Joe as a Green Party Candidate
In the Summer of 2007, Joe vied for the Green Party presidential nomination -- but it was short lived.
Listen to the story here:
Green Party General Assembly Talk, 2007
“I’m running as a concerned parent. ‘…and yes, we have some tomatoes!”’
*Joe’s talk to the general assembly at the Green Party’s Annual Convention in Reading, PA, in the summer of 2007. Each candidate vying for the Green Party presidential nomination was given about five minutes to talk.
Green Party Presidential Candidate Press Conference, 2007, below
“…I’ve never heard anyone hit as many home runs.” --Scott McClarty, Green Party National Media Coordinator, to Joe after the press conference.
Green Party Presidential Candidate Press Conference at the Green Party’s Annual Convention in Reading, PA, summer 2007. Six people vying for the GP nomination, including Joe, participated in the press conference.
This was the 2007 Green Party Presidential Debate at their National Conference. Joe appears at: 12:50; 26:50; 37:27 and 49:15.
*Note: This article, written during the 2007 convention, mentions our opposition to abortion. In fairness, it's been our experience a majority of Green Party members are pro-choice. So in this particular case, while it holds true that we believe in a lot of what the Green Party is about (ecological wisdom, social justice and equal opportunity, respect for diversity...), the headline in this particular article is somewhat misleading in regard to us, across the board, matching up with the party.
Presidential Candidate Debate, Alfred University, 2011
“…and I’m concerned about an environment on the total brink of disaster.” --Joe
In the summer of 2011, At Alfred University in New York, Joe participated in a debate with two Green Party members who were vying for the GP nomination at the time. This was during the Green Party’s Annual Convention that year.
[Joe, at the time, was running as an independent. Although the moderator, initially, makes a mistake about that.]
Joe's Campaign 2012
Green Party Presidential Candidate
Exploratory Committee Questionaire Answers
*A must read for "rank and file" GP members
For subsequent Green Party National Conventions in 2009 and 2011, we put together a flyer to pass on to the 'party faithful.' We make the argument that I represent: "A Winning Shade of Green." I explained that I would be considered somewhat of a "conservative green," because of my pro-life stance. However, in line with the Green Party in other areas, I look at poverty, global warming, the death penalty, nuclear proliferation... as 'pro-life issues' as well. That is, our "Consistent Life Ethic" sets us against anything that can end life prematurely. What's more, because of all this, people will cross all kinds of lines to vote for us. As they will also cross all kinds of lines to vote for this "average family" from Ohio -- who are not tied to D.C. gridlock, and such.
For the Green Party conventions, we decided to go, not with your basic “power” black brief case; but rather with your over-the-shoulder, definitely much more ‘Sierra Club looking,’ bag. Complete, of course, with sort of a ‘60s button arrangement. Incidentally, and joking aside, our campaign stands for each thing those lower three buttons are advertising.
At the Green Party Conventions we had display tables for the campaign. Some of the things displayed on the board included a series of articles about us that showed we did, in fact, align with a good number of the Party’s “key values.” Below are some of the articles.
Sustainability
One of the key values is: Future Focus and Sustainability. Part of this means: Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of, or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. …future generations will inherit the results of our actions.
*The Star Beacon newspaper in Ashtabula, Ohio, was looking for subjects who were displaying various aspects of living sustainably (and frugally). They chose our family for their “Sustainability in the City” piece. At the time, we were living in a hardscrabble area of Cleveland. See below.
Ecological Wisdom
Another Green Party key value is “ecological wisdom.” Part of their literature on this reads: Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet…
We are very much in line with this. And as an example, we believe our gluttonous use of fossil fuels in this country is almost off the charts – beginning with our tremendously excessive driving patterns. In response to all this, our family bicycles a good deal of the time in our community. What’s more, we’ve done several long-distance campaign bicycle tours trying to bring much needed attention to this issue. Our last bicycle tour was an End Global Warming Bicycle Tour through Ohio. One of our stops was Mt. Vernon, Ohio, where the Mt. Vernon News did a story about the tour and our beliefs.
Non-Violence
Another Green Party “key value” is: non-violence. GP literature notes: “It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naïve about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.”
We have traveled the country extensively talking with a wide variety of “peace activists.” And our administration would propose a U.S. Department of Peace to be extremely proactive in building peace in the country, and around the world. This would revolve, in a big part, in promoting much more social justice for all. “No Justice. No Peace.” However, our administration would maintain some level of military to be able to respond to, say, a genocide specific situation or a “Just War” in general. [See the link to our military stance in regard to the criteria for a Just War.] --Joe
Pax Christi, which is the official international Catholic Peace Movement, lobbies for things like social justice, non-violent social activism, and such. One of the chapters of Pax Christi USA in Cleveland, sponsored a talk by the “American Ghandi” to St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. And one of the Pax Christi members, Tim Musser, asked me to interview the speaker for a St. Ignatius Alumni Magazine. The following is the article…
Pax Christi USA has over 400 local groups throughout the United States, over 100 bishop members, 700 parish sponsors, 600 religious communities, and 50 college and high school chapters.
"What if they let the weapons inspectors into Montana?" [asked Joe] --ABC News, Toledo, Ohio (At the time of the interview, Joe was participating in a protest march in Findlay, Ohio, just prior to the start of the Iraq War.)
