No subject

Greens, We  each have our own unique perspectives on the presidential race
in 2004.  As individuals whose positions of responsibility bring us a great
deal of information that not every Green has access to we wish to share som=
e
of what we see going on.  It's quite possible that we are incorrect in some
of the observations and statements that we make here.  We're willing to tak=
e
that risk because we think it would be irresponsible not to at least share
with you what we see at this time.

You may be wondering why this message is coming to you from Jo Chamberlain,
Greg Gerritt, and Ben Manski, as opposed to the Steering Committee as a
whole, or from one of us individually.  The simple and direct answer is tha=
t
we have been regularly communicating with each other and working together
for more than six months on the matter of the presidential race, and that a
letter from three of us is likely to present a more balanced view than a
letter from any one of us.  We have focused, all in different ways,  on
encouraging a variety of candidates to seek the Green Party nomination.  We
may come from different places in the party, and we have had disagreements
in the past, yet we have found a great deal of common ground here.

Here is what we see:

* * * GREEN CANDIDATES * * *
PETER CAMEJO - Peter Camejo has recently stated that he intend to
participate in all upcoming Green presidential primaries.  There is some
reason to believe that Camejo still hopes that Nader can be drafted to
accept the Green presidential nomination, and that his candidacy will creat=
e
a space for Nader by Camejo=B9s bring in in a block of delegates that he coul=
d
release.  There is also a growing Draft Camejo movement with its members
organizing for Camejo to be the Green nominee

DAVID COBB - David Cobb is currently running an increasingly energetic
campaign for the Green nomination.  He has a website and committed campaign
team in place, is now raising money into the five digits, and is about to
embark on 14-state campaign tour, his third such swing since he declared hi=
s
candidacy this past Autumn.  At this time, Cobb appears to have the most
support of any candidate seeking to be the Green nominee.

PAUL GLOVER - Glover has not campaigned actively to our knowledge.

KENT MESPLAY - Mesplay participated in a Green presidential forum two month=
s
ago, campaigned in Rhode Island in December, and since then has committed t=
o
campaigning nationally. He has committed  to join several other Green
candidates in upcoming Green presidential debates. He has a website.


CAROL MILLER - Miller is running as a "favorite daughter" place holder
candidate for Ralph Nader in her home state of New Mexico.   Her intent is
to ask her delegates to vote for Nader as the Green nominee.


LORNA SALZMAN - Salzman is running a two-pronged campaign on behalf of both
Ralph Nader and herself, and is making environmental and women's issues the
main stays of her campaign.  Like Mesplay and Cobb, Salzman participated in
a Green presidential forum two months ago, and since that time has committe=
d
to campaigning nationally.

NOTA - We see no sign at this time of any organized Green effort on behalf
of None Of The Above, or for that matter, of not running a Green candidate
in 2004.   Our guess is most of the Greens who would prefer that we not run
a candidate have already left the building.


* * * NADER & THE GREENS * * *

1 - It is entirely possible that Ralph Nader could announce an independent
candidacy for the presidency either later this month, or in early February.
We think it wise for Greens to act on the assumption that he intends to run=
,
and has for some time.  All of us have our own analysis of what an
independent Nader campaign might be like and how it might effect the Green
Party.  We have concerns about what it may do to the Green Party, but are
also quite sure that the Green Party will maintain much unity no matter wha=
t
Nader does. At least some of us think Nader and his team have misjudged the
situation in the Green Party and that many fewer Greens will leave the part=
y
to join an independent Nader effort than Nader's team anticipates, and that
ballot access without Green petitioners or ballot lines will be rather
difficult in many places.


2 - The national party formed in 1996 as the ASGP, and then reformed in 200=
1
as the GPUS, for the chief purpose of fielding a Green Presidential ticket
in all states, colonies, and territories.  To that end, state parties when
they joined the national party, committed to placing the names of the
candidates selected at the Green nominating convention on their respective
state ballots.  This commitment is to be found in the rules of Accreditatio=
n
at http://www.gp.org/documents/rules.html Section 2-1-2.  These rules were
adopted by the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of the United
States and have been agreed to by every state party currently accredited
with the national party.

3 - We see that members of several accredited state parties are discussing
the possibility of their party working to place Nader on their state ballot=
,
regardless of whether he, or one of the candidates currently seeking our
nomination, is selected at the convention as the Green nominee.  We also se=
e
many Greens discussing a "Draft Nader" effort to convince Nader to accept
the Green nomination should a majority of delegates vote for him.  What we
have also seen is that the Nader team appears to have little understanding
of the process by which the convention delegates could be empowered to vote
for him, and how this work needs to be done prior to the conventions and
primaries in each state as many state parties will send delegations
instructed to vote according to the wishes of their state convention
participants.

We have provided the Nader team and Nader himself with all of the
information at our disposal regarding our primaries in the hopes that this
will help them make their decisions.

4 - 2004 is likely to be a difficult year for the Green Party, but also
likely to be one in which we grow and mature.  Local campaigns and
candidates will provide the base for our growth, but there is an important
role to be played by a national campaign.  We are not certain that Nader is
focused on what it will take to create a long term sustainable political
force, the force necessary to contest politics in the most corporate
dominated system on the planet.  The Green Party is that force and we are
committed to the sustainable growth of a political party.

WHAT 'S NEXT

To bring everyone up to speed, in the CC and around the country, let us
remind you that there is a 6 month process leading from today to the
Milwaukee convention at the end of June.  January 13 was the first
Presidential Primary with 2 Green candidates on the ballot in the District
of Columbia.  There will be several more primaries and more than 40 state
conventions and caucuses in the next few months.  Debates have been
scheduled in a variety of places around the country, several in states with
primaries prior to the votes, and others in states that will express their
preferences via convention.

At the same time the GPUS is working on a platform, developing floor rules
for the nominating process, supporting ballot access drives around the
country, and engaging in the organizing necessary to create a successful
convention.  Outside of the convention process we have been engaged in the
discussion of what type of campaigns will serve us best in our efforts to
influence the political future of the United States

Greens, an even number year, a presidential campaign season, is upon us.
Those of us writing this letter are committed to helping you create a
Presidential Nominating convention that serves you, and selects a Green
Party Candidate for President that will do us all proud.  We shall do this
in our roles on the Steering Committee of the GPUS and in all the rest of
the work we do for the Green Party as members of our state parties and as
individuals. =20


Jo Chamberlain, Greg Gerritt, Ben Manski



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<BLOCKQUOTE>To: Green Party activists<BR>