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Capital Confidential: Ballot Rules Irk Greens
Albany Times Union 11/27/2006

Rumblings after the Nov. 7 elections indicated the Green Party might try to turn its performance this year into a court battle to overturn an election law that many say is crafted to protect New York's two main political parties. read more . . .

Hawkins Says Anti-War Stance Propels Him to Highest Vote for Green Party Candidate for US Senate in New York To Date

Calls for Lawsuit to Win Green Party a Ballot Line Laments Lack of Discussion of Real Issues in Senate Race

November 7th, 2006

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for US Senate, said today that his anti-war “troops home now” position helped propel him to the highest vote total for a Green Party candidate for US Senator since the Greens began fielding candidates for the position in 1998.

The initial canvass of votes reported Tuesday night had Hawkins at over 50,000 votes, despite the lowest statewide voter turnout in modern history. The previous Green votes for US Senate were 14,785 for Joel Kovel in 1998, 40,991 for Mark Dunau in 2000, and 36,942 for David McReynolds in 2004.

The Green candidate for Attorney General, Rachel Treichler, received well over 50,000, while the Green candidate for Comptroller, Julia Willebrand, received well over 100,000 votes. However, the top of the Green ticket, Malachy McCourt for Governor and Alison Duncan for Lieutenant Governor, were reported be the low 40,000s. It takes 50,000 votes for a party’s gubernatorial ticket to establishes a party’s right to a ballot line for the next four years, according to the New York Election Law.

Hawkins said that Tuesday nights Greens around the state were already talking about filing a lawsuit to win a ballot line based on the fact that three of its statewide candidates passed the 50,000 vote threshold. A lawsuit by the Green Party of Alaska won that party a ballot line in similar circumstances earlier this year. Four years ago, the Green Party of New York won a lawsuit that established the right of members of non-ballot qualified parties that qualified gubernatorial candidates by petition to enroll in those parties for the next four years with boards of elections.

“The Democratic victories on Tuesday were a vote of no confidence in the Bush administration and opposition to the war in Iraq, not a vote for the Democratic alternative, because they didn’t present one. Americans want change in Albany and in Washington. It is time for the victors to pay attention to the American people and bring our troops home. Too often politicians and parties turn a deaf ear to the voters once Election Day is over. We need Clinton, the Democrats, and other victors in this election to remember that the voters want good, secure jobs and quality health care for all Americans, not more tax cuts and corporate welfare for their rich contributors,” stated Hawkins in conceding the race for US Senator to Hillary Clinton.

Hawkins lamented that “the Greens did offer an alternative program but received only token media coverage. The majority of New Yorkers agree with Greens on most issues, from opposing the war in Iraq, supporting single-payer health insurance for all, and supporting massive public investment in renewable energy instead of wars for oil. But these life and death issues were ignored during this campaign. Instead, the media buzz in my race for the US Senate seat was about whether or not Spencer said Clinton had plastic surgery and about her looming presidential run,” observed Hawkins.

“Corporations, especially in the oil, military, finance, and insurance industries, are continuing to centralize their power in America. Elections are now primarily about whether candidates can pony up enough money to get into the game, either by selling their souls to corporate contributors or because of their own wealth. The media is concentrating into fewer and fewer corporate giants, who cover elections as horse races and beauty contests and neglect serious candidates from upstart parties who raise real issues and policy alternatives,” noted Hawkins.

“Many voters told me they were disgusted with all the negative advertising,” Hawkins said. “We saw little more than celebrity endorsements and mudslinging from the major party candidates. A significant part of the problem is that the Democrats and Republicans largely agree about corporate power, economic inequality, regressive taxes, aggressive militarism, and diminished civil liberties. They don’t have real issues to debate. They won’t take positions that might alienate their corporate funders.”

“Voters across America said today that they wanted change. But real change is not on the Democratic agenda. Even Bush has adopted Clinton’s ‘change course in Iraq’ slogan. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean calls for a ‘new strategy in Iraq.’ The operative words are ‘in Iraq.’ Likely House leader Nancy Pelosi has assured voters that impeachment is off the table. Just as Clinton did in 1993, health care reform will primarily end up channeling more money and power to the insurance companies. It’s all about money and power, not about building peace, protecting the environment, and meeting the needs of middle class, working class, and poor people,” added Hawkins.

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An article written by Howie reviewing the campaign for New Politics magazine can be read here.

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate who ran for U.S. Senate on a platform of liberal views, spent his campaign money more efficiently than either Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton or Republican John Spencer, according to campaign documents filed last week.
read more . . .

A big thank you to everyone who mobilized to get out Howie's anti-war message and try to get the Green Party a ballot line for the next four years.

We had people of all backgrounds campaigning passionately for common causes - to bring our troops home now, not in a few years; and to invest in our communities instead of invasions. We rallied for a real renewable energy conversion, and for economic and social programs that would benefit us and not the elite.

Thank you especially to our hard-working and dedicated volunteer coordinators in New York City; Danny Katch, Jerry Kahn and Lidiya Lednyak. To all the tireless Greens and progressives around the state who organized with too little money and too few resources, to the inspired students around the state who participated in Howie's campus tour and organized to get out the vote. To the students, our future green organizers - keep agitating and mobilizing!

Thank you and grateful hugs to our interns, Robin at SUNY Oswego, Reed at Vassar; and Mike, our full-time, multi-talented intern who's already en route back to California. Thanks to former Syracuse University student Joe, who really really wanted to work on Howie's campaign and traveled across the country to work with Howie one last week. A special thank you to our busy website designer and media coordinators, David Doonan and Sander Hicks for volunteering free time they didn't really have to give. And thank you to all the busy Matt Funiciellos out there who helped throw great events for our campaigns-fundraising and speaking events that raised needed cash and created a space for wide-ranging political discussions that's sorely needed in our times.

Thank you to everyone who put their heart and energy into the Green campaigns these hectic past few months. To all the good New Yorkers who gave their time and talents for what they believe in, named and those wishing to remain unnamed. And lastly, a thank you to all the green candidates and the greens behind them who did all they could for them.

Get involved in your local campus or county Green Party chapter, and if there isn't one near you- start one up yourself!

Check back on our website the next few weeks on how to stay involved and for updates, and also check the Green Party of NYS's website, www.gpny.org and Green Party of United States, www.gp.org for Green Party and election updates around the country.

Demand, organize, pressure the Democrats to get out of Iraq now, to cut the funding for occupations, and for no future wars of aggression. With the new balance of power of supposed 'anti-war' but pro-occupation Democrats elected we must make our demands to them now and be ready to give them hell if they seem likely to simply extend the war.

Keep organizing to bring our troops home and to encourage our soldiers to lay down their arms. Keep organizing towards a sane, just, and sustainable future for us regular folks - no matter how long that takes.

It's been an amazing ride - Thank YOU for everything you've done, and keep fighting for real justice and peace!

- Sally Kim, Campaign Manager on behalf of Howie Hawkins for US Senate Campaign

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ABOVE: Green Gubernatorial candidate Malachy McCourt asks, "Is there a difference between misleading and lies?" in response to the Working Families Party's misleading mailer which implies Cindy Sheehan supports both Hillary Clinton and Elliot Spitzer when in fact Sheehan supports the Green candidates, Howie Hawkins and Malachy McCourt.

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Smart Voter Guide | Same Ballot Flier, Leftside: "rest of NY", Rightside: NYC/Albany | Download"Vote ROW F Flyer"

Debate 2 (Thats it!): Sunday, October 22 at 9 am at WABC Studios, sponsored by ~~the League of Women Voters~~, WABC, Buffalo News and Univision. Invited candidates: Hillary Clinton and John Spencer

Flash Slideshow of New York City Protest | Updated 10/25 Photo Gallery with Thumbnails

Thanks to those of you who joined Howie on an early Sunday morning to protest his exclusion from the only 2 US Senatorial Debates!

Thanks to those of you who went to ROCHESTER
to protest Howie's exclusion from the debate!

More photos on Howie's Blog

Cost of the War in Iraq

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Stop The War – Troops Out Now

Howie Hawkins supports ending the war and bringing the troops home now. Hillary Clinton does not.

Hillary Clinton is a war hawk on Iraq and now Iran. She voted for every Bush request for war powers, war funding and the erosion of civil liberties by the so-called Patriot Acts.

9/11 has been used by Bush and Congress to launch wars for oil abroad and reduce freedom at home. Hawkins supports an independent investigation of 9/11 and the impeachment of Bush and Cheney on numerous counts of lying and lawbreaking.

Renewable Energy for Jobs, Peace and the Environment

US military spending will be almost $660 billion in 2007, more than the rest of the world combined. It is a military budget for an offensive global occupation force, not for defending American soil.

Howie Hawkins supports converting $300 billion a year of US military spending to a Global Public Works Program to rewire the planet for renewable energy in 10 years.

Health Care For All

Howie Hawkins supports Medicare for all.
Hillary Clinton does not.

In 1993, Hillary Clinton derailed a movement for national health insurance that had 70% public support. She pushed for compulsory private health insurance, a position she still holds today with her support for the Massachusetts plan of government mandates and subsidies for private health insurance.

Clinton's legacy is the most inefficient and irrational system of health care financing in the world. Private health insurance spends 25-30% of premiums on overhead for paperwork, profits and excessive executive salaries. It leaves 48 million Americans uninsured. The US spends twice as much per person as any other country on health care, yet ranks 37th in health care, according to the World Health Organization.

*Website by David Doonan, Labor Donated to Hawkins for Senate Campaign*