by Debbie Dunbar Ortman and Russell Stewart
The deficiencies of a two-party system funded and dominated by corporate interests have become increasingly clear. From Washington, D.C. to our own city halls, we see the corrosive and corrupting effect of vested, well-funded, and powerful special interests.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, the traditional champion of labor and the environment, has largely abandoned its progressive principles. On health care, it pays little more than lip service to the goal of universal coverage. On global trade, it pursues a radical free market policy that puts workers, farmers, and the environment last. On campaign finance reform, it has not been the champion for serious reform. It stands silently by, while wealth and income reach levels of concentration not seen since the 1920s. In the US Congress, a few voices (such as Minnesota's Paul Wellstone and Wisconsin's Russ Feingold) cry out against the rightward trajectory of American politics, but their voices are drowned in the flood of corporate cash flowing into the two parties' coffers.
We ask ourselves, when will it change? The answer is simple. Change will only come when the people demand it.
In the long run, real political change will only come through an aware and aroused populace acting together on is own behalf. The Democratic Party has at times in the past served as a vehicle for such an aroused citizenry. The Democrats, however, have become so thoroughly dependent upon corporate cash that the prospects for revitalizing the party purely from within appear dim indeed. The resurgent progressive politics that we so desperately need will require a new vehicle. It is for this reason that progressives need to be committed to building the Green Party into a real alternative to the two old parties.
On certain issues, of course, the Democratic and Republican candidates do differ. And certainly, as the last election demonstrated - a vote for Ralph Nader became a vote for the "worse of the two evils" rather than the "lesser of two evils". Nevertheless, the last election showed that a strong third party - the Green Party - could be a catalyst for a new progressive politics in America. It rang out with a message of hope that inspired many (particularly our young people) to demand more of our political system. It sent the old parties a clear message that if they do not begin to free themselves from their corporate taskmasters, millions of Americans stand ready to build something better. Elected officials need to know that their words and deeds are closely watched, as well as they should be in a democracy. Our two major political parties may have served us well in the past but it appears the populace is demanding a change.
Change always carries risks, and yet change is necessary. Does the need for change outweigh the risk? That is a judgment we must each make for ourselves.
The four pillars of the Green Party are Social Justice, Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy and Peace/Nonviolence. With these guiding principles the Green Party will continue its efforts to return our political system back into the hands of the people (not corporate control) at all levels of government - local, county, state, and national. Spurred by the Nader/LaDuke campaign last year, the Green Party now has automatic ballot status in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Greens won record high 35 races in 2000, eclipsing by far the previous high of 21 in 1998. Included among the 35 victories were a record 16 city council seats and 9 county supervisors.
The Green Party will continue to offer an historic opportunity to spark a new politics that will place the interests of workers, small farmers, the environment, and communities ahead of large corporate interests. The Green Party offers an opportunity for Americans to make the connection between politics and what happens in their daily lives. It offers us the opportunity to make far reaches changes in our political system. It is an opportunity that we cannot afford to squander. Debbie Dunbar Ortman was the first Green Party elected official in Minnesota, serving as a Hermantown city councilor from 1993-2000. Russ Stewart is currently a Green Party elected - Duluth city councilor in Minnesota. Both are members of the Duluth Area Green Party and the MN Green Party.
