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San Francisco | Government & ElectionsMatt Gonzalez for Congress
Draft Matt Gonzalez for Congress Subject: Join me in drafting Matt Gonzalez for congress
Dearest Friends, I would like you to consider joining me in a campaign to ask Matt Gonzalez to run for congress. Like many of you, I am deeply passionate about creating and defending peaceful, sustainable life for all humanty on this planet. I believe the time has come when we must ask for this with straightforward words at every level in our society. I believe it's time we send someone to Washington to actually represent the peaceful and compassionate views of the fabulous eastern half of San Francisco. Our current representative, while powerful and liked by some, has often supported the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, NAFTA, No Child Left Behind, and NSA wiretapping, as well as, here in San Francisco, the privatization of the Presidio, corporatization of the local economy, and unbridled gentrification. Nancy Pelosi certainly can talk the talk when in the right company, but on the largest issues she simply does not walk the walk. Despite endorsing the call of Rep. Murtha (R-PA) for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, she voted against immediate withdrawal just one day later, on Nov. 18, 2006, helping to kill the momentum to force a timetable for troop withdrawals. Matt Gonzalez is the best person to run against Pelosi. As he did as President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, he will stand for peace and sanity and for the hopes, dreams, and needs of San Franciscans -- even in the face of a gale storm. And best of all, Gonzalez has the faith and fame among San Francisco voters to win. His campaign for mayor in 2003 galvanized a fantastic, festive grassroots movement that came from way behind to fall only a whisker short on election day. This time we'll start earlier, and this time the whole conservative west side of the city falls in a different district. I am not in personal contact with Matt, yet I know he has heard about this sprouting campaign and is considering it. We must convince him that we stand with him before the deadline to submit his name as a write-in candidate for the primary. That deadline is May 23, and the time has come to get started. If we want the Iraq War to end, and we do not want more wars started, it is time that we speak. Please sign the petition at http://www.draftmatt.com if: * You want to elect Matt Gonzalez of the Green Party to congress, or * You personally are not yet sure which candidate you will vote for, but you want Matt to run in order to hear a real debate on the war and on the global, national, and local issues facing our community, or * You do not live in San Francisco but believe there is a need for a true voice for peace and sustainability in congress. Full disclosure: I am in fact the one (along with several friends) coordinating this campaign to draft Matt Gonzalez to run for congress. I have been interviewed by a reporter for the SF Bay Guardian, but the piece hasn't yet run. We want to get at least 100 signatures today to kick off the website with a bang. Please go sign the petition now, and then forward this to all of your friends, lovers, enemies, pets, and family members. In peace and for truth, Tony http://www.draftmatt.com ps: Please let me know if you would like to become (even slightly) more involved in this campaign.
Add Your Comments
Comments (Hide Comments)Tony: Why don't YOU run?
Tuesday Apr 18th, 2006 8:24 PM
Matt let us down at the top of his (our) game. And District 5 supe Mirkarimi seems detached from his contituency. He has no presence in the 'hood. You've got the passion--pick up the torch!
Too late?
Tuesday Apr 18th, 2006 9:49 PM
Isn't it too late to get on the ballot? Gonzalez would have to run as an independent or write-in at this point as the deadline for getting qualified to run in the Green Party primary passed a month or so ago. It is probably too late to run as a write-in in the primary so he'd have to run as an independent in the General Election and meet the higher signature requirements (enacted by the duopoly to shut out alternatives).
Gonzalez should not waste his time on this. If folks had wanted this to happen, it would/should have been done in January or February. There's less than 3 weeks left to draft Matt as a Green Party WRITE-IN candidate!!
Wednesday Apr 19th, 2006 1:37 AM
Assuming that Matt is still registered Green, the only way for him to be on the ballot this November is for him to win the upcoming June primary as a Green Party WRITE-IN candidate. The deadline for Matt to have left the Green Party, to be an "Independent" candidate, was October 7 of last year (See: http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_candqual06.htm ). The deadline for Matt to have qualified to have his name on the June Green Party ballot was March 10, over a month ago.
So the only way that Matt can qualify for this November's ballot is to be a WRITE-IN candidate for this June's Green Party primary. Although he has until mid-May to file as a write-in candidate, he probably needs to make his decision within less than three weeks, because absentee and "walk-in" voters can start voting on May 8. The reason why Matt needs to have Green Party absentee voters write his name in, in addition to day-of-the-election Green Party voters, is because he needs almost 2,000 Green Party write-in votes, which is a substantial number when your name isn't on the ballot, and when only about 5,000 Greens will probably be voting anyway. (There's an obscure state law requiring that many write-in votes. Does anyone remember Terry Baum, who ran for the seat in 2004? Terry just missed getting enough write-in votes, because they disqualified some of her ballots). Plus, Matt will have to compete with Kristine Keefer, who has already qualified to have her name on this June's ballot. (And even if DraftMatt.com supporters convinced Kristine to now support Matt, it's too late for Kristine's name to be removed from the ballot, so some Green voters will be voting for Kristine regardless, just because her name is on the ballot). Matt also needs time to raise money to contact those 5,000 Green Party likely voters. (It's just too hard to explain to people over the phone how to properly cast a write-in vote -- you need to mail them a card that shows them how to do it!). So Matt probably needs to make a decision in less than 3 weeks, before the May 8th date when voting begins, so that he can campaign to absentee voters, and so that he can contact at least 5,000 Green Party voters within a week or two after the May 8th beginning of voting. Do DraftMatt.com supporters realize that they have less than 3 weeks to get Matt to agree to be a Green Party write-in candidate?? Exactly my point
Wednesday Apr 19th, 2006 12:57 PM
Thanks for the clarification on ballot access.
The draftmatt folks don't have a clue about the realities of ballot deadlines and are engaged in wishful thinking to believe the movement will have any impact or be successful. It is too late and Gonzalez should stick to doing his good work as an attorney and maybe run for office next time around. I'd suggest the draftmatt folks get behind the other Green Party candidate if the point is to have a real debate on war and peace, etc., and advocate for her inclusion in debates and media coverage and push the issues, not the personality (with all due respect for our comrade Mr. Gonzalez). Hmm. We do have a clue.
( tony [at] draftmatt.com )
Sunday Apr 23rd, 2006 3:36 PM
Matt will qualify as a write-in candidate if he runs. Help us out! Sign the petition if you want Matt to run.
Specifics: http://www.draftmatt.com/logistics.cfm Sign! http://www.draftmatt.com/petition.cfm Bulldog Publisher
( h [at] ludd.net )
Thursday Apr 27th, 2006 12:44 PM
Campers,
Matt will be President. Insensitivity to women and backroom politics actually plays well on the State and national stages. It's just that San Francisco is filled with all these politically proper people. He's still the best politician I've ever known. A better friend. Listening to the dorks around him on this issue is the worst mistake I've seen him make. Go to today's sanfranciscosentinel.com and see the ad for Krissy's first fundraiser. It's down in the text of Murphy's daily column. Her Luke Thomas pic will be on ebay for the next 50 years. h. |