{news} Fw: GREEN RELEASE Greens call Kerry concession premature, foresee more Dem retreats

[Justine McCabe]

 GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
 http://www.gp.org

 For Immediate Release:
 Monday, November 8, 2004

 Contacts:
 Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-487-0693,
 mclarty at greens.org
 Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, nallen at acadia.net


 GREENS CHARGE KERRY'S CONCESSION BROKE HIS PROMISE THAT EVERY VOTE BE
 COUNTED, WARN OF DEMOCRATIC SURRENDER TO BUSH'S 'MANDATE'

 Will Zell Miller be the model for Democrats in the next four years?, ask
 Greens.


 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Greens joined numerous Democrats in criticizing John
 Kerry's quick concession to President Bush in light of thousands of
 uncounted and obstructed votes and wide discrepancies between counted votes
 and exit polls.

 "Mr. Kerry wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2000 Florida debacle, but in
 conceding quickly he broke his promise to make sure every vote was 
counted,"
 said Ben Manski, Wisconsin Green and co-founder of the No Stolen Elections!
 campaign.  "The widespread reports of election tampering, voting machine
 breakdowns, intimidated and blocked voters, electioneering phone calls that
 spread misinformation, and voters misidentified as felons made it necessary
 in 2004 to count and verify every vote and make sure the election wasn't
 compromised.  Regardless of whether Democrats retreat, Greens demand that
 every vote be counted."

 Noting that Ken Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State and a long-time
 Republican politician, had already been the target of numerous complaints
 about voter obstruction, Greens said that partisan bureaucrats should be
 removed from the responsibility of counting votes.

 The Green Party of the United States has endorsed measures to ensure fair
 and accurate elections, including an auditable paper ballot trail for every
 vote.  The votes of at least a third of the U.S. electorate are currently
 unverifiable, because of the lack of a paper ballot trail.

 A state-based index of news articles compiled by Demos detailing 
obstruction
 of voters, miscounting of votes, and voting machine breakdowns can be found
 at <http://www.demos-usa.org/page196.cfm>.

 Greens said that Mr. Kerry's quick concession portends other Democratic
 surrenders to President Bush's supposed 'mandate'.

 "Despite the rhetoric about 'healing', the Bush Administration is already
 claiming a mandate to enact its radical ideology," said Jody Grage Haug,
 co-chair of the Green Party.  "Equally dangerous is that the leadership of
 the Democratic Party will see the Bush victory as a motivation to retreat
 even further from the party's willingness to fight for working people and
 issues important to progressive voters."

 Greens recall that one of the legacies of the Reagan years was the
 establishment of the Democratic Leadership Council.  DLC members Bill
 Clinton, Al Gore, party chair Terry McAuliffe, and others persuaded their
 party to abandon national health insurance and other Democratic positions,
 embrace Reagan planks like 'welfare reform' and space-based missile 
defense,
 and make numerous other concessions to corporate lobbies.

 "The model for the Democratic Party's future might be Zell Miller," said 
Nan
 Garrett, member of the Georgia Green Party.  "Greens are the only party
 offering a sane alternative to bipartisan consensus behind Bush's radical
 neocon agenda."


 MORE INFORMATION

 The Green Party of the United States
 http://www.gp.org
 1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
 Washington, DC 20009.
 202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
 Fax 202-319-7193

 2004 Green candidates and election results http://www.greens.org/elections

 Beyond Voting Campaign http://www.beyondvoting.org

 November 3rd Democracy Movement http://www.nov3.us/


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