The co-founder of the group No Games Chicago, which advocated (successfully) against holding the 2016 Olympics in Chicago, has announced that he is running for Cook County Board president. Tom Tresser is running as a Green. If another candidate enters the race with the Green Party, there will be a primary on February 2nd.
Laura Heller of True/Slant describes Cook County, which has over five million residents and contains Chicago, politics:
For anyone unfamiliar with Cook County politics, I’ll repeat that. John Stroger suffered a stroke and managed to win the democratic nomination for Cook County Board president without ever leaving his hospital room or speaking publicly to even prove he was conscious. Once nominated, his name stayed on the ballot until it was too late for independent candidates to file the paperwork necessary to run. Todd was then chosen to replace his father as the candidate by County Democratic Committee leaders. He won the general election, took his father’s place and presided over the Cook County Board.
No need to go too deep into the list of Stroger’s decisions, but the double digit sales tax and refusal to reverse it is certainly a highlight. Tresser has long battled the powers that be to keep politicians away from public property like the parks.
Tresser said of his run:
“After almost 30 years of active civic life in this great city, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m tired of chasing bad policy and trying to stop projects that rip up parks, loot our treasury and reward the connected few,” Tresser said. “I would like to help make good policy and be part of a small and honest government – rather than rail against wrongheaded policy and the litany of public corruption that has become Chicago’s and Cook County’s unofficial theme song.”
And his opponents will be:
Among the Democrats, County Board President Todd Stroger is running for a second term. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Chicago Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, and Cook County Water Reclamation District President Terry O’Brien, are also running for the Democratic nomination for County Board President.
Former Illinois State Sen. Roger Keats and Chicago police lieutenant and attorney John Garrido are running on the Republican ticket.
Lots of third party and independent candidates win, but you just gloss over that fact because it’s inconvenient to your idea.
I’ll be chuckling to myself on Tuesday evening November 3 when I see that all the Third Party/Independents have lost. & I will tell you “I told you so.”
I’m familiar with crazies talking to themselves, but blogging to yourself?!?!?! You’re a nut job Milnes.
How about one comment per reason? Really troll the hell out of this thread! Ha, Ha!
i have several reasons. How would you prefer I state them?
Why do you lionize TR as your ideal progressive anyway? Just because when he turned against his old party, he called his new party progressive and used a bull moose as the logo? He was a racist and belligerent imperialist, bordering on white supremacist. He did some good things, and he did some bad things. Why do Americans try to turn all our presidents into heroes?
The compromise(on healthcare) is what TR would have done.
Well Robert, I doubt the LP and GP are going to get together on a Presidential ticket. Not because they like to fight, or bicker, or can’t get organized. But because they have SERIOUS ideological differences. You’ve recently posted on the single-payer health care topic. That’s a good example. Greens and Libertarians see exactly the opposite on this issue. Greens want corporations out and government in, Libertarians want the exact opposite. That’s why we’re not trying the PLAS.
Dave Schwab, I didn’tdiscern from the article that getting Tresser on the ballot was the topic or that there was any problem or urgency about it. I tried to pursue what I thought was the topic following trent’s lead as to various cities & you mentioning Baltimore. If there is such a problem then the GP making headway into various cities is not an inevitible lock then is it? & what if i may ask was so important about NOT having the Olympics in Chicago. It’s not like that would mean they wouldn’t be held somewhere else.///anonymous, very good quick reply. I meant to say national election cycle. The LP & GP just have to try it.- But atthe end you misse the concept that the progressive vote is a near constant of about 40% in regional areas. Sure there are pockets of mostly dem or rep or even progressive, but 40 is an average constant.///Dave, why do you again exaggerate and say everybody refutes the plas? Just because you do? Maxx39, mine too. It was awful. But what does that have to do with anything other than being off topic too?
Years ago, my mother decided to make beef tongue for dinner. ,
I guess everyone refutes the progressive-libertarian strategy once before realizing that it’s like yelling at the TV when Regis is talking. And once again, we’re off topic.
So how about that Green candidate running for county board president in Cook County, stronghold of the most famously corrupt political machine in modern America? He only has a couple of weeks to gather enough signatures to get on the ballot, and he will almost certainly be challenged. I urge anyone in the Chicago area who wants to see the Daley machine challenged to support this effort. Even if you’re not Green, just getting Tresser on the ballot would strike a blow for democracy.
“The only fair try is to actually try it in an election cycle.”
What does this mean? Kevin Zeese was endorsed by the Green Party, Maryland Populist Party, and Libertarian Party. He ran an organized campaign “in an election cycle.” And he got less than 2%.
Why? It was a close election that year between a sitting U.S. Congressman and Michael Steele, the Lt. Governor who would later go on to be named Chair of the RNC. Republicans came out in force behind a well-funded candidate, and progressives who might have otherwise voted for the minor-party candidates did what they thought they had to do to stop the Republican. And they roughly split the vote with a few percent in the middle.
The biggest flaw in the PLAS – other than the fact that progressives and Libertarians are on the opposite side of 80% of the issues – is that there is no place in America where progressive non-Democrats and Libertarians make up at least 34% of the registered voters. There’s nowhere where they make up 25%, 15%, or 10% of the registered voters.
The strategy sounds statistically dubious, is all I’m saying.
anonymous@13, sorry, I have no examples. The closest to the best of my knowledge is the Zeese campaign in MD recently. Endorsed by both LP & GP. But that is not a fair try. The only fair try is to actually try it in an election cycle.
& let’s face it, Baltimore can be included in the greater ne USA despite the Mason-Dixon line. Virginia is even “purple” battleground state now.
All the cities mentioned are in the ne , upper midwest and/or west coast usa. Again-it is well known that progressives do best there. But best is still very little. Perhaps a few big City council seats. & Trent is probably right it is because the republicans are losing some of their support in these geographic areas. But it is still a dem/rep national duopoly. & it will continue to be.
And Baltimore. In 2007, during the last City Council election, the two Green candidates got more total votes than the seven Republican candidates. Baltimore Greens are already working to make sure we have more candidates in the 2011 City Council race.
We here at Third Party Revolution endorse Tom Tresser in his campaign for Cook County Board President, along with many other third party and independent candidates seeking public offices nationwide, ranging from local to federal levels.
Robert, you never responded to Catholic Trostkyist’s Fringe Alliance strategy, which includes the Constitution Party in laliance with the PLAS, as well as Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul supporters, mdoderate independents, the socialist parties, and traditional monarchist real conservatives like me. The losergreenians and losertarians are already giving up a lot when they work with each other, which is why they won’t agree to the PLAS, so make everybody give up even more. As you have said, it is more a paradigm shift than a policy change. Even if I want the paradigm to shift to more establishment authoritarianism.
Don’t forget San Francisco and Minneapolis.
NYC may soon be on the list of cities where the Greens are the opposition, despite New York’s recent history of Republican and Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent-turned-Republican mayors. The Republican candidate for comptroller raised less money than the Rent Is Too Damn High Party’s candidate. When Repubs can’t raise money in the financial capital of the world, it’s time to give up and find a new city to screw up.
Dave,
Agreed. This post was quite interesting. D.C., Chicago, etc have become Green strongholds because Republicans cant compete.
On a previous thread I wrote that Milnes is discouraging discussion by posting 5-10 comments at a time. He accused me of exaggerating. Lo and behold, here is a very interesting story and the first ten comments are from guess who.
Now we’ve all forgotten what the original story was about, which is a shame because it’s yet another post that shows the Greens becoming the second party in American big cities.
“This is ridiculous. Doesn’t anyone else notice the inverse correlation between his trolling and the health of the commenter ecosystem here? Say the word, and I’ll weed this garden at no charge.”
No you won’t. I don’t allow moderation of comments here.
Milnes–quit, or I may be forced to change my policy just for you.
What are you going to do Brian. Bring it on you pig.
We can have one blog posting a week on the “PLAS” so that RM can post to his hearts content all by himself.
If the free-thinkers that run this site don’t establish a modicum of moderation here and block this troll…
Robert,
For one minute, let’s give the PLAS some credibility and ask for some evidence to back the strategy up.
You say: “Nobody seems to be doing anything PLAS. So, it looks like you are ALL LOSERS AGAIN. ”
Now, this was in response to an article about a County Board candidate. There are dozens of Green county board members out there. Probably an equal number of Libertarian county board members as well. Some evidence of success.
Please describe any successful attempts at utilizing the Progressive Libertarian Alliance Strategy so we can have a discussion about its merits vs. other strategies.
This is ridiculous. Doesn’t anyone else notice the inverse correlation between his trolling and the health of the commenter ecosystem here? Say the word, and I’ll weed this garden at no charge.
Robert–shut it.
The sooner the better. We are running out of time.
Hmmmm. Over 5 hours later & no additional comments here so now another comment by me will be seen as a longer rant. Oh well. I’ve slept on this. The only thing now that I can think of that might work is a press conference in Washington, where fortunately the LP & GP hqs are. Several LP & GP party members & candidates & activists & maybe a celebrity big name or 2. Would get third party/independent media & might get some mainstream media. Then FLOOD the voters with education about the strategy & publish DAILY polling which should go up. When it gets into the 15% range for several candidates THEN it will get MSM notice. Any takers besides myself for such a press conference? Any opinions could be expressed at the press conference or questions, reservations, skepticism, hopes expectations etc.
As paulie the Ron Paul counterrevolutionary lover & PLAS hater would say, LOL ROTFLMAO!
Even Rush Limbaugh said third parties, all they do is lose. Ron Paul refuses to run third party again. Because the asshole KNOWS. But what if the 2 major third parties got together & helped each other win by a close plurality? 34/33/33 is as close as it gets with three parties. Yet the potential of the progressive PLUS the libertarian vote is about 40%. Very close but possible. But no. The Crazy LosersClub would rather lose. & be Good Losers. It is MUCH more comfortable. All that RESPONSIBILITY if they were to win. All that pressure to perform! Just lose. Get it over with & be done with it.
Oops. Arlen Specter, Democrat. Same difference. All reactionaries. Progressives & libertarians vote the reactionaries in EVERY TIME! Amazing but true.
Lieberman is so rightist he is almost a republican. Sure he is an Independent-INO! Arlen Specter, Independent. Ha, Ha! & So what? We need to VOTE OUT ALL the reactionaries. But no. I don’t get it.
Man, I just don’t get it. Not even TRY! Even if it fails miserably, so what else is new with third party/independents? Lieberman-Independent! Ha,Ha. What a joke.
Ha. Ha. Join the Crazy Losers Club if you want to LOSE. aka: Third party/Independents.
Well, the November elections are coming quickly. Nobody seems to be doing anything PLAS. So, it looks like you are ALL LOSERS AGAIN. LOLROTFLMAO.
Well, the November election