need to gather signatures. If they
>>>> are just
>>>> advis questions I am not really interested. I am happy to work
>>>> hard on
>>>> health care including signature gathering. Or any other serious
>>>> proposal.
>>>> Not happy to work on advis question. Betts Zisk (For yr info I
>>>> wrote a whole
>>>> book on ballot questions in four states including MA. I have
>>>> never taken
>>>> advisory questions seriously. But I am not clear on language
>>>> here. I
>>>> volunteer wholeheartedly if they are binding questions.) B
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: platform-bounces at green-rainbow.org
>>>> [mailto:platform-bounces at green-rainbow.org]On Behalf Of Jill Stein
>>>> Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 1:53 PM
>>>> To: platform at green-rainbow.org; State Com; Cdlc
>>>> Subject: [Platform] BALLOT INITIATIVES UPDATE. Consider putting
>>>> them to
>>>> workin your community! Join the ABWG.
>>>> Importance: High
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Dear Platform, CDLC, Locals, GRPers et al,
>>>>
>>>> This is to update folks on the status of the local ballot question
>>>> initiatives, which State Com voted to explore at the last
>>>> meeting. The
>>>> proposal suggested considering what ballot questions would have
>>>> a base
>>>> of support that would make them successful and enhance our
>>>> presence in
>>>> existing issue-oriented networks. Several volunteers, partly
>>>> based in
>>>> subcommittees of Platform, have been exploring this and have
>>>> reported
>>>> exciting progress on four possible initiatives, some of which is
>>>> described below. The proposed initiatives thus far (that I'm
>>>> aware of)
>>>> are: Secure Green Future (Green Jobs and Fossil Fuel Phase-
>>>> Out), Health
>>>> Care, Housing Foreclosures, IRV. (Note, you'll have to scroll to
>>>> the
>>>> bottom of the discussion below to get to the health care proposal.)
>>>>
>>>> Platform is also asked in the State Com ballot initiative
>>>> proposal to
>>>> establish an Advisory Ballot Working Group, (ABWG). We
>>>> encourage anyone
>>>> who is, or would like to commit to working on ballot
>>>> initiatives, to
>>>> consider volunteering for the ABWG. Members of locals who are
>>>> interested
>>>> in using one or more initiatives to do issue-based organizing
>>>> in their
>>>> communities are especially encouraged to join. One of ABWG's
>>>> tasks is to
>>>> consider how many such initiatives can be supported by the
>>>> Party, what
>>>> resources are available to do so, and what districts would be most
>>>> productive to target.
>>>>
>>>> We'll consider where the various initiatives stand at our next full
>>>> platform phone meeting, (TBA). If you are interested in
>>>> participating in
>>>> the ABWG, please let me know and we'll keep you posted on upcoming
>>>> meetings.
>>>>
>>>> Thx.
>>>> jill
>>>>
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Platform mailing list
>>> Platform at green-rainbow.org
>>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/platform
>>>
>>>
>>
>> John V. Walsh, MD
>> Professor of Physiology
>> University of Massachusetts Medical School
>> 55 Lake Avenue, N.
>> Worcester, MA, 01655-0127
>> Phone (work): 508-856-3360
>> Phone (cell): 508-868-1653
>> email: john.walsh at umassmed.edu
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Platform mailing list
>> Platform at green-rainbow.org
>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/platform
>>
>>
>
>
John V. Walsh, MD
Professor of Physiology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
508-856-3360 (Office)
508-868-1653 (Cell)
john.walsh at umassmed.edu
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