CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 10 of 10
Topic: Green Party
INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

There are some amazing events taking place around the world. It can be
of value to invite some international guests to talk to our citizens
about their nation's experiences around the issues we are facing. For
instance in New Zealand a campaign to end the winner-take- all system
replacing it with proportional representation was led to victory
against the two major parties opposition. Matt McCarten who led the
campaign for proportional representation is today forming new unions
organizing the under class that work in hotels, McDonalds, restaurants
and other jobs through a new organizing concept. These new unions are
independent of the two major pro corporate parties in New Zealand. I
think many progressive unionist in California would be extremely
interested in learning about both of the campaigns that Matt McCarten
has helped lead. (Matt, a Maori, has tentatively agreed to come to
California during the campaign.)

Another example that we should take advantage of us is the total
defeat of the two party system in Venezuela. There a mass alternative
movement developed that eventually succeeded in winning the election
for president with a vote of 67% with every TV station, daily
newspaper and all the corporate money opposed while the two major
corrupt parties that had ruled Venezuela for 40 years collapsed and
received between them 5% of the vote. Today Venezuela has many parties.

Some years ago in the 1990s I brought a Venezuelan congressman friend
of mine to talk to the Progressive Alliance of Alameda of which the
Green Party was part. That person explained to us why we should never
support either Democrats or Republicans and how they were growing in
Venezuela by being principled and clear before the people on what they
stood for. Today that Venezuelan that was here with us in California
is now the Ambassador to the United States from Venezuela, Bernardo
Alvarez Herrera. To have some mass leaders of the people of Venezuela
talk about how the people can win elections against two entrenched
money machines could be of great value to our campaign. These are some
of the ideas we want to pursue during our 2006 campaign.

Of course we recognize the United States is very different from New
Zealand and Venezuela (a gallon of gasoline is 25 cents in Venezuela).
Nevertheless these international experiences can help inspire our people.

Please join with us if you agree with the orientation we are outlining
as we begin our exploratory committee for the Green Party state wide
2006 campaign.

September 14, 2005