[Peace-discuss] Reorganizing the Prairie Greens

[C. G. Estabrook]

The debacle of the Stein campaign - its willingness to become a 
well-paid tool of the Clinton campaign, regardless of the disapproval of 
the Steering Committee of the GPUS - suggests that it's time for Greens 
in central Illinois to become a "membership-based, dues paying entity" - 
clearly separate from other political parties, local or national.

I'll propose that formally at the next Prairie Greens meeting - and 
suggest we begin a drive for dues-paying members. The dues should not be 
high, but they should distinguish members from non-members. We should 
have card-carrying Prairie Greens, who will decide on the activities of 
the party.

"...a problem at play here is the lack of accountability to the 
rank-and-file or Green Party leadership that this [Stein] campaign, and 
really all campaigns have. This recount scheme was the first and only 
time that the campaign made any contact with the Steering Committee when 
the campaign all along should have been working in partnership with the 
SC. To be fair, none of the GPUS campaigns have so far, but the culture 
needs to change. No one is looking out for the Green party here, except 
for the steering Committee majority who voted NO and we owe them a debt 
of thanks. Part of the proposal of making locals membership-based, dues 
paying entities is that Greens will be able to hold their leaders and 
their candidates accountable…”

<http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/11/28/the-stein-campaign-and-the-fight-for-green-party-independence/>.

--CGE