CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY (California)
Now Playing: part 1 of 10
Topic: Green Party
By Peter Miguel Camejo
September 14, 2005

On August 24, 2005, over thirty Greens from around the state met in
Oakland, California to work on developing a strategy for the 2006
Green Party statewide campaign. This exploratory committee put forth
an innovative vision that could help build the Green Party and
transform it into a more powerful political organization.

OUR VISION

The committee proposed building a statewide campaign that is
integrally linked to the living social movements and our potential
voting base. A campaign that helps builds those movements and turns
the Green Party more directly into the electoral expression of mass
social struggles.

The success of such an approach depends on the development of
strategic alliances with activists and movement leaders that
understand the failure of the two corporate parties to truly defend
and represent their communities or their issues and who are rooted in
mass movements or their communities. Today, there are Green Party
members in organizations fighting for peace, labor rights, social
justice, ecological balance, civil liberties and environmental justice
all over California but often they see these efforts as separate from
their support or involvement with the Green Party.

There is also a race and class divide. Large numbers of people are
voting for us and even registering Green but have no organizational
relationship or contact with us. It is not part of their experience,
especially those that have not been to college, to attend meetings or
get involved in organizational matters.

CAMPAIGN ORGANIZING EVENTS

To understand the concept we are proposing and how it differs from our
previous state wide electoral efforts let me give some examples of
what our 2006 state campaign meetings will be like. In particular,
when we hold a campaign meetings, representatives from select local
organizations such as anti-war activists (like from Cindy Sheehan's
organization), representatives from MAPA, Hermandad Mexicana, Centro
Azteca, CTA, ILWU, Muslim community leaders, environmentalists, etc,
will be asked to speak. In each case they will speak about their
specific community or issues. We do not want too long a list of
speakers but in each case we should have a few such speakers.

We will also encourage groups to table at our meetings and we will
provide people attending the meeting information on how to become
involved in those issue focused organizations.

When our candidates speak to large audiences especially on campuses it
would be so useful to immediately point them to tables where they can
get information on getting involved on specific issues. It immediately
gives a new kind of vision to what the Green Party is, an electoral
expression and organizing center for progressive movements, a party
that tells the truth about our political system and why these issues
exist to begin with.

In this way our campaign meetings become organizing events. They begin
to present the Green Party as an electoral expression of the movements
for peace, social justice, ecological sustainability, civil liberties,
gay and women's rights, labor rights and so on.

THE 2002-03 EXPERIENCE

During the 2002 and 2003 campaigns for Governor and my 2004 VP
campaign we gradually began to take steps to connect with
organizations and communities outside the party. I want to describe
some of those experiences so it becomes clear exactly why we think
this is possible and could be quite effective.

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 2 of 10

THE LATINO COMMUNITY

Many Green Party members may not be aware that during 2002 there were
mass demonstrations in various cities among Mexican-American workers
with banners "Vote Verde" (Vote Green). How this happened is
instructive. I met with a small group of Mexican workers in Los
Angeles where one young worker told me, "You have to meet with Miguel
Araujo the leader of Centro Azteca." My first meeting with Miguel and
several other Centro Azteca leaders which lasted about 4 hours
revealed to me the great frustration they were having with the
Democratic Party and the shock it was to them to learn that the Green
Party in California was sympathetic to the rights of undocumented
workers and quite different from the Green Party in Mexico that
endorsed Fox for president.

This simple fact shows the importance of running candidates for
statewide office. It allows large numbers of people to learn about our
party and what it stands for.

From this meeting began a process of increasing collaboration between
the Green Party and many leaders in the struggle to defend migrant
rights. I found it particularly interesting once in San Jose when a
couple of really nice and supportive local elected progressive
Democrats (hopefully they will become Greens) came to a rally for the
right to a driver's license and they saw signs reading "Vote Green"
among the workers and the coordinators of the march shouting "Vote for
the Party that defense your rights, Vote Green." I think it not only
surprised them but made them aware of the growing strength and
sympathy for the Green Party. These marches had a deep impact on the
reporters that covered them as it completely altered their concept of
the Green Party.

Our work with the non-partisan organization Centro Azteca opened the
door not only to these demonstrations but to almost every single
Spanish language radio program and talk show. Today Miguel Araujo has
the second most popular talk show in Spanish in the Bay Area. The end
result was a sharp rise from our receiving 1% of the Latino vote in
2000 to 8% in the 2002 elections. In Northern California that figure
probably reached 15%.

It was not only Centro Azteca that drove our increasing reception in
the Latino community. South West Voter Registration Project, led by
Antonio Gonzalez helped us get exposure in the Latino community
starting with our first gubernatorial candidate Congressman Dan
Hamburg in 1998. Dan Hamburg did a marvelous job debating both the
Democrat and the Republican before 1,000 Latinos. Dan received
repeated ovations for his positions. With my run in 2002 this
continued in an expanded manner. Soon we were being endorsed by
Spanish language community papers and knowledge of the Green Party
reached much deeper into the Latino community. This led to a meeting
with the staff of La Opinion the largest Spanish language daily and
they began regular coverage of our campaign.

Matt Gonzalez's electoral and legislative achievements deepened the
support for the Green Party among Latinos. As the President of the
Board of Supervisor he became the highest elected official in our
party. In Matt's run for Mayor, for the first time the Latino
community voted overwhelmingly for a Green in a major US city. Out of
those efforts by Matt it became easier for Renee Saucedo's (her self a
leader in the community) excellent campaign in San Francisco for Board
of Supervisor and other Latino candidates throughout the State.

Then Nativo Lopez, leader of the oldest Mexican American association
for political endorsements, MAPA, (Mexican American Political
Association) called for a general strike of the Latino community in
part because of the driver's license issue. The call spread throughout
California and hundreds of thousands responded. Schools were half to
some times two thirds emptied in Los Angeles and other communities.
Demonstrations seemed to sprout almost spontaneously throughout
California. Senator Gilbert Cedillo who has led the fight in
Sacramento for the drivers license told me how he was looking out the
window at the capitol and saw a demonstration passing by so he ran out
to join them to cheers from the marchers.

Nativo Lopez in collaboration with Centro Azteca called a meeting in
San Mateo at a church with some 15 or so community organizations to
report on the strike's success. Matt Gonzalez and I were seated on the
stage and offered an opportunity to speak to the community leaders.
Nativo told the gathering how the Latino community had responded
massively to his call but only the Green Party in the political world
had defended our community. Soon after, Nativo Lopez held a press
conference at the Secretary of State's office announcing he was
changing his registration to the Green Party.

Among those present at that meetings were the leaders from Stockton
California, led by Luis Magana, who work among the undocumented
workers. Their group organized a tour for my campaign among
undocumented workers covered by major TV stations.

We are so proud to have Miguel Araujo and Matt Gonzalez speak at our
first gathering forming the exploratory committee and the
collaboration of Nativo Lopez who wanted to attend but was unable to
do so.

At our meetings during the 2006 campaign we want leaders like Miguel,
Luis, Renee and Nativo to speak on the issues of the Latino community
as well as younger activist leading the efforts against the Minute
Men.. As leaders of non-partisan organizations they should request the
same opportunity from the Democrats and Republican campaigns. We
should inform those attending our meetings how they can get involved
with MAPA, Centro Azteca and other organizations.

THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY

A similar story can be told about what has been happening in the
Muslim community. In great part through the work of Jo Chamberlain of
San Mateo County, the Green Party's relationship with this community
has continued to grow rapidly. In 2002 I was given the opportunity to
speak to several thousand in San Francisco at an annual gathering of
the Pakistani community. From the podium the leaders of the event
asked the gathering to formally endorse the Green Party candidate for
Governor as the only candidate defending the Bill of Rights and their
community. The Muslim color is green. From the podium they called
out; "Just remember the color green and who defends our rights".

In 2004 Jo Chamberlain and I spoke to thousands of Muslim at their
massive annual gathering in Chicago.

At our August 24th gathering forming the 2006 Exploratory Committee
Agha Saeed, President of the AMA (American Muslim Association)
addressed us through a speaker phone, informing the Green organizers
that polls now showed 22% of the Muslim community consider themselves
supporters of the Green Party, by far our largest percentage wise mass
support.

This support is critically tied to our opposition to the USA Patriot
Act and our consistent demand for full rights for Arab Americans and
the Muslim religion and community.

We need to invite leaders of the Muslim community to speak out on
attacks being committed against American Muslims. While many of their
leaders will not be in a position to endorse any candidate the fact we
offer our support to their critical issues will continue to win the
hearts and minds of their community to the Green Party.

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 3 of 10
Topic: Green Party

ANTI-THREE STRIKES MOVEMENT

During the Gubernatorial and the 2004 campaign whereever possible I
tried to raise the issue of the death penalty and three strikes. At
some of my campaign meetings Geri Silva the Executive Director of
FACTS (Families to Amend Three Strikes) spoke with me. At one meeting
Donna Warren brought Harold Hall an African American who served 18
years in prison until it was discovered he was innocent. Watching
several hundred young people listening to Harold Hall himself explain
how such injustices occur in our society has an educational impact
that cannot be easily expressed in words.

Leading this work and educating the Green Party on Three Strikes has
been Donna Warren the African American Green leader from South Central
LA. As our candidate for Lt. Governor she was the only African
American in 2002 running for a State office and made such an enormous
difference to the perception of our campaign and Party.

Under her guidance I raised at every televised debate in 2003 the
issue of three strikes. The impact this had was reflected when African
Americans became the racial group delivering the largest vote
(percentage wise) for the Green Party in the recall election (6%),
Latinos came a close second at 5%. Keep in mind the Democrats were
running a Latino for Governor, Cruz Bustamente. For the Green Party to
receive such a solid vote in the Latino community reflected the
support we are gaining. Our largest support was demographically from
youth and the poorest people in California (9% for each category).

Again we need to continue our efforts on these issues. I especially
want to raise the case of Santo Reyes now doing life in prison for
cheating on a DMV test trying to get a driver's license so he could
work as a roofer to support his family.

LABOR AND THE MINIMUM WAGE

Thanks to the relentless work of a group of Greens, especially Tim
Smith of Sonoma, and also Cres Fallucci and Pat Driscoll from
Sacramento the Green Party with other allies is now petitioning to try
and place a referendum on the ballot to raise the minimum wage. Just
to match what it was in 1968 the minimum wage needs to be increased to
$8.65 per hour. This effort will result in many benefits for working
people's perception of our Party. It will provide a way for
progressive leaders in the labor movement to break ranks with the
Democratic Party's control over the Unions and join with us in an
effort desperately needed and supported by millions of Californians
possibly a majority. We should welcome sympathetic labor leaders to
come to our rallies and speak on this issue.

Most of the speakers we want to bring to the podium will be strategic
allies of ours even if they cannot endorse us. Let us become the
vehicle to educate the labor movement on what having a party that is
independent from the corporate rulers can mean. When Matt Gonzalez ran
for Mayor the AFL CIO would not endorse him but some union locals and
union leaders did. In Matt's race they all so Greens can win. They
need to see we can organize and that people are listening to us.

When Aimee Allison ran for city council in Oakland California an
historic bolt of lightening occurred when a large meeting of long
shore men at their union meeting endorsed her and said they were
endorsing her because she is a Green and will no longer automatically
endorse Democrats!

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 4 of 10

ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT

One of the most important ways our campaign can link up to the living
movements is by including anti-war movement leaders at our meetings.
Todd Chretien, who led the effort to put College Not Combat on the
ballot in San Francisco, has suggested many ways we could make this
link. For example through his effort the famous anti-war MP from
England, Galloway, is coming to California. He has also suggested that
we try to get student anti-war activists to run slates of candidates
on their campuses opposing recruiters and the war. Our campaign will
support them and offer them a podium to explain their campaigns when
we organize meetings on campuses.

There are many other local issues, such as medical marijuana, that we
can include in our campaign. I had the opportunity during a campaign
event in Chico to have a leader of this movement speak before a large
audience. One of them did go to jail for a year. Our campaign needs to
let our people know about all of these issues. We need to have
campaign meetings and our message focused on certain critical issues.
But before our candidates speak having a small selection of
representatives on a series of issues can be of great value.

There are more and more Green Party locals that have been establishing
a base for our party throughout California, like the Green Party of
Butte County, a strong local due to the leadership of two women,
Marybeth Wuerthner and Marilyn Ditmanson. There are many other
counties doing great work from Humboldt to Nevada to San Diego.

Well I could go on and on about different issues and communities we
can now involve because of the gains we have been making to both build
those movements and build the influence of our party.

There are many other similar experiences by Green Party activists and
candidates. They are all moving in the direction of broadening our
original base to a growing layer of communities. There is probably not
a single one of our campaigns that has not had some experiences like
the ones I am referring to.

However, the culture and structure of our party has kept most of the
people beginning to support and sympathize with us at arms length. How
many members of Centro Azteca today are serving on a Green County
Councils or even attend Green Party meetings? How many of the
activists from Three Strikes attend Green Party meetings or have been
elected to any of our leadership bodies?

The answer is probably none yet. We hope to begin changing this and
thus changing our party. But to do that we need to look at the Party
in a new way, with a new vision.

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 5 of 10
OUR SLATE

Some of this reach out work is obviously facilitated by the
composition of our slate. We want it to be gender balanced. We are
also considering running, Forrest Hill, who will be the first openly
Gay person to run for a state position. Forrest has been an organizer
for the Green Party for years. He has worked as an environmental
consultant and has a PHD from MIT. He is extremely articulate and
knowledgeable on key issues around IRV, Gay rights, tax issue,
economics, the environment and social issues.

Our thought is to have our ticket headed once again by myself (Spanish
speaking Latino) and Donna Warren (African American woman). This slate
offers us a man and women for Governor and LT Governor. We want to
have a California Teachers Association (CTA) union activist as our
candidate for Superintendent of Schools. We want some younger people
on our slate. Larry Cafiero a Green leader and activist from Santa
Cruz has offered to be a candidate but has also very modestly offered
to step aside if it turns out to be the best for the party. The truth
is Larry would make a great candidate. Many Greens need to step
forward to run for office both in campaigns whose goal is to try and
win and others to build the Party.

There is nothing wrong with there being two candidates until our
primary for a position. It gives us two or more voices during the
primaries to talk to people about our ten key values. Don't forget we
had four Greens running for the same office during the recall
election. I was proud of all of them. Kent Mesplay from San Diego is
preparing to run for Senate. Kent ran as a candidate for president
during our primaries. There may be others I do not know about that
have already indicated an interest in running. The Green Party
membership will decide at our primary in June of 2006 exactly who our
candidates will be. We hope you will support the candidates committed
to the vision outlined in this report.

We are all thinking through who we should run for the United States
Senate. We see this as one of our key positions. We have had
discussions with Muslim leaders seeing if we could find a Green in
that community to run against Feinstein. We have not yet been
successful. As I mentioned above Kent Mesplay has decided to enter the
race others may also.

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 6 of 10

POLITICAL CONTEXT

Bush is crashing in the polls. So is Arnold Schwarzenegger. After
rejecting the failures of the Democratic Party in the recall, people
in California now see the Republicans are no answer either. This is an
important moment for us to present our alternative.

The incredible resistance of the people of Iraq, the world
condemnation of US government's open violation of international law,
and the projected endless military occupation of Iraq, has created a
frame work that is changing America. In spite of the relentless
propaganda effort of the corporate media people are beginning to loose
patience and begin to question a failed policy that is clearly based
on lies. The Democrats in the last State of the Union address gave
Bush 39 standing ovations. I personally counted them. What you may not
know is they rose to their feet in cheers every time he mentioned his
policies in Iraq.

As more and more people turn against the war we need to educate them
how it is not just Bush that has committed this crime. The war would
not be possible without the Democratic Party support and assistance in
helping to derail and block the development of a massive opposition to
the pro war agenda.

Ninety percent of the people of the United States have made no gains
in their inflation adjusted salaries for 30 years (David Cay Johnston,
Perfectly Legal). The minimum wage has dropped for 35 years while our
economy climbs. Taxes have shifted to the middle income layers and the
poor as they have collapsed for the rich and the corporations. Some
52% of the profitable corporations in California pay no State tax;
they pay just the annual registration fee of 800 dollars a year (CPB).
The richest 1% pays 7.2% of their income in state and local taxes
while the poorest 20% pay 11.3%.

The budget deficit in California, the cut backs in education and
social services are direct by-products of the rich and corporations
refusing to pay their taxes. We will receive an ever-increasing
positive reception on these issues as I did especially in the 2003
campaign during the debates.

KATRINA AND THE END OF OIL

The energy crisis allows us to present our pro-ecological message in a
way that will be understood by millions. Louisiana opens up the
possibility for people to understand so much more about our message
and the utter failure of our government in response to where global
warming met the end of oil. The class and race prejudice that
permeates our government were exposed in the tragedy of Katrina.

I plan to write a short pamphlet on the key issues of the campaign for
2006. We need such a piece so voters interesting in us and the more
serious journalists can come to understand the kind of specific
solutions we are offering. The issues around Katrina and the rise in
the price of natural gas and oil will help convince people giving us
an opportunity to frame our call for renewable energy, mass transit,
solar aquatic sewage treatment, water efficiency, organic agriculture,
cradle-to-cradle manufacturing and recycling. For instance, a simple
idea that will revolutionize the development of solar energy such as
requiring banks to provide assumable home equity solar loans needs to
be explained and popularized.

The art of campaigning on issues is to focus the message so it begins
to stick and be understood such as my call for taxing the wealthiest
5% at the same rate as the average person which will more than balance
the budget. We popularized it as a "fair tax". This time let's make
posters with the famous tax chart with a slogan like "Why should you
pay taxes and not millionaires".

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 7 of 10
Topic: Green Party

BUILDING A CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION

We need to improve our message and how we deliver it. With just a
little bit of funding we can make some great campaign posters and
plaster California on these issues. Lynda Hernandez who was Ralph
Nader's 2004 California campaign director has agreed to serve as our
Southern California coordinator. She has a long list of key ideas for
getting our campaign field organization and infrastructure in place.

We need artists, people who know how to design and make posters,
leaflets and a hundred other tasks which in the end are just as
important as the candidates themselves.

We need musicians to come up with a campaign song like Matt Gonzalez
had in his campaign and we need poets like those from Stanford that
wrote about our previous campaigns.

We are beginning to structure a State wide campaign effort that will
involve having campaign coordinators at the County level as well as
commissions working on different aspects of our vision. We want to
assist the local candidates in whatever manner we can. We need to help
them build on the ground efforts to do door to door work especially in
campaigns we feel we can win.

We want to see if we can link up with registration drives like the one
planned by MAPA.

Our reach out work will be far stronger in this campaign than it has
ever been. The down slate candidates will have much stronger campaigns
as we focus on issues and communities and try to get our candidates
before as many audiences as possible and on as many radio and TV shows
as we can. Several if not all of the candidates need to have their own
press conference announcements, web sites and literature. The down
slate candidates need to work up strategies to focus on covering
aspects of our over all message and target audiences and media around
those issues.

Organizing the media work will also be critical. Cres Fallucci one of
our most experienced media people has agreed to help on this effort.
We are starting to get volunteers for the campaign throughout the
State. If you are interested in working on the campaign please email
rachelodes@....

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 8 of 10
GETTING NEW PEOPLE INVOLVED

One of the sectors working on our campaign will be a PAC called IDEA
(Independence, Democracy, Empowerment, and Accountability). Their task
will be to help get people involved in the Party structure. They will
work on identifying new faces and candidates that can run for our
County Councils and our State Coordinating Committee. They will try to
make sure candidates that support our vision of opening up the party,
empowering our rank and file, and making our Party a more democratic
organization, become part of our candidate lists for county councils
in June of 2006.

To democratize our party is to open it up. To have the meetings,
leadership bodies from county councils to our State coordinating
committee really be an expression of those who are supporting and
voting for our party.

In some areas that is not often the case today. On the contrary in
some cases there is a marked difference between the official
structures and the rank and file of Greens. There is no better example
of this than when Matt Gonzalez announced for Mayor of San Francisco
and the San Francisco Greens would not endorse him. I was present at
the meeting begging the 50 or so Greens gathered to endorse Matt. He
could not get the 2/3 votes needed. I believe the 15,000 or so
registered Greens in San Francisco would have overwhelmingly voted
with both hands to endorse our Green President of the Board of
Supervisors as they did during the election. There is a disconnect
happening in our Party.

Similarly when I ran in 2002 and 2003 in Alameda the County Council
would not endorse me, in 2002 they published a position that went out
to Green voters in Alameda saying since the could not vote "none of
the above" they made no endorsement in the primary (I was the only
candidate). In 2003 they demanded a meeting with me. The purpose of
the meeting was to berate me for running. Mean while registered
Greens in Alameda voted massively for our campaign and after the
recall election the mass sympathy for our Party grew especially in the
Bay Area. Obviously the county council was out of touch with our
members. They did not want any Green running.

May be I'm wrong but I believe our 157,000 members want us to run.
There is a simple and democratic way to find out. Let those Greens who
oppose running put up a slate and campaign for not having a slate.
They can ask Greens to vote for them and they will withdraw if they
win. Let the membership decide if they want our party to run
candidates for statewide offices. Of course everyone understands what
not running really means. It means lesser evil politics that is
support for the Democrats. Our campaign will all be Greens who favor
complete independence from the Democrats. The Greens setting up our
exploratory committee oppose a fusion or lesser evil strategy. We will
advocate the need for Green independence and democracy as part of our
platform.

Obviously there is a divide between our members, and the "leadership"
in some counties. While this is a moving picture and, I belief, things
have improved in Alameda, in a few counties it has gotten worse. (I
should point out that 91% of our counties did endorse me in the 2003
race. But all of our counties can improve their reach out.)

As Donna Warren has often remarked many people have comfort zones and
do not feel at ease among people they are not used to being around.
This can lead to a milieu making up our County Council and attending
meetings that is often out of contact with the base of the party. We
have had a problem of turning inward and seeing Green politics reduced
to internal infighting. Recently we have had a bad case of this as I
have seen some of the people who worked the hardest on my campaigns
like Sharon and Craig Peterson under attack through gossip and
unfounded accusations.

CAMPAIGN 2006 STRATEGY
Now Playing: part 9 of 10
We need to turn outward and make the Green Party a party truly of the
people of California. This will require a serious commitment of people
to accept new ideas and new people including younger people into
leadership positions. Our campaign will work to try and get more
people involved, to run Greens for County Council who may have felt
alienated and not comfortable with Green meetings. The comfort zone
issue works both ways. It creates and in group and keeps new people,
especially when there are class and race differences out.

Turning the Green Party into a stronger more rooted organization
cannot be achieved in one year. I suggest we help begin this process
through our state campaign in 2006. After the campaign we can evaluate
the progress we have made. There is no question in my mind that the
opportunity exists if we have the will to try.

In August of this year (2005) I asked permission to present this
concept to a meeting in San Francisco whose stated purpose was about
developing a strategy for the 2006 elections. The meeting was
sponsored by the CCWG (Candidates and Campaign Working Group). My
request was not placed on the agenda of the working group's meeting to
consider its agenda choices. When I repeated by my request I received
an email from the Chairperson saying I was not "fit" to be a candidate
for any position among other nasty personal attacks.

There is within our party people who really miss the way the party was
before Nader. It did not run for statewide offices or for President.
Therefore the party was not threatening to the Democrats and did not
come under attack. Everyone was in their comfort zone when they went
to meetings. They were from the same educated backgrounds and would
only run local non-partisan candidates.

Many thought at the time this was wise and some still do so. A partial
answer is for Greens that want only to work on local non-partisan
races to do so but they should not try to stop the majority of Greens
that see the value of state and national races that stand clearly
against both corporate parties telling the truth. In any case all
points of view within the Green Party have to be heard. Truth, as I
say at just about every meeting, can only be ascertained through the
conflict of ideas. I was unable to present my views at the meeting
referred to above. We will just avoid conflict and present it through
other channels such has this memo.

The New Party tried to build a party that would never have a conflict
with the Democrats. It failed. They no longer exist. In the early
beginnings of the Green Party the concept was raised not to run
candidates at all but try to convince the pro corporate major parties
to adopt our platform. In a way this is what the early abolitionist
tried, to convince slave owners to give up their slaves. But in 1840 a
group of abolitionist launched the Liberty Party and said no votes for
either pro slavery party period. The rest is history. These conflicts
inside our party are normal. When differences exist all views should
be heard, and let the membership decide. We have our primary in June
of 06 let all the sun flowers bloom that want to, let our members vote
and let us move forward respecting all points of view.

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