Q&A With Green Party Chair Dave Chandler

We've got the first in an interesting series of Q&As for you today, beginning with Colorado Green Party Chair Dave Chandler.

On Thursday of this week, the outgoing Chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party, Norm Olsen, will join us; then next Tuesday, Pueblo Chieftain reporter (and Denver Bureau Chief) Charles Ashby will answer your questions about Western Slope and Southern Colorado Politics as he covers the closing days of the 2005 Legislative Session.

This week we're talking third party politics, and to kick things off, we've got Dave Chandler, the Chair of the Colorado Green Party. Mr. Chandler was the Green Party candidate for congress in CD-7 in 2002 and has previously run for the Arvada city council as well. Most recently, Mr. Chandler was a delegate to the 2004 Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee. He lives with his wife and two children in Arvada, where he operates a website called Earthside.

Mr. Chandler will be answering your questions throughout the day, so read through the first 11 questions and then ask your own in the COMMENTS section. We do ask that you follow a couple of quick rules:

1. Please be courteous. You may disagree with Mr. Chandler, but if you can't do so in a respectful way your comments will be removed. Mr. Chandler is gracious enough to take time out of his day to answer your questions, and the least we can all do is be respectful towards him.

2. If you want to discuss something Mr. Chandler has said but do not want to ask another question, please comment in the OPEN THREAD above. We'd like to keep the COMMENTS section in this post reserved for questions and answers to make it easier for everyone to track both.

And now, on with the show...

Dave Chandler, Chair, Colorado Green Party

1. The Colorado Green Party is relatively young – how did it come to exist? How many Colorado Green Party members are there currently?

I have been a member of the Green Party since January 2002, so I’m not completely knowledgeable about the beginnings of the organization in Colorado. But I do know that the Colorado party affiliated with the national Green Party in 1998. That was also the year when state Greens, working with the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, were instrumental in getting the law changed giving improved ballot access for third parties. In 1998, Dean Myerson ran statewide for CU Regent and garnered 41, 000 votes.

In the presidential election year of 2000, the Green Party national convention was held in Denver where Ralph Nader was nominated for president. That November, 17.2% of San Miguel County voters chose Nader, the largest percentage for a county in the nation. In 2000, Art Goodtimes was reelected as a Green Party candidate for Miguel County Commissioner receiving 69% of the vote.

With Bush agitating for war, 2002 was a significant year for the Green Party in Colorado. Pro-peace Green candidates ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Congressional Districts One and Seven. Ken Seaman challenged Diana DeGette, and I vied for the new congressional seat eventually won by Bob Beauprez. That year we also ran Ron Forthofer for governor and Sunny Maynard for Attorney General.

Last year, our Green Party candidate for Jefferson County Commissioner, Tanya Ishikawa, received over 9000 votes. Bob Kinsey was also an important factor in his race against Marilyn Musgrave in the Fourth Congressional District.

I believe that there are about 5000 registered Green Party voters in Colorado today.



2. In a nutshell, what is the Green Party platform? What makes Greens different from far-left Democrats?

The Green Party’s principles are summed up succinctly in our Ten Key Values. They are:

1) Ecological Wisdom: We recognize that the Earth sustains all life. Green ecology understands the common roots of the abuse of nature and people.

2) Social Justice: Greens want to replace the system of poverty and injustice with a world free of oppression based on class, sex, race, age or sexual orientation.

3) Grassroots Democracy: The powerless suffer the most from environmental degradation. Greens believe in direct participation by all people in the decisions that affect their lives.

4) Nonviolence: Greens reject violence as a method for settling disputes: it is shortsighted, morally wrong, and self-defeating.

5) Community-based Economics: A healthy measure of self reliance strengthens democracy and prevents distant power brokers from dominating a community.

6) Decentralization: Power must be restored to local communities within an overall framework of grassroots democracy and socially just values where all participate in decisions.

7) Feminism: Green politics is inspired by feminist values. The ethics of cooperation must replace the values of domination and control over others.

8) Respect for Diversity: We honor the diversity of the Earth, and the cultural, sexual, and spiritual diversity of Earth's people.

9) Personal and Global Responsibility: Greens demonstrate a commitment to justice and global sustainability through political solidarity and personal lifestyles based on sufficiency and living lightly on the Earth.

10) Future Focus: Like the Iroquois, Greens seek a society where the interests of the seventh generation are considered equal to the interests of the present.

What makes the Green Party unique is our total commitment to campaign finance reform. We want to end the legalized bribery that really describes our current system. Our candidates do not take contributions from Political Action Committees and they limit the size of donations they will accept. When you vote for a Green, you vote for the genuine article -- a candidate devoted to principle, not influenced or bought-off by big money from special interests.

3. People probably assume that Boulder is one of the strongholds of the Green Party? Is that true? Where else is the Green Party particularly strong, both in Colorado and throughout the country?

Well, you know what they say about assuming. While there are many dedicated Greens in Boulder, right now the most active local chapters are in Denver and Jefferson County. For example, this past March, Denver and Jeffco Greens together sponsored a public forum on the problems with the CSAP tests. We’ll be sponsoring another forum in June to discuss Peak Oil.

Colorado Greens have ten active chapters throughout the state with Arapahoe Greens expected to become a new group soon.

I was a delegate to the Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee last year and it was clear to me that the party is vital and growing across the country. The latest information I have is that there are at least 221 Greens holding elective office in twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia.

4. What are the most common misperceptions about the Green Party?

The thing I hear most is that the Green Party is just another kind of environmentalist special interest group. But, of course, we are a complete political party with positions on all the important issues of our times.

The other most common misperception about the Green Party is that we are all just a bunch of raving socialists - that is just wrong. I would call your attention to these three Key Values: Grassroots Democracy; Decentralization; and Personal and Global Responsibility. Greens have a deep belief in individual freedom and liberty. Now we do think that people should have the power in a democratic republic to make decisions together to help one another when individuals cannot help themselves. That is why we favor a national health plan that is paid for by a national insurance pool, but delivers care through private providers. Likewise, we also believe that the federal government should keeps its nose out of our private lives, so we oppose the intrusive Big Brother aspects of the Patriot Act, and we support a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her own body.

Interestingly, I often hear the radical Republicans point to Greens and try to paint us as proponents of big government programs and spending. Yet Greens believe in economic responsibility. Our 2004 national platform stated that “We must continue to move  toward reduction of the national debt and compensate for the neglect that the deficits caused.” By contrast, Bush and the spendthrift and reckless Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate have given us the largest federal deficits in the history of the nation. The greater misconception that we want the public to understand is a Congressman like Bob Beauprez -- who talks like a a fiscal “conservative” when he’s back in his district, but who just voted for a budget resolution that will increase the federal debt from $8 TRILLION this year to over $11 TRILLION in 2010!

5. Is Ralph Nader’s “legacy” a hindrance to the Colorado Greens, or does it help in giving people a name and a face to help identify the party with?

Every Green you ask will give you a different political analysis of what Nader’s legacy is for our party. While I was not a Green in 2000 and didn’t support Nader in that election, I think he was instrumental in growing the party and helping to define the very principled positions Greens continue to take on the issues of the day.

Greens still occasionally hear the charge that the Nader vote cost Vice President Gore the election in 2000. My response is that we need to keep our focus on what is really important to the legitimate functioning of the republic. Voting for the candidate you wanted, be it Nader, Bush or Gore, was the right of every citizen in our democracy. Therefore, let’s never forget that the last independent news media tabulation of the Florida vote showed that Gore won that state. We must also never forget that an activist, partisan U.S. Supreme Court stopped the recount and disregarded Article 2, Section 1, and the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, thereby sanctioning Bush’s ascension into office. That extra-constitutional action was unconscionable and haunts the legitimacy of the Bush hold on the presidency to this very day.

6. If Nader had been able to reach the threshold in 2000 that would have given the party federal matching funds, how might that have changed the future of the party?

That’s a pretty big hypothetical to contend with ... and extrapolate into a just past future. (Did you get whatever that means?)

Well, I’ll hypothesize that our 2004 presidential candidate, David Cobb, still would have received our party’s nomination last year. Since Cobb ran a “safe states” campaign, that is he did not actively compete in swing states where Bush could have been defeated, federal matching funds through the Cobb candidacy would have assisted the Green Party is growing and building our organization nationally. Undoubtedly that would have helped the party be better prepared for the 2006 elections.

7. Why is it so difficult for a Green candidate to get elected to an office as high as the state legislature? Realistically, how soon do you think it will be before we see a Green member of the state legislature?

I’m hoping that we will elect our first member to the state legislature next year. Bruce Meyer is contemplating a run for the state house in district four.

Of course, we have to understand that a Green Party with ballot access in Colorado is only a bit over six years old. We’ve experienced our share of growing pains just like any new organization. The other thing is that we’re up against some pretty entrenched opposition. The Democrats and Republicans have had a presence in this state since territorial days. We’re also presenting some new ideas and ways of doing politics and government that are different than the tired, old ways of the big party politicos - it will take some time for our message and our principles to be communicated to the electorate at large. And the other difficulty we face in elections right now is answered in the next question.

8. What are the most difficult hurdles for Green candidates to overcome?

Our dedication to honesty and representing the will of the people is ironically also the biggest hurdle for our candidates to overcome in the course of a campaign. The Republicans and Democrats have become parties that are totally captive to big monied special interests, they’ll always listen first to the folks who brought them to the political dance. In other words, the big parties are raising and spending money like mad to get and stay in office. Green candidates are firmly committed to campaign finance reform, to the idea of returning government back to the control of the people.

GREENS WALK THE WALK. Our candidates will not take contributions, for example, from the real estate developers PACs  or from the Sierra Club’s PAC -- that alone makes us unique and special. Consequently, since we rely on individuals to make small contributions to fund our campaigns, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to raising the necessary amounts of cash that now indisputably dominates American politics. But we believe that over time, citizens will find out about the principles of the Green Party and about our honesty, and we will be rewarded with the trust of the people to reform our political system and restore to all the American people, the founding dreams of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.

9. Who is the most successful Green in Colorado history? Who are your star candidates/elected officials today?

Art Goodtimes is currently our highest elected official in Colorado. He was just reelected in 2004 as a County Commissioner in San Miguel County. Additionally, we have the following Greens who are elected members in these local offices: Jeffrey Bergeron, Breckenridge Town Council; Scott Chaplin, Board of Trustees, Carbondale; Jon Fox-Rubin, Town Council, Basalt; Robert Kelly-Goss, Town Council, Minturn (Eagle County); Wendy Mimiaga, Town Board, Dolores (Cortez); Hillary White, Town Council, Telluride (San Miguel County); Richard Hamilton, Park and Recreation District, Title 32 - Special District, South Park; and Dave Long, City Council, Cortez.

The campaigning for the 2006 elections has started early this cycle, as evidenced by the popularity of and the news on the Colorado Pols web site. Greens are also getting ready for campaigns next year. Bruce Meyer is a potential candidate for Colorado state house in district four (northwest Denver). The chair of the Denver Greens, Rick Van Wie, is exploring a run for Congress challenging Diana DeGette; and I am thinking about running again for Congress in the 7th District.

10. How do you convince people to vote Green when there is a perception that has been created by both Democrats and Republicans that a third-party vote is a wasted vote? In a particularly tight election, where third-party votes might make a real difference, how can you counteract that sentiment?

Americans should always vote according to their own conscience and convictions. I think that more and more there is just too much politics in our politics. I know Republicans who hate the gigantic deficits Bush has run-up, but they voted for him because they wanted their side to win. I know Democrats who have a deep abiding belief in peace, but they voted for candidates who supported the Iraq war resolution because they wanted their side to win. I’ve been involved with politics for a long time, I understand why folks often times decide to vote strategically, and occasionally that is the best thing to do. But it seems to me that in recent years party loyalty is playing too large a role in people’s decisions. We hear it all the time from the pundits in Washington and New York, about how critical it is for the party leaders to appeal to and strengthen “their base.” As a result, the country is becoming more partisan, more divided, and more intolerant of differing viewpoints.

So, I just make a simple argument: You never waste a vote when you vote in what you believe in. If that means that once in awhile a third party candidate makes a difference in an election ... well, that is democracy in action, that is the will of the people. And one never knows when the third party of today will become the winning party in the next election -- just ask Abraham Lincoln about that!

11. Have you tried to recruit Democrat Gwyn Green to your side, or would that just be too confusing for everyone?

“Rep. Green (Green-Golden)” would be very colorful, wouldn’t it?

Do you have a question for Dave Chandler? Click on the COMMENTS link and ask away...

Comments

[poli.hack]

Dave,

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions here at Colorado Pols. I have a two-parter here for you:

It’s understood that the Green Party advocates protection and stewardship of the environment more strongly than most political parties. With this in mind, I have a couple of points I’d like you to clarify with regard to the Colorado Green Party’s official position and your own personal opinion:

1) I’m certain you’re well aware of John Tanton & Alan Kuper’s viewpoints looking to severely restrict immigration policy in the United States - all in the name of the environment. What is the Colorado Green Party’s official position on immigration policy (with regard to environmental protection) and do you see an issue like this one completely dividing Colorado Greens?

2) Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus wrote an essay titled “The Death of Environmentalism” (released at an October 2004 meeting of the Environmental Grantmakers Association). It’s quite controversial and raises some interesting points that have an obvious impact on the future of our nation’s environmental movement.

http://www.thebreakthrough.org/images/Death_of_Environmentalism.pdf

Have you read this essay and what does it have to say about the future of the Green Party in the United States and Colorado in particular?

[cd4]

Question for Dave C: When Green Candidate Bob Kinsey ran in 2004 in Congressional District 4 he got appx. 12000 votes, while Musgrave got 155,000. Does the party see itself continuing to run hopeless long shot campaigns like that one or will it shift to running much more winnnable races at the local level?

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "cd4"

Within the Green Party we often have this same discussion. Do we run candidates for high profile offices, or concentrate on organizing just around local offices? And the conclusion we usually come to is that we have to do both. Running a candidate for governor or Congress can give us make greater media coverage with which we can convey our message and recruit new activists and Green registered voters. At this stage in our development, those high profile races are probably going to be "long shot campaigns". But to run local candidates requires more registered Greens that have experience with local issues. So, what it really amounts to is a "chicken or egg" thing for currently small third parties like the Greens. Of course, it is our goal to run more candidates in more winnable local races and we're beginning to have some success as Art Goodtimes, the Green County Commissioner is Sam Miguel County demonstrates. And last year Tanya Ishikawa ran a respectable race for Jefferson County Commissioner receiving over 9000 votes.

[Ter Ducken]

No question, really. I just think any candidate with the last name "Goodtimes" is destined for success. Who could possibly be against Goodtimes?

[Envy]

Dave,
Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions.
How do you perceive press reports that Republicans want to 'fund' green candidates to undermine Democratic candidates? Is this a myth?
Again, thank you.

[Strider]

Dave,

I am interested to hear more about the Green Party's position on water issues here in Colorado. You may, or may not be aware of the Southern Delivery System that has been proposed for solving water needs of El Paso County. Or the other hot issue of the Animas La Plata Project.

Regardless, the issue of water is shaping up to be THE political battle of the West. How do we protect our environment for fishing, white water rafting etc, while still meeting the needs of municipal and agricultural needs?

[GOPer]

If you had to pick one, do you think a Green candidate or a Libertarian candidate will be elected to a state house seat first? I know what you'd like to see happen, but realistically which do you think will happen first.

Thanks for taking the time.

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "Envy":

I have to chuckle at those rumors. We've heard them before ... we're still waiting for the checks. But seriously, since Greens don't accept PAC contributions, and generally Greens don't take contributions from individuals over $500, there isn't much chance that an attempt to subvert the process would go unnoticed by a Green campaign or by the public.

As they say on one of my favorite television shows: "Myth Busted!"

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "poli.hack":

I am aware of the article "The Death of Environmentalism". However, I haven't read it yet ... I guess I'd better put it up higher on my reading list.

As to immigration, I would first direct you the the national Green Party's 2004 platform statement: http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/socjustice.html#1002510

Furthermore, you might read the above platform position in conjunction with the plank on population: http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/socjustice.html#999604

Tanton and Kuper were behind the attempt by anti-immigration advocates to take over the Sierra Club a couple of years ago ... an effort that failed. In my personal opinion, immigration is an intractable problem on a planet already populated by over 6 billion human beings. It would be most helpful if people agreed to discuss this issue calmly with an eye towards mitigation. What is dangerous is the demagoguery this controversy tends to engender; scapegoating other humans irrespective of their individual circumstances leads to discrimination, hatred and ultimately to violence. The problem, nevertheless, is real and deserves addressing. But I would note that the Republicans are in greater danger of splitting on this issue than Greens. Since Bush has adopted a fairly liberal plan for immigration, he has found himself publically at odds with members of his own party ... like Tom Tancredo.

[Susan B]

You may not have an answer for this, but do you do any sort of calculations or predictions in terms of how many registered Greens you think you would need in Colorado in order to be able to really compete with Rs and Ds? Have you done any sort of projections like that? Thank you

[Ter Ducken]

Okay, I do have a question after all. The Green Party candidates who have been successful like Goodtimes, why do you think they were able to win? Where did he succeed where others failed?

[Ed]

Dave - thanks for taking the time to do this today. When will you make your decision to run for Congress and can you tell us more about your ability to make a difference in that race?

[Kip]

Dave, You speak a lot about commitment to campaign finance reform on a national level, but didn't address Amendment 27 here in Colorado and its effect on state races. Give us your take on Amendment 27 and how it might help/hinder Green candidates.

[Stygius]

Two questions:

(1) What kind of structural (constitutional) changes to government do the Greens support (a) nationally and (b) state-level? And what understanding of democracy and representation inform these positions?

(2) While the Greens desire status as a national party, doesn't it make sense to build a nation-wide party apparatus that can run and win state and local elections first, rather than pissing away finite resources and credibility on Federal-level seats?

[Rebel Dem]

Mr. Chandler:

In 2002 you ran in the 7th CD where Mike Feeley lost by 121 votes to Bob Beauprez. If my memory serves me correctly, you got nearly 2,500 votes. The ultra-conservative Bob Beuprez now has the power of incumbency to either hold onto that seat or use it as a platform to run for governor. Had you not run, do you think that at least 122 of the people who voted for you might have held their noses and voted for Feeley? Do you think the interests of working people and the environment are served by having Beauprez support Bush's reckless agenda 100% of the time rather than a Mike Feeley who might have only supported Bush's agenda 20%?

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "Susan B":

We haven't done any calculations of the kind you refer to ... However, we operate under the theory that voter registration is not going to be the determining factor in winning an election. Tanya Ishikawa received over 9000 votes for Jefferson County Commissioner in 2004 when the Jeffco Greens have an actual voter registration number of under 700 (to the best of my recollection). We will grow and win on the basis of our stand on issues and how we campaign.

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "Ter Ducken":

I think we can gather from past voting history that San Miguel County is chock full of progressive citizens. Art gets re-elected because he does a great job. But, as for all third parties, since party registration numbers are small, party loyalty is not going to be the thing that is going to get Greens elected at this time. Goodtimes takes stands on county issues that his constituency agrees with ... and that is what will eventually get more Greens elected in the future. Besides the fact that Art Goodtimes is a charming, interesting and engaged individual - that helps!

[Phoenix Rising]

Dave - thanks for taking the time to write in today. Here's a question that directly relates to the ability of 3rd-party candidates to win:

Do you view alternate voting systems (instant-runoff voting, Condorcet voting, single transferable voting) as vital to the future of third parties? Are you working with Progressive Dems and others to push for such technologies?

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "Ed" and "Rebel Dem":

Whether or not we could ever know after four years if 121 folks might have cast a ballot differently in 2002, we'll never know. What we do know is that Mike Feeley's support of Bush's war resolution on Iraq was WRONG. The CD 7 race in 2002 is a great example of why it is essential for people to have a genuine choice ... both Beauprez and Feeley supported attacking Iraq -- I presented a clear alternative on THE critical issue of that election. People who wanted to vote their conscious and convictions had that opportunity with my candidacy. Indeed, I suspect if people really did understand then how horrible Bush's war in Iraq would become ... and that Bush was lying about the weapons of mass destruction, I would have won.

I, of course, would argue that Feeley's 'Republican-lite' stand on many issues made the distinctions between he and Mr. Beauprez so minimal that voters decided to choose the real Republican.

I have talked to many Democrats and unaffliateds who consider themselves liberals and progressives. Their biggest concern is that Democrats are still not standing on principle and opposing Bush and the radical Republicans with vigor and determination. Green candidates can and and will do that. And we can do it straightforwardly and honestly because we don't have to be concerned about losing big special interest campaign contributions. In other words, because we do not take PAC money, we don't have to spin the truth to curry favor with big contributors.

I will officially declare my candidacy in the Seventh Congressional District when it becomes clear that voters once again deserve to have a distinct, truly progressive choice in the contest.

By the way, in 2002, I received over 3200 votes, the highest number of the third party candidates.

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "Phoenix Rising":

The national and Colorado Green Parties are strong supporters of Instant Run-off Voting (IRV). In 2004, our presidential candidate, David Cobb, made advocacy for Instant Run-off Voting a major part of his stump speech. And I do know that Denver Greens chair, Rick Van Wie, has been involved with several groups and talked to state legislators about IRV.

Readers who would like to know more about IRV might take a look at: http://www.instantrunoff.com/

[Dave Chandler]

Response to "Strider":

I'll admit that I am not the 'water issues' person in the party. I will forward your question to one or two folks who know much than I do on this subject to hopefully get you a response.

[politcalpredictor]

I think Dave is absolutely correct that Feeley lost to Beauprez in 2002 because he basically did not stand up to Bush on the war in Iraq. Had Feeley been an opponent of the war resolution I doubt Dave Chandler would have received the votes he did. Feeley got bad advice to act like a Marine, when he did not need to prove his service record. Like Strickland's spineless decision to support war, it proced a bad bargain.

[Deanna McLain]

Dear Colorado Green Party,

I am confused on what these ballot issues are saying.
I want to vote a staight pro-environment ticket.
No Republicans.

Would you please advise me on how the Green party
is voting. I have been a member since 1996 and wish
to become more active in our Front Range political
process, action, etc.

Peace,

Deanna McLain

[rebxizdifbo]

I do not

[Mellie]

Now we know who the senbsile one is here. Great post!