2004 Election Strategy Symposium
Wednesday June 04, @01:48PM, by Rudy Perkins
Subject : 2004 Presidential Election
from the -- dept.
Summary :
Proposal: The Green-Rainbow Party should help organize a late summer or fall 2003 symposium on 2004 presidential election strategy between Greens, progressive Democrats and independents and peace movement activists.
Text :
Proposal: The Green-Rainbow Party should help organize a late summer or fall 2003 symposium on 2004 presidential election strategy between Greens, progressive Democrats and independents and peace movement activists.

Because of the disastrous leadership of the Bush administration and the collaboration of the Democratic Congressional delegation in some of the worst aspects of that disaster (e.g., the Iraq war, the attacks on civil liberties), considerable back-channels discussion is taking place among Greens and other progressives about strategy for the 2004 presidential election.

Major questions include:
- Should the Greens run a presidential candidate at all? If so, which one?
- Under what conditions, if any, might Greens abstain from running a candidate, or from campaigning in certain swing states?
- Should the Green rank and file play a role in the Democratic primary campaigns?
- Can a 'peace' Democrat win, and if so, which one?
- Are there ways Greens and Democrats could collaborate to defeat Bush, for example by informal joint support of the same candidate, voter registration efforts, or joint info campaigns about the Bush administration's worst policies (a "Not Bush" campaign).

It would be useful for Greens, progressive Democrats and peace movement activists to hear leading advocates of differing strategic approaches to the 2004 election and then to discuss the options. Perhaps we could arrive at a consensual recommendation to the Green Party and the Democratic Party nationally as to possible allied strategies to defeat Bush. A late summer or fall symposium for this purpose would be useful, organized in conjunction with progressive Democrats and peace organizations.
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