LTBM's Green Party Thread

Discussion in 'Politics & Current Events' started by listentobobmarley, Aug 31, 2002.

  1. listentobobmarley

    Jan 5, 2001
    I think the green party is badass, i think that Nader would have and still would maek a great president.
    Third Party Option. Nader should have been invited to the debates.


    Agree? Disagree?

    Discuss.
     
  2. TheLimeChicken

    Mar 27, 2001
    Dorchester, MA
    I agree with the Nader would have and still would make a great president comment. I would, however, never vote for another Green candidate....too much into the devolution of federalism for my tastes.

    As an aside, with Nader having run twice now as a Green, yet not being a member of the Green Party himself, is anyone aware of any other parties running candidates for office that aren't actually a member of said party?
     
  3. Colin Grabow

    Colin Grabow New Member

    Jul 22, 1999
    Washington, DC
    Nader got, what 3% of the vote? I'm not sure that qualifies him to take part in the debates.
     
  4. TheLimeChicken

    Mar 27, 2001
    Dorchester, MA
    Actually, isn't that exactly the percentage that qualifies you to take part in the debates? and at the time the debates took place he was polling as high as 5-8%. But the debates were privately funded/organized, so I suppose they have the right to exclude whomever they choose, regardless of what their own rules say.

    Of course that doesn't excuse the fact that he was forcibly removed from the audience at the Boston debate, despite the fact that he held a ticket to be there and was doing absolutely nothing to draw attention to himself or the fact that he was not allowed to debate.
     
  5. obie

    obie New Member

    Nov 18, 1998
    NY, NY
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have voted for Nader twice, but the fact is that the national Green Party is so completely disorganized that if it wasn't for the Nader Cult of Personality, they'd be below the socialists in national party standings instead of #3. I don't see myself voting for any Greens candidate other than Nader right now.

    I'd like to see the Greens recruit Jesse Ventura, if only to improve their libertarian standing and shake things up a bit internally. (Actually, nearly everything I've ever heard from Jesse on social policy I've agreed with. I don't know if I should be proud or scared of that.) The Greens have far too many "we're too good for politics" people who refuse to play the politics game the way it's played.
     
  6. Colin Grabow

    Colin Grabow New Member

    Jul 22, 1999
    Washington, DC
    I didn't know there was a certain threshold, I just remember that when Perot took part that he was polling in excess of 25%.
     
  7. LeperKhan

    LeperKhan New Member

    Aug 10, 2000
    St. Paul, MN
    1st off, Jesse Ventura is an idiot, and the sooner he goes away forever the better.

    The Greens and Nader did get enough of the vote here in MN to get major party status (I think it was 5%), so Green Party candidates for both Governor and US Senate in this fall's election have been taking place in debates. The Independece Party (Jesse's party, an offshoot of the Perotist Reform party) also has major party status, so there have been 4 candidates participatin in debates, getting interviewed in the newspapers and so on.

    Personally I think it's great to see more parties and more choice, and I think the IP has a decent chance in the governor's race even though Mr. Ventura decided not to seek reelection.
     
  8. TheLimeChicken

    Mar 27, 2001
    Dorchester, MA
    Having worked a little for the Nader campaign in Maine, I'm quite sure that there was a percentage, and it was either 3 or 5%. In the weeks leading up to the debates there was a lot of excitement because Nader had been polling as high as 8% and it looked like he was going to find a place in the debates...obviously we didn't expect this to catapult him to a victory in November, but we were thrilled at the opportunity for exposure that it would bring. Turns out he got plenty of exposure anyway.
     
  9. obie

    obie New Member

    Nov 18, 1998
    NY, NY
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why? Beyond the megalomania (which I'll grant you is a major annoyance), what has he done policy-wise that has caused his stock in MN to drop so much?

    It's interesting that every time I've heard him speak about some issue other than himself, I tend to agree with what he's saying. He's just very libertarian on most social issues.
     
  10. LeperKhan

    LeperKhan New Member

    Aug 10, 2000
    St. Paul, MN
    He hasn't done anything. That's the problem. And the megalomania has gone beyond the annoying stage to being, in my mind, a complete joke. I don't think he was ever all that interested in governing and mainly ran as a publicity stunt, never really expecting to win. When he has actually paid attention to what's going on and made an effort to actually govern, he hasn't been all that bad. The problem is those occasions were few and far between to begin with and have now pretty much disappeared all together.

    The worst is his incessant whining about how the local media doesn't treat him fairly. This stems largely from the fact that they actually bother to ask him questions about his governing rather than fawning over him as the national media tended to do back when they paid attention to him.

    I've also agreed with him on a lot of what he's said policy wise. Again, the problem is that he almost never says anything policy wise.

    Thankfully he'll be gone soon. I am hopeful that he'll do some campaigning and help get his party's nominee to succeed him as governor (Tim Penny), elected - or at least give him a chance. I think he's another fairly middle of the road guy and a viable 3rd party candidate, albeit without either Jesse's celebrity or his baggage.
     

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