The Unrealized Potential of Green Politics

In New Jersey this year, after all the vote counting is finalized (check out the web site of the Division of Elections in mid-December), the US Senate candidate of the Green Party, Madelyn Hoffman, will wind up with close to 40,000 votes.

That’s pretty significant . . . 40,000 people, rather than straight-ticket voting for one of the major parties, explicitly marked the box indicating a preference for the Green alternative.

For twenty years now, two minor parties have gotten a substantial number of votes. The Libertarians have a certain appeal based on a somewhat screwy worldview. But the Greens are alternative in a way that represents sanity and future focus.

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But the Greens are not realizing the potential of their appeal.

It may be challenging to translate the perspective embodied by our Ten Key Values into a platform for an electoral campaign. But it shouldn’t be all that hard.

Some of our candidacies present a good exposition (Madelyn’s did), but many don’t, and internally the Green Party remains bogged down in identity politics and old-style leftism.

I ran for governor in 2013. At that time all gubernatorial candidates (even independents) were given the opportunity to write a 500-word statement that was sent out to voters receiving pre-election ballot summaries. This was mine:

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The long-time dominance of the two establishment parties has left us facing an ecological crisis and an economic crisis. That certainly argues for shaking up the status quo! Our political system must be opened up to more voices and more choices. The Democrats and Republicans could use some competition! They’re failing to address some of the most pressing issues of our times.

ECOLOGY: More than superficial change is needed. We must protect the earth for future generations. Creative solutions are needed which will allow us to live well without destroying our environment or our social cohesion. As a priority, New Jersey must re-join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). We should ban hydrofracking and prevent frack waste from being disposed of in our state. The aging Oyster Creek nuclear facility is a danger to us all and should be shut down!

ECONOMY: The unemployment rate in New Jersey is unacceptably high. The Green Party proposes creating jobs through a “Green New Deal” program. Rather than funding tax incentives for large corporations, we should be funding jobs that could help us achieve a sustainable economy by focusing on areas such as renewable energy, green retrofits for residential and commercial buildings, expanded and improved mass transit, promotion of organic agriculture. Our economic well-being shouldn’t be dependent upon federal or state bailouts! We could revitalize community life by having more of our tax dollars go toward supporting our local economies.

SOCIAL JUSTICE: It’s a scandal that disparities of wealth and income have become so extreme. Gov. Christie showed his priorities when he fought against the “millionaires tax” (a special surcharge on incomes above one million dollars) and then turned around and vetoed the proposed increase in the minimum wage. Enacting a more progressive income tax could enable us to lower property taxes, restore the recent education cuts, and fund state-level comprehensive Single Payer health care.

TOWARD THE GREENING OF THE GARDEN STATE: We should be developing a statewide Sustainability Plan with tangible goals and timetables. The greatest obstacle we face is how the government in Trenton responds to the needs of the big corporations rather than to well-known guidelines for environmental sanity or to the needs of “the 99%” (the majority of citizens).

Gubernatorial candidate Steven Welzer, of East Windsor, was a founding member of the Green Party of New Jersey. He has run for US Congress and State Assembly and has served on the Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Steve holds a master’s degree in Economics from Rutgers University. Lt. Governor candidate Patricia Alessandrini, of Teaneck, has run for State Assembly, County Freeholder, and US Congress. Last year she received the highest vote total ever for a Green candidate running for the House of Representatives.

Green politics focuses on ecology and community. The Republicans and Democrats focus on fundraising and business-as-usual. Send a message that you’d like to see the growth of a new political alternative. Vote Green in ’13!