Act Green for Cheri Honkala for Sheriff and Ian Murphy for US Representative

Both Cheri Honkala and Ian Murphy are two very exciting candidates running on the Green Party slate. Here's the big question: can they run competitive campaigns? Both of them probably need to raise $250000* each in order to even compete at a professional level. Both of them could probably win if they raised a million dollars each but let's see if they can get to a quarter of a million first. Keep in mind that a serious third party race would be met with incredible hostility from the overtly fascist party (The Republicans) and the Republican lite party (The Democrats, excluding the courageous exception of the Wisconsin 14 and the Indiana holdouts). Gosh knows you wouldn't want a party that would actually move us away from investments in nuclear energy. Its so safe, after all.

Both face extreme hurdles but their candidacies could answer some interesting questions: can third parties win if they're adequately funded by small donors? Can a white progressive beat an African American machine pol in Philly? And can someone make a successful progressive third party run as an atheist in a republican house district? I hope the answer is yes to all of those questions but I do know that if the Green Party runs its usual underfunded campaigns then neither candidate has a shot.

So I've created Act Green ChipIn campaigns for both of their campaigns.

Here's the widget for Ian Murphy:




Here's the widget for Cheri Honkala:





Related:  Both of these campaigns have created excellent ads and excellent websites. I can't tell you how rare that is for Green Party campaigns. These are two very talented candidates. Ian Murphy is also the first candidate to ever run for a major office who has created a national story with a viral video. We'll see how well that translates to the campaigning stage.

Here's the ad by Cheri Honkala:




Here's the ad by Ian Murphy, which is funny. Kind of a John Belushi vibe with a slight dig at Palin's infinite Stupidity. I like the anger part. I just think that a campaign based on frustration with both parties can make traction, even in this district described as conservative and rural.




More Related: You can also give directly to their campaigns here and here.

More Related to the Hollywood Left, Matt Damon and other rich people appalled by the GOP lite leadership of the Washington D.C. Dem establishment: Okay, you're Matt Damon and you're mad. You're Bourne mad. You've got a magazine in your hand  and you want to kill the two party duopoly but you can only give 2500 bucks. Where or where could I, Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, indirectly support a campaign with a million dollars? An Angry Jason Bourne or Ed Begley Jr could make unlimited contributions to the Greater Good Coalition, a public interest 527. Theoretically anyway...





*There are paypal and administrative costs associated with doing this. Those costs shouldn't exceed 3 percent.

Cheri Honkala is the kind of candidate that the Greater Good Coalition can support.

(Crossposted at the Greater Good Coalition.)

Cheri Honkala would be a perfect candidate to try our tactics on. We need money though.



Here's her longer press conference:



Press release about the press conference:

Cheri Honkala’s run for Sheriff comes as a last resort to help people and families who have nowhere to turn after a corrupt Sheriff’s Office still can’t come up with millions of dollars worth of real-estate auction receipts. It has been reported that the current Office of the Sheriff has kept an unknown amount of money from Philadelphia residents after their foreclosed homes were sold and back taxes and utility bills were paid. Honkala vows to fight for the working class homeowner who has been left to live in the streets after the Wall Street financial class was bailed out.

Speakers endorsing Honkala at the Press Conference include CEO of Liberty Resources Tom Earle, former President of District Council 47 Tom Paine Cronin, and Sister Margaret McKenna from New Jerusalem. Jim Moran Director Emeritus of Philaposh* and 16 year Chair of the Philadelphia Labor Day Parade Committee will be speaking in support of Honkala and will also be announcing his role as her Campaign Manager. Reverend Robert Johnson will be speaking on behalf of Philadelphians who have been made homeless through mismanaged Sheriff sales, and Hugh Giordano will be speaking on behalf of the Green Party.

Honkala is also the mother of writer/director/actor/activist Mark Webber (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Snow Day) who grew up surviving the harsh Philadelphia winters in abandoned houses and buildings while his mother began to organize with other impoverished and homeless families. Webber shot his film that put a spotlight on poverty and the failure of the healthcare system entitled “Explicit Ills” (Rosario Dawson, Francisco Burgos) in Philadelphia. The film was released in 2008, and won several awards at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival.

“Our politicians aren’t doing anything about the foreclosure issue. There isn’t a moratorium, and there needs to be, so I have no other choice than to step forward and to choose to stop throwing families out of their homes by becoming the Philadelphia Sheriff.” Honkala says. “When one in five families is at risk of foreclosure in this country, something is really wrong.”

“I want to encourage people across the country that can’t keep families in homes to run for Sheriff as well and refuse to throw families out on the street.

Disclaimer: Our 527 doesn't endorse candidates but we can support candidates who share our views.