19 Green Party wins out of
89 race results so far in the November General Election.
Is this disappointing or is this a cause for celebration?
21% of the races challenged were won by the Green Party
candidate. That is a good thing, however there were a number
of disappointments. The removal of Elaine Brown from the
ballot for the Mayor of Brunswick, GA because she was a
threat to the establishment demonstrates just how sad our
democracy is when victory must come in a court room instead
of the ballot box. However, the election of James Brooks
to the City Commission of Brunswick, where they are being
forced by the courts (last I heard) to count write in votes
for Elaine Brown, is some return. Brooks became Georgia's
fist elected Green.
The FBI raid on Minneapolis
City Councilor Green Dean Zimmerman's campaign headquarters
combined with clever re-districting by the DFL to target
the two Green incumbents, Zimmerman and Lee, resulted in
taking them out of office, but Cam Gordon is elected by
the students in another district. Minneapolis and St. Paul
are turning into a Political Battlefield as the Green Party
demonstrated its strongest challenge in the Twin Cities
to date. I'm already marking my calendar for Nov. 2006 to
watch Minneapolis elections.
Carol Schiller lost her bid
for Portland Maine City Council, but Susan Hopkins won her
bid for the Portland School Board, joining two other Greens
on that body if I'm not mistaken. Gloria Mattera and Robin
Sklar lost their Brooklyn and Queens races, but put up big
numbers. The high percentages of the results and the number
of votes all around are impressive, many of the candidates
who lost still pulled 20 to 49 percent of the vote, which
is impressive for the current reigning 'Third Party"
in America.
1. Gloria
Mattera, Brooklyn President (NY) The Green
Party is excited about Mattera for two reasons: 1.
She raised $50,000 in small individual donations qualifying
her for 4 to 1 matching public funds, unheard of for
a third party in NYC. 2. Besides being endorsed by
the people, she was also
endorsed by the Democratic state rep from the area,
Chris Owens. Mattera has run a strong, powerful
campaign that has focused on neighborhoods and communities,
against a Democrat who has been exposed as a corporate
pawn broker selling Brooklyn neighborhoods for a potential
professional sports complex.
2. Brunswyk, GA – Elaine
Brown, Green candidate for Mayor of predominantly
black, wealthy white controlled Brunswyk, GA has been
forced off the ballot and lost her first challenge
to get back on. Nonetheless, she was running with
a slate of two other Greens for City Commission: Gladys
Lyde and James Brooks. Lyde and Brooks support could
be an indication of what ‘could’a ben’
for Brown. What would be really interesting is how
many write-in votes Elaine Brown gets, despite being
‘ineligible’ for even write-in status.
3.
Minneapolis, MN – This could easily have
been the number one race to watch, but the Democrats
did a little number and now it is only third. Oh,
and the Democrats gerrymandered the Minneapolis districts
so that Green incumbents Dean Zimmerman and Natalie
Johnson Lee will both face incumbent opponents. Dean
Zimmerman, Mr. Fantastic, able to bounce off of an
FBI raid a week before the primary to stretch into
the general election; Cam Gordon for Ward 2, he’s
young, handsome, and likes fast motorcycles; Natalie
Johnson Lee, incumbent now facing a challenge; and
Dave Bicking, and Aaron Neumann for City Council.
Also, Annie Young, incumbent for Parks and Recreation
Board, Dave Berger for Board of Estimation and Taxation.
Minneapolis is a “Green Power City”, and
picking up even two of possibly four more seats would
prove it.
4. New
Jersey – One of two states (Virginia
is the other) with a state wide general election.
Matt Thieke, Green for Governor, heads up an impressive
number of candidates for New Jersey’s Assembly,
nine by my last count. Thieke is running in a thick
field of ten candidates in a race where all the focus
is on the Corzine (Dem) v. Forrester (Rep) race. It
will be interesting to see how the Assembly races
shape up given a Green at the top of the ballot, could
there be a trickle down ballot affect?
5. Mayors – I call this
the “Jason West” phenomenon. I am sure it
can be pointed out to me that there have been lots
of Green Mayoral races over the years, but in an off-off
year like this there are five Greens running for key
Mayoral offices, including Elaine Brown, who may just
win by illegal write-in votes anyway. The other four
are in the North East, and the biggest might be Howie
Hawkins for Mayor of Syracuse. TheSyracuse Greens are running a whole slate
of municipal candidates, Bonaparte, Linton, and Cosmo
Fanizzi. Then there is Alice
Green running for Mayor of Albany (the capital
of) NY. She has a lot of supporters in the area for
her work in Albany, including Peter Yarrow from Peter,
Paul and Mary. Then we have
Titus North running for Mayor of Pittsburgh,
PA, and Miguel
Angel Nieves, candidate for Mayor of
New Britain, CT. Can the Greens take 2 of these 5.
6. Will Maksuta, candidate
for New Paltz Town Clerk (NY). Why? First, New
Paltz, NY is home to Mayor Jason West (Green) and
Deputy Mayor Rebecca Rotzler (Green). Maksuta’s
campaign could give an indication of the village’s
support for the Green Politics of West and Rotzler.
Maksuta has also said he issue same-sex marriage liscenses.
7. Carol Schiller, Portland (Maine)
City Council At Large – Endorsed by the League
of Pissed Off Voters, she is the first Green to
run for City Council in Portland, home of the Green’s
highest office holder John Eder in the Maine State
Assembly, and a city with three Greens on the School
Board. Portland ME will be a “Green Power City”
for sure if Schiller gets elected.
8. New
London, CT – Bob Stuller and Andy Derr,
New London (CT) City Council. Why? New London…why
does that ring a bell? Oh, yes, Kelo v. New London,
the eminent domain case that the Supreme Court ruled
on that decided that your neighbor can take your land
if she can make more money on it than you are. Can
the Greens capitalize on local anger?
9. Robyn
Sklar, Queens (NY) City Council, District 26
– Why? Green Ruth (Milwaukee) told me to watch
this one. Sklar is running against a strong Democrat
incumbent.
10. TIE – Brian Unger,
candidate for Freeholder in Monmouth County (NJ) got
a glowing
endorsement from the Asbury Park Press; and Chris
Hilderbrant, candidate for Monroe County (NY)
Legislature, who was endorsed by the Rochester Democrat
and Chronicle, Empire State Pride Agenda, Rochester
NOW, Rochester Labor Council, and Democracy for America.
Both of these two races should tell us if endorsements
have the kind of influence they say they do.
Meet our October
Asshat of the Month...
Iowa's Steve King!
"I think that
if Barbara Lee would read the history of Joe McCarthy,
she would realize that he was a hero for America."
-Steve King to California Representative Barbara Lee.
"So far, over 80 formerly frozen
embryos have been adopted by families. Now these “snowflake
babies” are giggling, screaming, playful children.
It is a glorious miracle for couples who imagined they
would never experience parenthood, much less pregnancy
and childbirth. These “snowflakes” some of
whom were frozen for nine years, are as worthy of our
protection as every child. Their parents do not think
they are medical waste." (Sound Science and Sound
Ethics - Steve King)
Steve King represents Iowa's
5th Congressional District, i.e. Western Iowa. He has
proven himself to be such a first class Asshat that
even the Des Moines Register has retracted it's endorsement
of him 12 months after the fact with this editorial
"Spare
us more embarassment: Replace King". Akaoni
laid down the case here
and here,
but let me bullet them out:
He recently led a crusade to prevent
a post office in California from being named after
Maudelle Shirek, a 94-year-old granddaughter of slaves
who has been a crusader for civil rights, the poor,
senior nutrition, affordable housing, and various
antiwar movements and social causes. He forced a partisan
line vote against the post office name based on her
prior 'communist' associations.
King was one of 11 Congressmen who
voted against aid for helping victims and rebuilding
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
He did this while continuing to advocate
for tax cuts for the rich, and a hyper-regressive
national sales tax to replace national income taxes.
King shamefully downplayed torture
in Abu Ghraib comparing it to "hazing."
He has been a tireless crusader for
"immigration reform" pushing official English
language legislation and a razor wire fence on the
southern border.
King also placed himself squarely
in the middle in the Schaivo controversy, trying to
legislate his way past the courts to continue life
support for the brain-dead woman."
He was instrumental in making Iowa
an "English Language Only" state.
He is leading the cause to amend
the US Constitution to ban gay marriage and flag burning.
Ironically, the Family Research Council
just named Steve King a "True Blue" Member
of Congress this month. I should just copy their announcement:
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman
Steve King today was named a "True Blue" Member
of Congress by the Family Research Council (FRC) for
his commitment to American families.
King won the award for extraordinary
leadership and commitment to the defense of family,
faith, and freedom, according to FRC's new scorecard
covering House votes during the first session of the
109th Congress. Recipients of the award voted consistently
for pro-life and pro-family issues.
This year, King has voted to:
Prohibit American flag desecration,
Protect private property rights from
eminent domain abuse,
Protect the display of the 10 Commandments,
Permanently repeal the Death Tax,
Prevent children from being taken
across state lines to get abortions without their
parents' knowledge,
Prevent the starvation and dehydration
of Terri Schiavo,
Prevent taxpayer funds from being
used to kill human embryos in the name of unsuccessful
scientific research, and
Make the United Nations more accountable
for the funding it receives from the U.S.
