* * * * * * * * * GreenGram * * * * * * * * * The Green Party of NJ Bulletin - November 2008 Post-Election Edition * 2008 Green Electoral Results * From Our Candidates * Proposal from a member of the Bergen County Greens * Essex County Greens Lead Clean Energy Lobby * Malik Rahim Campaign in Louisiana * Greens Thank National Candidates * Green Party Endorses Protests Against CA Prop. 8 * Antiquated System Does Not Reflect Voters' Views * Green Party of Germany Elects Ethnic Turk as Leader * Stop Wal-Mart NJ: Two Campaigns * Event Announcement =========================================== 2008 GREEN ELECTORAL RESULTS GPNJ candidates did very well on November 4 and should be congratulated for their efforts. Our candidates for the US House of Representatives were: Matt Thieke in District 1 (1,778 votes); Jason Grover in District 2 (1,612 votes); Steven Welzer in District 4 (3,378 votes); and Ed Fanning in District 5 (4,950 votes). Running as a team for Bergen County Freeholder, Alvin Meyer received 5,258 votes and Pat Alessandrini received 6,262! In all cases where there were other alternative party candidates in the race, the Greens got the highest total among them - as has been the pattern for many years. Nationally, the Green Party presidential ticket of Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente received over 150,000 votes. This represented an improvement of more than 30,000 votes (25%) over our results in 2004. At the presidential level, there have been three tiers of alternative party candidates in the last several elections: At the top have been independent Ralph Nader and the candidate of the Libertarian Party. Nader, of course, has enormous name recognition as an iconic consumer advocate. He received about 700,000 votes this year - more than in 2004, but less than in 2000 when he was the Green nominee. The Libertarian Party has been in existence for 35 years. Their candidate, ex-Congressman Bob Barr (who was prominent in the Clinton impeachment proceedings ten years ago) received about 500,000 votes. The Constitution Party and the Green Party ("second tier") are relatively new forces, having been established within the last ten years. The Green and Constitution candidates each got in the range of 150,000 to 200,000 votes. All other alternative party presidential candidates ("third tier") received fewer than 10,000 votes. Nationwide the Green Party ran almost 250 candidates, including seven for US Senate, 69 for US House, and 73 for state legislative office. Over a million people voted for at least one Green candidate. Our candidates for US House of Representatives received over 600,000 votes, a new record (and almost double the 294,000 total in 2006). Those candidates averaged more than 8,000 votes, also a record, led by Deb McFarland in Arkansas with over 64,000 (23%) - the most a Green running for US House has ever received. A number of other Congressional candidates exceeded 20,000 votes. Some significant Green victories: . Richard Carroll was elected to the Arkansas State Legislature. . Bruce Delgado was elected mayor of Marina City, California. . Ross Mirkarimi was reelected to his seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (city council) with 77% of the vote. This is the seat that was occupied in 1978 by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. . Art Goodtimes was reelected to his San Miguel County Commissioner seat in Colorado. . Cara Jennings was reelected as Lake Worth Commissioner, Palm Beach, Florida. . James Nicita was elected Oregon City Commissioner in Clackamas County, Oregon. . Michael Beilstein was reelected to the Corvallis City Council in Oregon. The Illinois Green Party ran 54 candidates, the most of any state Green Party (www.ilgp.org). The District of Columbia had the greatest number of Green victories on Nov. 4, with seven DC Statehood Green Party candidates elected to Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats: Philip Blair, Jr, Single Member District 5A10; Dave Bosserman (incumbent), SMD 1D05; Chris Otten, SMD 1C02; Nancy Shia (incumbent), SMD 1C06; Carolyn Steptoe, SMD 5A07; Rick Tingling-Clemmons (incumbent), SMD 7D05; Bryan Weaver (incumbent), SMD 1C03. Arkansas Greens displayed the most dramatic electoral growth of any state Green Party (www.arkgreens.org). They showed how much publicity Green candidates can get by targeting races where one of the major parties fails to run a candidate. Richard Carroll was elected to the Arkansas State Legislature representing District 39 (www.newmenu.org/richardcarroll) and Rebekah Kennedy set a new percentage record for a Green running for the US Senate, with 206,000 votes (21%). For Chicot County Assessor, the GPAR candidate, Elizabeth McCoy, got 49.5% of the vote, losing by just 30 votes out of 4,500 (ouch!). The West Virginia Mountain Party (www.mtparty.org) competed in elections as an affiliate of the Green Party of the United States for the first time this year. Their candidate for governor, Jesse Johnson [who attended our GPNJ convention last March] participated in all the debates and received over 31,000 votes (4.5%), the highest percentage for a minor party candidate for that office since 1912. New Mexico: Rick Lass got 75,731 votes (43%) running in a partisan race for Public Regulation Commission, Dist. 3 (this result means that the Green Party has regained status as a major party - i.e., a party that nominates by primary - in New Mexico). Minnesota: Farheen Hakeem received 4,423 votes (30%) running for State Representative in District 61B - a record for a Minnesota Green in a state legislative race. Pennsylvania: The Green Party of Allegheny County regained minor party status as Titus North got 22,916 votes for US House in the 14th District. Liz Hughes also made a strong showing in that county by garnering 13.2% for a state legislature seat in the 23rd District (a record percentage for a member of the Allegheny Green Party). By polling 12.5% for State Representative, Jay Sweeney enabled the Green Party to achieve minor party status in Wyoming and Susquehanna counties. California: In California, where Greens already hold about 50 elected offices throughout the state, they claimed at least five victories on Nov. 4. Bruce Delgado, a former city councilperson in Marina/Monterey County, garnered 52% of the vote to become mayor of that city. He joins two other Green Party mayors - elected Richmond mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Craig Litwin, appointed mayor in Sebastopol. In San Francisco, incumbent Ross Mirkarimi retained his spot on the Board of Supervisors with a whopping 77% of the vote. Mark Sanchez, current president of the SF Board of Education, was second in his district race for the Board of Supervisors, but tens of thousands of votes are yet to be counted and ranked choice voting may push him into a seat. Jesse Townley won a seat on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board; John Selawsky retained his seat on the Berkeley School Board; and Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap was re-elected to the Humboldt Municipal Water District Board. Six Greens were on the ballot for the US House of Representatives. Carol Wolman ran an outstanding race and received 10% of the vote. Jack Lindblad won 8% for State Assembly (39th District). Ivan Olsen amassed 27% but finished second for Gonzalez (Monterey County) mayor. Bob Nanninga just missed earning a spot on the city council in Encinitas with nearly 11% of the vote. - - - - - - - - - Running tally of Green election victories: www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html Green candidate news: www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php Green Party elections database: www.gp.org/elections/candidates/index.php ------------------------------------------ FROM OUR CANDIDATES Alvin Meyer: There is no doubt that the election of Obama is a historic moment in the history of our nation. Racism in the U.S. is clearly on the wane ... at last. But the symbolism is quite distinct from the reality, which is that the influence of corporate control remains firmly at the helm in both foreign and domestic policy. However, the discontent with our status quo hasn't been this palpable in many years. It seems that the electorate voted their fears at the presidential level, but felt more comfortable on the state and local level, in expressing their angst by voting their values, which the Greens represent and advocate. We could be entering a period in which there will finally be a growth curve for the Green Party across the nation. - - - - - - - - - - - Alvin submitted a letter to the Bergen Record, which they printed on Nov. 10: Dear Editor: It seems to me that the Record, which is read by so many in North Jersey, had the responsibility to report the facts correctly in the "Voters' Guide" (11/02/08). I can point to 3 instances in which the Record either omitted the name of a ballot-qualified candidate entirely or wrongly designated the political party that two Bergen County Freeholder candidates represent. In the first instance: the Green Party candidate, Ed Fanning, was not listed in the "Voter Guide" at all. Then to compound matters: both of the Green Party candidates for Freeholder were listed by the Record as Independents despite the fact that on the ballot both Pat Alessandrini and I are correctly identified as Greens. The Green Party is a political entity with legal standing in New Jersey. For you to deliberately censor election information and mislead voters is unconscionable. With all the concern about voter suppression, faulty voting machines, and vote manipulation all over our nation, it is crucial to our democracy that this type of partisan behavior on the part of the Record not ever happen again. Alvin A. Meyer Green Party candidate for Bergen County Freeholder - - - - - - - - - - - - Ed Fanning: In October the Bergen County Greens, especially Alvin and myself, continued to distribute Ed Fanning For Congress flyers and put up lawn signs throughout the district. Many people that we spoke to indicated support for the goals espoused in the literature. For some it was their first introduction to the Green Party, and I expect some may become future Greens, which is what it's all about. I was very pleased to receive almost 5,000 votes in the 5th CD. Surprisingly my highest percentage vote total (3.5%) was in Republican-oriented Sussex County. I plan to get a breakdown of the vote from all the county election officials to better understand the voting patterns. My average vote cost $0.20 while my opponents spent $8.50 per vote, 40 times as much per vote ... I learned much from the experience and enjoyed talking to the voters more than I thought would be the case. - - - - - - - Steve Welzer: I want to thank all the Greens who supported my campaign. Without spending much money we seemed to have reached a significant number of voters, enough to garner almost 3,400 votes and some new contacts for the Green Party. We distributed about 5,000 campaign flyers at college campuses, union halls, bookstores, libraries, health food stores, cafes, and at events like community-day festivals. I participated in one debate (at Brookdale College) and one editorial board roundtable (Asbury Park Press). My responses appeared in almost ten online questionnaires. Articles about my campaign appeared in the Star-Ledger, Trenton Times and Asbury Park Press, and I had a letter to the editor printed in the latter as well. GPNJ has been running candidates for over ten years and the pattern has been clear: in the state of New Jersey, Greens almost always get the highest minor-party vote totals. This year was no exception, and it indicates to me that there is a preference for our point of view among those who are willing to vote "outside the box" and who want to see the political system opened up to more voices and more choices. So we can see that there is a small but solid potential base for us to build on. Almost a thousand people around the state have gone out of their way to register "Green" even though we've never mounted much in the way of a registration drive. We get at least a thousand or two thousand votes every time we run a candidate in a Congressional District. Sometimes we get more (Ed Fanning did great this year with almost 5,000 votes!). Building a third party is a tough job and we seem to lack energy these days. It's a shame, considering the demonstrated appeal of Green politics. We really should try to give our base more candidates to vote for. Every activist Green should be encouraged to make the effort to give some time in April and May to collect signatures to get on the ballot for some office. For most offices it's just 100 signatures! (150 for a margin). It only takes about ten hours of work to get that number of signatures. We'd get good press if we fielded candidates in all 13 Congressional Districts (even years) or a significant number of Assembly Districts (odd years). Or: a campaign at the county level provides the opportunity to get our whole county local involved; a campaign at the municipal level gives us a chance to win a seat. It looks like we have a voting base of around 25,000 people. I say that because we've averaged around 2,000 votes per Congressional District ... and the statewide Glick for Senate campaign got about 25,000 votes. The Nader vote has been higher than 25K in some years because that's a special case of celebrity name recognition. The Cobb and McKinney votes were lower than 25K because our base is effectively divided when there is both Nader and a Green candidate on the ballot for president (the Nader + McKinney votes together this year added up to just about ... 25,000!). Now that the Dems are in power, the disillusionment with their policies over the next four years will increase the number of people looking for a better alternative. Our potential voter base figures to increase. We need to offer those people candidates on election day and events of interest in-between elections. ------------------------------------------ PROPOSAL FROM ART ROSEN I propose that the Green Party of the United States take the leadership in calling for a national conference of progressive organizations, to be held in the spring of 2009. Invited will be organizations who will face our financial upheavals, continuing wars, et al, and provide our new administration with a call to action so that a truly new society can emerge. I look forward to comments. Arthur Rosen Bergen County Greens ------------------------------------------ ESSEX COUNTY GREENS LEAD LOBBY FOR CLEAN ENERGY AND SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE Under the auspices of the "1 Sky Campaign" (www.1sky.org) over 4,000 people across the country visited the offices of their US Senators on Nov. 18 to urge them to support bold climate solutions. With the economy in turmoil, the campaign senses a unique opportunity to make the case for revitalizing the country by investing in green jobs. Participating in the New Jersey contingent on Nov. 18 were Jane Califf and Barry Zack of the Essex County Greens, as well as representatives of the Clean Energy Campaign, NJ Peace Action, the South Orange Municipal Environmental Commission, and the Union County Peace Council. They visited the offices of Senators Lautenberg and Menendez in Newark, met with staff, and left a copy of 1 Sky's Action Plan brochure. They then sent follow-up letters to the senators emphasizing the campaign's determination to see meaningful national climate legislation passed by 2010. The 1 Sky Campaign recently released a report outlining how five million new green jobs could be created with strategic investments in climate solutions and energy efficiency: * launch a sweeping national mobilization to conserve 20% of our energy by 2015 by investing in efficiency and clean energy companies and challenging all sectors of society to save energy immediately; * do what science says is necessary: reduce global warming pollution at least 25% below 1990 levels by 2020; * get on a realistic path to the reductions needed to prevent dangerous climate disruption: at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050; * design our climate policy to support and reward accelerated public and private investment in solutions; * end development of new coal plants that emit global warming pollution; * pivot away from fossil fuel dependence and toward a clean energy future with strong standards and incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy; * oppose any scheme to increase nuclear energy; * move toward electrification of our national freight rail system, which is currently powered 100% by diesel engines. The full text of the report is available at: www.1sky.org/green-jobs-2008 ------------------------------------------ MALIK RAHIM CAMPAIGN IN LOUISIANA GPUS Press Release 11/17/08: Greens focus on electing Malik Rahim, Louisiana Green Party candidate for the US House on Dec. 6 www.votemalik.com WASHINGTON, DC - Green Party leaders are focusing on the campaign to elect Malik Rahim, Louisiana Green candidate for the US House in New Orleans, urging local and national support for Mr. Rahim. The election for the 2nd District US House seat will take place on December 6 instead of November 4 because of election delays caused by Hurricanes Gustave and Ike. District 2 is currently represented by William Jefferson, who is facing trial on 16 counts of corruption. "Malik Rahim is more than just a welcome change from Rep. Jefferson and the corrupt political culture he represents," said Jody Grage, treasurer of the Green Party of the United States. "New Orleans voters have a chance to elect a hero who organized thousands of Common Ground volunteers to provide food, health care, and other basic services to hurricane victims in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We're encouraging Greens and friends all over the US to donate to his campaign, and those who can get to New Orleans to work on his campaign." Mr. Rahim is co-founder of the Common Ground Collective, an organization that provides short-term relief to victims of hurricane disasters in the Gulf Coast region. Mr. Rahim is a former Black Panther and ran for New Orleans City Council in 2002 as a Green Party candidate. On November 12, Malik Rahim received the Thomas Merton Award (www.thomasmertoncenter.org) for his work in community organizing and providing relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Under Mr. Rahim's leadership, the Common Ground Collective opened the first free health clinic in the city of New Orleans, helped reopen schools, gutted over 3,000 homes that needed repair in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, and provided direct services to nearly 200,000 returning residents. Malik Rahim's political agenda include support for a national health care program (with an endorsement of HR676, 'The United States National Health Insurance Act'), federal money to rebuild the Gulf Coast region's healthcare infrastructure, federally funded Category 5 flood protection, and comprehensive storm protection by maintaining and preserving ecosystem services, including rebuilding the region's cypress swamps. - - - - - - - - - - From Sean Clark, Secretary, Green Party of Louisiana: "We have been getting donations from Greens and others nationwide and it is putting us in a good position. We are going to do some radio spots and we've ordered lawn signs in various sizes. "We've still got about 5,000 pushcards and people have been distributing them. We'll be getting more of them, and I think we've distributed just about all of our t-shirts. "Our meetings have attracted a very diverse group of people committed to the campaign, and we have precinct captains for six or seven different areas of the district. I believe Pat LaMarche is coming down from Maine for a week to help in organizing. A Green candidate in California whose race is over will be transferring his campaign balance to help out in our efforts! "I think a lot of people are getting the word out and doing a good job. We are planning events (barbecues, etc.) on election day to engage people on the street in targeted areas." - - - - - - - - - - Cynthia McKinney appeal for Malik Rahim's campaign 11/14/08 I've been busy contemplating so many questions from so many of you about where do we go from here. It is clear that many understand the challenges that we now face and what is becoming even clearer is that far more who didn't vote for us are now looking to us for leadership on issues that we raised during the campaign ... like, for example, the bailout. I do have some concrete, solution- oriented ideas and will explore them with you in the days ahead. But I wanted to do something now that is important to all of us, because we still have one more Congressional election within our grasp. We all know the importance of having someone of conscience in the United States Congress, someone of unbending commitment to our values and not just another representative of "business-as-usual" politics. Malik Rahim proved his mettle when we all watched in horror as events unfolded in New Orleans and the Gulf states. What a shame that African-American Hurricane Katrina survivors have had to file a discrimination lawsuit against Louisiana's Road Home program in order to earn their right of return. With Malik in Washington, our own internally displaced population can finally see justice - and not just abundant hot air - delivered from the halls of the US Capitol. We need Malik now ... and now Malik needs us. Bill Jefferson, the incumbent, has been indicted on 16 counts of corruption charges. We need Malik in that seat! For those of you who are close to Louisiana, please consider giving Malik a weekend to knock on doors and make important voter contact in the lead-up to the December 6 Louisiana Special Election. All Greens: please visit www.votemalik.com and make a contribution today! - Cynthia McKinney - - - - - - - - - - - - Link to hear Malik's radio ad: http://network.greenchange.org/uploads/3023-malik-rahim-radio-ad Link to video clip of Malik's keynote speech at the Green Party's 2008 National Convention in Chicago: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7226475852159421918 ------------------------------------------ GREENS THANK NATIONAL CANDIDATES CYNTHIA MCKINNEY AND ROSA CLEMENTE GPUS Press Release 11/6/08: WASHINGTON, DC - The Green Party of the United States thanked Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente, Green candidates for president and vice president, for their strong national campaign in the 2008 election. The party also congratulated Barack Obama on his election to the White House and celebrated the election of America's first African American president. "Even though we competed with Sen. Obama for votes in the presidential race, we're thrilled that voters have elected an African American president, something unimaginable a generation ago. We're just as thrilled that our own presidential ticket - Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are two women of African descent, and Ms. Clemente is Black Puerto Rican - represented the voices of so many Americans who have been shut out of the system," said Clyde Shabazz, Green candidate for Congress in Michigan's 14th District. Greens noted that voters expressed a mandate for change in the hope that President-elect Obama would follow through on his pledge of "Change We Can Believe In" and reverse the dangerous direction that the country has taken. "Voters who were motivated by Barack Obama's message of change will now have to fight if they really want change to take place during the next four years," said Jill Bussiere, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. "Rosa Clemente, our candidate for vice president, talked about the Green Party's 'imperative' throughout the campaign. The Green Imperative will move forward during the Obama administration, as people demand that change be more than a campaign slogan." MORE INFORMATION Green Party News Center www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente Power to the People Campaign http://votetruth08.com http://www.rosaclemente.com - - - - - - - - - - - - The National Committee of GPUS drafted a "thank-you" letter to Cynthia and Rosa for their hard work during the campaign. The text is below. You can see the full list of those who have already signed (and their comments) and you can add your own name/comments to the list by going here: www.gp.org/2008-elections/thank-you-letter.php November 14, 2008 On behalf of delegates of the Green National Committee and other Greens around the Country: Dear Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente, Lucy Grider-Bradley, John Judge and the 2008 Power to the People Campaign - We are delegates of the Green National Committee of the Green Party of the United States as well as other Greens from around the country who want to convey our most heartfelt and deepest appreciation to you for running for president on behalf of the Green Party. We know it was not easy for you and that you sacrificed on many levels. We admire your courage and the light you generated throughout your campaign in spite of it. Through it all, we got to know you and the communities you represent - Black, Latina/o-Hispanic, Hip Hop, Women, Reconstruction Party. While we may not have broken through to the White House, achieved 5% of the vote, or won state ballot access for 2012, we have broken through other barriers that are very important to Green Party success. Together, we have brought people who typically are separate closer together. We fervently hope all of you will work within the Green Party to achieve greater inclusion and to spread it throughout the party. There are many opportunities for everyone. We don't promise that it will be easy, but you will find many supporters. You will also find a party that has built structures upon which much can be done to achieve these goals and many others necessary to someday become the viable party this country and world so badly needs. The Green Party is unique in that it is a global party existing in almost 90 countries, all sharing the same values and working together to bring about change. Cynthia, we extend our deepest appreciation for your historic campaign, your choice of Rosa Clemente as a running mate, for John Judge who handled an enormous amount of media, the incredible Lucy Grider-Bradley in charge of finances and the FEC, and to everyone on your campaign team. Most of all, we appreciated the experience of our forces being joined and bonded. We have been deeply touched, our awareness expanded and our hopes strengthened. As the country acclaims the historical event of the first African American elected President of the United States, we hail history with you, your campaign, the people it brought together and the choice it gave on the ballot. How proud we were to mark you and Rosa on our ballots! Let us go to the future together. Let us make that future together. - - - - - - - - - - Below are some of the sample comments posted at: www.gp.org/2008-elections/thank-you-letter.php Jon Olsen - Maine This breakthrough by the Green Party with regard to race and having our ticket headed by two bold, courageous, highly intelligent women is exactly what we needed in order to grow. I am proud to have been a part of it. Linda Cree - Michigan It was an honor to have you leading our ticket. I hope you will continue to give the Green Party the benefit of your personal wisdom, courage, and political expertise. Paul Krumm - Kansas Thank you for bringing new blood and new energy to the Green Party. Les Evenchick - Louisiana Thanks for your support for Katrina victims. David Bosserman - Washington, DC The DC Statehood Green Party thanks you for your campaign and hopes to work with you in the future. Julia Willebrand - New York The Green Party is the electoral means to a revolution. Your passion, ability to connect, and articulate presentation of Green core values are steps to changing the world. Last week at the Federation of Green Parties of the Americas meeting in Quebec I was proud to give the Green representatives from 14 countries McKinney/Clemente buttons as souvenirs of the campaign. And Greens from five continents were thrilled to receive them! Eugene Hernandez - California Cynthia McKinney achieved a historical first - a progressive Black woman progressive for President. She provided an alternative to corporate politics-as-usual. She was a very brave representative in Congress and she chose a good vice presidential Latina candidate. Howard Switzer - Tennessee We have never felt more perfectly aligned politically, culturally and spiritually with a candidacy than with the Cynthia/Rosa ticket. Steve Herrick - Wisconsin Cynthia, thanks for your courage. Please continue to work with us over the coming years and together we'll continue empowering the people. Mike Feinstein - California Your courage and perseverance amidst the challenging circumstances of this campaign will always be treasured and never be forgotten. Steve Welzer - New Jersey Cynthia: You were a stalwart throughout the campaign. The most memorable moment for me was seeing how the room lit up when you started to play the castanets at our fundraiser last spring. Rosa: You turned on a whole new constituency to the Green Party and for that we're very grateful. Both: The movement for Green politics in this country has been advanced through your efforts. Thanks, and let's keep going! Hugh Esco - Georgia Thank you Cynthia, Rosa, Lucy, John, Adrienne, Joanne, Leola, Billy, Coy and to all of your family and friends who tolerated (or not) this campaign over the past two years. Know, please, that not all of the results of our last year's work is immediately visible in the certified numbers. Your contribution to building a meaningful opposition party in this country was profound and will be revealed to us over time. The work begun this year will be carried forth into the future as the Green Party and the broader Reconstruction Movement continue to struggle with the challenges we face. It has been an honor to be a part of this effort. ------------------------------------------ GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA ENDORSES MASS PROTESTS ACROSS THE NATION AND THE STATE AGAINST PROP. 8 Green Party of California www.cagreens.org Press release: Nov. 14, 2008 SACRAMENTO - The Green Party of California endorsed mass worldwide demonstrations November 15 in every state in the nation protesting the passage of Proposition 8, California's anti-gay marriage amendment, as well as other anti-gay ballot initiatives in Arkansas, Arizona and Florida. More than one million people are expected to participate. In California, demonstrations are being planned in at least 65 cities, including Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland/Berkeley, Fresno, Long Beach and Bakersfield, according to JoinTheImpact.com, which is organizing the national protests. "The Green Party of California very strongly opposed Proposition 8. We fully support the freedom to marry, and all the rights, benefits and responsibilities without discrimination based on sex, gender or sexual orientation. We oppose any legislation that, as Prop. 8 does, legalizes this form of a hate crime," said the GPCA in a statement Friday. For more info: http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/ ------------------------------------------ Article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11/17/08 ANTIQUATED RUNOFF SYSTEM DOES NOT REFLECT VOTERS' VIEWS By James Wiseman Associate professor of mathematics at Agnes Scott College The US Senate race in Georgia is going to a runoff Dec. 2, because the Libertarian candidate, Allen Buckley, got just enough votes to prevent either the Republican Saxby Chambliss or the Democrat Jim Martin from getting a majority. Georgia voters, many of whom waited in line for hours to cast their ballots, will have to go back to vote again. The runoff is an extra expense for a state government that is already in a budget crisis, and a serious inconvenience for every voter who will have to somehow find the time for another trip to the polling place. Many will be unable or unwilling to vote again, which means that the results will reflect the desires of a smaller proportion of the original voting population. The problem with our voting system is obvious. On Nov. 4, each voter was asked for his or her first choice for senator. Why make us come back a month later to ask us again? Why not ask us for our first and second choices on Election Day? In the Senate race in Georgia, no one got a majority. Since Buckley came in last, he would be eliminated, and each of Buckley's voters' ballots would be switched to their second choices. It is exactly what happens in a runoff, except that it is done immediately, without forcing us to hold another election. This system is called instant runoff voting. Its advantages are obvious and more and more places around the United States and the world are adopting it, including Vermont, North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. In our presidential elections, there is no runoff at all, so our system can produce a winner who is clearly not the people's preferred candidate. Fortunately, that was not the outcome last Tuesday. But in Florida in 2000, an instant runoff system would have shifted third-place Nader's votes over to Gore, avoided the chaos of the Florida recount and the involvement of the Supreme Court and none of us would have ever heard of hanging chads. To be balanced, Bill Clinton might not have beaten George H. W. Bush in 1992 if Ross Perot's voters had been asked about their second choice. The problem with not holding a runoff is that voters are never asked about their second - or third or fourth - choices. Democracy means choosing a winner who best reflects the people's preferences. How can that happen if they are never even asked about their preferences? Our system is an absolute disaster during presidential primaries, when each party starts with half a dozen serious candidates. How can the primary election outcome accurately reflect our wishes when we list only our top choice and are not even asked about the remaining candidates? The instant runoff system asks us to rate all the candidates, and uses that information to pick that winner who best reflects our preferences. Conventional runoff elections are at best expensive and time-consuming. The only thing worse than holding a runoff is not holding a runoff, since that can lead to an election outcome that ignores the people's wishes. We have two years until the next Congressional elections and four years until the 2012 presidential election. So individual states, which establish voting procedures, have time to fix an antiquated and sometimes unfair method of counting Americans' votes. It would be nice to see Georgia take the lead. ------------------------------------------ GREEN PARTY OF GERMANY ELECTS ETHNIC TURK AS LEADER Deutsche Welle 11/15/08 Germany's Green Party on Saturday elected Cem Oezdemir as one of its co-leaders, the first time one of Germany's major parties has elevated a child of Turkish immigrants to such a high position. Oezdemir received 79.2 per cent of the vote at a party congress. He will co-lead the party with incumbent Claudia Roth, who was re-elected with 82.7 per cent of the vote. The Greens traditionally have two leaders, one male, and one female. Oezdemir, 42, is the son of Turkish immigrants and was raised in southern Germany. He will be the first ethnic Turk to lead one of Germany's major political parties. His election is seen by some as a major turning point for the country. Although Turks represent a strong minority in Germany, large portions of their populations are marginalized from mainstream German society. Many second-generation Turks complain about the difficulty of obtaining German citizenship, even though they have spent their entire lives in Germany. Oezdemir is currently a member of the European Parliament and a former member of the German parliament, the Bundestag, where he held a seat from 1994 to 2002. Before that, he was in the state parliament of Baden-Wurttemberg. He is considered to be in the left-wing of a party that is already well to Germany's left. But commentators have also found him to be pragmatic. His political focus has included questions of German-Turkish relations, migration policy, naturalization policy and German foreign relations. During the party congress, members also reiterated the support for environmentally-friendly energy policies and warned that the world cannot overcome the financial crisis without also focusing on the environment. The Greens have been in opposition since 2005 when voters ousted their coalition with the left-of center Social Democrats in favor of an alliance led by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats. www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3796158,00.html www.oezdemir.de www.zimbio.com/pictures/rgA1O8S1LGK/German+Greens+Party+Convention/-4TEr0u40tu/Cem+Oezdemir www.gruene.de ------------------------------------------ STOP WAL-MART NJ: TWO CAMPAIGNS The most recent application for a new Super Wal-Mart has been introduced in Old Bridge. The next hearing will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009 at 8:00pm. This proposed Wal-Mart is to be built on Rt. 18 (at Spring Valley Rd.) and Marlboro Rd. It will be located in the middle of wetlands and will further extend the sprawl and pollution down Rt. 18 from East Brunswick. There are four supermarkets nearby where union represented workers are at risk if this Wal-Mart is built, not to mention all the smaller stores in the surrounding area. Nearby Jamesburg is undergoing the redevelopment of their Main Street and downtown area. What will happen to those struggling stores? And most of the roads in the area are two lanes. Stop Wal-Mart NJ is organizing the opposition and is urging attendance at the Jan. 6 hearing. They especially need some environmental activists/experts and planning experts. For more information, call Kevin Hussey at 732-763-9405 or 732-251-8486, or Carol Gay at 732-785-1503 or carolgay747aol.com. - - - - - - - - The next hearing regarding the proposed Wal-Mart Superstore in Little Egg Harbor will be Thursday, Dec. 4, 7:00pm, at the Little Egg Harbor Twp. Municipal Complex, 665 Radio Road, Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08087. If you live in that area and can attend, contact Margit at sylviaj1910yahoo.com. ------------------------------------------ CONFERENCE AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY 11/22 "What Now? Activism in Post-Election America" Saturday, November 22 Registration w/light breakfast begins at 8:30am William Paterson University 300 Pompton Road, Wayne NJ 07040 Free, Open to the public Speakers include Greg Palast, John Perkins, Joseph Schwartz, Michael Thompson, Carole Sheffield, Christine Kelly, Stafford X, Madelyn Hoffman, Dave Watson- Hallowell, John Mason, Karie Sheffield, Stuart Hutchison and others. Sponsored by a coalition of campus groups consisting of Brothers for Awareness, the Feminist Collective, the Organization of Latin American Students, and Young Democratic Socialists, the conference aims to tackle the question of what's to be done going forward after the election. =========================================== The GreenGram is circulated monthly in an effort to keep all GPNJ members informed about party news, Green-related activities, and upcoming events. Members are encouraged to submit articles and event announcements. The deadline for the next issue will be December 15. Please submit material for inclusion to: SteveWelzer@msn.com !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GreenGram Green Party of NJ Bulletin -- www.gpnj.org P.O. Box 9802, Trenton, NJ 08650 To subscribe, become a member of GPNJ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!