Today marks the beginning of the Annual National Meeting of the Green Party of the United States. Does it matter? Does the Green Party remain a viable channel for the hopes of frustrated progressives, or is it long past its expiration date?
The slogan of the Green Party meeting this week is “Another US is possible, another party is necessary”. Another party is necessary? Other than the Green Party?
In a sign of the state of the Green Party in the US, its national meeting is piggybacked on another meeting, the US Social Forum.
This afternoon, Green Party leaders will join with others for a Progressive Strategy Dialogue, a panel discussion that will also include representatives from the League of Revolutionaries for a New America.
Republicans like to accuse us here at Irregular Times of being Communists, but if you want to see the difference between us and Communists, check out the LRNA. They’ve got a newsletter entitled, Rally, Comrades! The League states that it seeks to “reach out to revolutionaries wherever they may be” in order to “challenge the ruling class” and establish “the public ownership of the means of production, and the distribution of the products of society according to need.”
Where is their revolution, though? Can a person be a revolutionary if they don’t have a revolution?
I’m not very hopeful about the national Green Party at this point (or 90% of state parties, for that matter), but I am hopeful about certain candidates. LeAlan Jones in Illinois polled 14% in a Senate race and 26% among African Americans, Rich Whitney polled 9% for governor in Illinois, there are lots of strong legislative candidates (click my name!) and local candidates.
So hopefully the Greens can enter some kind of a new phase of their life, away from the infighting and mismanagement of the past, and grow from the bottom up.