Here is what I’d love the Green Party to do…
1) Acknowledge Reality. There is a WORLD of difference between Hillary Clinton and even the most moderate of Republicans. Saying that there is no difference is just stupid. It is like saying the Earth is 10,000 years old. You are living in a dream land. You might have had a point 20 years ago, but if you still think that the Democratic Party is as corrupt as the GOP, you have your head up your ass.
2) Use your energy to help reform the Democratic Party. The Democrats could use some feisty lefties causing them heartburn and moving the overton window to the left. You wouldn’t even need to compromise your cherished principals to have an impact. Simply allow that you are part of a left of center collation – and that your votes are note free for the taking, but must be earned.
3)Get off your high horse. I’ve been accused of high horsemanship enough to know that it is galling – but it is true. American politics is all about compromise and coalition building. You’ve adopted a righteous irrelevancy. Get over it.
4) There is no item #4.
None of this is going to happen. The Green Party people I’ve chatted with have built their self-esteem around the idea that they are incorruptible. Irrelevant nit wits, but incorruptible irrelevant not wits. It is a shame, but there it it.
Reform the Democratic Party. lol. Is this before or after we get in line for Hillary?
Hillary may be no Republican but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t suck when it comes to ties to big insurance, corporations, and banks.
jason I’d say that one thing your analysis omits is the fact that many Greens left the Democratic Party (at least in Delaware) because it had no intention of listening to them or being reformed by them. Perennial GP candidate Bernie August, for example, lives in my district and used to be a Democrat. He was (I think) even on the district committee, and stood for Rep against Joe Miro way back when. Because Bernie is a committed environmentalist, corporatist Dems at the state level refused to back his run with even the nominal institutional/financial support given long-odds challengers in strong GOP districts. I could reiterate this story from the perspective of other local Greens, who have been effectively told to hit the road by mainstream DE Dem party, and while, say the PDD might be interested in wooing them, the Dem party establishment prefers NOT to have them around. And since PDD hasn’t had all that much luck reforming the DE Dem Party as an organization, it’s kind of difficult to demand that the much smaller contingent of Greens could do it or should do it.
As for your WORLD of difference between Dems and Republicans, it may exist nationally, but to Greens in DE it certainly doesn’t appear that clear-cut. It was Governor Markell, not the DE GOP, who thoroughly gutted the Coastal Zone Act, for example. It was Biden’s AG office that denied the Greens and the Sierra Club etc. standing to challenge these violations in court. It’s the DE (Democratic) Congressional delegation that got no heat from the DE Dem Party to oppose TPP. It’s been Markell’s DEDO that has relentlessly pursued corporate welfare and ignored making environmental protection/clean-up a priority.
Many people get driven to that High Horse because the establishment’s idea of “compromise” amounts to “you get to stand with us at the press conference while we pose in front of legislation that has a great title but actually does nothing for your issue.” And when, for example, the Dems and GOP inside Delaware consistently team up to marginalize smaller constituencies by denying them ballot access or access to being heard at debates, etc. (and support arresting those who protest those decisions), then, no, I don’t see a great deal of difference from the Green perspective.
That said, I’m not a Green, although I’ve spent a lot of time with them and have many friends among them. I just think that in a state sense your post ignores as many relevant points as it presents. I certainly invite any Greens to correct me if my own points are wrong.
While much of what Steve says is correct, you cannot elect progressive candidates if progressives cannot vote in a Democratic Primary if they are no longer Democrats.
I have no idea how many are registered in the Green Party of Delaware, but if it 1100 and that 1100 had voted in the 2012 Democratic Primary, there would be a progressive Insurance Commissioner today.
A third Party could be viable if it grows and either wins elections or is a catalyst for change in one of the major parties. I do not see how the Green Party of Delaware can achieve either of those outcomes when it had no visibility. I pulled up its website and though the issues it stands for are ones I can identify with, the website has not been updated in 6 months. I saw a link for e-newsletters and clicked on that and the last item is 11 months old!
Mitch we will see what impact that has, as I understand a lot of Greens are temporarily changing their registration to Democrat to vote for Bernie Sanders in the DE primary, which would also allow them to vote for “progressive” candidates where they are available. But I know of no way you can track that impact. You could have, if the DE Dems and GOPers had not agreed to do away with fusion tickets.
many Greens left the Democratic Party (at least in Delaware) because it had no intention of listening to them or being reformed by them.
While this is true, the reason that the DE Dems had no intention of listening to Greens was that the Greens present little to no threat to them. There’s no money, little organizing energy and few votes among Greens that would make the effort to have them part of the Dem coalition especially important to them right now. Greens are going to have to be in control of something valuable to Dems to get to a relationship that might get them to some of their goals. I think that assessment is true across the country, really.
cassandra I don’t disagree with that at all. In fact, I think you better than I respond to jason’s original post: from a Dem perspective unless and until there are enough Greens to cost them something, they have no reason to listen to them or court them.
Green Party handed a third term to Jane Brady. Thanks.
Vivian Houghton got 6% of the vote in that election. That’s impressive for a 3rd party. Still. The problem with blaming election results on a third part is in demonstrating that enough of that 6% would have voted for Schnee for him to win.
I’ll wait.
@Cassadra – “Greens present little to no threat to them. There’s no money, little organizing energy and few votes among Greens that would make the effort to have them part of the Dem coalition”
This is true. I was thinking as I wrote this that the REAL Item #4 is “Be Bigger” But because of item #3 – I don’t see that happening. They can barely stand each other enough to hold a level membership, let alone attract new members.
I’m nodding my head while reading these comments. My problem with the Greens is that I find their arguments sorta dishonest – Republicans and Democrats are the same! Vote for us! They used the same strategy when it came to Bush v Gore – or, like they called them, Gush and Bore. (*I don’t blame the third party for Gore’s loss. He messed up, but the argument today is the same and it isn’t true.)
Their tactics/message come across as a purity contest, and in my opinion, purity contests result in kicking people out rather then letting people in. To me, that’s not a wining strategy.
That’s it, I’m voting Green