New political party?
Jim Nowlan , a long-time Springfield yeoman, respected state government expert, and personal friend/mentor recently passed along an op-ed he had written several months ago.
His brief piece is a call to action aimed at the next generation (ie. me)...
America’s leaders are screwing the student generation to the mast of a ship that is sinking under the weight of unsustainable debt, unfunded promises and the poisonous flotsam of environmental carnage. Students, you need to start your own future-oriented national political party, for your own sake.
He explains:
Students have been too quiet for too long, and now are in desperate straits, even if you don’t feel it at the moment. In the digital age, however, the tools are in place to start a new national political party to protect your futures, with low start-up costs. Start-ups have succeeded in American history, even without the instant, global connectivity of the Internet.
[...]
There is significant, if not majority, support for unselfish idealism, for paying our bills rather than beggaring our (the students’) future, and for getting serious about global warming.
Why students? In addition to having the primary stake in the future, students have the digital communications savvy which is indispensable. More important, the student generation has the latent emotional outrage that is missing among the elected class, for whom political expediency governs.
Students need to wake up. You need to take matters into your own hands, for your own sake.
He framed his thoughts in national terms, but I think the comments are worth delving into from the state angle.
His key points:
The current policy captains are legislating for the moment, not the long-term. That reality will bear rotten fruit in the coming decades. People like me will have to eat that fruit. Not good.
Most people (perhaps a majority) realize this, but they are not actually doing anything about it.
Emerging adults are ideally fit to carry the banner as they have historically been able to break the standard “politically-driven” vice.
A new “future oriented” political party is thus necessary and possible
The whole “third party” idea is the most interesting. What do you think? Possible? Necessary?
The recent Green explosion in the state may be an indicator of the possibility, though it is too early to tell (*cough* protest vote *cough*). And at least by perception, the Green party does not speak to students as leading the charge against generational warfare. Whether accurate or not, the party comes off as a group of left- wing, big business hating pacifists....at least that's the response I've most often heard from my peers. The Green image will attract certain students, obviously, but not the universal “youth oriented” uprising that Nowlan speaks of.
What about the state Republicans? Could they mold into a party that carries this banner? Could they transform into a group that becomes the obvious bastion for pragmatic emerging adults? Could this concept be their salvation?
Hmmm...Perhaps. But I say only when many of the old bulls leave and are replaced by the very youth to which Nowlan refers. They wouldn't discuss social straitjackets, but instead would hammer away at fiscal health.
14 comments:
Greens have been a disappointment. They should have led the charge on police brutality in Chicago, on Democrat's self interest e.g. Emil Jones today...
...instead they get bogged down in sustainability. Nothing really wrong there but they need to hit hard against the problems in this state.
It would have been nice to see them at least acknowledge that there is an Iraqi Green Party worthy of support or at least some kind words for these folks.
Illinois Greens should watch Peter Tatchell closely. He may become the UK's first Green MP.
A Green Gay activist who can talk sense like this, offer some integreity in politics, and some sense about economics and the costs to the future generations of what we do today... could make a lot of bridges.
SOME ONE in IL has been talking about this for quite some time.
I've also presented to the recent Green Party gathering regarding the opportunity for Greens and Conservatives to work together.
Both could shed a few of their more 'extreme' positions and work to clean up Illinois politics while enacting some decent policies.
I found them much less doctrinaire than I would have thought.
Today's headlines about Jones disgust me, as do the one's about Stroger's relatives. These people ought to in prison for the nepotism and waste they are foisting on us.
Truthfully though, I'm even more disgusted by my party (or is it?), which doesn't want to end the vileness of Jones and Stroger as much as they want the power to do the same.
This is why conservatives are abandoning them - not God, guns and gays.
You nailed it here Bruno,
Perhaps that is why I'm so enamoured of the idea of another party (or candidate). We don't have 2 parties in Illinois. We are in need of a 2nd party, not a 3rd!
When you take a look at this by Tony P.
.... was proud today to be the only commissioner - Republican or Democrat - to vote against a no-bid public relations contract awarded by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to politically-connected firm Danielle Ashley Communications.
Gentlemen, please!
Presidents Stroger and Jones are the officials duly elected by the people of their County and district to represent their constituents. They are doing so by hiring highly qualified, competent, individuals that they can trust to do the best job for the citizens. The fact that they may be related or good friends is purely coincidence. Who should they hire? Their enemies? You, Baar, of all people should understand this. To hold up a whacko like Peraica as some kind of example of good gov't is absurd.As for you, Bruno, your proposed alliance with the Greens is really interesting. Now, that would make a viable alternative, for sure! They like concealed carry and you could become a proponent of gov't measures to stop global warming. Try selling that one to the Roeser-Nordquist crowd.
Bill,
Jones and Stroger are pigs. I have no knowledge whether Peraica is a pig, but if he hired his relatives and cronies, then I would be the first person to call him one.
Your rubberstamping of the nepotism/patronage/corruption/contracting axis of Illinois politics is understandable, but also illustrative of how corrupt the state has become.
Jones is a bought and paid for hack how showers access and wealth upon relatives while pimping over his constituents.
Stroger is of no consequence, other than as a puppet of larger players and his father's genetic material.
The idea that they are "duly elected" is a bit of a joke, given the rigged game of IL politics, but it certainly is a tough nut to crack when ostensibly decent people like yourself defend the utterly corrupt cesspool of Illinois politics.
My view is that if any party or person with enough energy, integrity and backing took the time to inform the average voter of just how bankrupt Illinois is...
(and how nearly every elected official in IL of both parties put us in this position)...
...then there would be at least enough of a backlash to take at least part of the state back from the trough-feeding pigs you are defending.
Of course, I could be wrong. America used to be a Nation of people who eventually said "enough is enough."
It may be that you are right, and they are now a nation of pigs who say "where can I get mine."
___
As for me talking to the Greens, you may be right on that one too, but at least I'm outside of the moronic "Dem/Rep - Left/Right" matrix that has everybody calling every one else names while Springfield burns.
"And at least by perception, the Green party does not speak to students as leading the charge against generational warfare. Whether accurate or not, the party comes off as a group of left- wing, big business hating pacifists....at least that's the response I've most often heard from my peers. The Green image will attract certain students, obviously, but not the universal “youth oriented” uprising that Nowlan speaks of."
Paul Richardson, this seems to be *your* perception, but as they say, perception is reality.
Of course, the Illinois Greens have a huge generational and future focus. Just look at the green's Ten Key Values and platform . In fact, find another 'party' where 'future focus' is actually one of the key values. Find another party with key values!
I think you'll see there is a lot more to the philosophy behind the Green Movement than opposing the domination of corporate wealth in society. But you aren't being exposed to all that.
There are major Campus Greens groups through out the state and country.
The Illinois Greens are just part of that Green Movement which as Bill Baar points out, is truly global. Just read for yourself, because I guarantee you will not read much about this in newspapers, hear it on the radio or watch it on TV for quite a while yet. Link: http://www.globalgreens.info/
And as for what the Greens are, the party is what *you* choose to make it.
Unlike the old, hierarchical nature of the two main parties in the U.S. (or one party in Illinois as was smartly pointed out), there truly is a grassroots dominated structure in the ILGP where the amount of money one brings to the party or the cash you dole out plays no role in the party (and there is no doling out or cashing in going on anyway).
Try explaining that to Michael Madigan. Try getting your issues passed in the Illinois Democratic Party versus attending some state-wide Green's meetings where policy and action are planned.
The Green Party is now one of three established parties in Illinois.
The party is what you make it. To me, that is as much a lesson about self-empowerment and activism as it is about what you may perceive the Greens to be.
Instead of discussing what 'they' are or believe, get involved and create what you want. That is advocacy, after all, and active citizenship and that is what is expressly called for within and without the Green Party.
Don't just wait for some mythic other grouping of people, acting as 'Greens' to do this or that and then you'll decide if you like it.
Try the Greens and if you don't like it either try to change the Greens to the 'correct' direction as you see it, capitalizing on the momentum the Greens have, or build your own party.
Greens want more parties, not less. Proof? See http://ilgp.org/about/platform-text#electoral . We want IRV and lowering of 'barriers to entry' by new parties.
So, I welcome you as a fellow pro-democracy activist in our state. That's what this is, and I hope you join and fight hard.
That goes for what the 'Green's' are out in front of or not. I actually agree with Bill Baar in the sense that at least in terms of the Green's politics, the Greens 'views' are out in front on all those issues.
But again, an all-volunteer, all-regular folk's grouping trying to revolutionize Illinois' politics by creating a truly people/public-interested party can't do it all.
I hope you all join the Greens or form your own parties. Because if you really believe you have a voice in either of the cash/favors-dominated major parties, I have a bridge in London to sell you...
Thanks,
Dorian Breuer, former Green Party Tribune and Sun-Times endorsed candidate for IL State Senate, 1st District. http://votebreuer.org.
I think that the Green Party is very cool and exciting for young people. What other party do you know that has a music video? Here's another.
Hmmm...good stuff. I've never entirely parsed out the idea of youth attraction to the Green party.
To be honest, one hindrance to its inclusive youth perception may be as simple as its name.
Green = treehuggers = not attractive to a large swath of the emerging generation.
The name isn't a death knell, but its an up-front cost to recruitment. No it isn't fair, but it's reality.
Paul, in addition to meetings of the Democratic and Republican parties, you should attend some meetings of the Illinois Green Party.
In my experience, not only do these meetings include a large number of new voters, who have not otherwise previously been invovled in politics, but also a great deal of young people.
Green youth are incredibly active and energetic--they really make up a good base that goes out and participates in direct actions (Just take a look at the interview footage of Blagojevich following the Milliken University debate. You will see young Green activists there, competing with the Blagojevich people for sign space; and there were probably just about as many Greens as Democrats there.)
I think that young people are attracted to the fact that the party does things differently and is sometimes seen as not quite so corporate, stodgy, and suited.
What other party has legislators that are willing to stand up and yell legalize hemp, which is later turned into a music video by Shaggy? (English follows German.)
Incidentially, Paul, you may be surprised to discover that I agree with you. The choice of the name Green Party wasn't the best in my opinion, as the party is not a single-issue environmental party.
Anon, I don't think we are in much disagreement. :)
I do not possess a vast wealth of Green party knowledge, only what I've read in party materials, witnessed over the last year publicly, and from several Green party friends.
The trouble is, the perception of the group is NOT conducive to the type of action advocated by Nowlan.
I know that the party has a comprehensive platform (of which I agree with some small pieces), but those broad arguments are NOT what a majority of people think of when the see "Green Party."
What they do think of is highlighted in your post...
"What other party has legislators that are willing to stand up and yell legalize hemp, which is later turned into a music video by Shaggy? (English follows German.)"
Legalization of hemp. Sure, it attracts "some" youth, but it turns off others.
As long as the majority of folks connect the party to less than important issues like that, than the party will never reach the level of institutional change argued by Nowlan.
Again, I think this is a perception issue. Music video and hemp legalization DO reach out to younger voters more than other parties, that is a given. But as long as Greens are always connected to those types of issues, they will not have the power to create major transformations. They will not create a groundswell of broad-based youth support based on long term economic and security and stability.
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