Posted by Ronald Hardy at Green Party Watch:
Matt Reichel, who ran on the Green Party line in the Special Election to fill Rahm’s seat in Congress earlier this Spring, is one of the first declared Green Party candidates for US House in 2010 and has hit the ground running.
As reported here two weeks ago, Matt Reichel declared his intention to run for the Chicago area 5th Congressional District seat just before the Illinois Green Party State meeting.
“We were promised change we could believe in, and instead have gotten short changed. All the hope in the world isn’t going to bring Americans the peace and justice they so deserve and have so stridently demanded, not while we are stuck with the same two parties of Empire and Wall Street.”
On Sunday August 2, Matt Reichel and Green Party Gubernatorial Candidate Rich Whitney will share the stage with US Congressman Dennis Kucinich at a Single Payer Health Care Speak-out in Aurora, Illinois:
Green Gubernatorial Candidate Rich Whitney and I will warm up the stage for one of the few principled advocates for single-payer health care in the United States Congress. This will be an excellent opportunity to gain exposure and build momentum for Green candidates across the state. If the majority of Democrats are going to insist on leaving single-payer “off the table,” then the Greens will gladly take the votes of the strong majority of Americans who favor a public health care system.
The following Monday August 3 will be the first meeting of the Reichel for Congress Campaign Committee:
Primary orders of business will be organizing the petition drive and raising money.
Speaking of which, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the campaign thus far. We are off to a running start, though we need to keep this momentum going.
My goal is to have $10,000 in the bank by New Years’ Day. In order to accomplish this, we are going to have to raise a little from everybody.
Please help us keep the heat on Quigley and the Democrats by visiting www.mattreichel.us and clicking “Donate,” or by sending a check to:
Elect Matt Reichel to Congress
1726 W. Carmen
Chicago, IL 60640
This race has a lot of potential. This is a progressive district controlled by Democrats with virtually no Republican organization at all. The Democrat, Quigley, is not standing up to support the values of the voters: Single payer health care, ending the war, and re-investing in our neighborhoods and communities. Reichel is fresh from campaigning for this seat on short notice with little campaign support this last spring, and with a full 15 months he could have a much bigger impact. If you are in the Chicago area please consider volunteering with the Reichel for Congress campaign. If you are anywhere else, please consider contributing $10, $20, $50 or more to the campaign. This will certainly be one of the key races to watch in 2010.
True. Arkansas is another example.
I’m a Green, and I’m inclined to agree with Paulie. The Libertarians are probably better organized than we are overall, but there are exceptions such as DC, IL, and ME.
Quigley voted to continue the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to fund the IMF to the tune of $5 billion. He is a pro-war, neoliberal Democrat. Reichel is an anti-war, anti-imperialist Green. There’s a big difference already, and I haven’t even looked into Quigley’s record that much.
Robert – Reichel has invited Campaign for Liberty supporters to join him, and he has vocally opposed the bailouts and the government’s crackdown on civil liberties. If you want to help him, I’m sure he’d welcome your support.
By most measures, no.
I think that if the third parties want to get anywhere, they all need to run for lower offices like congress, the state legislature, city council, etc.
I really hope Reichel wins or atleast does good. He’s certainly on the right track here.
Is it just me, or does the Green Party seem like it has it’s act together better than the Libertarian Party?
Jeremy, you are getting there.
I don’t exactly agree with you Robert, but one thing that’s true about this district is that it’s very, very Democratic. Which means that people voting for Reichel don’t have to worry that they’ll throw the election to the Republican; in fact, Reichel might easily beat the Republican if they run someone as idiotic as their candidate last time.
I think if I were Reichel, this is what I would say: “If Washington were filled with people like Mike Quigley, it would be a pretty good place. But the problem is that it’s filled with people like Steny Hoyer and John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi who don’t have your best interests at heart, and Mike Quigley, who’s a decent guy, doesn’t have the guts to fight them. If you send me to Washington, I will do what Quigley will not: I will demand progressive legislation come to the floor, and I’ll have the balls to vote against Democratic bills when the leadership doesn’t comply with my demands. Furthermore, a vote for me is a vote to build a national progressive party that will force the Democrats to pay attention to progressives lest more of them lose seats to Greens like me.”
Matt Reichel, the best reason for a progressive to vote green instead of democrat is that the green might win. So, announce and PUBLICIZE that you support the Progressive Libertarian Alliance Strategy. Do some before & after polling. You should be able to get a lot of the dem vote from Quigley and rep vote from the rep.
I really like Reichel — he’s a VERY impressive speaker. However, he needs to find a way of differentiating himself from Quigley, who by all accounts is a very progressive and reform-minded individual. In their televised debate in the special election, Reichel really seemed to have a hard time explaining why he was a better candidate than Quigley even though they agreed on most issues. There ARE reasons for a progressive to vote Green instead of even the best Democrat, but Reichel needs to explain those reasons more effectively.