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.

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.

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.