We Stand in Solidarity with People Under Attack

This is what Trump supporters want to whitewash… the crimes of their ancestors… that’s what “greatness” means them… the ability to hurt and grab whenever you want to, with no consequence or penalty. I call that evil…

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The Stein/Baraka campaign expresses outrage at the horrific attacks and threats levelled at communities that are in the crosshairs of a Trump presidency. We acknowledge the real heartache, pain, and worry that people of colour, women, immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQIA+, poor, and working people feel. We also wish to express our deep sorrow at the attacks against many Green Party supporters over the past few months, attacks that intensified in the last few days. Our supporters, friends, and staff reported being targets of a steady stream of harassment, abuse, and threats, up to and including death threats. These attacks didn’t only come from virulent racist Trump supporters, they were also in large part from Clinton supporters, who seem to think it’s okay to vilify, swear at, spit on, and make threats against those who disagree; those who chose to exercise their right to vote how they see fit; those who decided  that the two-party system itself is the problem.

We must see and call out hateful behaviour, from wherever it comes from across the political spectrum, for what it is… deplorable. We must recognise that many people around this country don’t feel safe. We must stand with people of colour, with immigrants and indigenous people, with Muslims, Jews, LGBTQIA+ people, women, and with all whose rights are under threat. Solidarity must be our guiding principle. We’re committed to peaceful non-violent actions to oppose any racist, sexist, homophobic, and other harmful acts enacted or inspired by a Trump presidency, and provide real protection and support for people of colour and communities that come under threat.

We also stand with Greens around the country and the world who’ve endured bullying and threats for having the courage of their convictions to stand up against the establishment and corporate two-party rule. The Stein/Baraka ticket ran a principled campaign that unapologetically stood with marginalised peoples and their struggles around this country. We stand firm with these communities against all attacks, as well as with our supporters who stood with us in this dark time. We stand firm for a truly progressive agenda to put people, planet, and peace over profit, the only counterweight to the rising wave of rightwing extremism in the USA and the world. We must stand with each other, take care of each other, and give ourselves the collective strength and support to build our political power. We’re the ones we’ve been waiting for.

17 November 2016

Gloria Mattera

Stein/Baraka 2016 Campaign Chairman

(no URL available… email)

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The Green Party is the Answer to this Rotten Election

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We’re the answer to stopping climate change. We’re the answer to massive unemployment with a Green New Deal providing 20 million good jobs to replace and repair our crumbling infrastructure. We’re the answer for liberating hundreds of thousands of students trapped in insurmountable debt and the answer for people who desperately need health care, but can’t afford it under our current system. The Green Party is the answer to so many problems plaguing our nation and our world. That’s likely the reason our party membership is growing like wildfire. Our victories are growing, too… including victories in this past election. There were over 1.2 million votes for the Stein/Baraka Green Party ticket nationwide. Washington State passed Initiative 735, and California passed Proposition 59, calling for a constitutional amendment to abolish the illegitimate court-created concepts of “corporate constitutional rights” and “money equals political speech”. We’re proud of that record. We also elected Greens at the local level! We elected 3 in Minnesota, 5 in Michigan, and 10 to 13 in California, and one in Florida. However, our victories haven’t been isolated to just this election. They’ve been happening all along.

When Jill announced her run for President early in 2015, announcing so early gave us enough lead-time to fight ballot access battles and build a winning campaign team as well! Speaking of ballot access, this year, the national electorate was able to vote for Jill and Ajamu in 48 states (45 plus 3 write-ins). No other Green Party candidate in history… including Ralph Nader in 1996 and 2000… was on that many ballots! It was unprecedented. Our campaign also qualified for federal matching funds in March of 2016, which was another victory… because thousands of supporters all over the nation pitched in to make it a reality. Until 8 August, federal funds matched every dollar for our campaign 1:1. This meant hundreds of thousands in desperately needed campaign funds. On 1 August, it overjoyed our campaign when Jill asked Ajamu Baraka to be her Vice-Presidential running mate. As an internationally recognised human rights activist, organiser, and geopolitical analyst, Ajamu was a huge asset to our campaign.

After the Green Party convention in Houston, our “press” absolutely swamped us. Some of that coverage was historic. Highlights included our CNN Town Hall… the first time Jill and Ajamu were on primetime… as well as the first debate livestream when we made history and inserted Jill’s answers during the debate in between the non-answers of the establishment candidates. We reached over 26 million people – the biggest audience for an alternative party candidate since Ross Perot was in the debates in 1992! Then, there was also the history-making PBS forum/debate with Gary Johnson… it was the first third-party forum on a major broadcast channel… ever.

Overall, the Green Party has many victories! We plan to continue this great momentum. Green Party activists are hitting the ground running by organising and calling for actions against harmful policies, as well as for much-needed reforms to the political system. Nothing has changed for us. Nothing has changed about our leftist party-building directives. We were going to have to fight either way, and resist “empire” no matter what. We thank you for being the engine of this revolution. Our movement is growing… this is the beginning, not the end. Greens are organising! Will you continue onward and upward with us? There’s much to be thankful for and much more to do…

It’s in our hands.

16 November 2016

Gloria Mattera

Stein/Baraka 2016 Campaign Chairman

(no URL available… email)

We’re Taking The “Spoiler” Issue Head-On!

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This was a rotten election, Barbara-Marie. You know it, I know it, and the American people know it. However, some in the Democratic Party attack and smear the Stein/Baraka Green Party ticket as “spoilers”. Our first, and most vigorous, response is simple… what they call “spoiling”, we call… PARTICIPATION! We ARE going to take part in elections. We WILL exercise our fundamental right to the democratic process. If anyone thinks our participation is spoiling, then, let’s admit the problem is a rotten voting system that forces voters to vote AGAINST the candidate they hate the most, and not FOR the one they like the most. Crazy, right? Our second response is… do the maths. Exit polling showed that most Stein supporters voted only because the Green Party was on the ballot. If Stein/Baraka was not an option, and only the corporate parties were on the ballot:

• 61 percent said they wouldn’t have voted
• 25 percent would’ve voted for Clinton
• 14 percent would’ve voted for Trump

The Green Party vote was smaller than the margin of difference between Clinton and Trump in all battleground states with the possible exception of Michigan. Regardless… the solution to a potential “spoiler” scenario should never be to silence political opposition and limit democracy. We need more voices and more choices in our democracy. The American people deserve a voting system that allows us to vote our values, not our fears. We need fair ballot access laws. We need to end disenfranchisement of potential voters based on our racist criminal justice system. We need publicly funded elections. In other words… we must democratise our electoral process! The Green Party is ready to be an instrument for power to the people. We’ll continue to build this movement and this party long after the election.

We do NOT consent to Donald Trump and rightwing rule.

We do NOT consent to the establishment and to corporate rule.

We do NOT consent to empire.

We do NOT consent to racism, misogyny, and xenophobia.

Be a part of our movement. Be a part of history. We have much work to do. Let’s do it. Together. Exciting things are happening in the Green party, and you can be a part of it.

It’s in OUR hands.

15 November 2016

Gloria Mattera

Stein/Baraka 2016 Campaign Chairman

(no URL available… email)

12 November 2016. It’s Only Just Begun…

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