For our second edition of Independent Political Report Radio, I (Ross Levin) will be interviewing Richard Carroll. Carroll was the highest-ranking elected Green in the nation – he is a state representative in Arkansas – until last Friday, when he switched his affiliation to Democrat. More information here. His legislative accomplishments include passing a bill to extent petitioning time for independent candidates and introducing a constitutional amendment to the Arkansas constitution that would allow atheists to hold office.
The show will be this Sunday at 11 AM Eastern, 10 AM Arkansas time. If you have any questions for Carroll you can let me know in the comments or call in at 646-200-0264.
Green Ferret – do you have any questions for him? I’m worried mine won’t fill up 45 minutes.
I don’t agree with the attacks on Carroll or the Greens. It seems that he switched parties because he knew he was #1 on the Democrats’ hit list as long as he had G by his name. The AR Dems said so in plain English. Then the Dems voted down his ballot-access and debate-access laws, making it possible that his party wouldn’t even have a place on the ballot or in the debates when he came up for reelection. I guess he understood that as long as he was Green, the Dems would go out of their way to spite him.
Instead of attacking Carroll, it would make more sense for Greens to keep petitioning him to push for electoral reform. At the very least, they now have an economically progressive Democrat in a state where, by all accounts, the Democrats are actually Republicans.
What specific problems do you have with his voting record? Maybe I could ask him about that.
Yeah Ross, use water boarding if necessary.
Carroll was really never a green, and his voting record isn’t always something the Greens should be proud of. He was, however, a friend of third parties, and may well continue to try to push decent ballot access laws. The Greens in Arkansas aren’t gunning for a revolution, they’re trying to reform the system from the inside. But for that they need to get elected. As the Republicans are just there for show anyway, it seems to me that reform within the Democrat Party is just as good or better than a lone Green in the assembly, especially one who isn’t all that green to begin with.
Switch to a Democrat! Ho-ho! How many times has that been the fate of elected Greens! Too many. I’ll be interested to learn if Mr Carroll did so because he is just a hack, or because he learned what a sham the national GP is. But even if it’s the latter; to become a Democrat. That really speaks poorly of his politics.
Good luck Ross, make him answer your questions!
Your gonna do a kick ass interview i know it!
good luck
It should work out. I know how to do blogtalkradio a lot better now.
Me too…
Great job getting such a high-profile interview. I hope it works out this time.
Good luck with the interview.
Thanks!
Best of luck Ross!