i think the greens have some pretty good ideas -- the instant run-off, the "none-of-the-above" option on a ballot -- and i agree with a lot of their stands on the environment, big development and the corporatization of america. but they also have some ideas that are completely whacked. that's cool, though. somebody's gotta skip steps one through 10 to drag the stragglers to two. so i went to a benefit in my neighborhood to learn more.
unfortunately, i didn't really learn much about the green party platform (except that jello biafra advocates giving 5-year-olds the vote). what i did learn is that the greens are really pissed off at democrats for blowing the election. i have never been to a political rally for a group i shared views with and felt so fucking disenfranchised.
contrary to what many greens and dems will tell you, there's no one reason gore couldn't/didn't win. dems who lay blame solely on the greens are just avoiding the real issue which is what the fuck is wrong with our party (and there's a LOT wrong). greens who say it's all gore are just as delusional. scapegoats are easy. the truth is hard. there's a constellation of reasons king george is now leading (and i use that term loosely) the country. and it's going to take a constellation of solutions (including some partisan cross-breeding) to get him out.
what galled me was this bashing and whining and bitching and moaning the greens were doing about democrats baiting them and slamming doors in their faces during neighborhood walk-abouts. that's bad behavior from anyone and the greens are right to be pissed about it. but, that's exactly what they were doing at the benefit -- bashing me and, figuratively any way, slamming the door in my face.
the greens were up there talking about what bastards the dems were. that we're the only ones holding a smoking gun. sort of like, everyone sucks, we rock. if you don't think like us, you're stupid or evil or both. their arrogance and righteous indignation left me thinking they were no better than the people they presented as the bad guys. they played right into every negative stereotype people at large have about greens. they seemed like fringe players who were just as exclusive as the other parties. and their platform started getting lost in the vitriol.
all their talk of being the party of inclusion seemed awfully duplicitous when they were making me feel very EXCLUDED because i voted for gore, because i hold them somewhat accountable for the aftermath, because i think the real way to push change is from the bottom up in local, then state, then national elections. when in god's name did *i*, the dyed in the wool liberal democrat, become the bad guy? the way they were talking *i* was an establishmentarian whore. talk about seeing the enemy and it's us.
i know the concept of back-room politicking is anathema to the greens, but i fail to see what's wrong with sitting down for a cigar and a little deal-making if it gets you one step closer to the change you really want. where the hell is that ethic (in ANY party) these days? when did everybody become so goddamned partisan?
the greens don't seem to understand that they NEED people like us, the dems who're willing to vote libertarian or green or independent because we vote on issues, not party lines. in my district there are 2000 registered greens and their candidate needs 2000 more votes. if she's going to get those, it's reasonable to assume they'll come from dems. but if the greens keep up their dem-bashing antics, they'll lose us. and the opportunity to win will go with us. i know i walked in there thinking i'd vote for her. now i'm not so sure.
I had written an eloquent and detailed response to this bum-deal encounter with the Greens, and somehow I managed just now to delete all of it. Crap. Well, instead of rying to repeat all that, I'll repost here some remarks I made to new Greens at a meeting in January, in the hope that they might catch on to the role that Greens hope to play in the American electoral landsacpe. One thing I would be remiss not to mention, though: please check out the party platform at http://www.greens.org/california/pl2k/toc.htm#toc. Here, then, are my remarks from that evening,
***
You've taken a bold step by even being here: you've finally broken with the two party system, which is the dead end for all grassroots political movements; now don't get suckered again. Even if you should one day decide that the Green Party is not for you, don't ever again let yourself get sucked into the two party system. In American politics, the two party system has paved a wide road to nowhere. Hard as it is to do, we must build a party separate from this one party of moral bankruptcy.
You will be tempted to compromise by supporting Democrats, even Republicans; this is mostly a mistake. Occasionally there are candidates among the Dems and Reps who are good leaders, and deserve your support; but more important than supporting them is building a third party.
Why do we need a third party? We cannot escape being co-opted by those in power, who have no interest in changing the status quo, if we do not have political representation that is free from obligation to them. This is why the Green Party refuses to take corporate donations -- make no mistake, there are ALWAYS strings attached to that money. This party, by electing Greens, has demonstrated, as parties before us have, that electoral success does not have to be about money; earning the trust of the people can win it for you too, even against candidates with far larger bank accounts.
So, then what is the Green Party? Ralph Nader said that "this is the party you can help build." It's true. This is the most grassroots party in America, and it's designed to stay that way. You are on a more level playing field here than in any political party you are likely to encounter. The Green Party is similar to other third and progressive parties in American history; it is a populist party; but it is also unique in that it pursues a strong environmental agenda. It is a party with strong principles, and it adheres to them quite faithfully. It is an international party, which lends it a unique kind of strength. It is concerned at all times with promoting more equality, more democracy, and more sustainability. If you haven't read the platform, or at least the Ten Key Values, I strongly suggest that you do.
Now, I guess I'm supposed to speak about organizing. Which seems ironic, as I am not a particularly organized person. But I'll give it a shot. First, a rather stark, perhaps even Machiavellian reality that may sound out of place here, but I assure you, it is a fact that politicians have had to understand for centuries, if not millennia: people unite against a common enemy. Despite whatever differences we may have with each other, when we acknowledge a someone or something that is a threat to us all, we close ranks. We forget about what separates us, and think instead about what unites us -- this common enemy. Politicians have used this organizing principle sometimes to their advantage, sometimes for the common good, and sometimes both. Think of the enemies of the people that we have been presented in America: the Redcoats; the Spanish; the Nazis; communism; drugs; poverty. This principle of organization, standing up to a common enemy, needn't be a nefarious motive, so long as the enemy we choose is truly an enemy of the people, not someone we simply disagree with, or fail to understand.
Often when people talk about what happened in Seattle in the early winter of '99, they discuss how diverse the groups gathered there were, how many different causes were represented in the signs and puppets there, how many different messages this rag tag coalition was sending to the world. Most in the mainstream press took this as a sign of the movement's weakness. True, there were many different groups there who championed many different causes; but analyses that focused on the differences forgot what united them all, which was opposition to the unaccountable, uncontrollable WTO. That's what made all these groups SIMILAR -- their opposition to this monstrous organization. That's what made them strong, what unified them, made them one instrument against this menace.
It may sound negative, to unite people by rallying them together against a common enemy. But if the world were just and fair and problem-free, groups like this wouldn't very long, as the need for them would be gone. You may also find that when people work together against a common enemy, it builds solidarity, community, and consideration not just for one's own needs, but for the needs of every member of society. Keep in mind also that when I say "enemy," I do not mean this to indicate a person, but rather a behavior. Our enemies are destructive ideas, unsustainable practices, world bodies and corporations which perpetuate greater and greater inequality and threaten our livelihood. As they say in the church, "Hate the sin, not the sinner."
And so it is that I stay an optimist, ever hopeful that even CEOs in the Fortune 500 might one day be turned from their evil ways by the sheer force of reason. It was Gandhi's goal not to conquer the British, but rather to show them the truth, which was that it was ridiculous for them to govern India when she could take of herself just fine, thank you. Gandhi won, against tremendous odds, because the writing was on the wall, the majority was with him, and sooner or later, the British had to acknowledge the truth. There was some bloodshed, yes, but there was no war. With tireless persistence and remarkable solidarity, the logic of leaving India was shown to the Brits, and they left not as enemies but friends. The enemy was not the British; it was British rule.
And so it is now that we have common enemies which can best be characterized as behaviors. Our addiction to petroleum is an enemy; our use of the racist and barbaric death penalty is another enemy; our clearcutting of rainforests is a threat to the future of life on this planet; corporate sponsorship of the presidential debates endangers the health of our democracy; and insatiable greed is the worker's nemesis.
The bright side is that in the face of all these enemies, there are heroes in the world who have just the right combination of chutzpah and know-how to send scores of villains packing. We probably shouldn't wait around to see if those heroes might arrive in our neck of the woods; better that we become them, that we be the heroes the world needs. That's the positive aspect of this story: that we want to stop this train from zipping straight off the cliff, that we can, and that we're willing to take it on, each one of us, with our hearts and our minds. We're brave enough and smart enough to make a better world -- we already know how. If greed, exploitation, racial hatred and ignorance be enemies, then so may we be heroes who stand together and demand that our collective government be just, fair, and beneficial to all, rather than to a select few, of its constituents.
We really don't give ourselves enough credit. We have won victories, proud and strong victories in this country, that mean something to millions of Americans -- we extended the right to vote to almost everyone, when before, the right to vote in many states was the sole province of white, property-owning males. This right wasn't given to us -- we took it, we demanded it, we refused to carry on without it. We won shorter working hours, better wages, civil rights for all, safety standards in a variety of different contexts, consumer protections -- all through collective action. We have a lot of progress to make still, but this should tell us something vital about where to start. We start by educating; then we start organizing; and when the time is right, we mobilize. This is how we can build on the progress that's already been made by brave women and men who came before us.
Organizing means coalition building; it means building consensus; it means setting goals for ourselves; it means collective action, and it starts with each of us.
We must be prepared to engage in a protracted struggle, against tremendous odds, and many obstacles. But we have a definite advantage, which all but insures our victory over time: the truth is on our side.
But what can we do? What can we do in the short term? What are goals each of us can achieve?
We need to start with ourselves. We need to change our personal habits. Do you really need to drive to the video store, when you can walk? Do you need to throw away that paper cup, when you could easily use it again? (From now on, every time you throw something away, picture a massive landfill, and see if you can't get at least one more use out of this "trash.") Do you really need to have five different lights on in your apartment, when you only need one or two? Do you have to take your car to Long Beach, or could you ride the train instead? Should you have a burger for lunch, when you're contributing to unsustainable practices simply by giving more money to the beef industry? Have you written a letter to your representative lately?
A little bit can go a long way. Recycle as much as you possibly can. Keep yourself in good shape. Quit those bad habits -- it makes you more authoritative when you ask others to quit theirs. Introduce yourself to the people you never talk to in your apartment complex --in so doing, you improve the quality of your community. We tend to want to start with the "Big Picture," with all of these broad, external problems, when we haven't even faced our own demons yet. This is a good starting point, and I suggest this not out of some self-improvement bent, but only because you can't really expect to change the world's bad behaviors when you can't even change your own. And I'm no better than any of you; I have all kinds of bad habits. But I'm working on them.
While you're working on yourself, you can help to build the Green Party's ranks by talking with your friends, your co-workers and family members. This is remarkably important. The more numerous we are, the stronger we are, and no one is better suited to convince all the people you know than you. If the only thing you do is get more people registered Green, you would help this party tremendously. As our numbers swell, we become a more and more powerful electoral force -- a true voting block, and one that those in power will have to begin negotiating with to get themselves elected.
Be realistic about the contribution you can make. It won't help anyone to repeat the mistake I've sometimes made, which is to take on more than I could really do. Then you're disappointed, and the people who relied on you are disappointed. This is a volunteer organization; do what you can. We'll be much better off with a lot of people doing a few things than the other way around.
In closing, I guess I would encourage you to do two things:
1. Don't get discouraged. That's what they want, so don't give it to them.
2. Don't wait for someone else to think of it, say it or do it. If you think it's important, take the initiative. Pursue it.
The last thing those in power want is for ordinary people to band together and become aware of how much power they really have. Friends of yours will tell you tell you the Greens are a fringe party, a waste of time; the media, if they even mention us, will decry us as "spoilers" or radicals; most of the messages we receive tell us that we can't have this kind of power, that collective action is meaningless, that individualism is paramount, that consumption will set you free. More and more, I have found that to be total bullshit. Imagine if we were organized enough to call a general strike to stop the murderous sanctions against Iraq. Do you think we'd end those sanctions? Yeah, we would, in less than a week I'd bet. What if all of us, and I mean EVERYBODY, decided to stop buying their gas from Unocal, because they use slave labor in Burma. Do you think Unocal would get out of Burma? Hell yeah, if they want to keep their doors open! We're made to believe we can't change things, that we're faced with inevitablities; that's just not true. You got out of the box; now stay out.
And yes, be ambitious. Write letters, make flyers, request appointments with CEOs of petroleum refining companies; become a member of your neighborhood council; go to school board meetings; get a video camera and conduct an interview on the fly with your city councilperson. Come up with better ideas than these. Mobilize. Push your luck. Every bit gets us closer to realizing our dreams. What you do really matters, and maybe it's a bit trite, but as David Bowie once said, "We can be heroes." That's not mere fantasy; you really can be a hero, and I hope you'll choose to be one. Thanks for your time.
