Crystal Balls for Everyone...A Green risks making predictions before the election of 2006
Gregg Jocoy
January 16, 2007
Many Greens and others outside the mainstream of political or cultural life will complain that access to the media is denied us. The truth is, we don't have enough cash to pay professionals to sell our story to the American people. We must do it ourselves.
This was the case for the conservatives who were out of power for decades. The mainstream ignored, ridiculed and dismissed all things deeply conservative.
Sadly, since then, the conservative movement has sold out to corporate donors and the easy sell of prejudice. Abandoning the core belief of personal responsibility to the Green Party, the Republicans seem ever more inclined to prefer special treatment, so long as they are benefiting. It's the reverse of the question, "Who's ox is being gored?" to the new question, "Who's ox is getting fat?" If Democrats can deliver a fatter ox for the super-rich, the cash will flow their way. The deepest concerns of the conservative movement have been sacrificed on the alter of profit.
Before the conservative movement could establish a hold on policy, they had to reach a broader audience. Instead of moaning about access, they rolled up their sleeves, put their own time, energy, intellect and cash on the table, and self-published works that helped create the underpinnings of the coming conservative movement. Self-published books sold from trunks, radio broadcasts by self-styled conservative personalities and pamphlets published on a shoe string helped create an atmosphere of acceptableness to even the most extreme positions.
Of course, the Green Party represents another attempt to change the direction of politics and society. Like those of our conservative brethren who sought out conservative values like government minding it's own business, government that is lean and efficient, free of corruption, and serving their constitutionally mandated constituents fairly and justly, we Greens must take into our own hands the tools of communication.
With those kinds of things in mind, the York County (SC) Greens submitted a column titled "Crystal Balls for Everyone!" to YC Magazine, and they published it as a part of their monthly political series.
While much of the piece is directed at the York County (SC) community, and therefore of less interest to those elsewhere, I hope it helps show others that they can use creativity and opportunity to get access to both Internet based and print media. Why wait for the mainstream to get on board? Let's pursue Green change now!
Crystal Balls for Everyone!
When you hear political pundits on TV or radio you will often hear them say “I won’t make predictions.” Since I am not a journalist, but a spokesperson for my party instead, I am free to make predictions and will do so here. Guess you’ll just have to trust my promise that these predictions are being written before the election of November 7th.
I predict that John Spratt will be re-elected to Congress, as will every other incumbent Congressman running for re-election in South Carolina. The Governor will be re-elected, almost every incumbent member of the state legislature and county councils across the state will be re-elected. And most of the voters will be unhappy with the outcome no matter if they voted for “winners” or “losers”. Why? Because most of us voted against someone one we didn’t want, not for someone we did want.
When we vote this way we wind up getting the least bad, not the best. The time has come for us to stand up and demand the choice of the best candidates, not the lesser of two evils. Voting for someone because you think the other guy might be worse is not the way to make progress. Instead, it is the sort of thinking that leads to a slow decline of American Values, of our family’s future prosperity, our democratic system, and our very environmental survival. The changes we must make if we are to leave future generations with a sustainable economy, a just society, a non-violent international policy and real democracy will demand uncommon vision. It will also demand a common shared direction and a dedicated group of people working for the good of the nation and it’s people.
You can, and must, provide that vision. The professional politicians will not do it. If they could, they would. The money they are given makes it impossible for them to see the needs of the common people. Instead, they must focus on corporate cash. To replace them will demand that you get involved. You can do this by trying to change the Republican of Democratic parties, something I think is impossible, or by joining forces with others who are willing to pull with you in the same direction to make change happen.
The Green Party is not only dedicated to the sorts of broad principles we have written about before, like community based economics or personal and global responsibility but to other values we might not think of as political, but personal. Values like honesty and openness. Values like hard work and dedication to people and causes. Values like listening and organizing. Values like community and family. These too are Green Values, and American Values. Are these the values of the candidates you voted for? Think about all the accusations, the ill-tempered ads and ask yourself, would you have made a better choice if there had been one to make?
I can also make another prediction. Greens will win. All across America Greens will be elected to office. Some will be re-elected. Some will serve for the first time. And some will not win, but will get their message out to a broad audience. Many will put the party on the map locally for the first time. Many will allow their state to secure or keep access to the ballot. And there will be more votes for Green candidates in York County in 2006 than there were in 2004, in large part due to the exceptional access YC Magazine has offered us.
But most important of all, I can predict that every ballot cast for a Green will be cast FOR the Green nominee, not against another candidate. And that vote is always a winning vote in my book.
This was the case for the conservatives who were out of power for decades. The mainstream ignored, ridiculed and dismissed all things deeply conservative.
Sadly, since then, the conservative movement has sold out to corporate donors and the easy sell of prejudice. Abandoning the core belief of personal responsibility to the Green Party, the Republicans seem ever more inclined to prefer special treatment, so long as they are benefiting. It's the reverse of the question, "Who's ox is being gored?" to the new question, "Who's ox is getting fat?" If Democrats can deliver a fatter ox for the super-rich, the cash will flow their way. The deepest concerns of the conservative movement have been sacrificed on the alter of profit.
Before the conservative movement could establish a hold on policy, they had to reach a broader audience. Instead of moaning about access, they rolled up their sleeves, put their own time, energy, intellect and cash on the table, and self-published works that helped create the underpinnings of the coming conservative movement. Self-published books sold from trunks, radio broadcasts by self-styled conservative personalities and pamphlets published on a shoe string helped create an atmosphere of acceptableness to even the most extreme positions.
Of course, the Green Party represents another attempt to change the direction of politics and society. Like those of our conservative brethren who sought out conservative values like government minding it's own business, government that is lean and efficient, free of corruption, and serving their constitutionally mandated constituents fairly and justly, we Greens must take into our own hands the tools of communication.
With those kinds of things in mind, the York County (SC) Greens submitted a column titled "Crystal Balls for Everyone!" to YC Magazine, and they published it as a part of their monthly political series.
While much of the piece is directed at the York County (SC) community, and therefore of less interest to those elsewhere, I hope it helps show others that they can use creativity and opportunity to get access to both Internet based and print media. Why wait for the mainstream to get on board? Let's pursue Green change now!
Crystal Balls for Everyone!
When you hear political pundits on TV or radio you will often hear them say “I won’t make predictions.” Since I am not a journalist, but a spokesperson for my party instead, I am free to make predictions and will do so here. Guess you’ll just have to trust my promise that these predictions are being written before the election of November 7th.
I predict that John Spratt will be re-elected to Congress, as will every other incumbent Congressman running for re-election in South Carolina. The Governor will be re-elected, almost every incumbent member of the state legislature and county councils across the state will be re-elected. And most of the voters will be unhappy with the outcome no matter if they voted for “winners” or “losers”. Why? Because most of us voted against someone one we didn’t want, not for someone we did want.
When we vote this way we wind up getting the least bad, not the best. The time has come for us to stand up and demand the choice of the best candidates, not the lesser of two evils. Voting for someone because you think the other guy might be worse is not the way to make progress. Instead, it is the sort of thinking that leads to a slow decline of American Values, of our family’s future prosperity, our democratic system, and our very environmental survival. The changes we must make if we are to leave future generations with a sustainable economy, a just society, a non-violent international policy and real democracy will demand uncommon vision. It will also demand a common shared direction and a dedicated group of people working for the good of the nation and it’s people.
You can, and must, provide that vision. The professional politicians will not do it. If they could, they would. The money they are given makes it impossible for them to see the needs of the common people. Instead, they must focus on corporate cash. To replace them will demand that you get involved. You can do this by trying to change the Republican of Democratic parties, something I think is impossible, or by joining forces with others who are willing to pull with you in the same direction to make change happen.
The Green Party is not only dedicated to the sorts of broad principles we have written about before, like community based economics or personal and global responsibility but to other values we might not think of as political, but personal. Values like honesty and openness. Values like hard work and dedication to people and causes. Values like listening and organizing. Values like community and family. These too are Green Values, and American Values. Are these the values of the candidates you voted for? Think about all the accusations, the ill-tempered ads and ask yourself, would you have made a better choice if there had been one to make?
I can also make another prediction. Greens will win. All across America Greens will be elected to office. Some will be re-elected. Some will serve for the first time. And some will not win, but will get their message out to a broad audience. Many will put the party on the map locally for the first time. Many will allow their state to secure or keep access to the ballot. And there will be more votes for Green candidates in York County in 2006 than there were in 2004, in large part due to the exceptional access YC Magazine has offered us.
But most important of all, I can predict that every ballot cast for a Green will be cast FOR the Green nominee, not against another candidate. And that vote is always a winning vote in my book.
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