From a Justice Party email blast:
We write today to wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and a happy and prosperous new year!
The Justice Party is celebrating our third anniversary today! And despite rumors to the contrary, the Justice Party is on the way to achieving our goals. Beyond our state party building efforts over the last year, we have formalized a strategic plan. Now we know where we are going and how we plan to get there. Our foundation for growth is built!
The developing political environment is creating a people’s movement. The Justice Party is an urgent necessity to turn movement demands into law and policy.
On Friday, December 5, 2014, five members of the Justice Party National Steering Committee (Co-Chair Jonathan Ruga, Co-Chair Laura Bonham, Lenny Brody, D’Marie Mulattieri and Mackenzie Nellis) met with Justice Party co-founder, Rocky Anderson in Park City, Utah for a three-day working retreat.
We held this retreat to plan the best away to achieve our goal of bringing together diverse people to effectively challenge the two-party system. We mapped out the forward direction of both the Justice Party’s electoral path and how we can help build and expand the movement to unify people across the country.
Encouraged by the three-year objective (2017) to increase membership to 5 million members, the highlights of our strategic plan – which is designed to develop a national infrastructure capable of exponential growth – are as follows:
•Expand the National Steering Committee to 11 qualified members and recruit nationally recognized advisory board members.
•Establish a National Office and hire a full-time Executive Director and assistant by July 2015.
•As membership grows and funds become available, recruit a Development Director, Coordinators for Communications, Field Expansion, Volunteers, Ballot Access and an Alliance Movement Liaison.
•Establish accredited State parties in 40 to 50 states.
•Prepare a definitive budget and fund raising plans to raise funds to cover start-up costs and projected expenses for the next three years.
•Run or endorse a Presidential candidate for 2016. Prepare for a National Convention if the Justice Party decides to run its own Presidential candidate.
•Create an environment for non-Presidential Justice Party candidates to run in 2016 and 2017.
•Define and focus on issues: establish issue teams, build connections between the people’s movement and electoral activity.
•Establish collaborative relationships and rapport with diverse political parties.
The Justice Party’s National Steering Committee looks forward to working with all Justice Party members throughout the country in 2015. May we all, one day soon, enjoy economic, environmental, and social justice.
Happy Holidays,
The Justice Party National Steering Committee: Jonathan Ruga, Laura Bonham, Lenny Brody, Luis Rodriguez, D’Marie Mulattieri, and MacKenzie Nellis
LOL
What, a cheeseburger?
I think there have been attempts at this, but they never worked out very well. Maybe you will succeed where others have failed.
Buddy Roemer does. Anderson, not to my knowledge.
“I’m certainly not very qualified to talk about left-leaning factional politics, given that they might as well speaking a foreign language as far as I’m concerned. But I think your statement here is representative of the problem- talk about ecological crisis and environmentalism is generally on the decline, public concern about those issues are on the decline, and most progressives, social democrats, and outright socialists would rather talk about other issues. Not that they necessarily disagree with the Greens, but they don’t want the topic front and center defining the image of their party, when they’d rather be pushing more old-school “workers unite against the evil capitalists” type issues. Or in short they’d rather be waving a red flag than a green one.”
Agreed, you are probably correct that concern about these issues is on the decline. I would argue this trend is related to media consolidation and the predatory character of much of the US economy, leading to the denialism about the consequences of the energy/war industries that is popular in right-wing circles today. And yes, I don’t think we’ll arrive at sustainable solutions to either ecological crisis or foreign imperialism without ulimately arriving at worker self-management and worker control of industry and government. Still, I can hardly argue that worker liberation is more important, presently, than the ecological crisis or ongoing imperialist wars.
The problem with Social Democratic politics, generally, is that redistributing the profits of the war machine and the energy industry more equitably among the populace in the form of higher minimum wages, better social services and/or universal incomes is not a sustainable solution by itself. It doesn’t “strike at the root” of the problem of imperialism rooted in the drive for capital accumulation. If fact one could argue that an imperialist state does best with a strong middle class and a welfare state, since it can continue to recruit from this middle class for its military machine. Hence the discomfort with the likes of Bernie Sanders and their rhetoric of returning to New Dealism or Great Societyism even though we agree such reforms could be helpful in the short run.
So I think there is a conflict in left radicalism between those with more anarchistic/socialistic ideals who want to strike at the root of problems and social democrats who want more ‘realistic’ reforms to mitigate certain immediate economic/political evils. This conflict hampers the formation of a major third party to the left of the Dems.
Yes, but I mean in Vermont specifically the Progressives seem to have carved out a niche for themselves. Their Lt. Gov nominee this year was actually endorsed by the Democrats. I can see them electing a governor one day. I’m just saying I don’t really see what they get out of being absorbed into the larger Green party movement. Assuming they’re content focusing solely on Vermont anyway.
Just because it’s so rare to see a successful state third party( Minnesota’s seems to have entirely declined) I’d like to see the Progressives go national, and if joining the GP is the way they go about doing that, great. Were I a Green I’d certainly be courting them.
Dave asked, “Isn’t the Vermont Progressive Party more successful than the Greens, relatively speaking? Though to be fair I don’t know if the Greens are active in Vermont.”
The Green Party is by far the largest and most successful left-wing third party nationally. By far. The Vermont Progressive Party is the must successful left-wing third party at the state level, by far, but Vermont is also a tiny state. For example, though Bernie Sanders won his 2012 reelection campaign with about 70% of the vote, that was still only 200,000 people. In 2006 when Jill Stein ran for secretary of the commonwealth in Massachusetts, she earned over 300,000 votes. In 2000, Ralph Nader sought and received the Vermont Progressive Party nomination, and no doubt this contributed to its growth.
I wouldn’t advise us to put any effort towards “taking over” rump minor parties. We kinda-sorta tried that with Americans Elect in Oklahoma, and it didn’t well even though we had the full backing of the OK AE affiliate. And I agree it’s not good to violate the gentleman’s agreement between fellow minor parties.
Rocky Anderson and Buddy Roemer both have some nominal affiliation with Our America though, unless I’m mistaken. Rump parties can do what they want in their death throes, but if after their implosion some of their supporters or financial backers come over the LP, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
@ 4:43pm “I’m surprised that the Green label is not more appealing given the ecological challenges we face and the appearance that ordinary people are moving towards green values.”
I’m certainly not very qualified to talk about left-leaning factional politics, given that they might as well speaking a foreign language as far as I’m concerned. But I think your statement here is representative of the problem- talk about ecological crisis and environmentalism is generally on the decline, public concern about those issues are on the decline, and most progressives, social democrats, and outright socialists would rather talk about other issues. Not that they necessarily disagree with the Greens, but they don’t want the topic front and center defining the image of their party, when they’d rather be pushing more old-school “workers unite against the evil capitalists” type issues. Or in short they’d rather be waving a red flag than a green one.
The Greens have been allowed to grow in part because of the vagueness of their name allowing for people to assume a wider range of views than ever actually existed in the party. But I sense they’ve hit the limit at which the name and perception hinders their broader appeal, even within their target niche of social-justice warrior types. At the same time, they’ll continue to be the elephant in the room of left-leaning third parties, and I think a coalition without them would have trouble taking off. Most of the parties that are doing stronger, specifically seek to be state-level parties and have no aspirations to being a national party. Some of them don’t even run against the Democrats in Congressional/Senate/Presidential races.
“How many candidates did they run in 2014? Zero?”
They attempted to get a candidate on the ballot for mayor of Orlando, but to my knowledge were not successful.
To be fair, most of the nationally-organized minor parties had few or no candidates on the ballot, especially in major races. The only parties to have candidates on the ballot in statewide and/or U.S. House races in multiple states in 2014 were the Democratic Party, Republican Party, Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, and Independent American Party.
The Justice Party hasn’t generated a lot of news worthy of posting on this site, but the national party & state affiliates have active Twitter accounts, and possibly Facebook pages as well (I don’t use Facebook so I don’t know). They are indeed still active, though I believe they’re much tinier than some imagine, thus why some assumed they were inactive.
The goal of 5 million members is beyond unrealistic.
Also, I would advise against Libertarians or others trying to take over the JP. Minor party activists should foster respect, cooperation, and reasoned debate, not hostile takeover.
I would not include the Pirate Party in that list. Some of them are more libertarian. It’s more of a coalition of people who agree about a few specific issues but may not see eye to eye at all about most other issues.
Andy Craig said “Any merger of the Greens and a broader left-of-center coalition, would have to involved the Greens ditching their name for something less environmentalism-centric and more generically left-of-center, like some of those other parties you mention. Which will never happen. And any attempt to put together such a coalition without the Greens, will fail to hit critical mass.”
The Justice Party seems to be trying to appear more centrist than the Greens, but in 2012 there was only 1 noticable point of divergence (Greens support ODS rather than a 2-state solution in Israel/Palestine).
I’m surprised that the Green label is not more appealing given the ecological challenges we face and the appearance that ordinary people are moving towards green values. A big part of the problem is lack of access to mainstream media, as the median voter grows older and gets more and more info from cable news.
The Greens face a difficult challenge. For alot of people the message/platform is too radical, for others not radical enough. We need issues and demands that appeal to the broad electorate but are radical enough to attract youthful organizers. Sadly, much of the youth base we need is alienated from the political process.
Given that the ecological crisis is a major existential crisis (like imperialism), it seems odd to think the Green label holds the Green Party back. On the other hand I have some sympathy for radicals who don’t want to associate with Green parties given the equivocal positioning of certain international green parties on neoliberalism and imperialism.
Dave said “Isn’t the Vermont Progressive Party more successful than the Greens, relatively speaking? Though to be fair I don’t know if the Greens are active in Vermont.”
No, there is no green formation in Vermont. I imagine the Justice Party is trying to emulate the Vermont Progressives to some extent–creating a formation that is closer to a traditional social democratic party than the Greens.
There is certainly merit to using “justice” as a framing device. “Justice” can refer to political justice (jailing the criminal imperialist gang) or economic justice. And “justice” is more relevant to the ordinary person than ideas like ecological sustainability and decentralism.
Conversely, it could be turned into a mockery of the Democrats and Republicans where the exact platform of the D or R front-runner in any race is adopted, with the good-natured addition that the ultimate goal is the total reduction of the U.S. citizen to enslaved tax chattel, as well as plans to kill everyone rather than support them past retirement age. Ie: “If you think about it, it doesn’t make any sense for the sociopaths in government to keep old people around. After all, they’re not producing anything for their masters, so they don’t serve any more purpose for government. I think that a painless opioid euthanasia would be a great solution. Of course, those who had served in government would be exempt, because they’re the ones who have actually lived the lives that the unphilosophical and servile had wished for themselves.”
(I mean, that’s pretty much how bald-faced it is now, and it’s totally compatible with a socialist/populist/shit-for-brains approach to government.)
…It would be great! They could then ask why people were getting mad, since that’s how it is now. Ie: “Who do you work for now?” “OK…and who else?” __ “OK, and who else” until the person gets to or is given the answer “The central bank.” Then, OK, Can you choose not to work for the central bank? No. Can you withhold your support from the central bank, other than by killing or starving yourself? No. Can you vote the central bank out? No, not when both D and R fully support it, and refuse to discuss it. …etc…
Actually, “Justice Macht Frei” might actually force people to think. LOL
*educate
I favor hijacking this monstrosity and actually making it a Libertarian Party 2.0, …what the LP should be. (Voluntaryists who try to educated the public about the courts, while electing people to Sheriff and State Legislature.) That way, the LP will either adapt or die. Right now, the niche is too small, and not preoccupied with restoring Enlightenment-era (liberal, libertarian) governance.
Isn’t the Vermont Progressive Party more successful than the Greens, relatively speaking? Though to be fair I don’t know if the Greens are active in Vermont.
Any merger of the Greens and a broader left-of-center coalition, would have to involved the Greens ditching their name for something less environmentalism-centric and more generically left-of-center, like some of those other parties you mention. Which will never happen. And any attempt to put together such a coalition without the Greens, will fail to hit critical mass.
I honestly thought that the Justice Party had died already.
The Justice Party’s platform is virtually indistinguishable from the Green Party. Rocky and other Justice Party advocates have never satisfactorily explained why they aren’t cooperating more with the Green Party. Of course, they are not alone–there are also the Vermont and Oregon Progressive parties, the After Party, the Pirate Party and the Peace and Freedom party. All quite similar in terms of values and goals. Rocky Anderson would make a good Green candidate (as did his former veep Luis Rodriguez).
If the Green Party is not getting the job done (for whatever reason) then perhaps we should consider a national congress to build a party formation that is also attractive to democratic socialists, left-libertarians and disaffected Democrats
Justice is being served.
I didn’t know it was still a thing. I thought it was just the vehicle for Rocky Anderson’s campaign.
I love how they talk about having 5 million members, from which they hope to be able to find at least eleven people willing to sit on a committee, up from the current five. That’s optimism, I suppose…
I’ll give them credit for *trying* to go through the right motions. But that doesn’t really save them from the fact that their base of support is non-existent.
“Encouraged by the three-year objective (2017) to increase membership to 5 million members.”
Expanding to 5 million members in 36 months? Oh, well as long as they’re remaining realistic. HAHAHAHA.
Seriously, I think the Florida Justice Party has entirely ceased to exist. They don’t even file reports with the state — it appears to have been abandoned.
How many candidates did they run in 2014? Zero?