{news} press release

[Chris Nelson]

Tim,

Thanks for taking the time to put this press release together. This  
bill sounds terrible, part of a trend of using ostensible electoral  
reform to safeguard incumbents and the two-party stranglehold. I am  
glad the Greens got in a word in opposition.

I hate to contribute to the feeling that no good deed goes  
unpunished, but I have a couple of concerns.

The press releases need to be proofread before they are sent out.  
There is a typo in Ralph's quote that makes it almost incoherent, 
(i.e. "noting" for, I assume, "not").  There is also a typo in the  
very first line of the press release, (i.e. no "'s" after DeLauro).

What is the process for nominating a candidate on the Green line for  
office? I thought Ralph, Cliff and others were seeking, but had not  
yet secured, the Green party nomination. Why are they being billed as  
the official candidates?

I want to temper there criticisms by acknowledging that mistakes are  
a fact of life. The typo in the very first publication I sent to  
print while working for an environmental group still causes me to  
cringe more than a decade after the fact. (The details are too  
gruesome to commit to print, but might be divulged in person, in  
confidence, preferably after I have a couple of beers in me.)

I also know, from personal experience, how hard it is to find good  
candidates. Any idealistic soul willing to subject themselves to the  
rigors of a campaign deserves accolades, not petty sniping.

I want our party to succeed as much as anyone. In order to succeed  
our presentations to the public must be well-crafted, and our  
candidates must be chosen through an official process that ensures,  
as much as possible, that they have the broad backing of the party  
membership. We need to live up to both of these standards as we move  
forward.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Chris Nelson
Chapter Representative - New London
http://www.nlgreens.org/