The Green Party of the United States Essay
The Green Party of the United States, which resulted directly from the conversion of smaller state parties, was formed in 2001 according to the official Green Party website. However, according to Politics1, the party was formed in 1996 when it ran its first presidential nominee Ralph Nader.
The Green Party, which was composed of about 305,000 members in 2005 according to Wikipedia, is headed by The Green National Committee in which delegates are sent to from their respective state parties or documented caucuses.The Federal Election Commission recognizes a second committee called is the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee that acts to elect representatives to the senate. The recognized caucuses include, but are not limited to, the Black Caucus, Lavender Greens, and Women’s Caucus. Elected from the delegates that serve on the GNC, the Steering Committee is composed of seven members that direct the general operation of the party. Domestic PolicyThe Green Party appeals to environmentalists, or those who are concerned with or support protection of the environment by the government, because they want to enforce the safe disposal or neutralization of all toxic substances.
Because of this same policy and the industrial tax on pollution they wish to implement, the Green Party of the United States also receives much support from liberals because of their general support for the business regulation that is necessary in the defense of the environment.Since they want to reduce greenhouse emissions, the Green Party is also against all future oil drilling and supports renewable energy resources such as solar power. In concern with discrimination in the United States, the party aspires to eliminate the male dominance in society, provide equality across all races, and allow undocumented immigrants naturalize. The Green Party strongly advocates the legalization of abortion in all cases because they believe it falls under the category of the woman’s right to control their body. Additionally, they support the coverage of these procedures under the national health care system.Interestingly, they reject the Electoral College system, support caps on campaign spending, wish to implement Instant Runoff Voting in all state and federal elections, and want to restrict guns even by police officers. In battle of economic hardship, they desire to implement a living wage, or a wage that is high enough to maintain a usual standard of living.
International Policy The Green Party of the United States supports “self-determination” for those in Pakistan and Israel, fighting the abridgement of human rights by totalitarian rulers, ending foreign aid to Israel, and promoting social and economic fairness in all foreign countries.In their trade policy, the party objects agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, wants to repeal the Patriot Act, wishes destroy the possibility of chemical warfare, and desires to cut defense spending by half. The Successes, Failures, and Candidates of the Green Party The Green Party of the United States has been one of the more successful organizations in relation to the other third parties. The party is the fourth largest party in the United States in terms of membership and has successively established state affiliate parties in all fifty states.The Green Party has also been able to put up candidates in all of the presidential elections since its existence: Nader ran in 1996, was on the ballot in 22 states, and earned 700,000 votes; Nader ran again in 2000, was on the ballot in 44 states, and earned 2,878,000 votes; Cobb ran in 2004, was on the ballot in 29 states, and earned120,000 votes; McKinney ran in 2008, was on the ballot in 32 states, and earned 161,000 votes; and Jill Stein ran in 2012 capturing 400,000 votes.However, the Green Party of the United States has struggled with actually electing candidates into office. In 2012, they did not have a single candidate in the House of Representatives, in the Senate, or acting as governor.
In total, they only have approximately 135 elected officials in any office as of 2012. Although most of these office holdings are on the municipal level, Green Party candidates have been elected as high as state legislatures four times.A notable failure of the party was during the 2004 election when Green Party candidate David Cobb decided to only attempt to gain votes in states that would not compromise the Democratic candidate.
In essence, this weakened the message of Cobb and prevented him from campaigning in swing states. Why Hasn’t the Green Party Been More Successful to Date? In my opinion, the Green Party of the United States hasn’t been more successful to date because of their extremist platforms.For example, in an economy when gas prices are on the rise most people do not find eliminating offshore drilling appealing because of the rise in gas prices that would result.
But, the Green Party supports exactly that. Another example would be the legalization of abortion in all cases. With the exception of the most liberal citizens, most people settle for a more moderate standpoint on this issue such as abortion only in the case of rape, incest, or deadly harm to the mother. Additionally, name recognition is a whole another issue.During the past election I can’t recall ever hearing Jill Stein’s name once.
How is a candidate supposed to win if no one knows who they are? In even a more general sense, the factor of party identification on voting is still too high; however, the trend towards more independently registered voters is occurring. Services Some of the services the Green Party of the United States offers is an online store in which you can purchase Green Party merchandise, many social networking pages such as Facebook and Twitter, and a “Newscenter” that organizes all the parties news.
