Purely informational…
[Update: for those of you who don’t read beyond the first few paragraphs, the author of this document is Marc Solomon, a San Francisco area Green. -Thomas]
Folks,
It has come to my attention that Carlos Petroni has been peppering various
Green lists with his uniquely seasoned view of San Francisco politics.
Here is some background on Carlos.
1. From the San Francisco Bay Guardian, which endorsed Nader in 2000,
Camejo in 2002 and Hamburg in 1998. Note, this all too serious humor
piece probably is in violation of the ADA:
http://www.sfbg.com/News/34/26/petroni.html
2. This is a link from a group that fought Trotskyite infiltration of
independent progressive/radical politics in MN/US:
http://reds.linefeed.org/groups.html#SAL
[snip] Recently, a Socialist Alternative faction (from Minneapolis and San
Francisco) led by former Morenist Carlos Petroni was expelled and
“founded” the Left Party, a “paper” organization of about a dozen
activists; their only success has been a terrific ability to promote their
website on email lists. All in all, Socialist Alternative is a
factionalistic and opportunistic group whose leadership jumps to any whim
of the CWI and British Socialist Party. [/snip]
3. Here’s a report from 1999 on their spectacular leftist success:
http://www.socialismtoday.org/34/sanfran34.html
The Progressive Left Slate runs in every campaign and has never gained the
traction that Green candidates now enjoy. This is because their view of
politics is shouting at people that they’re wrong while forcing their
vanguard ultraleftism down everyone’s throats.
4. Lucrecia Bermudez declined to participate in the Green Early
Endorsement process.
Bermudez submitted her early endorsement questionnaire, attended an early
endorsement forum, which the Left Party stacked with sycophants, yet
issued a “principled” missive explaining her decision to not participate
2/3 of the way through and only after it was clear that she couldn’t block
the endorsement of Renee Saucedo. The best they can hope for is stasis.
We haven’t taken a poll, but I would doubt that Lucrecia Bermudez had any
individual supporters within the SF Lavender Greens.
= - = - =
What we see here in Carlos Petroni is a leader of a small faction of
sectarian leftists who seeks to recast the successful San Francisco Green
Party in terms of the failed politics of Leon Trotsky. Many of us believe
that Greens have been successful at pushing radical, non-patriotic,
non-capitalist electoral politics precisely because we’ve not organized
around sectarian Marxism, Leninism, Trotskyism or Stalinism.
Call this red baiting if you please, but as we used to say in Texas about
socialism in the US: That dog don’t hunt.
It is my view that Carlos Petroni is infiltrating the SF Green Party
because he wants to 1) hijack the substantial energy we’ve raised to
promote his Trotskyite vision or 2) paralyze us to prevent a threat to his
Left Party if he’s not able to take us over. Note that Carlos Petroni
registered Green last September during the Matt Gonzalez campaign after
operating in San Francisco for more than a decade accomplishing merely
annoyance. This is a case of opportunism shining bright.
In any event, the Green Party is at high risk if we allow adherents to
other political parties such as the Left or Labor Party to be instrumental
in choosing our candidates for national office if we indeed elect to run
at that level.
Petroni’s operation is thoroughly patriarchal, with the white men such as
Carlos calling the shots and the women and people of color following
dutifully along, operating within consensus as a sectarian bloc.
Petroni is a pathological liar who is responsible for more political
splits than the entire annual banana output of Guatemala and who, through
his Frontlines Family of Front Groups(TM), seeks to infiltrate other
groups, change their policies, and have them do his work for him.
Petroni has personally threatened me with violence in the SFGP office
after a County Council meeting in April, which is meandering its way
through our mediation and arbitration working group. His intercessions on
this list, masquerading as a state rep and dismissing John-Marc Chandonia
as a liar have also been referred to M&A-WG.
Such are the risks of trying to implement the Green Key Values of
grassroots democracy and respect for diversity, that an organized cabal of
trots will try to manipulate the process for their own ends. But as the
cold war fades into the mists of history, so will sectarian leftism end
up, logically, in the dustbin of failed ideologies.
Irrespective of how you come down on the Nader debate, don’t let Petroni’s
alliance with you on that overshadow the fact that Carlos Petroni is bad
news for the long term survival and success of the Green Party at every
level.
Note: apologies for posting to all of these lists. So as to not bother
everyone on this, lease contact me offline if you all have any questions
or concerns.
-marc
Marc Salomon
SF Green County Council
[email deleted]
[phone deleted]
