campaign reform

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campaign reform, Democracy, Green Party November 22, 2014

The two-party duopoly is the problem

Bangor Daily News by Lauren Besanko I ran against Democratic state Rep. Diane Russell from Portland in Tuesday’s election. I’ve been asked by some voters, “Why run against Diane? She’s progressive and has done a great job!” To that I say, sure, the last thing I’d want to do is deny Russell her accomplishments. Russell is more “Green” than many of her Democratic colleagues. However, as Chris Shorr of the Portland Daily Sun said recently, she needs to give more credit to the Maine Green Independent Party for its members’ “behind-the-scenes work on issues that she has piggybacked on, such…

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campaign reform, Democracy, Green Party, Labor, Marriage Equality, Third Party May 23, 2014

The Power and Potential of DIY Democracy

by Blair Bobier Common Dreams May 22, 2014 A seismic shift in the American political landscape has gone largely unnoticed. Yet, the implication of this political earthquake knows no bounds. On Tuesday, voters in two Oregon counties—one of them rural and conservative—voted to ban GMO’s. In 2012, voters in five states legalized gay marriage and the recreational use of cannabis. What is so remarkable about these victories is not just the incredible, rapidly shifting attitude of the electorate, but the fact that these successes came from voter-led initiatives. In other words, these independent grassroots victories do not owe their success…

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campaign reform, New York, political corruption, Public Campaign Finance Reform April 8, 2014

New York voters deserve a Clean Money system

by Howie Hawkins and Steve Breyman Albany Times Union Friday, April 4, 2014 The U.S. Supreme Court decision this week in McCutcheon vs. FEC removed limits on the total amount that rich donors could contribute to all candidates in an electoral cycle. The need for a voluntary system of public campaign financing for candidates to run with no-strings-attached clean money is now greater than ever. With the passage of the budget, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders missed an opportunity to enact just such a system. What New Yorkers got was a watered-down, partial public financing system for the comptroller’s…

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campaign reform, Democracy, Green Party, National Politics, Third Party February 14, 2014

If Bernie Sanders Runs in 2016: Dem, Indy, or Green?

by Scott McLarty firedoglake February 13, 2014 A Democratic or Independent Sanders campaign for the White House won’t ignite a “political revolution.” But a Green Sanders campaign might. Should Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind.-Vt.) run for president? The creeping realization that the next Democratic nominee may be Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has already picked up $400,000 in speaking fees (i.e., unofficial campaign contributions, i.e., bribes) from Goldman Sachs, is making a progressive alternative increasingly attractive for 2016. Sen. Sanders is mulling the idea and a few Draft Sanders efforts are underway. By progressive, I mean favoring an immediate shutdown of Guantanamo…

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campaign reform, Democracy, Green Party, National Politics, Third Party April 17, 2013

On Statism, Socialism, Libertarianism, and the Greens

by Steve Welzer Green Party of New Jersey Undoubtedly, Greens, Libertarians, and socialists should cooperate in regard to our common effort to open up the electoral system to “more voices and more choices.” Beyond that, it is sometimes proposed that we jointly run candidates under the banner of “big tent” third party coalitions. Or we might hear entreaties from progressives who feel that it’s sectarian to have left-oriented electoralism split between socialists, social democrats, and Greens. The problem with these types of ideas is the fact that the ideological distinctions among the movements are more significant than is often acknowledged….