I met three of the Green Party presidential candidates yesterday and had a chance to chat with two of them one on one. Today they hosted a forum for all their candidates and there were quite a few. Only about 150 people showed up for the event which was in a local ballroom which I've seen fuller for breakfasts against domestic violence.
There were no provisions for the media at this event. No separate section with tables for laptops, no power lines for computers and the hotel's wifi doesn't work this week for some strange reason. All this is making trying to cover their convention very difficult. I stayed at the forum until my laptop battery gave out then left. I'd already heard enough and I thought if I stayed I wasn't going to be able to keep my composure. I was having trouble keeping myself from laughing.
The first candidate to speak was a 35 year old from Washington, DC (I'll keep their names secret in order to protect them from total and complete ridicule) who called for a return to the radical politics of Malcolm X. The next one, a woman, read from a statement and claimed the USA has satellites capable of killing people from space with lasers and is controlling the weather. When she's president she'll control the weather for the good of the people instead of for harm. The next speaker was a man I spoke with yesterday who openly bragged about his close ties with the Vatican.
The two others I met yesterday were a man who lives in a camper with his family and a woman who thinks we can build a $100 billion rapid speed rail system on dreams. When I pressed her on specifics her eyes simply glazed over...
I've been told they do have some serious candidates and, hopefully I'll get to meet them tomorrow. I might have heard them today if the Greens had done some preparation and had an area for the media with power strips and wifi. It baffles me that such little has been done to accomodate us. Of course there's very little media here.
I could spend more of my day at their events and, perhaps, meet some sane Greens but I have to keep leaving to find internet access. I also had to go to Harrisburg today for a meeting on that single payer universal healthcare plan that the Greens say you cannot trust any Democrat to support. Not only were there no Greens at the meeting (again), but some were invited and declined the opportunity. It's difficult to afford any credibility to the Greens when they make flatout lies about Democrats as they did yesterday.
As I challenge various Greens about John Murphy's statements I get the same response: well, that's John Murphy. Yes it is. This is a man who hates Democrats with a passion and will say anything and make up any bogus "fact" he wishes to discredit us. When you challenge him on those facts he threatens you. My response to the Greens is why, then, did you choose to make him one of your national spokespersons and why didn't any of you challenge what he said or defer from it? They can't answer that one.
The bottom line is they chose to put this loose cannon out there and he made some outrageous statements. The Green party is stuck with them because they aren't apologizing for the comments or taking them back. How do we afford them credibility on anything?
John, I'm sure they're very happy that they gave you a press pass. Did you say that this is their NATIONAL convention? Their biggest opportunity to put their BEST foot forward?
Posted by: Lee Levan | July 14, 2007 at 07:12 AM
Yes, this is their NATIONAL convention. Amazes the mind, doesn't it? I feel as if I've walked into an insane asylum.
Posted by: John Morgan | July 14, 2007 at 07:51 AM
Did they distribute complimentary tin foil hats?
Posted by: Melissa | July 14, 2007 at 01:25 PM