Dateline Washington, D.C. — The Green Party is reaching out to supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, in a letter written by Margaret Flowers and James Lane, honorary co-chairs of the Green Party presidential nominating convention.
Excerpts from the letter are appended below. The letter is online here: http://www.gp.org/open_letter_bernie_sanders_supporters
The message follows an appeal to supporters of Black Lives Matter, also from Dr. Flowers and Mr. Lane ( http://www.gp.org/open_letter_black_lives_matter_supporters ).
Greens are encouraging Sanders supporters who are unwilling to transfer their support to Hillary Clinton after her nomination to “Go Green in 2016,” help build a permanent alternative to the two major parties, and vote for the Green presidential nominee as well as other Green candidates. The Green Party and Green candidates accept no corporate contributions.
The Green Party has posted an FAQ page with answers to questions often asked by journalists and the public about the Green Party, the Green nomination, ballot access, and the election (http://www.gp.org/faq). Among them:
- “Can Bernie run as a Green if he doesn’t win the Democratic nomination?”
- “Why does the Green Party nominate candidates for president?”
- “Will the Green Party spoil in 2016?”
Dr. Flowers is the Green candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maryland (http://www.flowersforsenate.org), as well as a physician and political activist. Mr. Lane is a media activist and Green candidate for Public Advocate of New York City in the 2017 election (http://www.votejameslane.org).
The Aug. 4-7 convention will be on the campus of the University of Houston ( http://www.gp.org/pnc-2016 ). Members of the media may register for credentials here ( http://www.gp.org/media-credentials ) as well as on site during the convention.
For convention details, see http://www.gp.org/green_party_will_keep_the_political_revolution_going
Excerpts from an open letter to Bernie supporters from the honorary co-chairs of the Green Party Convention:
“…Now that Hillary Clinton is the presumptive nominee, the forces in Washington are lining up to support her. In his statement on June 16, Bernie said that he would shift his focus to defeating Donald Trump and working with Clinton to reform the Democratic Party.
“It will be no surprise to you that we are skeptical that Clinton, the candidate of war, Wall Street and Walmart, will be open to the agenda that Sanders is promoting.
“You have choices. You can try to reform the Democratic Party as others have tried to do for decades through Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition, Howard Dean’s Democracy for America and Dennis Kucinich’s Progressive Democrats of America or you can leave it.
“We invite you to consider the Green Party. The Green Party platform, which has been and continues to be shaped through a grassroots democratic process for 20 years, is in line with the values of the Sanders campaign. In some ways, it goes beyond Sanders’ platform…
“As co-chairs of the [presidential nominating convention] that takes place during the annual meeting, we want you to know that there is room for you in the Green Party. We welcome your ideas, participation and leadership. Perhaps you’ll even consider running for office. We invite you to attend the annual meeting and PNC in Houston this August…
“For the last two decades, Greens in the U.S. have been quietly building the national infrastructure for a party that aligns in its values with the growing social justice movement. \\
“As more people leave the major parties because of their ties to the wealth interests that have created many of the crises we face and their steady march to the right, the Greens are well-positioned to continue the political revolution that has begun.
“As honorary PNC co-chairs, we invite you, to continue to build on the opportunities that exist in this political moment. Together, let’s halt the damage that is being done to our communities and others around the world and create a world that works for all of us.
In solidarity,
Margaret Flowers and James Lane.
Full text here.
See also:
- Donald Trump Frees Us to Vote as We Wish By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, Truthdig, June 26
- Illinois Libertarian Party and Illinois Green Party Submit Double the Number of Signatures Required By Richard Winger, Ballot Access News, June 27
- Green Presidential Candidate to be on Georgia ballot
Green Party of the United States
202.319.7191
@GreenPartyUS
Green candidate database and campaign information
Mr. McLarty may be contacted at mclarty@greens.org
Ms. Rankin may be contacted at starlene@gp.org
Both are media coordinators for the Green Party.
