Brian's Blog

Congratulations to 2011 Green Candidates

2011-11-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Baltimore Greens Bill Barry and Douglas Armstrong for winning 17% and 10% of their City Council races, respectively. And a special congratulations to the Green Party's Christine Nagle, who was re-elected to the College Park City Council last night!

The Green Party showed its strength from coast to coast. In Syracuse, NY, we came within a few dozens votes of winning a seat on the city council. And the Green Party maintained its majority in Fairfax, CA, re-electing the Mayor and electing a new member to hold three of the five seats on that City Council.

What state will be able to brag about the most wins four years from now in 2015? Let's make it Maryland! It won't happen by magic - it will happen by everyone contributing what they can (money, time, effort, your name on the ballot) starting now. Let's do it!

Oh, Yeah...

2011-10-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

So, this happened.

And it was pretty awesome.

Check it all out here.

Letter to the Editor 9/14/2011

2011-09-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

I sent a letter to the editors of the Baltimore Sun this morning in response to this article. If you see it, be sure to point to it and say "Hey, I know that guy!"

UPDATE: The letter was published in the on-line edition here.

Dear Editors,

Add another reason to your analysis of Tuesday’s dismal Baltimore primary election turnout - a state that actually doesn’t want people to be engaged in the political process, especially if there’s a possibility they might want to change it. Despite the crocodile tears of politicians asking “what is wrong?” with us uninspired, frustrated voters, behind the scenes Maryland’s third and fourth-largest political parties are embroiled in a lawsuit for the right to run candidates for office. The Green and Libertarian Parties had to go to court to run candidates in the Baltimore elections, but the appeals process may keep our candidates off the ballot and our supporters off the voter rolls in future elections. The State of Maryland can end this wrangling and show its commitment to voters by dropping its appeal and letting two small political parties put up a few extra choices to help bring sick and tired voters out to the polls. But some people would have those folks - including Baltimore City voters like myself - stay at home rather than threaten their position of power.

Gee Oh Tea Vee

2011-09-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Primary Day in Baltimore, so if you are Democrat, you are getting it from all ends. Because Democrats hold roughly 90% of the voter registration in the city, the winners of tomorrow's primary have functionally been elected two months before Election Day. This is a sad reality for Baltimoreans who deserve more and better candidates to vote for, but it can be changed. The Green Party has put up stiff competition in the past. In 2007 Bill Barry won over 25% of the vote in the 3rd District City Council race, and Greens have twice won over 15% of the vote in a city-wide race. 2015 may provide a unique opportunity for a Green mayoral candidate to make the party's strongest showing yet. Disgraced and convicted former Mayor Sheila Dixon has indicated her interest in a potential 2015 run for her old job. Recent polls indicate that about half of City Democrats would not support Sheila Dixon in 2015. But her extensive network of funders and connections could still win her the Democratic primary, leaving a large percentage of Baltimore voters looking for an acceptable option. The Green Party is this option and needs to start preparing now for the strongest campaign it has ever run in Baltimore.

But the Green Party is still, well... green, and has not yet built an efficient political machine. It will be important for Greens to identify the campaign skills the party needs to succeed and start practicing them as soon as possible. One skill is getting out the vote.

I have participated in several Green campaigns before, and each have performed some sort of GOTV. They ranged in sophistication from standing at a wet polling place with a stack of soggy palmcards to making direct contact with voters and encouraging them to come out and vote for the Green candidate. We need to adopt the latter strategy and practice it until we can effectively deploy it on a winning scale.

There are a hundreds of variations on a GOTV strategy and thousands of details that be plugged into a micro-targeting analysis. For now, this simple excerpt from the Baltimore Sun explains in the most basic terms the core elements of getting out the vote:

"Rolley, a former city planning director, said his campaign is targeting
'super voters' — those who have voted in both the 2007 city Democratic
primary and the 2010 gubernatorial primary — and has knocked on 45,000
of their doors.

'We're trying to be smart and target those people most likely to vote,'
said Rolley. 'These people are engaged.'

Rolley uses a five-point system to classify voter support, with 'ones'
indicating the most fervent supporters and 'fives' those strongly
opposed to him. On Election Day, campaign workers will phone those most
likely to support Rolley, urge them to vote, and offer them rides to the
polls.

'We have to make sure that they vote, and, most importantly, that they
vote for me,' Rolley said."

Do you think you can help a political party and slate of candidates who back up their grassroots values with a promise to refuse all corporate donations develop an effective GOTV operation in 2015? Please let me know.

Fundraising Friday - The $2,011 Drive Continues

2011-08-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

I recently found the first dollar I ever raised for political purposes - way back in August of 2005. In my sixth year of political organizing my latest fundraising campaign has now raised over a thousand dollars in about a month. I hope by my tenth year I'll be raising a thousand dollars a week. Here is my latest message:

If you are following the Maryland Green Party on Facebook or Twitter you'll see that today has been declared Fundraising Friday, and the party is seeking out supporters to sign up for a monthly contribution to the MGP.

I am personally striving to raise $2,011 in one-time contributions by Labor Day. Last weekend I reported that we were at $620. We will be checking the mailbox tomorrow to see what has officially come in, but I received several pledges by email that pushed our preliminary total close to $1,000! Can you make an online contribution today to try and get us to $2,011 in the next 17 days? If we can bring in just over $50 a day between now and Labor Day, we will easily accomplish this goal. Today is Fundraising Friday - please contribute!

If you have already contributed or can't afford it right now, please forward this message to your friends and ask them for help. Nothing inspires someones to open up their wallet like a friend asking them to.

Thank you for your support!

Debating Youth Rights

2011-07-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am representing the Green Party today at the National Youth Rights Association's annual meeting in College Park. Four political parties are debating their platforms on youth rights. I'm brushing up on the Green Party's stance, which I actually haven't read since the 2010 update to the Green Party platform was approved last year. It looks about like I would have expected. UPDATE: If this article had been out by Saturday, I would have mentioned how the Green Party's values and platform take on every one of these problems.

BTW, I am making sure to take plenty of these. Greens have a lot of great ideas, but too many of them are shared only among ourselves. It is vital to compile lists so we can reach out beyond ourselves and bring new activists, members, or just casual listeners into our circle.

ANOTHER UPDATE: The forum went well, although the Democrat and Republican representatives failed to appear. It was brought up during the forum that this is a trend that third-party activists have noticed. When the organizers of events make it known that minor parties will be allowed to participate, major parties tend to flake out.

The National Youth Rights Association posted a recording of the Q&A session. My responses are at 7:00, 12:30, 16:30, and 21:20.

It Is 2012 Already

2011-07-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Delegate Pat McDonough is considering running for United States Senate or, even worse, Congress in Maryland's Second District. This make me unhappy. My intention is not to use this blog to rail against people I dislike, but to me Delegate McDonough is particularly worthy of criticism. From his insulting campaign materials to the nasty newsletters I received as a former constituent to the time he called the police to have me removed from a campaign rally he invited me to (and lied about it to me directly, which was the worst part), I dislike this man particularly and his politics generally. At this point he says that his decision will be based on the redistricting process and how gerrymandered the 2nd District ends up. My district is already one of the most gerrymandering districts in the country so I can't imagine how it could get much worse.

The thought of being represented by Congressman McDonough is sobering enough to remind me that 2012 is happening now and the best response to announcements like this is not to curse those we dislike but to be busy recruiting, training, and promoting our own candidates. Even though the Green Party's ballot status is once again less than certain for 2012, we should support our attorneys as they work in the courts and support ourselves as we work to run good candidates for Congress in every race in 2012.

Let's not leave a single tool in the box. Contribute to the Green Party, get your friends to join the mailing list, and build an alternative. If you can't sit back and watch others do the work, do it yourself and be creative. Become a candidate, recruit a candidate, start a PAC to make Green candidates compete for your support, and do whatever you do best to create a politically diverse Congress.

$2,011 in the Summer of 2011

2011-07-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am kicking off a self-started summer fundraising drive for the Maryland Green Party. Between today and Labor Day 2011, let's get together and raise $2,011. The parties we are trying to challenge are raising that amount every day, so let's initiate our challenge by setting a goal and meeting it over the next seven weeks.

Please visit www.mdgreens.org/donate and make a contribution today. Start with $20.11 - if you and 99 others can make this commitment we will easily reach our goal. If you can afford more right now, please give what you can.

Next, spread the word by sharing this post on your own blog, on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and by sending an e-mail to your friends. If you're old-fashioned like that, pick up the phone and ask your friends to send a check (ask them to make it out to Maryland Green Party and mail it to P.O. Box 29915, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.

I had three goals for the second year of my chairmanship of the Maryland Green Party - winning back ballot access, doubling the Green Party's fundraising, and doubling our database of contacts. Almost as soon as I blogged about it, the first goal was achieved (pending appeal, of course). Now you can help us accomplish the second goal on my list and help us make huge strides toward being a viable state-wide party.

Can we raise $2,011 dollars before Labor Day? Please contribute today!

Declare Your Independence From Corporate Politics!

2011-07-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

I write the e-mail appeals for the Green Party of the United States. Here is today's effort:

Dear Friends,

235 years ago today, the United States of America declared its independence from a tyrannical government and started the long process of breaking free from dominance of the many by the privileged few. Just over a decade ago, the Green Party of the United States declared its independence from politics ruled by the dominance of a privileged few wealthy corporate donors over many everyday Americans.

The Green Party continues the long process of creating an independent politics and we need your support more than ever. Can you support us with a contribution today?

Last year, we ran over 350 candidates for local, state, and federal office and elected almost 50 of them. We are gathering resources for federal campaigns in 2012 while we are helping promote the fifty candidates who have declared their campaigns so far in 2011. These candidates have all declared their independence from corporate machine politics. We need your time, your skills, and your financial support to help promote our message nation-wide.

In early 2010, our mission of promoting people-powered campaigns was dealt a blow by the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case, which made it legal for corporations to spend unlimited amounts on political advertising. This year, federal courts have expanded that ruling to allow corporations to not only spend on their own ad campaigns, but to make contributions directly to federal candidates.

It has never been tougher to promote the non-corporate, grassroots politics to which the Green Party is dedicated. We need your support now to show that Americans want to declare their independence from corporate politics and support candidates who aren't bought and paid for by the very companies and industries they have been elected to regulate.

Please take a moment from your Independence Day celebrations today and support the Green Party however you can.

Have a happy Fourth of July, and thank you for your support of the Green Party!

My Goals for the Next Year

2011-06-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

Last month I was re-elected to my second term as one of the chairs of the Maryland Green Party. Even though this is the second time I have run uncontested for a position that offers no pay, no perks, and frequent headaches, I take the job very seriously. I believe that in a few years, people will campaign for this position because of the influence, responsibility, and credibility that it will command. I pretend I am a powerful person now so one day the person who takes over for me – or the person who takes over for them, or the person who takes over for them – will wield the power of leading a strong organization.

If I had had to campaign this year, here are a few developments on which I would have built my campaign. I want to continue to pursue these projects to make my job important one day long after my term is up.

In the past year the Maryland Green Party has: Collected 14,905 signatures on our ballot access petition (99.3% of our goal);

Initiated a legal challenge against the state when the majority of those signatures were rejected (Libertarian Party of Maryland and Maryland Green Party v. Maryland State Board of Elections);

Revitalized our moribund online donation processor and began actively promoting a culture of giving to support the party;

Compiled a permanent fundraising/outreach database and initiated two profitable direct mail appeals, and

Built a sustainer program that raises approximately $100 a month.

I think these are strong results for an organization with no staff, no office, no government, foundation or corporate support, and very little professional political experience. But it is not nearly enough. The Green Party needs to start showing exponential improvements in performance if it is to be influential before we run out of fuel, food and resources. I aim to double the Maryland Green Party’s database, returns on fundraising appeals, and sustainer program before the end of my last (for now) term as co-chair ends in the spring of 2012. Stay tuned to this blog for progress reports.