{news} National Presidential Support Committe Report from the pcsc

Mon Jun 25 13:05:10 EDT 2007

Anyone interested in joining this committee should contact the state party here in CT and ask to be approved at a state wide vote and vetting..

  But it is tons of work..lot of emails..lots of compromise

Greg Gerritt <gerritt at mindspring.com> wrote:
  Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:41:27 -0400
From: Greg Gerritt <gerritt at mindspring.com>
To: national comm votes <natlcomvotes at green.gpus.org>
Subject: [usgp-nc] Report from the pcsc

Report from the GPUS Presidential Campaign Support Committee to the GPUS
National Committee July 2007

Members of the Committee

Julia Aires (FL), Liz Arnone (NJ), David Berenson (OH), Larry Cafiero
(CA), Tom Cleland (MN), David Cyr (NY), Bill Delp (NY), Greg Gerritt (RI),
Forrest Hill (CA), Phil Huckelberry (IL), Susan King (CA), Maria Kuriloff
(NY), Rachel Lagodka (NY), Jared Laiti (CA), John Miglietta (TN), Harley
Mikkelson (MI), Gary Novosielski (NJ), Kristen Olson (MN), Jeff Peterson
(WI), Starlene Rankin (LC), Barbara Rodgers-Hendricks (FL), Kai Schwandes
(NC), Roger Snyder (NY), Andrew Spencer (AZ), Fred Vitale (MI), Ian Wilder
(NY), Cat Woods (CA)

With debates among the multiheaded hydras of Democratic and Republican
candidates already going on, the full time campaign machine we sort of refer
to as American politics is barreling full speed ahead into the trainwreck
that will be the 2008 elections. Expect the dirtiest, most well funded
corporate sham in the history of the planet where windup millionaires will
do the killing and other nefarious deeds for the billionaires and call it
moral and good while the media pretend it is a horse race as the issues are
too scary to touch.

Within the insanity lies the GPUS PCSC, looking for a way to find the right
kernel of a Green presidential campaign and turn it into an
earthshattering/healing experience. It is a wicked tall order.

Still in recovery from 2000 and 2004, Green presidential politics is a
strange beast. While Greens can and do win non-partisan races, we continue
to face the threats of the entrenched plurality voting system when running
partisan candidates. Nowhere does this threat loom larger than in the
presidential race. Yet change does not happen by waiting for systems to
change themselves or from hoping that the corporate parties and media will
treat us more fairly, but by insisting on change by using our electoral
power: the power of running inspiring candidates and campaigns and the power
of casting our votes or what we believe.

We are aware of the pitfalls the Greens face in 2008, have some concerns
about the health of the party, but the GPUS NC was very clear in Proposal
218, which was adopted with 80% approval, and at the PCSC forum in July 2006
that they want a great Green Party presidential campaign in 2008, and we on
the committee would all love to see the same thing. Our job is to create
the context in which that can happen. We can not create the larger world
context, the war, economy, state of global warming, but we can create a
nurturing place for Green candidates, helping them begin running and
develop good campaigns, and we can work with state parties so they are
prepared for the trail.

The Greens are popular enough that about 14 people have over the last year
expressed interest in running for our nomination. Some of these folks
continue to run, and you will get to hear them at the forum the PCSC has
been developing that will take place on July 13 during the GPUS Annual
Meeting in Reading PA. Every active declared candidate is being invited, and
they will all get an equal opportunity to address the assembled.

The committee is paying attention to ballot access deadlines and trying to
coordinate with other efforts to track those as well as keep the candidates
informed. The committee has maintained at least somewhat regular
communications with all of the candidates and potential candidates, though
that goes much more smoothly when the candidates write back or return calls.
Communications are much more frequent with those who reply than with those
who do not. 

The committee is just beginning to get serious about helping state parties
be prepared for what they will go through in 2008. We need to talk to the
state parties more and individually assess their readiness. We used a
questionnaire to begin that assessment and establish who the contacts are,
but the forum has taken much of our energy and we are just getting back to
this. In Reading we are going to be sitting down with just about every
state party, at least informally, and trying to figure out where we can
help. We will have model state convention rules and delegate selection
rules available this fall. With campaigns on the road, and despite the fact
that more candidates expected to declare in the next few months, the
committee will turn more and more of its attention to preparing the state
parties for the national convention. We shall also be a node in the
development of candidate forums around the country, willing to work with any
state or regional effort.

A political committee can not avoid politics, nor should it. The committee
as a whole will maintain neutrality as to who the nominee should be, making
sure that all potential nominees have access to the information they need,
but it would be more than passing strange if the political junkies on the
committee did not start peeling off to help particular candidates more and
more as it closes in on state and national conventions. All of us are going
to be involved in campaigns in our home states, and are critical
communication links in the development of successful campaigns in our
neighborhoods. If we do not get involved, who will? You need us in dual
roles. We shall try to keep that straight, serving the party by doing the
informational and coordinating work the party needs while helping candidates
who grab our attention in our neighborhoods. Recently a campaign worker for
an undeclared candidate asked a committee observer to be the campaign¹s eyes
and ears on the committee. Probably will happen again soon now that the dam
has breached. 

In the 16 months between now and November 08, all hell will break loose.  We
are working hard to help the party prepare to unite behind the eventual
Green Party nominee, whoever that will be.    Over that time we hope every
one can find a potential candidate that causes you to jump for joy (well
maybe not jump for joy).  The larger world will do everything it can to
marginalize us. But the issues will continue to come our way even if the
corporate media will not talk about it, put our candidate on TV or anything
else we want.   But the PCSC will work on that which we can influence and do
what we can to help create a great 2008 campaign for the Green Party.  And
if you are a hard core political junkie with a wish to build the party,
consider joining the PCSC.

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  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282
   National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut)

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