from Green Party Watch
Democrats playing dirty tricks in Illinois
by Gregg Jocoy / November 12, 2009
In two stories at Ballot Access News, Richard Winger covers efforts by Democrats in Illinois to run against Tom Tressler in the Green Party primary in Tressler’s bid to win the nomination for President of the Cook County Board, and to keep Green Bill Scheurer from running for Congress on the Green Party line.
In the Tom Tressler case, a person listed as a leader of the Young Democrats has filled out paperwork to run in the Green Party primary against Tressler. When Illinois Greens attempted to contact the Democrat they got no response. Ballot Access News links to this NBC News story about the situation.
In the Bill Scheurer case, the Democratic Party is simply taking the low road by challenging his petitions to appear on the ballot in the Green Party primary. Because the Democratic dominated state legislature has ended a policy of long standing that allows party officials to nominate candidates in races where no candidate filed to run in the primary, a system called “slating”, the Illinois Greens will have no candidate in that congressional race should the petition challenge succeed.
The Democratic Party pulled this same sort of anti-democratic stunt a few years back when they advised Scheurer to hire a ballot access team that planned to sabotage his petitioning effort. Scheurer sued in that case. The current effort to keep him off the ballot is covered at the Daily Herald.
@26:
Two possibilities here:
1. Sean Burke is a young Democrat who saw the Green Party as a better fit for him politically, and decided to jump into the primary for Cook County Board President.
2. Sean Burke is a young Democrat who decided to slip into a contested Green primary so the Democratic machine could register enough people as Green before the primary to remove a well-known Green challenger from the competition.
Let’s examine #1. Why didn’t Burke get in touch with the Green Party, or return their calls when they found out about him? Collecting enough signatures to get on the primary ballot is no small task – Tresser had 75 volunteers working on it. Apparently Burke had enough help without the Greens even knowing of his existence.
The last time I heard about an instance like this, it was when five ‘mystery Greens’ appeared in select races in Florida. Most were young former Republicans and didn’t return calls from the Green Party. At least one had apparently taken a loan from a Republican party official to pay the filing fee.
We can be naive and pretend that no one wants to sabotage the Green Party. Or we can be wise to our own history, and the history of the Cook County Democratic Party.
Kimberley and All
@27
Minnesota
Getting a litle cold, with forcasts of rain, possibly turning to sleet later in th evening.
//:-D>——-
Interesting news in New York. What are your thoughts on the Healthcare Bill debacle?
@22
Cool, do we get a special card in this “Crazy losers” club?
Morgan Brykein, what wackos? You mean defacto members of The Crazy Losers Club?
They obviously consider third party candidates a threat. Despite how much they work to discredit those “wackos.”
Kind of windy and a little drizzly in NY.
I know it is not third party news…but the Nassau County Executive race is pretty interesting to watch. Tom Suozzi is a conservative-type Democrat incumbent. He was thought very safe. But, a no-name Republican challenger may win this won. There is a recount, and news about it is getting lots of hits on my blog. (I am nearly sure the Republican will win. Lots of absentee ballots, and Nassau is very Republican.)
Much about nothing.
More Green Party candidates = good thing.
Less paranoia also good..
Since the vast majority of third party/independent candidates will almost certainly lose by a LOT, the argument could be made that any/all discussion of third party/independent politics is innane jibberish bullshit & a waste of all of our time. Yet here we are…
tiradefaction, are you going to Massachusetts in January or are you like most others here, armchair innane jibberishers & wasters of all of our time?///This addendum is for you, K.W., why don’t you give tiradefaction who claims to be new here a break & be allowed to ask a few innane jibberish questions & waste all of our time?
Kimberly wilder, @20, is that to say your “professional” blog about third party politics is not innane jibberish & a waste of all our time?
tiradefaction, no. Robert Milnes is a troll UNLIKE Don Lake. by the way, if you are here, you have joined The Crazy Losers Club.
Prove me wrong ………….
Wow. Is this progress? Now, different people are wasting all our time with inane jibberish.
😉
Sorry. Just didn’t see his name on the recent comments thing.
Is “Don Lake” a crazy troll like Robert Milnes?
Do forgive my ignorance, I am new here.
tiredefaction__your assessment is right on the money
Correction : assuming the comment was focused at me*
@14 (assuming the content was focused on me, if not, ignore this post)
Seriously though, what is he talking about? It just seemed like bizarre bullshit jibberish to me…or am I missing something?
hahahahahaha
@11
What the fuck are you talking about?
Are you high?
Third Party Revolution // Nov 12, 2009 at 8:14 pm
“And speaking of Greens, where has Robert Milnes been recently?”
Duh! [Lake: Geez you sure are impatient, at least on the small stuff ………]
Robert Milnes // Nov 12, 2009 at 12:40 pm
“The democrats are not complete fools….”
Lake: “again, about eight hours previous on the same day”
“Robert Milnes // Nov 12, 2009 at 12:40 pm”
Your NON NAME!
Symbols, icons, words are important!
It is Citizens For A Better Veterans Home
not
Citizens To Close the Vets Home.
It is Kill the New Ruskin Fence
not
Destroy all campus barriers ……….
Duh! Just because you [and Lib Grrl ????] can not see the value does not mean it does not exist!
Say hello to the singer whom used to be known as Prince …………
And speaking of Greens, where has Robert Milnes been recently?
@8
I’m not sure why you’re copying a dictionary result for my name?
tiradefaction
– no dictionary results
No results found for tiradefaction :
One who knows – they’re not playing both sides of the challenge process. One the one hand, they want to be a serious party and run candidates on their ballot line. On the other hand, the Democratic Party is trying to disrupt their ability to do this by putting someone on the ballot who clearly is not interested in the Green Party – or, I should say, is only interested in disrupting the Green Party.
I was once accused by a self righteous ‘neutral’ [read pro GOP] Texas [so called] reformer [Sandra Madison of Fort Worthless] being a Democratic Party pawn for supporting a reform minded Dem.
In general, I have HATED the Dems since JFK’s lousy performance in the televised debates of 1960 [no winners there on either side]. They, LBJ, RFK, MisGovern, Carter, Teddy should, in general, be ashamed of their lives!
If hypocrisy were illegal, then the Democratic Party would be shut down immediately.
I would have sympathy if the Illinois Green Party would accept help when it is offered.
Not to mention, they’re playing both sides of the challenge process…
Wow, the democrats complete contempt for democracy is rather astounding.
The democrats are not complete fools. They know a lot of the democratic vote is actually leftist/progressive. this vote would go to the Green except for the lesser of 2 evils/wasted vote phenomenon. so they persecute the Greens. But what they don’t seem to realize is that the GP is no threat to them. They can’t win because they only have access to 27% of the vote. Now if the Greens would ask the Libertarians for their 13%…..Oh wait. Never mind.
Damn those obstinant Greens. Damn them.
This sounds exactly like what the anti-democratic Democratic Party did to Ralph Nader all over the country. Especially noted in Pennsylvania in the last election.
Perhaps the Illinois Green party should reach out a hand in friendship and solidarity to the Nader campaign. After all Teresa Demato, Nader’s campaign manager lives in Illinois.
Oh wait, never mind.
Damn those destructo-Greens and their support of Nader, transparency and grassroots democracy.
damn them.