GREEN VOTERS:   America is up against it!!  Our likely choices in 2024 for the Presidency of the United States come down to this:  A president who has brought us to the abyss of a three-theater nuclear war AND has financed a Palestinian genocide versus a president who supported insurrection in our country and openly presents himself as an aspiring fascist.

GREEN VOTERS:  The elephants and the donkeys keep their place in the stable by requiring every other presidential contender to get 10,000 "verified" signatures.  Let's clean the stable!

GREEN VOTERS:  We can provide America with a true democratic choice.  But we must practice our right to vote and we cannot wait to begin the demanding process of gathering signatures on a write-in nominating ballot.  A straw poll has been sent to several thousand Green voters giving them the opportunity through Rank Choice Voting (RCV)  to state their preference for the write-in nominee. The results will be presented at the Green Party Presidential Convention.

Please check your inbox (and your SPAM folder) to participate in grassroots democracy.  Let's show America what democracy -- TRUE  DEMOCRACY -- looks like.

If the Ranked Choice Voting instructions for registered Green-Rainbow Party members are not in your inbox (or in your spam folder!) please call or text (508)594-3475 for assistance.

Meet & Greet Wrap-up

by John Blumenstiel

Democracy visited Massachusetts on January 20, 2024, in Worcester, MA. I refer to the first national discussion with candidates currently vying for the Green Party's nomination for the presidency of the United States. Our state was honored to have five active candidates participate, either in person or via ZOOM. 

The event was organized to introduce both the candidates as well as the principal reasons they have chosen to participate in this daunting task. All five were given air time to introduce themselves and present their reasons for running and their priorities.  The participants included: 

• Jasmine Sherman from North Carolina ( jasminesherman.com).
• Davi from New York ( bydavi.com),
• Jill Stein from Massachusetts (jillstein2024.com),
• Randall Toler from Florida (tolerforpresident.com) and
• Jorge Zavala from California (voteJZ.org). 

The afternoon’s format allowed for socializing to familiarize the candidates with the attendees as well as a panel session where the candidates could more formally present their candidacies and take questions from the program moderators and general audience of approximately 50 participants. 

The visions and goals of the candidates varied widely but were strongly united on one point: that the greatest need for America is a radical change of priorities and that the Green Party (GPUS) is the one party that can direct this change.  The common goal is the rebuilding of a true democracy.

Our current mainstream political environment is shriveling our democracy:  the Democrats are canceling primary season debates, and the Republican front-runner has refused to participate in their party's primary debate season. 

The Greens are stepping up.  Greens present candidates to the public and encourage an open dialogue dedicated to the well-being of all.

As this event was established for familiarizing our state party with the current actively running candidates it was not a format that dove deeply into the positions and priorities of each.  This we plan to address with a more structured debate scheduled to be conducted on May 11, 2024, in conjunction with the Green-Rainbow Party annual convention.  Stay tuned.

CODA

The immediate task before the Green Party is to achieve ballot access in all 50 states.  Our past presidential election campaigns have placed the party on the ballot in over 40 states.  This task is crucial and an opportunity for all Greens to step up and participate in their state's ballot access initiatives.

In January, new, young Greens have stepped into leadership roles.  Mark Connors and Valielza O'Keefe acted as emcees for the January Meet and Greet for Presidential Candidates.  Mark will also be a co-facilitator for the GRP's Winder State Committee Meeting on February 17th.

Membership Chair Zach Kontra is running for the Select Board in his town of Holbrook.