Marty wants Ratner to downsize

Subject: Re: greens, marty, mattera

raulism wrote: Yes, the Greens have little community support, but are you offering a better alternative?

No, I am not. And I have no idea what anyone can really do if Marty Markowitz has no real competition. And I do not think a Green is a good alternative in this--and many other--campaigns. People don't vote on theorhetical or hypothetical constructs. People vote on what a candidate can or cannot do. And Greens seem to exist in a political la-la land that has very little to do with reality.

I would rather lose with pride than kvetch after yet another lame politician gets returned to office.

So you really understand the chances of a Green winning are slim to none, and are happy to support them as a 'protest vote' more than anything else. This is the real problem with the Green party and many Green party supporters. Calming your own conscience and self-importance by voting and supporting a candidate that has no chance is really not community minded in any way.

If you want true change you need to be realistic and focused. The Greens are neither. How many Greens have actually run for lower offices? Or even for school boards? I have no solid numbers but I'm sure there are few to none.

And I agree that the Greens need more of a political base to be effective, BUT I don't think that their current lack of a base should prevent them from running candidates (which seems to be Jack's argument).

It should not prevent them from running candidates, but if they want to win anything they need a stronger and realistic base. Greens simply do not exist in the work-a-day life of most people in any way. They show up out of nowhere. Demand to be 'Mayor' or 'President'. And always lose. Because nobody knows who they are, nobody has any idea how they will do it, and at the end of the day they simply come off as the smarter cousin of the 'Legalize Pot' candidates that are out there.

I have never had anything against other parties--other than Republicans or Democrats--but I can't put my support behind any politician who talks a good talk but has no means to walk the walk.