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Call for Formation of a Green Committee
for Democracy and Independence
The formation of a Green committee for Democracy and Independence (GDI) is necessary because there exist within our party conflicting views over political orientation and the role we should play in American politics. To maintain our Party’s unity we must ensure that all viewpoints are respected, all members can participate fully in the institutions of the party, and all decisions truly reflect the will of the Green Party membership. To build a true alternative party for peace, social and economic justice, and the environment, we must institutionalize policies that declare our independence from the two corporate parties.
We therefore call on Greens to join us in the formation of the Greens for Democracy and Independence caucus around the four points outlined below. We ask individual Greens and appropriate Green Party institutions, locals, chapters, and states that support these founding points to subscribe to the GDI list serve.
It is our hope that at the next national conference the Green Party will overwhelmingly vote to democratize our internal policies in order to protect the rights of all our membership and maintain party unity.
We call on all Greens to consider our proposals and to declare their support for internal democracy and party independence, regardless of their political views on other issues.
One person, one vote
The choice of our Presidential ticket and our national leadership bodies must be based on the principal of “one person one vote.” We must oppose all selection processes that disenfranchise members based on their location, or the registration laws of their state. All Greens must be fully respected with equality. This can only be achieved by implementing policies that assure every member’s vote is counted equally.
Delegate selection must respect the vote of the rank-and-file
The election of delegates to our national nominating convention and other national gatherings must reflect the will of the membership. All delegations based on the vote of the membership must be chosen through proportional representation.
Candidates that receive votes must be able to select their own delegates. Delegates to national conventions cannot be pre-selected. They can only represent candidates they voted for in the primaries or caucuses.
Conventions must be sovereign. Delegates, who represent the rank-and-file, the clearest expression of the will of our membership, must be free to determine the rules and procedures, agenda, and policy decisions of each convention.
For more information, go to the GDI website: www.greensfornader.net/GDI.html.
Proportional representation in leadership bodies
The Green Party should strive for proportional representation of elected officials on the national Coordinating Committee (CC). The number of delegates a state has serving on the CC should be allotted in as representative a manner as possible to ensure the party has the support and cooperation of its members.
The domination of leadership bodies by one currently not reflective of the Party as a whole is divisive and undemocratic. To help assure leadership bodies are inclusive, all candidates for national leadership posts must disclose their views on party issues to the membership.
Diversity representation within the Green Party must include political diversity as well as gender, race and sexual orientation.
On independence
The Green Party Must Declare its Complete Independence from the Two Corporate Dominated Political Parties.
The Green Party must declare as policy that it does not endorse, support or urge votes for any partisan candidate of either the Democratic or Republican Party.
Green Party members as individuals or as ad hoc committees may support any candidate from any party they wish, but the Green Party as an independent entity does not.
The Green Party as a Party may work with, show respect for, and act together with members or elected officials from the corporate-controlled parties on specific issues; however, this support must not include an endorsement of their candidates.
Steering Committee members who represent the Party to the public and the Green Party Presidential candidates must pledge not to work for, support, fund raise or call for a vote for candidates of either of the two corporate parties.
The Green Party welcomes collaboration and may involve itself in joint campaigns or form electoral blocs with non-Greens. Such efforts must be with independent or other non-corporate-sponsored third party candidates whose values reflect key components of the Green Party platform.
[2 mar 06]