Green Party of Michigan State Membership Meeting Minutes (informal)

GPMI SMM - November 9, 2002 - Wesley Foundation, Mt. Pleasant

(Notes taken by John Anthony La Pietra)

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intro - Dawn - informal this time - lunch $5, collecting separately
one-day meeting this time, thanks to Jim for finding

Marc
we did really, really well
3rd in almost every race
more votes in off-year election than in 2000 with Nader on the ballot - could mean:
more people paying attention
more Greens (cf blizzard of contacts)
almost everything we did turned out positively
be disappointed, maybe, but not depressed
some of other state parties - NY, TX lost ballot status; MN lost major-party status
L wing of Dems can't figure out what
this is the time we need to reach out - (strike while the iron is hot)
we're still here, we're not going away, and we'll be here with open arms whenever you want to come around
2004 is looking like a bright light on the horizon

Clark (Bay City) - do the increased numbers
no solid numbers from the state
Alan K says he has some numbers
Candace - 49.4% voter turnout in Lapeer County
31 straight-ticket Green voters

Pete S (election co-ordinator)
my printer doesn't work, so my numbers are
median numbers 2,261 /
3.25 million or so voters turned out (just under 50%)
did straight-ticket voting hurt us?
want to see numbers across the state
most votes from Oakland/Wayne/Macomb, followed by Washtenaw/Genesee/Kent
semi-official totals say
120,171 Susan Fawcett
120,166 Donnelly Hadden (higher percentage)
32.14% Keith Agdanowski (Ypsi City Council)
14.2% Bill Henne (Charlevoix County) - highest in race with 2 major parties
3% Harley Mikkelsen
lowest percentage John Litle in Conyers race - may have been deserved, and Conyers is unbeatable
state House races show extreme variation of turnout for equal-population districts
Art Myatt got highest percentage of our candidates there
we ended up with . . . ______
Adrianna had one number no D or R could beat:
Susan Fawcett got 3 votes for 1 cent
Ray Ziarno lost votes (from Lansing State Journal numbers - they'd had him & TLand equal in _____ County)
Elliott Smith spent about 80 cents per vote to Liz Brater's $4.50
and not . . .
"I think Gary Peters may pay us now" [RZ]
we're going to have to have candidates with experience to be seen as serious, move up to the next level
and/or groom people from lower-level offices [Matt Abel]
Alan Kaufman
statistical anomaly - Susan Fawcett ran ahead of Matt Petering in 82 counties; Marquette County 8-1 for him
and, if you look at Susan's votes - 9,000 in Macomb County . . . and no organization there . . .
we need to identify and recruit/organize people who are willing to vote for us
Juscha has more numbers on national situations
Adrianna - we have a local in the making, and Christopher Rudolph volunteered to organize volunteers there
reported to her that he was "kicking ass"
Jim Moreno - lots of people around (here & elsewhere) have been seeing "In the Green"
Candace - Chris Rudolph is in our Congr District, so we've been sending him news
he calls me the mole in the Democratic Party - we put up signs for some pro-choice legislative candidates
two very active Dems (UAW & gay community) took her lit, said privately they wanted to vote for some Greens
Patti - AngryDems.com Web site a sign lots of people are "pissed off"
knee-jerk reaction of Dems is move to the center
Donnelly thought Marvin was still in Macomb
speaking of media, Marc astounded at the number of people who said they'd seen him on TV!
impression he got from blizzard of contacts is that significant section of major media is interested
some have to work past editors
JALP - the more events we have, the more coverage we'll get/the less excuse folks have to ignore us
Marc - MGTV wanted us to cover more
Candace - Doug in Brighton in May got some folks' attention
in August, she got people to sign letters to WNEM to get Doug listed on their Web site as a candidate
on election night, they kept the name there
it helped
definitely getting our fair due is essential - especially
but the media don't know how to approach us - are we wackos or what?
we need to make ourselves more approachable
we also need to know how to co-ordinate better
Matt A - we should have a press release coming out of every quarterly meeting
we did have a member of the Midland Daily News at the November 1999 SQM in Saginaw - 9 people
had then-head of MCFN as a speaker, too . . .
Donnelly - who are these Libertarians, and what is their strength? they finished ahead of us in some races
Jim M - head of Libertarians is from Clare
Alan K - they're exactly what they sound like
Doug - "wealthy wackos"
assorted comments
Ray Z - they invited me on the
Marc - trade e-mails with Libs once a month;
they were instrumental in getting Drolet bill passed - in return for not running against Posthumus
similar to Constitution (US Taxpayers) -
only one I don't talk to on a fairly regular basis is Natural Law
Carolyn - maybe we could work with them all on
Marc - we're close to achieving breakthru with some Dems on some topics
Hietje's trying to put IRV on ballot in Ann Arbor, but "how can I present it as not a threat?"
promoting a minor-party agenda is a
Cherry picked
Linda M - I think don't do too much with other minor parties to avoid confusion with them on who stands for what
Pete - cf Lani Guinier and
Susan F - try to get a major party on our side
Alan K - ties into Craig's report at noon . . .
interesting question about whether Jerry spoiled AG race - came from Libertarian background,
he got 40,000 (much more than the diff between Cox and Peters)
majors are taking the position is the
people are saying "I don't want my vote to be wasted"
in some races they want to be heard
only way to know how
Donnelly - where did we do the best?
as a percentage - GT, Petoskey, Charlevoix
as numbers - still shocked by Macomb County votes (used to be all Dems elected, now Reps - but . . . )
should have had much higher totals in Wayne
Washtenaw will probably come in high
Ray - we'll find out there's been a lot of mistakes out there . . . I found one looking at grid for two minutes
Doug - in gov's race, top %ages are in NW & UP, where we've had support . . . and where one debate on TV was!
Ray had ads in TravC & Cadillac, too
Lou Novak - has this been compared with 2000?
Ray & Pete agree we did better
Ray - overall turnout? if still less than half of voters,
Donnelly - Washtenaw covers both Ann Arbor and Chelsea . . . a lot of difference
can we draw conclusion that we do well where we have active locals? yes
Kevin - broken down by precinct? (not yet . . . )
UP also affected by Wisconsin Greens
Candace - important to look at twp level . . . Lapeer examples (recycling center) . . . brought spreadsheet
psychology of voting is very odd - in most of "unimportant" races, position
Jim M - TravC Record-Eagle had 27-page spreadsheet on its Web site
SOS has precinct-by-precinct figures . . . eventually
what does it take to stay on the ballot? (and what to be into the primaries)
Clark - Q re ballot status?
____ - visibility is what we need . . . handing out at polling place - and make ourselves billboards (not on media yet)

Juscha to go over national figures
(being outside polls does raise figures 50%
good news took 68 offices nationwide - only 26 in CA
first time in TX, NC, IA
mostly local offices
MN - elected mayor near my home town (town of about 5,000)
took a State Assembly race in ME
(Doug - so we have a maniac in govt)
they're trying to treat him as an independent - so they don't have to give him office/staff/etc
he's demanding his own, they're trying to push him in with Dems (in special session)
Peter Camejo outpolled Republican gov candidate in SF
two things even more important . . .
has become incredibly diverse - ran candidates of color, got message out to communities
most important improvement we can see . . . across the country, statewide elections did better than Nader in 2000
Congr candidate in PA endorsed by Jesse Jackson Sr., got 21% (no Dem there)
last detail - all our incumbents were re-elected
Dawn - Q: could you touch on other states where people are winning . . . have they been on ballot longer?
many were new - that's what Nader campaign did in 2000 was put Green Parties on the ballots
it'll be hard to get back on in some states, but it'll be a building tool
Carolyn - NAACP magazine last mo jeered at Dems' old-fashioned
we won majority of a school-board district in CA
lost ballot status in TX - tough: 5% in statewide race required . . .
IA fell just short . . .
MN lost major-party status, but they're strong
NY has inner-struggle problems . . . fusion voting there is a complication
national party had targeted a bunch of state-legislature races to be competitive/involved . . . lost all, badly
we just don't have the machinery together yet to target voters and races . . . nationally or in GPMI
but everyone's energized

Elliott had bad experiences with swarming lit-handers at polls in
slate cards probably better
Alan K: re NY, three other major candidates on the ballot - a megamillionnaire ran on his own money independently
that also complicated ballot-status retention
Jody: let's find a multi-millionnaire . . .
Juscha chairs Co-ordinated Campaign Committee
database on line
Karen Shelley - what is national party doing to recruit, boost folks, etc.
celebrity spokesperson?
we ran a big ad on the back of Progressive magazine
Jim M - re unification of independent parties (Lenora Fulani et al) . . . convention in Philly in January
if we think about the size of the fight we're in and the history of the Ds & Rs . . . and
we pack so much more punch per brain cell . . .

Dawn calls for 10-min break for hot drinks, etc. - reminders re registration, lunch, etc.

11:02
Doug & Adrianna
bad news is we got creamed in the statistics
good news - we're 25,578 votes ahead of gov race, and I can stop wearing a tie
best 1.6% in Keweenaw . . . best vote total 4,000-odd Wayne . . .
got a lot of coverage for the party - and we still have to break through in the press . . .
called author of GR Press article on health care (6th in series)
they told me not to cover you (editorial board)
never underestimate the possibility of internal conflicts/politics at media outlets
sometimes you get covered just because you asked
3 days before election, thought of getting
TravC Record-Eagle had good voter guide . . .
debate story: "Third Parties Heard From" (with photo of Posthumus)
he's a nice guy (if a bit simple, not ready for
need to reach all media - example: MI Trout Newspaper quarterly . . .
even WOOD-TV 8 (who ran two-candidate debate)
he thinks we can do a lot better if we do better at campaigning
a press release every day to every daily paper isn't out of the question
[Marjorie Raymer is political reporter at Flint Journal]
Adrianna will talk about completely different things
she's so proud of all of us - proud to be a part of a group like this that wants to make things better
we don't leave our sick and wounded and mentally handicapped along
felt completely supported by our wanting her to do & say the right things
and people around the state would come up to her and say so, too . . .
went to Islamic areas of Greater Detroit with Susan Fawcett, Kyle Moxley, Bretton Jones, Eric Borregard
about 40 candidates altogether, and a couple hundred people
Greens kept getting pushed further back to the end . . .
finally a guy came up to Green table and said he'd put Greens all together - they'd run out of time
no Ds or Rs had said anything about opposing the war in Afghanistan and Iraq
so result was overwhelming when we did (and got evil how-dare-you looks from Ds and Rs)
but what gave her the courage to say that was our support, standing on our shoulders
that feels like a victory to her
thinks some people were afraid to vote for her because of 2000, but did vote for some Greens
some progressives scared . . . and it's because Dems have moved away
if we're not the future, the future's not going to be very pleasant
need more money, volunteers; need more delegation (and people to whom to delegate)
one person can't get a message out to 7 million
we need to get our message out, recruit people to help, and focus on races where we have a good chance
local races next year . . . then people can see what Greens do in office
and then we need to talk - unlike Ds and Rs, our message is our medium -
we don't need strategies about message, just about how to get it out
Doug was worried how to separate from wackos in other minor parties
our message separates us from them . . . if people hear it
talk with people who say, for instance, "I don't really want a war, but . . ."
"I'm a former hippie, and I've always voted for Democrats, but
our strong suit is that we're real
Dawn - what's lacking from politics today is passion, honors Adri's courage to cry while speaking
Oakland Press sent reporters to speak to all candidates in
3 hours of interview . . . and biggest quote was Art's "We'll spoil as many races as it takes"
we should tell Dems we're on side of people (not yours) . . .
Art - we'd spent about 20 minutes on IRV . . . that was the rest of the sentence - ". . . takes to get IRV"
Paul Emery - what Adri said spoke to what I want to say . . . I'm the first to want to do real politics
but our job is going to be to overcome cynicism among voters (and media) . . .
and if we don't do that, all the "technical" stuff won't get us any votes
Doug - a lot of ads are to depress turnout . . . and they work (53% didn't vote, lots did vote but not for gov)
Craig - what was your most
Doug - getting arrested sure got the word out . . . 3 radio interviews a day that week
7 out of 27 minutes on Off the Record
AP said something seriously wrong when LCV doesn't want to hear from Green voters
personal favorite, Saturday at "Godless Persons for America" rally in DC
Adri - 30,000 hits on new Web site last week of campaign . . .
could have been
Alan K - how many people worked on campaign, structure, etc? (we raised $ sending Matt around, but not for us)
Doug - budget $6-8,000 . . . 10 cents per vote?
five people working ardently, 100 chipping in part-time
structure loose-knit anarchy"
Adri - Doug was front man, calling me from around the state to ask her to do this or that
she was trying to co-ordinate volunteers
whenever she found a bunch of people in one place wanting to volunteer or help, she looked for co-ordinator
that's where she found Chris Rudolph (& campaign-finance reform
Chris is trying to start a Macomb County local . . .
Alan K - follow-up: how many places did you go to where there were place
Doug - probably about half the lower Peninsula counties
Adri - examples of help: Lou Novak, David Spitzley, some guy in UP wanted to un-register as Democrat
she sent him artwork and he made yard signs . . . [Ryan Kneupel? formed Citizens for Peace with Iraq]
Marc put him in touch with Ginny Heick et al - he's founding a local in UP
Doug - contacted any inquirer directly, including HS students

Ray Ziarno - recognized John, Brian, and Janice Cody of Saginaw . . . got some coverage in News
after Saginaw int'vu, went over to Bay City Times (Tony Kozubal said they'd been covering minor-party candidates)
set up another interview, then found big SOS article (without him) written by Lansing bureau
distributed 499 yard signs . . . had two in my yard
first, thanks to everyone . . .
roughly two dozen volunteers
passing out flyers didn't work at MSU games . . . people just didn't want them
there wasn't a lot of work outside of local chapters - could there be a lot more? yes
close to 10,000 flyers
spent close to $9,000 . . . post-general reports thru 11/25, due in 12/5
raised close to $1,600 - the rest mine
drove close to 25,000 people
meet-the-candidate events were a waste of time, mostly . . .
drove to Muskegon Community College for one - nobody there . . . him & Eric & 2 in audience
and 2 cameras . . . and they still held us to three minutes' speaking time . . .
when he went 30 seconds over, Hollowell's rep screamed at him for not respecting the rules
MSU had one, too - maybe a dozen students, he was the only candidate (Gretchen Whitmer showed up later)
I can't fathom doing what I did having a full-time job or being married . . . those who do, you have my awe & respect
the key is you try to respond to all the invitations you get, but . . .
(Candace - Peter Ponzetti got a good hearing in Fenton, and judge candidate said neighbors had Ziarno yard sign)
a lot of signs had no party
candidate Mike Green's signs might
you get into a routine . . . then get home and 100 e-mails (half from JALP)
heard from a friend in TX from Air Force days (hadn't seen for 30 years)
another event: south Lansing business meet-the-candidates campaign lunch
had to pay $10 for lunch, but it was one of the better ones . . .
barely sat down and then was called as first to speak; Doug next
questions about unrelated issues . . . until old woman asked about closing of S Lansing
given to City Council candidates, Dianne Byrum, etc.
he had to speak up to remind them they had a Secretary of State candidate there
and Dianne Byrum is minority leader in State Senate
her election-reform task force last year didn't want to buy new voting equipment
VFW hall in Clio another example of candidates outnumbering the audience
best/friendliest responses in NW MI
another chapter starting in Emmet County now
key to these events is you get three minutes to speak . . . can't even get into the issues you really want to
Lansing State Journal most exclusionary . . . wouldn't print on IRV, etc. until after election

Carolyn Dulai for Surjit?
he was sort of a reluctant candidate - did go to some forums
biggest was Pagans at MSU . . .
went to student union . . . then was told "didn't understand you on the phone - you can't speak tonight"
still unhappy about Niles - [Ray: you weren't going to go. . . .]
but we got to say some really good things: about duplication of classes, shouldn't be a budget crisis, etc
could help other MSU Trustees do some things
and now people are shaking his hand and saying they're glad he ran

Alan K - what kind of publicity did he get? (as an Asian?) [& note that a reluctant candidate got about 55,000 votes]
Asian magazine had an article - with three sentences about her, two about him - didn't ask them
other publicity was pretty much what other people got
Ray Z said Meridian Twp HomeTV did interview people, played them heavily for last 2 weeks
Carolyn had medical problems a few weeks ago, which interviewed . . .

Susan Fawcett
right after the convention, I worked 70 hours a week as a waitress . . . wearing a Green Party button
explained Greens, her candidacy, IRV to some customers
playing harmonica at a music festival, had her candidacy announced from the stage
didn't spend a whole lot of money
one ad in U-M/MSU program booklet, shared with Matt Petering
participated in 3 candidate forums at U, 2 televised - strangers told her they'd seen her on TV
full-time student with full load of classes, couldn't campaign as much as she wanted to but spoke when she could
answered all questionnaires, too - LWV, especially

Matt - did you do it all yourself?
probably about 30 people helped in some way
Adri - are you still getting e-mails, etc?
spent 5 hours in the rain at the polls . . . kept out there by people saying they just voted for her or
beat Republicans in some precincts in Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti
most surveys were specifically regent candidates
Doug - about 1/3 of people coming out of his home polling place said they voted for him; he wants to see official #s
Juscha - Susan was just tireless . . . and already keyed into our key constituencies . . .
frustration with running for U-board seats: media always pair Rs & Ds, then say they'd al

faxed out PR to every media contact I had . . . some complete stranger asked her to back principles
(U of M Law Students president)
we were boycotting the Daily in solidarity with Black Student Union . . .
but he sent letters to editors backing her (they got into several papers)
mistaken reference to Matt as only student candidate opened the door
if someone says anything inaccurate about Greens, or your campaign, jump on it!
Juscha - tell what came out of the
did get endorsed by VP of Student Republicans . . . don't think it had anything to do with platform
she just helped him study for political-science mid-terms
Alan K - hard to co-ordinate Matt & Susan . . . probably not much co-ordination among other candidates, either -
in terms of content and energy, there's a good argument that she was our best candidate
worked hard, smart, effective, in the right race, etc.
[Dawn - get to the question!]
she was hoping to get an education
didn't really agree with Matt on some issues and some focuses . . .
but co-ordination would be good in the future - "what the Greens believe about education"
Carolyn notes three different simple flyers . . .
Karen - concerned about difference in message among Susan, Karen, & Matt . . .
Susan thinks we need to be more discriminating in the nomination process -
especially (e.g.) U-M and Affirmative Action (she didn't know about Matt's view until one of the forums)

Donnelly Hadden
want to thank everyone for helping me - campaign different because not under Green label
if you look at little cards, you see his issues are Green issues . . . also sent to DNet (only campaign there for weeks)
made some buttons using Susan's button-maker; wore them to court . . . attorneys saw them, complained about Court
he got them to send cards to their clients
did they do it? - I don't know, but 120,000 votes came from somewhere
candidate fora - some were waste of time, like Ray said (e.g., Caro); some were pretty good (e.g., Hillsdale)
can't tell which is which before you go
in Caro, separate races in separate rooms . . . so people coming to SupCt room wanted free legal advice
learned how to speak a few words in Tagalog and Chaldean
him, Maggie Drake, & Elizabeth Weaver at
Weaver came up to him after and said he should read her environmental decisions
never saw either of them again at any forum
guessing about $5,000 raised & spent
campaign was me, woman who worked in my office, wife & family
rivals spent at least half a million
it was a fantastic experience, of course
State Bar had candidates' night in September - no speeches, just chance to circulate, shake hands, and talk with folks
Judge Kelly and her husband Doctor Newman . . .
my campaign consisted chiefly of contacting attorneys I know; most of money came from family/friends & lawyers

Bill Opalicky?]_ - did he talk to any of the specialty bar groups?
didn't get the opportunity; did ask for endorsement from some
including MTLA (said they wouldn't endorse 3rd parties this year)
did get endorsed by Lapeer County area Sierra Club
heard from lots of people I hadn't heard from (HS sweetheart hadn't heard from in 47 years)
Elliott Smith notes unfairness of incumbents' ballot designation

Dawn suggests Karen now, then state legislature candidates after lunch
Lee Abrogast (sp?) is charging us $100; whatever else is paid in he's donating to the party
give lunch money to Marc & Paul; if not yet registered, see her

Karen Shelley
learned a whole lot about what she's going to do next time
someone asked her to run in June before she joined the party - campaign started too late
teachers' union had endorsed their candidate before the primaries
she said okay, but could they at least tell members
wants to nominate herself NOW for 2004
Ray and she were in Manistee - gave 3 minutes, then audience
we really are the opposition party because Rs & Ds were both for status quo
my spiel was real - don't lower standards, raise children . . . and end separate-but-[un]equal schools
in Manistee, $6,700 - in Bloomfield Hills, $13,000 or so
after she sat down, both Rs & Ds wanted to rebut her . . . both said "Arkansas is worse than us"
got positive response in Caro - separate room for each party, and ours was packed
we've got a lot to say, but we need to make ourselves visible
she called Chuck Stokes . . . Channel 7 now doing an investigation of Detroit schools
and the Free Press printed a voter guide that included everyone equally (still mad about strike)

Dawn introduces Lee to introduce the menu . . .
free-range organic turkey noodle soup
brown-rice pilaf
lentil dal
was supposed to be lentil soup, too, but only one ladle
delicata squash & sweet potato
ran out of time for kale

LUNCH BREAK!
helped re-install Wesley Foundation's "No War in Iraq - Not In Our Names" sign (been vandalized 4 times now)
4th time since 11/6 article in Central Michigan Life
helped Alan Gamble, et alia . . . bigger group afterward

Harley Mikkelsen . . .
. . .
also talked at Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners
said he wanted to talk about other issues - health care
5-10 minutes later, Posthumus talked up his huntership
one person asked what he was going to do with health care for young adults - blank look, never answered Q

Alan K - how many votes did you get? (5,000+ . . .) why did they vote for you?
well, I thought maybe Rs did (no R in race), but they probably went for Libertarian
might have had potential of reaching 5%
did anyone ask about your stand against the war?
well, march ws supposed
[Candace noted Flint Journal covered]

Sterling Johnson
first time as a candidate, so this was quite a learning experience
after initial conflict with the local press (trying to avoid having a stillborn campaign), students enthusiastic
Ray Z invited me to Lansing for his talk show - clarified things up there
Tom Mair & Watershed Greens supportive
at end of semester, student Greens went home (many of them taking Int'l Law class - they got As)
also, their focus was on the Perrier situation . . . and I wasn't too actively involved in that (probably an error)
did go to one of the rallies, turned the truck around
reminiscent of my old activist days . . . last time I was at something like that, the cops were trying to beat me up
[Doug - hey, it happens]
his own perception was that the campaign season is too long and voters' attention span is too short,
so it takes millions to keep people focused on non-issues
maybe it's extreme to not want to see too many signs (ugly), flyers (means cutting down a forest)
initial Web page was attacked with a virus - had to refund $250
so decided to run an abbreviated campaign
got to speak at _______ women's group
spoke on real issues - immoral/illegal/protracted/unwinnable war, not in our interest (run for perhaps 2%)
feedback: they thought it was a nice speech, one woman asked if he was a Republican
MI Political Science Association in late September: got to cover civil-rights issues. . . .
lots of other academics there, especially at a big panel on civil liberties and USA PATRIOT Act
started getting e-mails from lots of groups around state/nation
didn't respond to the NRA - sewn up for Stupak & Camp, especially with his position on gun issues

Morning Sun said he didn't respond to their survey - they hadn't asked him until a few hours before the deadline
he never found out what their three questions were
what would h_______ . . . [oops]
most astute/discerning e-mail from Ashley Kern (Alma HS student), who invited him to speak to US gov't class
her dad put together a new Web page for him a few days
then his mom came in from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's campaign (she'd made some errors with Balt community)
she, Bob Buchholz, and he went to counties to buy lists of voters in primaries
Traverse City had diskette of 14,000 voters - with disgusting amounts of info
would have been
then there was the meeting with Dave Camp & Hollenbeck in Suttons Bay - paper concluded
that was probably the most interesting point of the campaign . . .
seeing that Camp didn't have much to say besides blaming all woes on Democrat-controlled Senate

Ray Z - that's why TLLand keeps talking about finishing off the QVF . . . it helps business
Paul E - so you did targeted mailing . . . did you see any diff in results between areas you did and didn't target
Pete notes Isabella Co (with no mailing) was his third highest[? or was
also took several thousand flyers to Chippewa reservation, more to the local mosque . . .
what surprised him was that the city of Saginaw had been conveniently carved out of his district
Carolyn - is there a CMU Green local?
they think so -
Harley got the city of Saginaw, the Dem half of the county - maybe that's why

Art Myatt
take a handful of his leftover flyers - one mailing to every household in the district (34,000 or so)
didn't make that much difference . . . did a little better than Greens in adjoining districts, but not much
like most of the things he did, it was bass-ackwards - as an amateur, he did a
all he can say is he'll do a lot better next time
flyers got to people the last week before Election Day
should have been sent just after Labor Day and ask for money . . . help get over "D or R?" inertia
re RayZ - he couldn't possibly have run if he wasn't married to the right person (Linda did campaign-finance reports)
ended up with advice for all campaigns
get a post-office box months before you're planning to be nominated . . . let mail carrier get used to it
his thought it was canceled, didn't deliver mail for some time
he'd thought of not wanting all contact to his home address
cheap ($40/year) - do it even if you're just thinking about running
interesting experience at Triangle Foundation meeting (for considering candidates across state, but met in his district)
turned out they'd already endorsed his Democratic opponent (introduced by moderator as "my good friend")
Dem got to speak when more people there, and still fresh - he got in later
tried to say Ds & Rs might talk about GLBT issues but Greens will work for them
didn't get any applause - but when he sat down, somebody spoke up . . .
and then MC spent time going over Dem platform
in the spirit of not holding back, bringing up an unpleasant subject:
had walking routes planned, called for volunteers to help, got essentially nobody
did eventually have 2-3 people from well outside the district coming to help, one at a time
he'd been advised to try to heal the breach with the Green House . . . so went to 2 meetings of Outreach Local
first time, only a couple of people showed up, didn't actually hold the meeting, we talked, nothing happened
second time, walked in, said hello, and Sue Ness responded "I think he's here to disrupt the meeting"
"I'm here to ask for help with the campaign" . . . if not his, then others (4 statewide based in Oakland Co)
chair of the meeting said, "we're not interested in doing that - I don't like any of the GPMI candidates
except maybe that guy running for the Supreme Court - but I don't want any of them to be elected;
we're here to raise money for the Green House, and we shouldn't be bothered"
view: if you're working in the Green House but not for the Green House, you're competing with them
have a witness
Pete - did you think about newspaper inserts? cheaper . . .
not enough time to arrange by the time I thought of it
couldn't go to one place because of the way papers work in my district - and could do that for mailing
Pete - let people know how many volunteers you need, and how many you have . . . (uses sign as example)
Paul E - did you mail to a list, and if so what?
bought a list of all households in the district - didn't care who
34,000 or so . . . cost $12,000 - got $150 refund on postage from the mailer
Alan K - discusses "Michael Moore incident" . . . tried to contact in connection with Bowling for Columbine opening
never even got an e-mail back . . . but the idea is good - how can we get notice, how can we co-ordinate?

Elliott Smith
ran for SS18 . . . most of Washtenaw County
what went well:
fortunately, quite a bit of accessibility to forums - one created thru campaign manager Patti, another added on
one TV forum by Channel 7 - offered to do for 36 races, only 19 races took them up on it . . .
this went to the local access channel
some people said, "hey, you're the guy on TV!"
one forum on WEMU, then WAAM 1600 let him on with Ted Heisel
Green Party as a whole, and he particularly, were represented in several open events
big one was Chelsea parade . . . [40,000 people, says Doug] . . . let's do them all this year, too [Niles]
[Carolyn - let's have a (parade) committee!]
unfortunately, handing out flyers didn't turn into as many votes as we'd hoped
ditto on getting shut out of the unions - they'd already
they told him they could be sanctioned if they had let him in
what didn't go well:
lack of support from the locals - not until the last few weeks
Pete had good idea about IDing needs, etc. - but got frustrating . . . shouldn't have to ask
should have delegated more stuff out, but . . .
did get some big help when we needed it, with the parade for example . . . Lynn
being amateurs in this arena, so we're not too savvy and struggled with our polish . . .
e.g., telling people how they look on video

Adri - how much impact was it that Republican was exceptionally progressive?
yes, he should have been a Green . . . but more of a problem was how strong Liz Brater was there . . .
3.2% was good, but he wanted 10%
one of the next things he wants to do is volunteer for boards and committees
Sterling - did you take message into HS, and
Thursday before election, got e-mail from Chelsea HS - got into government class Monday . . .
other kids kept coming in, even though it wasn't their class - person who'd called him in said they loved it

Craig . . . earlier, Adri said how great she felt about support from us
he wants to give the other side of that - as one who worked to get us on the ballot, he's in awe of candidates' efforts

Dawn - speaking of Craig, let's go back to his report on races we might have "spoiled" [cf. spreadsheet]
four races he knows of . . . [note: JKaufman might have drawn more from Libertarians]
would Green voters have voted in those races without a Green running? (would they have voted for Dems?)
Dems will put that label on us, so he put together this chart of those races . . .
Pete Ponzetti only spoiled if 97% of his voters would have voted for 17% pro-choice Democrat
also found two cases of Libertarians spoiling Republican chances . . .
our present voting system just doesn't work with more than two parties - so either:
get rid of third parties altogether (not done yet - though some may be trying) OR
put in IRV or something like it
some discussion of whether/how to use the word "spoiler" . . .
enough people & media who know and use the word that we can't ignore it . . .
but we should put it in the context of fair voting - making sure everyone elected has 50%+ support
[Elliott raised & praised the IRV forum in May]
Ray Z - Peters isn't conceding . . . so legally, no winner thru November - and Lansing State Journal will focus on it
a caller to Ballenger still
Matt Abel - maybe Jerry Kaufman (or party) should "release" his votes
Adri - we tend to be dismissive of "spoiler" label, and note (correctly) that there were other factors -
but it's important . . . what happened in 2000 is still haunting us (and scaring voters away from us)
IRV would be better for us because it spoils our chances
Juscha - it's our power, and we need to use it, and we need to use it well
and we need to put out a press release on how the Dems spoiled us

Craig jumps in - he's stacking - and Dawn sugests closing the stack

Alan K - for a while after the campaign, candidates still have some cachet with the public
maybe Ray or some other top candidates need to write articles about IRV - polite way of saying "we told you so"
fact of the matter is, if we get Cox, and he's not a good guy, it's not our fault - we were trying on two fronts
Carolyn - LWV is studying voting irregularities this year; we should work to get them to study IRV (as mbrs, maybe)
Bill Opalicky - he voted straight Green this year . . . not going to moan because we spoiled race for transcorp backers
so angry over the 2000 election, he won't vote for a Dem ever again
JALP - people say we're spoilers because there's only 2-3% difference between Ds & Rs . . . exactly! . . .
the smaller that difference gets, the greater
Pete - how's this for spin?: the people who voted for us didn't do it randomly, or because they grew up doing it -
they did it thinking about it . . . unlike many voters for Ds or Rs
we can't spoil anything . . . we have to get people passionate about the political process involved in our party

lots more new people than Dawn had expected as of pre-registration, so she'll explain stacking to facilitate brainstorming

BRAINSTORMING
Juscha has power to stop discussion if it's already been said. *yahoo!*

Marc - Campaign Work/Electoral Activity
interviewing every candidate
candidate manual for every candidate
Donnelly - at 2nd Bapt Ch downtown Detroit Green candidates, asked what they stand for, couldn't spout off 4 Pillars\
may still have a GOP manual used to train candidates - he'd be happy to join in that group
other point: organization - downloaded locals & organizations list -
he assumed where there's a local listed, there'd be a committee waiting to help
literature sent to Ludington came back; still doesn't know whether literature made it to Marquette . . .
some locals are very good & active; some are on paper only - if it's listed, it should be a real organization
Craig - DNet one site where candidate info is found; also VoteSmart, SOS Web site -
many of our candidates did use some of them, but some weren't listed . . . how many did submit but didn't have it up?
[Ray never got password for DNet]
any candidates not aware of the sites? (some discussion)
[Art did submit, wasn't very good at checking to see if stuff made it up]
Clark
it's been said already one thing we need to concern ourselves with is visibility - how do that in next two years?
what's our focus/agenda for next two years?
we need to take direct action; as a party, we can have a philosophy, but unless we get out there we won't be seen
re what he's heard here today - individual candidates and trial-&-error . . . more than manual, candidate school
some of us have had experience on various campaigns . . . he'll take some responsibility for that
Juscha
Co-ordinated Campaign Committee did candidate school at summer's convention
broke it down into separate topics . . .
one of the things we've done is put together a manual based on that school
this year they're aiming to raise money and do regional trainings - MI could host one
also had the school videotaped & edited (didn't get the word out before election)
it's fair use, so people can see it anywhere
manual on line (downloadable)
vetting too is important - we've been talking to other states, can pick & choose from what they do
and fundraising - need to set a goal of having a full-time person raising their own salary, etc
Patti
was Elliott's campaign manager - our biggest frustration was with volunteering
people who are here today were fantastic, people who weren't here . . .
we have to look within - and look for our strengths
she was fairly nasty about nudzhing HVGreens list ("we have 2 volunteers, need 5 more" etc.)
she's not the person we want gathering signatures, but for speaking in public . . .
2nd point is outreach - particularly for the Green Party; so many groups are like-minded
she's in lots of things in her community -
we need to get all these groups talking in the off-season about issues, & seeing/hearing Greens as talking on them
build up database of groups and issues - hard to get in to talk to them at the last moment
Matt - need to talk about future focus - either affect a major party, or replace it, or change system to open to more than 2
look 10 years or more . . . 2 years from now, no senate or governor . . . but all the townships, etc.
find freeway locations with free space for signs (sunflower,
how many here are members of locals that meet regularly? need to build county committees, have co-ordinators
concrete goals: candidate evaluation/recruitment, PR re spoilers, etc
Harley
if he runs again, wants to do it as part of a team - too hard to do as himself
need to keep educating people on who we are . . . maybe some infomercials or something spreading message
Paul Emery
need to come to grips with relationship between party & candidates, more than how to vet candidates
e.g., if we're going to raise $$$ for candidates, we'll be in a better position to get candidates come in to be vetted
also gives more leverage if we want to tell candidates what to do if we have support ($$ or otherwise) to offer
we took candidates to that Credit Union League candidate school - manual probably says a lot of the same things
but doesn't think we should talk just about raising money
set a goal of raising $100,000 to get matching funds for next governor's candidate - he'll help, though not lead
Dawn - she's volunteering to help Marc put together candidate manual
wants 2 examples of each piece of literature from candidates here, copy of every newspaper article you've had
she's done marketing writing & can critique the flyers from that standpoint
Pete - should make agreeing to link campaign Web site to GPMI Web site part of nomination
he was elections co-ordinator this year, still doesn't know what that means . . .
Matt's been talking 2 years about county co-ordinator system; now's the time
with that in place, it could work into a system of several regional co-ordinators over multiple counties
(maybe Congressional Districts)
necessary because we were flirting with being drawn into the primaries, in which case we'd need to be in all counties
for candidates feeling unprepared to talk on issues
bring people to forums with you who can do the talking with and for you on issues
JALP
database, not just of groups, but also of events (parades and others)
school boards
Elliott - speaking for himself and Keith A . . .
re: elections committee, need to find out local eligibility requirements
identify races to target
start campaigns earlier so we can get in to speak with groups, they can't overlook us
maybe we should concentrate on local races rather than statewide . . . he doesn't have a strong feeling on that
in order to get the visibility, SCC et al need to address 1-2 state issues and locals can focus on 1-2 strong local issues
Adri
thinks campaign training manual should be organized like wedding planner (scheduling backwards)
she went to lots of fora - saw a lot of candidates speaking (not just Greens) - we're all novices
Ds & Rs had their patter down better; our delivery & vocabulary lost some
reason we didn't have enough help is because half of us were candidates -
should pool/focus our resources, and grow our party
volunteering helps on a good issue, makes connections to build the base, and looks good on your résumé
need to start fundraising way in advance, get a few one-issue ads . . .
try to come up with a band that writes and plays political music that attracts young people (& gets message in heads)
Ds & Rs aren't going there - young people and Greens are both our future
Susan
you can do a decent job with fairly little money if you take advantage
draft letters to groups that might be willing to support us - and/or to give us feedback
list of events, groups, etc - write them to be included before
be a little more careful about what races we run
if there's a Dem who's greener than the Green in a race, that's not good for the party
Linda
first question in vetting Green candidates should be "are you a Green Party member?"
some candidates didn't promote Green issues, but only their own campaigns
we need to help each other more
we got one contribution of money from one Green person
candidates should tell us how they're going to campaign
Karen
saw on Internet somebody mentioned having a radio station on the Internet - that's a really good idea . . .
people are going to do that more and more, technology's getting better, we could do all sorts of things
son's a sound engineer . . . he can produce radio ads, could probably help with radio station if we wanted to do that
[___ been doing preliminary look into that - thinks he's found a cheap idiot-proof
she's planning to join groups . . . but she's going to let them know she's a Green,
and challenge them on how they endorse candidates, and push IRV at them
get a bus, decorate it, and take it to every county fair and art fair in the state

Social activity (between elections)
Marc - what to do in between elections besides the preparations just discussed
these kinds of actions are ideal - networking, put us front and center
Kevin
re how we promote our activities - just saw ad in Progressive magazine, paid for by GPUS
[actually by Congressional candidates, said Juscha - Eric only one who got back to them in time to be listed]
we can professionalize in graphic design - Art's flyers, Eric's signs okay but not "sexy"
he'll volunteer to help on that
lots of our complaints are what happens when lone wolves get together
national party had party line for Congr candidates to talk to each other
need to put a face on the party - have someone go around to groups, energize
he's volunteering to do that as well
Doug
first, don't even think of asking me to be an organizer for anything this next year
we should get involved with Open Software folks
look at standardizing a prototype/template Web site for candidates
then, get off the Internet at least half the day - gotta call, visit, twist arms in person
Dems say I'm pretty green, why aren't you helping me? / why are you op
we should trademark the word "Green" in political context
also, we should own the "spoiler issue"
if we're 4% of the vote, why aren't we 4% of the members on Capitol Hill?
we're not part of the Dems, we're the opposition
the Greens are in the race because the Dems lost, not vice versa
Ray
who mentioned getting post-office box? great idea
also get a cheap fax machine (10 to 20 cents a fax at night)
also got separate telephone number
press releases, in my opinion (maybe only mine), do not work - he's never seen one
best thing this group can do is write letters to the editor, let people know who the Greens are
until we get that going, everything we're talking about won't work
they won't print articles from us
everyone here should promise to write one letter to a local paper, and get a friend to do it, too. . .
what's the issue? IRV - even the group in Caro was following
everyone he talked to but a hard-core Republican felt this is what we need
Art
talking about issues that are going to be hot - the one in his corner is privatizing Detroit water system
obvious connection to Perrier fight
outlying areas are trying to make this, like airport, an authority not accountable to anyone
not even using the word "privatizing", but . . .
Patti
in Washtenaw County, peace is a big issue - over 1,000 people 2 Saturdays ago
also free radio time for candidates
Megan
student Greens in Mt. Pleasant have really changed over to a new group
focus on elections rather than issues is turning away some young people
she knows Sweetwater is a tough battle, but thinks it can pick up support for Greens
Marc
Michigan United Conservation Clubs and bill on developing beach land
coming up in lame-duck session
this is the way to do it - go right to the top of the group involved
Scott T used to say Greens hampered by two things: hyper-education and under-funding
Marc likes to tell the media things they haven't heard
don't let the media divert us . . . "that's not the issue, this is"
we need more than one media person - lots of media people - write letters
Bill Opalicky
been hearing about a movement to open up the airwaves [MCFN, ACLU, etc involved]
Jody
we need to prioritize - we're Greens working on those issues, not people working on those issues who are Greens
GPKC was supposed to be the organizing group for GR peace rally
got lots of media . . . but not one Green Party mention
moved into the hands of other groups
most of us are activists already . . . but we need to focus on the fact
Rebecca Mikkelsen
involved with Students for Social Change - looking for volunteers to speak at U 11/21 and 24 [Not In Our Name],
also the week after MLK Day on civil-rights issues [how globalization affects civil rights]
Bob [Newholtz?]
had here a meeting of disabled people at a country club here -
3 of 50 in the group protesting were Greens . . . should have mentioned it
Alan K
re pillar of non-violence:
during campaign, Craig posted to a list notice of a meeting in Ann Arbor on a remarkable group in Israel
goes and rebuilds houses flattened by military
he thinks he's going to help this group
but forgot that, earlier this year, another group called for no war in the Middle East - several of us signed it
letter was addressed to both our Senators, and both voted right - maybe the only state that can say this
it may not be remembered . . . but he was glad he'd reviewed his work earlier this year
Juscha
sometimes she feels like a circus . . . doesn't always feel right speaking up in a group, but a button is discreet
if you're not comfortable announcing yourself publicly
especially true if doing non-environmental work (she hates that we're confused with Greenpeace)
Paul E.
wouldn't mind it if SCC had a jam session and came up with top five issues (he'd suggest war)
he doesn't have to be involved in every discussion
Dawn
some cynics would suggest we haven't stopped war in Afghanistan
to her, the issue is stopping war in Iraq and reparations for what US has done to Afghani people
college students don't know there are other people saying this is wrong
her school is 70% African-American . . .
but peace is the issue right now - if we go to Iraq, there will be more attacks, there will be more losses of civil rights
we won't be able to meet like this. . . .
Pete
want to make sure campaign-finance reform and election reform stay on the radar
Adri
Michigan Welfare Rights Organization based in Detroit, has affiliate offices across the state
she spoke with a speaker on this issue in Wyandotte - they need
also need to talk about issue-specific coalition-building
a crisis issue (the war) and the issue of campaign and election reform
they tie together - if we have
Craig
a couple more groups to mention (and maybe work with)
Rotary, etc look for speakers every month
Ray Z
wrong about forums being useless - should have added in Montrose HS experience (molding young minds)
Karen
wants to volunteer to organize a speaker's bureau - please e-mail Karen4board@aol.com
send her info on what we'd be willing to speak about
she belongs to Alliance for Democracy, they want speakers - also Gray Panthers, etc
JW
volunteer his services for Web-site design . . . lots of things missing
META tags

Fundraising
Marc - hard . . . and not just for campaigns, but for party itself
we're one of the better states because we actually have a bit of money

[Dawn calls for a stretch]

Qs lead into impromptu treasurer's report -
$3,000 debt left; $2,200 or so in account & some raised today, so he plans to pay off half the debt left on Monday
hopes to have debt gone by January with regular activities
around 600 members, revolving memberships . . . still about a dozen monthly contributions
cash flow smoother than before, but we could still use some more
good to have money for unplanned activities
Kevin will volunteer to make phone calls to get more monthly contributions via PayPal
$5 a month is virtually nothing . . . GPKC had a homeless person giving $5 a month; Kevin's unemployed, gives $20
Craig
thanks for news on the debt - he'll help us forget about the rest of us

[Dawn passing the hat for an additional contribution for

Sterling
has some money left over - can it be transferred to the state party?
[various opinions - we'll check]
Pete
time to shock the hell out of you
Alan K's suggested that 150,000 probably voted for at least one Green . . . yet we have 600 members . . .
we need to find out who these people are, and get them as members
I'll steal the thunder of Chuck Loucks of HVGreens - $3 million a year ($5 a month x 50,000 people)
we need to think big and pat ourselves on the back when we fall a little short
JALP
I give at meetings, when I'm with folks
big ads are popular now - have sponsored ad with contributors putting in more than enough to pay for the ad
Donnelly
three ways to raise money - angels (like Craig), fundraising, and social events
big money comes from big donors . . . dunno if we have any (cf. Michael Moore)
social events
[Karen asks ]
Bob ____
read an article the other day about canvassing registered voters
Dems had been 35%, were now 32%
Reps had been 28%, down to 26%
independents from 12% up to 15%
one thing he learned from fundraising experience - ask for an exorbitant amount, and take what they'll give us
Juscha
think we need to get the QVF for this election and do some comparison . . .
want to take a poll on whether people want to hire someone to raise funds (ask SCC to look into it)
but we also need to plan what to do
[Pete S volunteering for budget committee]
Dawn
inspired by Kevin, she'll call people in her area to get more
and one quick question: what have groups generally given, Jim?
Alan K
heard some very interesting things today
Pete's comment about 50,000 people . . . cf. Nader's $100 x 1,000,000 people
didn't happen because (a) wasn't any organizational follow-up and (b) isn't how US folks think
when you do fundraising, it's important to be able to tell them what their money will be used for
also usually not good to tell them their money is going for operating expenses
he likes raising money for political purposes - it gives opportunity to take the pulse of the public
does anyone doubt the commitment of the homeless person Kevin mentioned? no
if we can raise money for a good project over a period of time, it's a measure of what the project means
MLK raised money by nickels and dimes - a way of saying "I'm here"
so fundraising effort has to be conscious of the way it interfaces with the rest of the activity
he'll serve on both budget and fundraising committees
but wants SCC to authorize budget
Carl
reading the Green platform on the Web page, he thinks we can identify a constituency whose interests we represent
employee-owned businesses, small farmers, and others
if we had seed money for a mailing to reach these folks, we could build party
Matt
maybe a little off-focus . . . need to talk about where our future meetings are
[we did it last time - February in Detroit, etc]
proposes to add to by-laws need for anyone who's resigned or been expelled to re-apply to SCC or SMM
JW
somebody should contact Amway . . . gave $400k to Dems as well as Reps, why not us too?
[Marc understands the intent, but we don't take corporate contributions]
Marc
one of the problems the party's always had is the lack of someone to do it full-time
his interest is to have the party be able to have staff people
what he'd like to do is get fundraising level to the point where he can quit his other job
& get paid for 40 hours of work for GPMI (out of 60 or so)
wants the group to [be able to] start thinking about hiring full-time
[Dawn illustrates: couldn't call possible new member/attendee more than once after getting word of his interest]
Ray
not only fundraising, but combining with membership . . .
volunteers, etc
candidates didn't know about them, because info came out late
Lansing Greens raised funds for ad in City Pulse
Lynn not here, but I think she's done great work . . .
Doug
exactly one hemp campaign T-shirt left (XXL), thought he'd donate it to party and auction it off here
$40 to Bill Opalicky

CLOSING CIRCLE

Dawn ends with explanation of word Bill Opalicky used - Namaste:
that which is divine in me recognizes and appreciates the same in you
[for broader audience of various beliefs and lack thereof . . .
that which is the highest and best expression of humanity in me recognizes and appreciates the same in you . . .]
each of 10KV says that

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web page last updated: 11/17/2002