Peace Talk — Summer 2006
The Quarterly Newsletter of Peace Action MaineThe United States needs a non-corporate party. We’ve had them in the past —the Progressives in the 1920’s, the Populists in the 1890s, the early Republican Party in the 1850s, and the Jeffersonians in the 1790s / early 19th century.
But we’ve been lacking such a party since the presidential campaign of 1972, the doomed McGovern bid for the presidency. By non-corporate, I mean simply a citizen-based party, not a creature of corporate money and corporate-think.
We have no fully developed party that clearly stands for peace, a non-imperialist, non militarist foreign policy, a renewable energy economy, a fair tax system, a fair trade system, community-based economics, a full scale single-payer health care system, a decentralized food system, and a strong defense of the Constitution and of free elections.
If this is the case, as I think is very arguable, then isn’t it time for people who care, who want to make a difference on the issues of their choice, be it peace, or environment, or social justice, racial equality, women’s rights, gay/lesbian rights, workers’ rights, veterans’ rights, constitutional rights, small business, renewable energy, health, housing, food, educational reform, and non-sprawl communities to devote a good portion of their time and energy to helping to build a third party?
The third party I am thinking of is the Green Party. It was founded in early 1984 in Maine, and, later that year, in St. Paul as a national party. It adopted what has come to be known as “The Ten Key Values.” Four of the ten are known as the four pillars. They were affirmed by the newly-formed Green Party in Germany in 1983. They are: Ecological Wisdom, Personal and Social Responsibility, Grass Roots Democracy, and Non-violence (peace). In the United States, we added six to those four, three sets of two each. The first set is Community-Based Economics and Decentralization; the second set is Respect for Diversity and Male/Female equality; and the third set is Global Responsibility and Thinking to the 7th Generation.
These values accord very definitely with the program positions I mentioned above for which a third party is needed.
The Green Party is the only effort at creating a third party that has survived and endured in the United States during the past three decades. Recently, the Merrymeeting Greens in mid-coast Maine sponsored an event in Bath entitled “Building an Effective Third Party in Maine.” I’ve been asked to set forth what the word “effective” might mean. Here is my list for the Green Party in Maine.
“Effective” Means We Must...
Create a strong political local in every region of the state.
Run dozens of candidates for the state legislature, eventually in most House and Senate districts.
Elect more state legislators to join the lone Green presently in the House, John Eder of Portland.
Run a candidate for Governor every four years and aim to elect him or her.
Selectively run candidates for Maine’s Congressional and Senate seats and aim to elect the same.
Increase the already substantial number of Greens in local non-partisan office throughout the state.
Publish and widely distribute “The Monitor,” the publication of Maine’s Green Independent Party.
Conduct forums, show films, do house parties on a regular basis throughout the state.
Energize and develop close, mutually supportive ties with movements for peace, environment, social justice, racial equality, women’s rights, gay/lesbian rights, workers rights, veterans rights, constitutional rights, small business, renewable energy, health, housing, food, educational reform, and non-sprawl communities.
Maintain and further develop close ties with the national Green Party.
Develop an extensive and flexible data base of Maine Green voters.
Develop and maintain a consistent fund-raising capability.
The Maine Green Independent Party and its local groups such as the Merrymeeting Greens have their work cut out for them. But if we keep in mind these benchmarks of effectiveness, work at them, and get help from the many issue-constituencies mentioned in this article, time will show a rising credibility, a rising momentum, and an expanding presence in the hearts and minds of Maine voters. This will lead to a powerful impact on public policy in Maine and on the structure of power to transform it into a citizen-based, fully constitutional structure and way of life. It will impact the future of Green Parties in all the states. It will impact national public policy and help the goal of transforming the national government into a citizen-based, non-corporate structure. It will impact the Green Parties in the 85 countries of the world that have a Green Party and will help the struggle worldwide for peace and a citizen-based world order.
But the party needs help and engaged participation from people who care.