The real victory in this election

By Peter Miguel Camejo

Peter explains how the Greens have already won this election.

TO ALL CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS

FROM: PETER MIGUEL CAMEJO

Of all parties involved in the 2002 statewide campaign, there is no question that the Green Party has made more gains than any other in terms of support and respect. On many levels we have already won this election. The standing of the two major parties in California unquestionably has declined, especially the Democrats.

Many things are happening in this campaign that point to the need for a party like the Greens, an independent party, not under corporate control, willing to fight for the people of our State.

The mass corporate media, despite their limitations, have repeatedly documented the fact that Gray Davis has committed endless felonies through his corrupt bribery practices. Yet he has not been arrested. The rule of law simply does not exist. When governments violate the law openly and no action is taken by law enforcement, and in fact law officers declare their support for the criminal, and when no legal recourse is available to the citizenry, a political crisis is in progress. Millions of people in California sense that something is going wrong but do not know what to do.

The power of money is so overwhelming that many people shrug off the meaning of a criminal being ahead in the polls and receiving the endorsement of major dailies like the Los Angeles Times.

In this campaign we are seeing changes that are not being reported in the media, such as the political rebellion now underway in the Latino community. When is the last time that Dolores Huerta was booed off a stage by Latinos in Los Angeles? The anger is so great against Davis that union leaders like Huerta are now openly rejected by their community for accepting money in return for campaigning for Davis. A similar event took place in Fresno, where Mexican workers booed Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers.

When is that last time that five elected Senators and Assembly members called on the people not to vote for their party's nominee for Governor? Gil Cedillo and the four Latina members of the Senate and Assembly are making history by having the courage to speak up for their community.

Even Davis' own poll show his support drop from its original 85% in the Latino community to 40%. Radio Unica, a Spanish language radio network, held an 8-hour marathon on a State wide link up October 5 titled "Why we are not voting for Davis." The talk shows continue to blast Davis in spite of the Governor's well-oiled "Buy-A-Latino" campaign that has a long list of elected officials and union leaders lining up for the pay off.

People who are disgusted by the sell out of so-called environmentalists (Sierra Club), labor leaders, Latino and African American elected leaders in support to the pro-corporate criminal Davis are gradually waking up to the need for the Green Party.

It is like a wind that has started blowing gently across our land. It is not a storm yet, certainly not a hurricane. At first it is only the leaves that respond. It will take time for the branches and the trunk to move. Greens are beginning to make headway in the world of people who read, who think about elections and politics. On campuses, among exceptional individuals in the labor movement, among the most oppressed such as undocumented workers, among the most politicalized environmentalists, people who work in the media and people already inclined to question, the Green Party is making headway.

Most people are not yet aware that we even exist or what we stand for. They do not even realize that Davis is anti-labor, anti-minority, against the environment and at the service of corrupt corporate criminals.

We must not misunderstand the enormous victory we are having and think that these gains we are making are not significant unless we see a large vote for the Green Party in this election. That is quite unlikely at this stage. If our vote rises 100% from the 1.2% we got for Governor four years ago that will be a major victory. If our vote rises 200%, that would be great. Have no illusions as to what it will take to break through to where masses of people begin to politically break from their traditional party and vote Green.

When the abolitionists launched the Liberty Party and later the Free Soil Party, their votes rose very gradually. In terms of percentage, they received less votes than we Greens receive. But they were having a huge effect on society. When an economic, social and/or political mass crisis arises, the existence of an alternative political structure already in place can suddenly make an enormous difference. If a party like the Green Party had existed when the anti-war movement of the late sixties exploded it would have transformed the Greens into a massive organization of millions of members.

Nothing is more important than building up our local organizations. To recruit, educate and organize committed activists. To win more local offices with candidates truly committed to our platform and vision. To strengthen our local and statewide infrastructure. The media will focus on our vote, especially for Governor, and they will completely miss the victory for our party in this campaign. They will not try to measure the growing respect for the Green Party, our increased influence in communities of color, our breakthrough in local elections, the beginning of influence in one or two unions, or the respect for the Greens among youth.

Thousands of new Latinos are now joining our Party, many Muslims and Arab Americans now respect us and listen to us. Tens of thousands of young people on the campuses who are opposed to war know there is a party for peace in California. Workers who see the corruption in their union leadership are instinctively attracted to the Green Party.

The undemocratic nature of elections in America, the power of money, the lesser evil logic, the media misinformation and in some cases conscious lying like the Los Angeles Times, will still carry the day in terms of votes, for now. It is crucial that we all understand the depth of our victory and not associate that with illusions of how big our vote will be at this time. New people attracted to us can easily be depressed when their understanding of the importance of voting Green appears to not be shared by most people at this time. We must try to lower expectations of our vote total, so people can better understand why we consider this campaign a total victory for our party.

There is great fear among the criminals who run our society and our State government that the people will find their way to the Green Party. It creates great anxiety when they see the sudden interest in the Green Party among undocumented workers throughout California. They will mistakenly feel a great relief when they do not see it expressed in a massive vote for the Greens. Everything in its time. Rational thought is not dead. Truth will win in the end. Social justice, peace, democracy and defense of our planet will eventually win over corruption, greed, racism, sexism and exploitation.