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Basic Info:Date proposed: 2Sept15Name of the sponsor(s): Bob Kinsey Title: Creating a Colorado Green Party PlatformText:WHEREAS, there is no document that applies Green Party Ten Key Values to analysis of specific Colorado issues and proposed public policy for voters to understand why they should register Green, andWHEREAS, the Colorado Green Party seeks to enlist Colorado citizens to Register Green and Vote Green, and, WHEREAS, Neither “Major” Party in Colorado can be trusted to give anything more than lip service, if that, to critical ecological issues caused by the current economic a political arrangements in Colorado, and, WHEREAS, There is a need for various Green issue groups to understand that Registering and Voting Green Party is their only hope of “Occupying the Vote” and shaping our governmental institutions according to Green Values THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Green Party of Colorado and all of its Chapters create, endorse and maintain a Colorado Specific Platform and to use it to vet its candidates for office, to educate voters and to characterize all candidates for public office. Background: The Colorado Green Party has a very slow process for responding to events to provide alternative ten key values framing to those events. Most events have deep causal factors that can be addressed with the ten key values. But lacking a clear platform leaders must hold their piece unless a specific proposal responding to a specific event when it would be beneficial in raising visibility if we could respond in a more timely manner.Justification/Goals: The goal of this proposal is to begin a process of identifying specific issues and policy which Green Party elected officials would advocate and implement to address them Examples of such issues: Climate Change, Fracking, effective subsidies to fossil fuel extraction and use, single payer health care, development and transportation, GMO labeling, support of public education, support for family planning, the prison complex—failure to emphasize rehabilitation, economic dependence on military spending, Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site expansion, organic farming support, jobs in renewable energy field, Antibiotic abuse in food system, Property rights in relationship to global and local responsibility for the benefit of all.Pros and Cons: A con might be that we cannot agree and we could become alienated. Another might be that such a document would “turn off” persons who hold different policy positions on a specific issue. Pros would be that it would demonstrate we have done our homework, have creative and constructive policies and plans to govern towards a sustainable just and peaceful future. Give voters a tool to measure candidates running for office from other parties.Alternatives to the proposal: Do nothing, Leave our candidate free to interpret the ten key values in their individual campaigns. Umm.........? References: Gpus.org for national party platform.
Basic Info:Date proposed: 2Sept15Name of the sponsor(s): Bob Kinsey Title: Creating a Colorado Green Party PlatformText:WHEREAS, there is no document that applies Green Party Ten Key Values to analysis of specific Colorado issues and proposed public policy for voters to understand why they should register Green, andWHEREAS, the Colorado Green Party seeks to enlist Colorado citizens to Register Green and Vote Green, and, WHEREAS, Neither “Major” Party in Colorado can be trusted to give anything more than lip service, if that, to critical ecological issues caused by the current economic a political arrangements in Colorado, and, WHEREAS, There is a need for various Green issue groups to understand that Registering and Voting Green Party is their only hope of “Occupying the Vote” and shaping our governmental institutions according to Green Values THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Green Party of Colorado and all of its Chapters create, endorse and maintain a Colorado Specific Platform and to use it to vet its candidates for office, to educate voters and to characterize all candidates for public office. Background: The Colorado Green Party has a very slow process for responding to events to provide alternative ten key values framing to those events. Most events have deep causal factors that can be addressed with the ten key values. But lacking a clear platform leaders must hold their piece unless a specific proposal responding to a specific event when it would be beneficial in raising visibility if we could respond in a more timely manner.Justification/Goals: The goal of this proposal is to begin a process of identifying specific issues and policy which Green Party elected officials would advocate and implement to address them Examples of such issues: Climate Change, Fracking, effective subsidies to fossil fuel extraction and use, single payer health care, development and transportation, GMO labeling, support of public education, support for family planning, the prison complex—failure to emphasize rehabilitation, economic dependence on military spending, Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site expansion, organic farming support, jobs in renewable energy field, Antibiotic abuse in food system, Property rights in relationship to global and local responsibility for the benefit of all.Pros and Cons: A con might be that we cannot agree and we could become alienated. Another might be that such a document would “turn off” persons who hold different policy positions on a specific issue. Pros would be that it would demonstrate we have done our homework, have creative and constructive policies and plans to govern towards a sustainable just and peaceful future. Give voters a tool to measure candidates running for office from other parties.Alternatives to the proposal: Do nothing, Leave our candidate free to interpret the ten key values in their individual campaigns. Umm.........? References: Gpus.org for national party platform.
Bob, I agree GPCO and GPCO chapters should have a platform process and I expect to support this proposal. I offer two edits for consideration:1. Reword the THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED for clarity, as follows:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Green Party of Colorado and all of its Chapters create, endorse and maintain a Colorado Specific Platform AND CHAPTER SPECIFIC PLATFORMS and to use
itTHEM to vetitscandidates for office, to educate voters and to characterize all candidates for public office.2. I think the party's platform process is important enough to the party that it should be described in our bylaws. In other words, I would like this proposal to be presented as an amendment to GPCO bylaws.I gave some thought to adding ways to speed up the 'very slow process for responding' to this proposal, specifically by improving information flow on the GPCO Forum. But I think proposals to create a platform and proposals to speed up the process are separable and would be better handled as two different proposals.
The process for the platform is better suited to our Procedures and Guidelines, currently here: http://www.coloradogreenparty.org/about/procedures-guidelines/We probably just need to update the bylaws to make mention of the platform, once adopted, in accreditation and (maybe) candidate nomination.Once we pass this proposal, we'll need to hammer out the details to actually have this happen. In Denver, we have started platform work on our own forum, using the each of the 10 Key Values as categories and adding topics/issues in each category.For example, widening I-70 through the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods would go in both social justice and environmental wisdom. Rent control, minimum wage and affordable mass transit we've put into social justice too.
Well said, Andrea. [Clearer than my statement.]So we need to: 1. Revise the Bylaws 'to make mention of the platform'. 2. Revise the Procedures and Guidelines. last updated in 2004, to define a platform process.Can we agree that this proposal will only address the Bylaws revision?
I'd like to move this to official consensus-seeking. It's high time we had a platform.First, though, here's the process I would suggest:
- Each active chapter assigns a member to the platform committee
- The committee draws out top-level sections of the platform (I suggesting using the 10 Key Values as sections)
- I'll pull together an online form for registered Greens to submit their ideas for topics and language within each section.
- The committee puts out an official call to chapters and independent Greens and whoever chapters have on their email list. We can also allocate a small budget for social media ads to draw attention (and to build up our reach overall)
- The committee puts out a timeline for responses. 6 months? More? Less?
- After the time period, the committee puts out a preliminary draft.
- Every Green who has provided input gets to vote on a final draft.
- Council takes a final vote to ratify. It will be assumed that the chapter's council representative is voting with the full authority of the chapter and therefore the outcome of the vote is binding on the chapter. It's up to chapters to gain consensus among their reps.
- The Secretary posts the final, ratified platform on the website.
- Over the course of the next year, the committee formulates a process for taking up additions, etc.
- Chapters are free to issue their own position statements on local issues, so long as they comport with the 10 Key Values and use the platform as guidance.
- Platform process is codified via a council vote for the process/procedures document.
- Platform is included in bylaws via a council vote.
Any ideas or input on this? I will ask Bob to accept these points as a friendly amendment before we go to agreement seeking if not.
I would modify to give a vote to every Colorado Green (Whether input provided or not). Not everyone is comfortable or has experience with platform development, but everyone is entitled to a vote.Michael HaugheyAJ Greens
As I wrote:"The committee puts out an official call to chapters and independent Greens and whoever chapters have on their email list. We can also allocate a small budget for social media ads to draw attention (and to build up our reach overall)"The onus is on all of us to help reach out to as many Greens as humanly possible.This is why we need to set appropriate goals for each chapter's own outreach efforts, among other reasons.
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