California, Take Back the Green Party!

"There's a little rebellion starting," [Peter] Camejo said this week.

Camejo said in California, the bastion of Green registration, "it's a fact: The majority of the party wants to put Nader/Camejo on the ballot." (Carla Marinucci, "Nader's Ballot Hopes Hinge on State's Greens," San Francisco Chronicle, August 7, 2004)

Primaries -- The will of the voters

In five states, registered Green Party members, who are the rank and file of the party, had the opportunity to vote in a presidential primary. These five primaries represent the majority of registered Greens in the country.

The five primaries took place in California, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Washington DC and Rhode Island. The total number of votes cast for a presidential candidate as recorded by Ballot Access News was 45,733.

The results from these primaries for the leading three candidates are as follows:

Camejo	33,255	72.7%
Cobb	5,569	12.2%
Salzman	4,953	10.8%
Others	1,956	4.2%

In the three largest States, California, Massachusetts and New Mexico David Cobb was defeated. In California he was beaten six to one by Camejo, and Lorna Salzman almost tied him for second place. In Massachusetts he was beaten by Lorna Salzman and in New Mexico by Carol Miller. Both Lorna Salzman and Carol Miller endorsed the Nader/Camejo campaign.

In DC Cobb received 37% of all votes cast. The total number of votes cast in the Washington DC primary, including write-in votes was 374. Cobb faced only one local opponent, yet received only 138 votes!

In the Rhode Island primary, the one state Cobb actually won more than 50% of the vote, only 89 votes were cast. The primary ballot only included Kent Mesplay and Cobb. It did not even include New York's presidential nominee Lorna Salzman. The vote was 71 for Cobb and 18 for Mesplay.

Overall, the total primary vote for candidates who support Nader/Camejo was over 83% compared to Cobb's 12.2%. Where Greens actually were able to vote, Cobb was roundly defeated.

Nominating meetings -- The will of the few and selected

In all other states Green Party delegates were chosen at nominating meetings. These meetings varied in size but were overall quite small. The national Green Party web site never reported the number of votes cast at any of the state nominating meetings. This cover-up, whether intentional or not, hid from Greens the small number of voters that were determining how large numbers of delegate were proportioned between the candidates. (Carol Miller and Forrest Hill/Greens for Nader, "Rigged Convention Divides Green Party," August 4, 2004)

Rank-and-file Greens' battle to take back the Green Party has begun in California. Sign the proposal below (circulated by Forrest Hill), send your message to the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of California, and spread the word:

Please forward and act immediately:::

The nomination of David Cobb as the Green Party presidential candidate in Milwaukee was due to a well organized campaign to turn a minority view in the Green Party into what appeared as a "majority" decision at the convention. To correct this injustice, the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of California will vote on Monday August 9 on whether to hold a Special General Assembly to let California Greens decide if they want to put Nader/Camejo on the our ballot line.

If you believe that the Green Party should continue to challenge the two-party "duopoly" and should not compromise it principles, then please sign the following proposal and email it to one (or all) of the CC members listed below. Time is of the essence!

Peggy Lewis pegola@softcom.net Sharon Peterson shalynne@pacbell.net Gerry Gras gerrygras@earthlink.net Michael Borenstein thebor@jps.net Jo Chamberlain joc@greens.org Matt Leslie mrl@greens.org Alex Brideau III alexb@cagreens.org

PROPOSAL TO HOLD A SPECIAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO PUT NADER/CAMEJO ON THE GREEN PARTY BALLOT IN CALIFORNIA

Whereas:

1. A grossly undemocratic process was used at the national convention of the US Green Party, as described in the article, "Rigged Convention Divides Green Party," by Carol Miller and Forrest Hill (see www.greensfornader.net);

2 Each state Green Party should have the right to nominate candidates supported by a majority of its members because the results of the national Green Party Convention do not represent the views of a majority of Greens in California, indeed, they represent the views of a small minority;

3. An overwhelming majority of Greens in the United States and California support the presidential ticket of Ralph Nader and Peter Miguel Camejo;

4. The Democratic Party has devoted huge resources to harass canvassers, to keep Nader/Camejo off the ballot in California;

5. Ralph Nader would hold fundraisers to support local candidates if nominated by the Green Party of California;

6. Nader and Camejo are the only candidates supporting Green values that have a chance of getting in the national televised debates;

7. The Green Party of California is a recognized Party in California and has a ballot line;

Therefore be it resolved that:

We the undersign urge the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of California to show leadership and hold a Special General Assembly too place Ralph Nader on the California state ballot for President of the United States and Peter Miguel Camejo on the California state ballot for Vice President of the United States.

Signed