Juscha Robinson: on the Presidential Campaign Support Committee
Juscha Robinson sent this to me for redistribution. Owen Broadhurst, who
also posted it, has questioned at least two items: A and L. A is the one
that I was most concerned about..and still am. Thanks to both of them for
posting the complete proposal. ………..LS
Hi Lorna,
I am not on the greensordems yahoogroup, so please forward this email to
them or anyone else, as you deem necessary.
I am including the text of the PCSC proposal, as it stands currently
before the CC. Let me assure you that it is anything but part of a plan to
implement a so-called safe states strategy as the official party strategy
for the presidential run in 2004. The PCSC will be composed of working
groups, one of which will be charged with facilitating the decision-making
on a strategy. Maybe you have this proposal mixed with another that is
coming to the floor, a proposal that sets forth a process for deciding on a
strategy as a party (which has absolutely nothing to do with the PCSC
proposal, I can say as one of the drafters).
While not on the Coordinating Committee myself, I do not believe that the
other proposal is a set-up for a safe states strategy either, but rather,
that both proposals seek to create a space and a process for deliberation
by the national party. Something that needed to happen years ago.
If you have any questions about the PCSC proposal, or if I have not
allayed your fears, please do contact me. I will be off email until Monday
morning.
Sincerely,
Juscha Robinson
Co-chair, GPUS Coordinated Campaign Committee
Co-drafter, PCSC proposal
(Text of proposal is pasted below your original post); otherwise, the
proposal is posted here:
org/vote/displayproposal.php?proposalId=63.
At 02:40 PM 12/14/2003 -0400, you wrote:
Dear Owen:
You refer to a new Presidential Campaign Support Committee, to be created
by the GP CC, which would be empowered to set the parameters of a national
presidential campaign.
I had heard nothing of what you mention .My web master (otherwise known as
my husband Eric) is out of town for a week. Could you be so kind as to send
it to me embedded as an email text? Or simply quote the relevant section
and post it to as many listservs as you can? I am distributing your email
right now to alert people.
I am dismayed at this. One doesnt have to be paranoid to see it as another
beam in the construction of a Safe States strategy alongside that of the 18
letter signers, as well as shutting out Nader, whom we all know would
refuse to go along with this strategy and thus would be ruled out as a
candidate. Just because you are paranoid doesnt mean you arent being
followed.
Of all the announced candidates, only David Cobb favors this strategy. So
has the CC already decided who the GP candidate would be by trying to
exclude anyone who doesnt agree? What is going on here? This would limit
the GP candidate list to exactly one: David Cobb. Talk about stacking the
deck!
I am calling on Carol, Paul, Peter, Kent to join me in making a public
declaration that we categorically reject the notion of running anything
less than an all-states campaign. Maybe even David Cobb could oppose it for
principled reasons? Could the other candidates kindly post a statement
about this? Thanks.
Finally, all of you who are concerned about his are asked to take up this
issue with your state party and CC delegates to make sure that this
proposal is stopped in its tracks. Please do not delay.
Lorna Salzman
Lorna Salzman
718-522-0253; 631-653-3387
lsalzman@rcn.com
Proposal to Create a Presidential Campaign Support Committee
I. Background
II. Mission
III. Objectives
IV. Structure
I. Background: The Presidential Campaign Support Committee is a standing
committee of the Green Party of the United States, created by the
Coordinating Committee. It brings together the diverse talents of Greens
from many different states and committees to work toward the common goal of
a Green presidential campaign in 2004. The Presidential Exploratory
Committee was formed in July 2002, to guide GPUS through the nomination
seeking process. With the election year close around the corner, GPUS must
look forward to the actual campaign and coordination with the eventual
nominee, laying out its national campaign strategy, as well as a long-term
plan for handling future presidential election cycles.
II. Mission: The PCSC will represent GPUS in the coordination of Green
Presidential campaigns. To that end, it will coordinate between state
parties, national committees, GPUS and the nominee to ensure that there is
both good communication and working relationship between party and
candidate. In future presidential election cycles, before there is a
nominee, the PCSC will be responsible for forming the Presidential
Exploratory Committee, which will help the party through the
nominee-finding process. The PCSC will as a matter of course take
grassroots input into account, and have as overarching goal the growth of
the Green Party.
III. Objectives: The following is a non-exhaustive list of objectives
and goals which the PCSC will be charged with carrying out. Additional
objectives may be added by the GPUS Coordinating Committee, Steering
Committee, or full PCSC.
A. Formulation of overall Presidential campaign strategy, before
and after the Convention;
B. Cooperate on formulation and implementation of ballot access
strategy with the Ballot Access Working Group;
C. Coordination between state parties and candidates before the
Convention;
D. Encouraging involvement of grassroots party members in the
candidate draft committees;
E. Encouraging and providing support to state parties to hold
unofficial primaries where they are legally not able to hold official
primaries;
F. Organizing around the Presidential debates, both by organizing
debates for Green candidates, as well as national pressure to open the
establishment Presidential debates to the Green nominee;
G. Consulting on organization of the National Nominating
Convention, through the Annual National Meeting Committee;
H. Creation and maintenance of an official pre-Convention
website, with resource links to aid state parties in involving their
members in the process, in cooperation with the Internal Communications and
Media Committees;
I. Liaison between GPUS and candidates/nominee;
J. Cooperation with Coordinated Campaign Committee in development
of resources for use by nominee and by state parties in campaign;
K. Creation and maintenance of an official post-Convention
website, with resource links and updates on the coordinated
Presidential campaign, in cooperation with the Internal
Communications and Media Committees;
L. Formulation of formal agreement between GPUS and nominee to
cover what GPUS can offer the nominee and what GPUS asks from the
nominee;
M. Assisting communication between state parties and nominee
after the Convention on such matters as public appearances, media,
fundraising, lists, etc;
N. Consultation with nominee on candidacy’s platform, in
cooperation with the Platform Committee;
O. Fundraising, in cooperation with the Fundraising and Finance
Committees;
P. Provision to GPUS of legal resources and advisors on issues of
federal election law;
Q. Coordination with downticket candidacies, in cooperation with
the Coordinated Campaign Committee;
R. Assisting with foreign policy and international relations, in
cooperation with the International Committee.
IV. Structure
A. Membership: Accredited state parties and accredited caucuses may
select members in good standing equal in number to seats held on the GPUS
Coordinating Committee. Members must be approved in the manner the state
party or caucus normally uses for approving national committee members, and
state parties and caucus are strongly encouraged to keep the Green value of
diversity in mind during the approval process. Each member shall carry one
vote and is expected to participate in one or more working groups. The full
PCSC will set overall policy and guidelines for the PCSC, and may reverse a
working group’s decision by a majority vote.
B. Committee Representation: In addition to members from state
parties and caucuses, the PCSC will have one seat for each of the following
national committees: Coordinated Campaign, Diversity, Finance,
Fundraising, Internal Communications, International, Media, Platform, and
Steering. Other committees may be added by decision by the PCSC. The
committee representatives are considered also to be members of the PCSC.
C. Working Groups: The PCSC will form working groups as needed to
accomplish the objectives listed above or to otherwise carry out the work
of the PCSC. Each working group will select co-chairs, who are responsible
for reporting regularly on the working group’s progress to the full PCSC.
The working groups are limited to the membership of the PCSC, except for
such exceptions as the full PCSC decides to make. Each such working group
shall also include the representative of the respective committee. For
example, the representative of the Platform Committee will participate in
the working group responsible for the implementation of (N) above.
D. Co-chairs: The PCSC will elect from its membership up to four
co-chairs, gender balanced, who will be responsible for facilitating the
work of the full PCSC, ensuring that all working groups are functioning
well, and reporting regularly to the CC and SC. If state, caucus or
committee representatives become unproductive or otherwise inactive as
members, the co-chairs will request from the state party, caucus or
committee that they approve a replacement. The co-chairs are also empowered
to request that state parties, caucuses and committees reassess their
delegation if a lack of diversity becomes apparent.
