The GOP Drive to Use the Green Party to Split the Progressive Vote

[Emit]

THE GOP DRIVE TO USE THE GREEN PARTY.... Four years ago, during the Casey-Santorum Senate race in Pennsylvania, Republicans were pretty aggressive in trying to help Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli. At one point, literally every penny in Romanelli's campaign coffers -- except for the $30 he donated to himself -- had come from conservatives supporting Santorum.

That was pretty blatant. Reader V.S. flags this item out of Texas that's arguably even more obvious.

The liberal Green Party's uphill battle to get on the Texas ballot this fall has been fueled by a surprising benefactor: an out-of-state Republican consultant with a history of helping conservative causes and GOP candidates.

If the state validates the petitions the consultant arranged for the party -- for free -- a Green Party slate could drain support from Democrat Bill White in his bid to oust Republican Gov. Rick Perry.

It's quite a scheme. The Green Party of Texas hasn't been able to field a slate of candidates for statewide offices since 2002, but miraculously, conservatives gathered 92,000 signatures for the Green Party, and dropped them off as a "gift."

The goal isn't exactly a mystery. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is seeking another term, and Houston Mayor Bill White (D) is a credible challenger. For the right, there's an incentive -- get Greens on the ballot, and split the progressive vote. (...)

~snip~

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_06/024137.php

[LynneSin]

1. Casey won by 19 points so I highly doubt the Green Party tactic would have worked

I don't think Democrats are that stupid!

[Kolesar]

2. Nader 2004...eom

[ananda]

7. Tom Delay's thugs.

Gore actually won.

[Ian David]

3. See also: Kick if you are thinking of not voting for Dems (and Republicans) in next elections

Kick if you are thinking of not voting for Dems (and Republicans) in next elections
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8511694&mesg_id=8511694

[Peacetrain]

4. Wow.. that is just scary..but typical of the Rovian tactic..

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. The solution, then, is for the Dem to take strongly progressive positions

so progressives can support the Dem, who can win, rather than the Green, who cannot. If the Dems put up a candidate who is just a different flavor of Republican, the progressives will go with the Green regardless.

Fuck Rahm, and fuck the blue dogs.

[TheKentuckian]

6. honestly, the new Democrats, blue dogs, and DLC fake "pragmatists" are doing a better job

Than the lame and worn out parlor tricks of the TeaPubliKlans. The folks on the leftward side of the parties aren't fooled by the pukes but rather disgusted at their lack of representation and being on the business end of the sewer pipe from those we worked to elect.

[SocialistLez]

10. +1

The Democrats do it to themselves by being corporate whores.

If a Green Party candidate is on the list, I always vote for them. Here in Arkansas, there are very few progressive Democrats.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Then the Democrats should try tempting the Green voters with progressive candidates.

Rather than the usual "not as bad" conservatives and moderates.

[Winterblues]

9. Maybe the Green Candidate will win......

Would that make us happy here? Or is this place more Democrat and less Liberal?

[SocialistLez]

11. It would make me happy....NT

[murdoch]

12. Lucky big corporations don't donate to the Democrats

...but of course they do.

You're acting as if the Democrats get all their money from small donations from working class people, or from labor unions and the like.

The fact is that Wall Street overwhelmingly supported Obama and funded him, 2008 exit polls show people making over $200,000 favored Obama over McCain and so on. The Democrats and DNC are steeped in campaign money from the rich, from corporations. Just look at the campaign coffers of the Democratic senators that were holding out on health care.

But you want to get people in a huff because some rich people or corporations are sending money to the Green Party? Are we to look in the speck of their eye, instead of the mote in terms of the massive dollars that flow into Democratic Party coffers from the rich and corporations?

When the Democrats stop taking all this corporate and lobbyist money, then maybe I'll be willing to hear whining about how the Greens got a miniscule percentage of money from the same sources.

[Radical Activist]

13. Another reason why nominating progressive Democrats is the smarter election strategy.

Conservative Democrats are only more electable in very rare, unusual races.