The Theory behind Green Party Membership Small Donations

Someone asked me to explain what I meant by how small membership donations by the Green Party could result in more effective third party runs. So here it is:

This all began when I outlined something called the 5/25 plan which I thought the Green Party, or any other ambitious third party, should adopt. Your goal shouldn't be too ambitious or based on something approaching the Rapture. ("People will just realize that the Green Party is right and the voters will be swept up into the sky and onward resulting in Green Party victory!") I do think that the Rapture strategy is the operational strategy for the Green Party which is probably why they weren't able to mount a very effective challenge against Alvin Greene, of all people. 

But to not get too far off track, the 5/25 plan simply means walking before running. Let's see if you can raise 35 million dollars to contest 5 senate seats and 25 house seats. From online sources I estimated that there were at least 300000 Americans who identified themselves as Green Party members. If all those Green Party members gave 10 dollars a month, then that would amount to 3 million dollars a month or 36 million dollars a year. You need at least 2 million to contest a senate seat in the average state, about 200000 to contest a US house seat. Those are minimums. If you can find someone who spent less money and won a house and senate seat please point that out to me. Keep in mind that Meg Whitman spent over a 100 million and lost the Governor's race.

Well what does this mean for California Greens? I've been told that there are an estimated 50000 Greens in California. Ask them to commit to 10 dollars a month. This would mean 500000 a month or 6 million a year. This means you can run real races in California. If you can't give that amount, which I can give even when I'm poor as dirt, then you're not committed to change. Or at least committed to 10 dollar a month change. I should also point out that once it became clear that you were running real campaigns--with ads and dirt cheap field canvasses--then you would probably get more traction from small donors outside the Green Party. With that kind of money you could seriously contest several house seats and I would take a look at other seats if they're available. A green Attorney General would be nice for those of us who would long for the day when corporations and fat cats might actually have to abide by the Rule of Law.

California could lead the way. I guarantee that after two years of actually contesting elections you will be much more successful than the national Green Party and their apparent wishful thinking strategy where Green Party candidates win without money and just because they're right. Who knows. They might even make the Californian strategy a national strategy.

Related: These are other essays and media that outlines and fleshes out this plan.


What the Greater Good Coalition Can Do

Act Green for Cheri Honkala and  Ian Murphy

The 5/25 Plan

The Let's Create Viable Third Party Runs Campaign

Four ways you can get to viable third party runs.

Two new ads by Ian Murphy

But has he raised any money? Can he raise any money?



And:

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.

Green Party should go all in for senate seats in Arkansas and South Carolina.

ITEM: I think the Green Party should go all in for their senate candidates in Arkansas and South Carolina. The Dems have nothing there (Greene and Lincoln or the Dumb and the Corrupt) so no one can accuse the Greens of being spoilers. They should attempt to raise a million each for both of them and run ads the final 10 days. Or my new organization can do it if they lack the organization to do it or more importantly, if they refuse to ask for enough money to actually compete and win.

Hey, I can at least ask to do it. More on this later.

Here's my one labor day thought...

ITEM: My one thought for labor day: why doesn't labor have its own party? I mean, really.

Four groups that could fund viable third party efforts and one fantastical Green Party way.

(This was something that I also posted over at Firedoglake. I originally wrote it as a comment to a post by Jane Hamsher. I've come to the conclusion that you can't really change the country without a viable third party movement. I've been repeating that, like, eight thousand times now....)

Not having a third party means Nancy Pelosi can say “Who gives a frak what you think Jane? You gets two choices: poke in the eye or kick in the groin. Die slow or die fast. We love those choices…did I tell you that me getting closer to the Catholic church means betraying women on choice? I’m going to heaven with Santa and all his friends…”

Not an actual quote. I made it up would you believe…

Four ways you could get to a viable third party by 2012. (Viable candidates means you raise Bill Halter like 2.5 million for senate races, at least 200000 for house races as I keep stressing to our pie in the sky Green party friends….you have to ask for it, too….):

1. Labor gets some sense, namely the teachers unions over the Arne Duncan charter school sellout, and they start their own party. But doubtful considering the limited vision of labor’s leadership and the terrifyingly bad performance of North Carolina first…But if they talked about it today, they could have five house candidates and one senate candidate up by 2010. If only they had a brain…

2. Rich people like George Soros recreate America Coming Together as per the Nader book. The problem: rich people aren’t in a crisis mode and why did he stop ACT anyway? Confession: I worked for ACT in 04 and loved doing it. The other problem is that they’re rich. Very seldom, if ever, do rich and successful people change the fundamental rules that allow them to be rich and successful. That’s just the way it is. But there is a left that has more empathy, incredible talent and they’re good looking in front of a camera:

3. The Hollywood Left. My personal favorite and the most likely of the four. You need 100 Hollywood millionaires to give a million dollars each. You and Ariana have the initial discussion and you’re both pissed off about choice among other things. You have that big party. You find 100 Hollywood liberals who have figured out that the Democrats don’t represent liberal or progressive values. I still have the 5/25 plan. You need 5 senators–

(actually only one senator…and if a progressive senator used those procedures like Jim Bunning then those procedures would be gotten rid of quite quickly, if we had a progressive senator who wanted to get rid of those procedures…)

–and 25 house reps. They need to act as a block and they all need to sign contracts that they won’t take lobbying positios after serving in office.

No I have no idea if you have contacts like that…but it’s not unlike raising money for a movie…except you would be making every life in the United States better…

4. Small contributions from an angry public turn my 5/25 plan into a national party. I think 3 has a better chance…

Philip Shropshire

The 5/25 Plan

PS: There is the Green Party plan, from what I can tell from reading the Green Party members here, people will just realize that we’re right without ads on tv or internet, without an articulated national plan, and we’re certainly not going to ask for enough money to actually win…

Here's my personal election aftermath for Pittsburgh. Or: Fetterman for Green Party Pgh. Mayoral Run.

Also Published at my Pittsburgh Progressive Examiner site)

I'm obviously happy that Robert Lavelle unseated Tonya (Look, the jobs issue is issue one. I can testify to that.) and that John Fetterman was retained as Braddock Mayor. I think he won with 297 votes. If you divide the one to several million dollars in free national advertising he got doing the carbon caps ads and translate that to votes I think that comes out to 6 thousand to 18 thousand dollars per vote. Well worth it.

Of course, Luke won which puts a damper on all things good and decent. But you know how the old saying goes: There is opportunity in crisis. This would be a great time for the Green Party to run a citywide campaign, a real campaign where you attempt to raise several million dollars, hire a fulltime canvas, etc. That's where you do the things you need to do in order to win a campaign and not just lose "symbolically". As Fetterman shows us, you don't need to be the mayor of a big town in order to have vision. Speaking of Fetterman, why doesn't the Green Party recruit Fetterman to run as the Mayor of Pittsburgh? There is such a thing as dual residency. His name recognition should make him competitive. Of course, that would require a Third Party with the imagination and skillz to organize itself out of a Paper Bag...yeah, the Green Party probably isn't it. Pirate Party anyone...?.

Around the Pittsburgh Internets: Maria has the rundown from most of the other blogs. Agent Ska has some highlights from the winning Rudiak campaign. And apparently Agent Ska, my fake virtual girlfriend and a known enemy to corrupt dem establishment figures within the city, got her car accidently towed. Or not. Mark Rauterkaus is already talking up Republican turned independent Keith Acklin. Mark is probably one of the best informed bloggers in this city but I just don't trust republicans. Maria has already bashed him and deservedly so. Acklin is only running as an independent because the Republican brand has been so tarnished. If only a left of center third party could step up to the plate....

First Draft of my Election Response

May 21

ITEM: I don't have time to do a lot of writing now. I'm obviously happy that Lavelle unseated Tonya and that Fetterman was retained as Braddock Mayor. I think he won with 297 votes. If you divide the several million dollars in free national advertising he got doing the carbon caps ads and divide it I think that comes out to 6000 dollars per vote. Well worth it. Of course, Luke won which puts a damper on all things good and decent. But you know how the old saying goes: There is opportunity in crisis. This would be a great time for the Green Party to run a citywide campaign, a real campaign where you attempt to raise several million dollars, hire a fulltime canvas, etc. That's where you do the things you need to do in order to win a campaign and not just lose "symbolically". As Fetterman shows us, you don't need to be the mayor of a big town in order to have vision. Speaking of Fetterman, why doesn't the Green Party recruit Fetterman to run as the Mayor of Pittsburgh? There is such a thing as dual residency. His name recognition should make him competitive. Of course, that would require a Third Party with the imagination and skillz to organize itself out of a Paper Bag...yeah, the Green Party probably isn't it. Pirate Party anyone...?