GreenerPolitics

This video, I think, really lays it on the line about what the underlying theme of the democratic leadership race is all about. Still, as political satires go, this is pretty funny.

by Mark MacGillivray

 In a move that mirrors the exclusion of the Green Party from Leadership Debates in Canada, MSNBC in the United States made a last-minute change in its Las Vegas Democrat Debate format to exclude candidate Dennis Kucinich, noted for his opposition to nuclear power and the War in Iraq.

 Initially, MSNBC had planned on holding the debate with the top four Democratic candidates, but when candidate Bill Richardson dropped out of the race, they changed their format to include only 3 top candidates.

The Kucinich campaign took MSNBC to court, arguing, “The exclusion of Kucinich undermines the purposes of the Federal Communications Act and is a blatant violation of the Act because of the media’s obligation to operate in the public interest… NBC revised its criteria to specifically exclude the diverse and anti-war voice of Kucinich and his grass-roots supporters.” The lawsuit went on to say, “The debate is not a true presidential primary debate without including all credible candidates, but instead is effectively an endorsement of the candidates selected by NBC.”

NBC, who incidentally is owned by General Electric, claimed: “Mr. Kucinich’s claim is nothing more than an illegitimate private cause of action designed to impose an equal access requirement that entirely undermines the wide journalistic freedoms enjoyed by news organizations under the First Amendment.” Attorneys for NBC also argued, “A television station does not have to grant unlimited access to a candidate debate. If anyone’s First Amendment rights are being infringed, they are MSNBC’s.”

But, thanks to the internet and the efforts of Democracy Now!, we can get a measure of the man who was excluded.

Listen here!

The most serious allegation Kucinich makes is …

(more…)

The Aussie Greens are going to do very well this election on the 24th of November.

In the Australian Senate, they have made preference deals with Labour and the Democrats which means they swap any “surplus” vote from other parties to help them win senate seats on a proportional state-by-state basis. Keep watching… Go bob go!

PS - check out the video file… nice news coverage.
Ariel Lade, Foreign Correspondent

Greens set to hold balance in Senate
By Deborah Cornwall, abc.net.au

One of the most unexpected results of the last federal election was the Coalition wresting control of the Senate away from Labor and the minor parties.

This cleared the way for the Government to push through legislation like WorkChoices in the certain knowledge they had the numbers in the Upper House.

No matter who wins this election, analysts say it is unlikely either of the major parties will have a majority in the Senate in the next term. And there is a strong possibility the Greens may end up holding the balance of power.
(more…)

By Bernard Schoenburg, The PJ Star

SPRINGFIELD - Given the legal right in Illinois to get on the ballot just as easily as Democrats or Republicans this year, Green Party candidates took advantage of the new rules - but not in great numbers.
As the eight-day filing closed for certain state, federal and party offices Monday at the State Board of Elections, totals showed just 18 Green Party candidates among the 960 candidates who submitted petitions.

Phil Huckelberry of Chicago, chairman of the Illinois Green Party’s government and elections committee, said he estimates the number of Green Party county board candidates across the state would be in the low teens. But he also noted that with the party’s power to fill ballot vacancies in races where nobody is picked in the Feb. 5 primary, he hopes the party reaches its goal of having 100 to 110 candidates, state and local, on November ballots in Illinois in 2008.

Read the rest of the article

Jane Sterk, a 60-year old city counsellor, was elected Leader of the Green Party of British Columbia on Sunday October 21.  During her acceptance speech, she said that she intended to run only for one term and keep up with her duties on city council in Esquimault.

Her priorities over her term include are:

1.  Within six months to have a full-time, staffed office in Victoria that is capable of providing support to the leader, provincial council, regions, constituency associations and members.

2. Within three months, to have a fully functioning database so we can better retain our members and a website that is compelling and robust.

3. To increase our predictable funding from Evergreen donations and individuals donations to fund our internal operations and to help finance the 2009 campaign.

4. To bring the BC Green Party message to business groups, public service sector representatives, civil society groups, service clubs, environmental organizations, seniors’ groups so they agree that we need to have MLAs in Victoria to improve the governing of the province.

5. To have an election strategy by May 2008 and to be election-ready by the fall of 2008.

Among her supporter she singled out for thanks, she mentioned Ian Gregson for facebook and internet support, the number of endorsements from mayors and city counselors throughout British Columbia.