[PEN-L:11072] New Party-- Positions Available
New Party Positions Available The New Party is a new progressive political party that has won 2/3 of its first 200 races in ten states. In cities across the country, the New Party is working with local community organizations, unions, environmental organizations and issue groups to recruit, train and run progressive candidates for local office _ and change the rules of the political game to permit greater democratic input and accountability. The following positions are available immediately. Financial Manager Growing national progressive political organization seeks financial manager/bookkeeper. Financial management experience required. Political campaign or non-profit experience preferred. Salary $25,000-$35,000 BOE. Send resume by 7/23 to: Ken Jacobs, New Party, 109 Minna St. #174, San Francisco, CA 94105. (415) 288-1317. Administrative Assistant National progressive political organization seeks administrative assistant for data entry, database management, donor acknowledgments, correspondence, etc. Detail oriented, strong writing, computer skills a must. $15,800, benefits. Resume to: Ken Jacobs, New Party, 109 Minna St. #174, San Francisco, CA 94105. (415) 288-1317. The New Party is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
[PEN-L:11015] New Party Online News 6/19/97
*** NP Online News -- June 19, 1997 *** Below is our "June 1997 Update." We apologize for the lack of regular postings to the list, largely due to technical problems which have now been worked out. We plan to proceed with bi-weekly postings, with one generally being an update/news piece and the other an interesting background article or story that relates to the work we do. Meanwhile, as you wait for the next posting, check out our Web site at http://www.newparty.org. And if you haven't joined yet, call us at 1-800-200-1294. Thanks again to those who have sent in new addresses -- our list has quickly grown to 3000 names. We encourage you to continue send us whatever names you can, whether it's 10, 100, or 1000. We'll send them a message describing NP-Build and ask them to subscribe. Every little bit counts, and this is an extremely inexpensive way for us to get the word out about our work. Onward and upward... **June 1997 Update** Progressive Milwaukee/NP Wins 3rd Living Wage Fight Progressive Milwaukee/NP continues to lead the way in the national living wage campaign, winning a county-wide living wage ordinance. This follows victories over the last year at the school and city level. The policy sets a $6.26/hour wage floor for contracted janitors, unarmed security guards, and parking lot attendants, and indexes the wage to the prevailing wage (the wage for unionized county employees). The ordinance also sets a $6.25/hour goal for future contracts in other areas. "This is a victory for workers and the community," said SEIU member Richard Berghofer. "It's a real first step towards getting people out of poverty. " Little Rock New Party Wins Police Accountability Ordinance After a four month campaign by the Little Rock New Party, the City Board passed a police accountability ordinance that requires the police chief to report bimonthly to the Board to answer questions regarding the use of force, complaints against the police, department hiring and promotion practices, and other public concerns. The ordinance was pushed by newly elected City Director Paul Kelly, a New Party member. The campaign began as a response to the controversial killing of three African-American men in December and January. The chapter will continue to press to end the institutional racism in the police department and hold the police accountable to Little Rock's neighborhoods. Progressive Dane/NP Members Elected to Leadership Posts Progressive Dane/NP continues to build political power post-election, as two PD/NP elected officials won key leadership positions this Spring. Alder Jean MacCubbin was elected president of the Madison City Council, and School Board member Juan Jose Lopez was elected President of the Madison School Board. Key Unions Affiliate With Progressive Montgomery/NP, Chicago New Party There's no movement more important to our work than the labor movement. Which is why local New Party chapters are keen to recruit unions as "organizational affiliates." Several key unions joined the New Party this spring: Montgomery County Education Association/NEA and Montgomery County Government Employees Union/UFCW in Montgomery County, MD, and Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago. Other unions affiliated with New Party chapters include AFSCME Local 994 and SEIU Local 100 in Little Rock, SEIU Local 880 in Chicago, SEIU Local 100 in Houston, and the Houston Federation of Teachers. New Organizing in Houston, Portland It's a big country, but we continue to move across it. The New Party is making some inroads out west, with new organizing this spring and summer in Houston and Portland (OR). In Houston, leaders from Houston ACORN, the Houston Federation of Teachers, NOW, UFCW, AFSCME, the local plumbers unions, the Houston Central Labor Council, and the Bertha-Capen Society (a progressive social workers organization) have formed an organizing committee to build Progressive Houston/New Party and are targeting school board and possibly city council races this fall. In Portland, leaders from the Rainbow Coalition, Jobs With Justice, Oregon Public Employees Union, and Sierra Club have formed a New Party Exploratory Committee to begin building the New Party in Portland. Bronx New Party Member Runs for City Council The Bronx Democratic machine runs most elections with no opposition, leaving elected officials more accountable to party hacks than neighborhood residents. Over the last four months, the New Party has worked with several community organizations to build an independent political organization in the South Bronx. One of our leaders -- Luis De Jesus -- is ready to challenge the machine and run for city council in district 17, which includes Mott Haven and parts of several other neighborhoods. Luis, a sincere and charismatic 27 year-old, has turned his life around since being arrested six years ago. He is the president of his tenants association and has led successful
[PEN-L:8809] Summer Internships
[Note: send replies to [EMAIL PROTECTED]] Are you looking for something exciting to do this summer? Looking to learn new skills, and meet great people? Democracy Summer teaches young people about progressive activism and trains them in the basic tools of civic organizing. Participants will learn how to build grassroots coalitions by working with professional organizers on campaigns for economic rights, democratic political reform, and civil liberties. Democracy Summer will begin with a training program in the Washington, D.C. area. Democracy Summer participants will be trained in basic campaign skills such as voter education, coalition building, and fundraising. At this training, interns will hear from leaders of progressive organizations and participate in workshops on issues such as economic justice, democratic reform, race relations, and community outreach. Democracy Summer is open to any young person between the ages of 18 and 25. Full-time interns will be provided with housing, transportation, and a stipend (additional funding may be available based on need). The program will begin with a training in mid-June and will last through early August. Potential sites include Boston, Denver, Little Rock, New York City, St. Paul, and Washington D.C. Democracy Summer interns will have the opportunity to play a critical role in the campaigns to which they are assigned. Activities will vary with the site, but will likely include voter registration, doorknocking, research, phone banking, volunteer recruitment, and media outreach. Interested? GREAT! Please send a cover letter and resume to Cassie Ehrenberg, Democracy Summer; 227 West 40th Street - Suite 1303; New York, New York 10018 by April 1, 1997. If you have questions, please feel free to call us (212-302-0638) or send an email ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). Democracy Summer is a project of the New Majority Education Fund, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to help progressive organizations and coalitions build an infrastructure for social change. The New Majority Education Fund is a project of the Tides Center.
[PEN-L:8413] Milwaukee Jobs Initiative: Executive Director Sought
Executive Director The Milwaukee Jobs Initiative, Inc. (MJI), a non-profit agency with an ambitious 7-year project aimed at improving employment prospects and job quality for central city residents in Milwaukee. The project has an annual budget of approximately $1 million, most of which is provided by a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The MJI is governed by a board of prominent business, labor, and community leaders. MJI contracts for technical assistance on MJI program design with the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, of the University of Wisconsin. MJI seeks an Executive Director to manage the fiscal and program operations of the organization, the day-to-day affairs of the Board, and the organization's three-year Strategic Investment Plan; meet reporting deadlines, monitor its job project contracts, monitor TA and MIS services, supervise a staff of 2-3, coordinate community relations and fundraising. Excellent administrative, writing, and other communication skills required. The MJI is an equal opportunity employer. Women and people of color, in particular, are strongly encouraged to apply. Minimum starting salary is $55,000 with benefits. Final salary to be negotiated. Application deadline is February 7, 1997. Request application form and full job description, write to: Michael Spector MJI Board Chairman Quarles and Brady 411 E. Wisconsin Ave., 28th Floor Milwaukee, WI 53202 For any inquiries contact either: Michael Spector (414) 277-5879 Bruce Colburn MJI Board President (414) 963-8671
[PEN-L:6493] Democrary Winter internships
** If you don't want to spend your winter vacation watching yet another Cosby rerun, why not spend these two weeks working for social and economic justice? ** Spend two weeks in December and January on an exciting campaign working to elect progressive candidates and support living wage jobs and democratic reform. Democracy Winter 1996/7 is an effort to bring young people into the progressive movement and train them in the basic tools of civic activism. Through this two week hands-on seminar in grassroots organizing, participants will work for economic rights, democratic political reform, and civil liberties. Democracy Winter is open to high school and college students and non-students aged 18-25. Participants will work full-time and receive a stipend of $150 (additional scholarships available based on need), housing, and subsidized transportation. Some interns will be able to receive academic credit. Democracy Winter participants will work with organizations like the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the New Party. Potential sites include Chicago, Washington, DC, Houston, Little Rock, and Albuquerque. Interested? Please call Cassie at 212/302-0638, or send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED], for additional information and an application. Democracy Winter is a project of the New Majority Education Fund, a non-profit, non-partisan project of the Tides Center that works with progressive organizations to build an infrastructure for progressive social change.
[PEN-L:6156] New Party Online News #4
** New Party Online News #4 ** Below is our September Update. The response to our electronic mailing list continues to be extremely positive. Thanks to those who have send in new addresses; our list has quickly grown to over 1500 names. We encourage you to continue send us whatever names you can, whether it's 10, 100, or 1000. Every little bit counts, and this is an extremely inexpensive way for us to get the word out about our work. Onward and upward... September 96 Update Building Power in Wisconsin Progressive Milwaukee/New Party members will be hard at work this election season building political power at the State Capitol. PM/NP endorsed four candidates for state office: 1. State Senator Gwendolynne Moore. Moore is the first African-American woman State Senator in Wisconsin and the first African-American woman in the country to hold a leadership position in a State Senate (President Pro Tempore). She has been the leading opponent of Governor Tommy Thompson's welfare reform plan. 2. State Representative Spencer Coggs. Coggs has been concentrating on increasing voter registration and participation in Milwaukee's central city. 3. Dale Dulberger. A longtime PM/NP member and supporter, Dulberger is challenging a conservative Republican incumbent in Wauwatosa. Dulberger, who has taught at UW-Milwaukee, worked as a machinist, and has owned a small printing business, is focusing on jobs and education. 4. State Representative Johnnie Morris-Tatum. Morris-Tatum was first elected to the State Assembly in 1992. She has been an outspoken supporter of Milwaukee's public schools and an active member of the Board of Directors of Progressive Milwaukee/NP. Restoring Majority Rule in Montgomery County Thanks to the efforts of New Party members, volunteers, and interns, Progressive Montgomery/NP qualified its Majority Rule charter amendment for the fall ballot. The goal: to reverse a six-year decline in funding for the schools and other key public services in Montgomery County, Maryland. Under current rules, it takes a supermajority of county board members to approve an increase in the county budget, enabling a small conservative minority to block budgets and force decreases in spending. The charter amendment would restore majority rule to the budgeting process and allow a majority of council members and a majority of county residents to restore needed funding to schools, libraries, senior centers, and public safety. Date Set for Fusion Case The date for oral argument in the New Party's historic Supreme Court fusion case should be set soon for this Fall. For those of you new to the New Party, fusion, or cross-nomination, refers to the ability of more than one party to nominate the same candidate on separate ballot lines. Widely used in the 19th century, particularly by the Populists, this tactic is now banned in most states, making it almost impossible for minor parties to escape political marginality. Fusion allows minor parties to avoid the spoiler and wasted vote problems, as a minor party can nominate a major-party candidate on its own ballot line, allowing its supporters to cast their vote for a candidate who has a chance of winning and showing their support for their preferred party (and its values) at the same time. The New Party's fusion case, regarded by many experts as the most important party rights case in this century, could knock down all state bans on fusion effectively breaking the two- party stranglehold on American politics. If the Court restores the fusion right, then in the 1998 election cycle, when term limits will force thousands of incumbents out of office, the New Party could cross-endorse candidates in open seat and swing districts; this would immediately increase our visibility while broadcasting which candidates are closest to our values. We could also run our own candidates in nonpartisan races on platforms of living wage jobs, starting gate equality for children and campaign finance reform. In other words, with fusion the New Party could quickly become a much more powerful force for democratic and economic reform both inside and outside the two-party system. Michael Moore on Tour Writer, director, and rabble-rouser Michael Moore (best known for the documentary Roger and Me and the series TV Nation) is on tour this fall promoting his new book, Downsize This! While on the road, he'll also be helping local New Party chapters. In Madison, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Boston, Moore will be joining NP members for fundraisers, street theater, rallies, and media events. UTNE Interview With NP Chair A great interview with New Party Chair Joel Rogers appears in the current issue of the UTNE Reader (about 300,000 circ). Pick it up if you get a chance. As always, stay tuned and send money.
[PEN-L:5761]
NP On Line News #3
Greetings, and a word of introduction. I'm writing on behalf of the
New Party, which is a new and growing progressive political party
active in 10 states.
I'm writing because we'd like you to know more about us. Over time,
we hope to get you actively involved in helping us grow. Our hunch is
that you, being on this list-serve, are a "small d-democrat," and
that you'll be somewhere
between curious and ecstatic to learn about what one national
magazine calls "the most successful and promisig progressive minor
party since the 1930's." If we're right, great. Here's how you can
learn more:
1. Check out our web site: www.newparty.org
2. send an email asking for more info to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
3. subscribe to our MODERATED, read-only list. That means the messages are
very infrequent (2x/month or so), and of reliably high quality. We
alternate monthly updates on the party's progress with other
interesting but more general pieces. Below is an intereview that
Noam Chomsky did on the NP which is typically Chomskian -- that
is, spectacular and incisive. To subscribe, send the message
subscribe np-build to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Before getting to Chomsky, here's a snapshot of the New Party.
Founded in 1993, the NP has won 94 of its first 140 races for school
boards, city councils, county boards, and state legislatve seats, and is
actively promoting campaigns for living wage jobs, campaign finance
reform, and genuine equal opportunity for children. We have about
7500 dues-paying members (Dems have 200,000, Reps about 700,000).
The basic idea is to be principled and pragmatic at one and the same
time, and so far at least, it's working. NP chapters have a good mix of
trade unionists, low and moderate income community activists and
residents, grassroots environmentalists, feminists, free-floating
intellectuals, ex-Perotistas, and a lot of other people who are united
above all by a commitment to the idea that we can do much better as a
society. Join the party (if you're not already a member) and you'll get
plenty of material, including an excellent newsletter, to fill out this
picture. You'll also be kept up on the progress of our "fusion" voting
campaign and Supreme Court case, Twin Cities New Party v.
McKenna, which is now scheduled for early November. This case
could transform American politics. Lord knows it needs transforming.
So, until then, here's Chomsky.
{Noam Chomsky is Professor of Lingusitics at MIT in Cambridge,
Mass. He is widely considered to be among the most important
thinkers and writers of the 20th Century).
Brief comments [on the New Party], because I'm in a rush, and don't
want to delay.
1. Am I a member? Yes.
2. Do I think it's a constructive idea? Yes.
3. Is it just a "reform movement within capitalism"? Yes.
4. Am I against capitalism? Yes.
5. Is there a contradiction between 3 and 4? No.
6. How is the New Party different from liberalism? Hard to answer
without some clarification. If by "liberalism" is meant the Democratic
Party, it is plainly different from liberalism. If what is meant is some
kind of social democratic version of state capitalism, presumably not --
at least now, though the project is one that has a possible evolution in
mind, and in prospect, I think.
The one non-factual question is 5, so a remark on that. We live in this
world, not some other world. In this world, people have rather serious
problems, and for many people, the problems are getting worse.
Personally, I'd like to do what is within my reach to help alleviate
these problems. If that means working within institutions to try to
mitigate their worst abuses, fine; I'm happy to do that, recognizing that it
doesn't change the institutions. That's why I've taken considerable
initiative in such matters as resistance against the Vietnam war,
working with solidarity and support groups focusing on problems here
and abroad, giving money to huge numbers of relief and human rights
organizations (etc.), and on, and on, and on. All of this is reformist,
"within capitalism"; and the short-term goals are achievable without
modifying institutions.
So why do it? Because if a child is dying or being tortured, and I can
help, I'll try to help. As simple as that, in essence. That aside, if there
are ways to help people understand why such things are happening,
and what might be done about them, I'll use those ways, wherever I
can find them. If there is another way to approach the day when
institutions can be changed, I'd be more than pleased to learn about it.
The same extends to the New Deal, British Labor Party, NDP in
Canada, and everything mentioned in the communications, and much
else like them. Were their limitations obvious from the start? Sure.
Did critical participation within them improve people's lives? I don't
see how that can even be questioned. A lot of people in this country
had their lives
[PEN-L:3395] Democracy Summer
WORK THIS SUMMER FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE PARTICIPATE IN DEMOCRACY SUMMER '96 The Progressive Student Leadership Project has launched Democracy Summer '96, a campaign to recruit, train, and place dozens of young people with progressive ballot measure campaigns around the country. Participants -- "Democracy Fellows" -- will receive an intensive 4-day training at the beginning of June in the theory and practice of progressive organizing. They will then work for eight weeks on an exciting statewide or municipal campaign to raise the minimum wage, for real campaign finance reform, or for increased investment in education. Fellows will be placed with campaigns in Montana, Missouri, Arkansas, Washington DC, Maryland, and Maine. Fellows will receive a $100 per week stipend, and housing will be provided by the local campaigns. And additional scholarships and travel stipends are available for students in need. Young people -- in college or not, graduating or returning -- are invited to apply. Many of those not returning to school in the Fall will be asked to stay on through the elections, and some will be offered full-time jobs with progressive organizations. Gain valuable training, experience, and introductions to progressive organizations. And have lots of fun while working to fight the right and advance a progressive agenda. For more information, and an application form, reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED], or call 212-302-0638. Adam Glickman212-302-0638 Progressive Student Leadership project 227 West 40th St. Suite 1303 [EMAIL PROTECTED] NY, NY 10018
[PEN-L:3109] Democracy Summer
From: "adam glickman" [EMAIL PROTECTED] KICK RIGHT WING BUTT THIS SUMMER! HAVE FUN WHILE WORKING FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE The Progressive Student Leadership Project has launched Democracy Summer '96, a campaign to recruit, train, and place dozens of young people with progressive ballot measure campaigns around the country. Participants -- Democracy Fellows -- will receive an intensive 4-day training at the beginning of June in the theory and practice of progressive organizing. They will then work for eight weeks on an exciting statewide campaign to raise the minimum wage, or for real campaign finance reform. Students will receive a $100 per week stipend, and housing will be provided by the local campaigns. And additional scholarships and travel stipends are available for students in need. Young people -- in college or not, graduating or returning -- are invited to apply. Many of those not returning to school in the Fall will be asked to stay on through the elections, and some will be offerred full-time jobs with progressive organizations. Gain valuable training, experience, and introductions to progressive organizations. And have lots of fun while working to fight the right and advance a progressive agenda. For more information, and an application form, reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED], or call 212-302-0638. Adam Glickman212-302-0638 Progressive Student Leadership project 227 West 40th St. Suite 1303 [EMAIL PROTECTED] NY, NY 10018
[PEN-L:2373] announcement
From: "adam glickman" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Organization: new party New Majority Education Fund A Project of the Tides Foundation 227 West 40th Street, Suite 1303 New York, NY 10018 212/302-0638 (tel); 212/302-5344 (fax) Position Open Immediately: Democracy Summer `96 Project Coordinator The New Majority Education Fund is a non-profit organization which aims to help progressives challenge the Radical Right in American politics and advance a progressive agenda. The NMEF recognizes that there is an obvious and dramatic need to train young people in the tools of civic participation, and to bring young people into a culture of political involvement and social justice work. Thus, the NMEF has launched Democracy Summer `96, which will recruit, train, and place students with progressive coalitions working on campaign finance reform, "living wage", and other progressive ballot campaigns around the country. Job functions include: .. Raising foundation and other funds to support the project. .. Recruiting students to participate in the project. .. Working with NMEF organizers to develop training modules for the project. .. Working with local campaign organizers to integrate the students into the campaigns. .. Monitoring the campaigns and working with local campaign organizers to maximize benefits for both the students and the campaign. Timing: Starting ASAP; minimum eight month committment required. Salary: $17-20,000 depending on experience. Health benefits will be provided. Location: Organizer will be based in New York, but must be willing to travel extensively. Qualifications: Applicant should be committed to working for social and economic justice, and have experience working with students. Applicant should have strong communications skills, be a self-starter, and be willing to work really hard. To Apply: Send a resume and cover letter to: Adam Glickman, NMEF, 227 W 40th St., Suite 1301, NY, NY 10018 Women and People of Color are strongly encouraged to apply. Adam Glickman 212-302-5053 New Party fax: 212-302-5344 227 West 40th St. Suite 1303 [EMAIL PROTECTED] NY, NY 10018
[PEN-L:2374] fusion case paves way for third-party efforts
Historic Circuit Court Decision Could Lead To Explosion In Third Party Activity Decision Could Change Political Landscape By November, Experts Say St. Paul, MN In a decision with enormous potential to affect the 1996 elections, as well as lead to a dramatic increase in third party activity, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Eighth Circuit last week struck down Minnesota's ban on multi-party fusion, or cross-endorsement. "Fusion," which allows multiple political parties to endorse the same candidate on separate ballot lines, was once a staple of American politics. Friday's (1/5/96) decision reverses 100 years of electoral practice, and political analysts are beginning to analyze the impact of the court's move. Ironically, Minnesota was among the first states to outlaw fusion (in 1897), largely as an effort to undermine the worker-farmer alliance known as the Populists. "Re-legalizing fusion is absolutely necessary to the growth and success of real third parties. This decision will loosen the two-party stranglehold on our political system," said Joel Rogers, Chair of the Executive Council of the New Party, a minor progressive party active in 12 states, which brought the suit. Twin Cities Area New Party v. McKenna was first filed in 1994, when Minnesota election officials refused to allow the local New Party affiliate to nominate an incumbent Democratic state representative as their own candidate. Cross-endorsement fusion is critical to third party efforts since it allows minor parties to join in coalition with major parties behind candidates with a realistic chance of winning (see chart). "This will give American citizens more choices at the ballot box," says the New Party's Rogers, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin, "without forcing us to "waste" our votes on protest candidates. By permitting third parties to grow and function as part of the mainstream political system, it will encourage a more representative and value-based politics." Cornell University Professor Theodore Lowi, an important early theorist of the "centrist" party movement of Ross Perot, agreed that the decision could have a profound impact. "A genuine third party must attract regular Democrats and Republicans by nominating some of them to run as candidates with the third-party nomination as well as that of their own party. Being listed on two lines on the ballot is a powerful incentive for regular Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with a new party, if not to switch over," said Lowi. The Circuit Court's 3-0 decision in Twin Cities Area New Party v. McKenna applies to the seven midwestern states (MN, IA, MO, AR, NE, SD, ND) in the Eighth Circuit, but could pave the way for challenges to fusion bans across the country. Challenges are already moving through the legal system in Pennsylvania (3rd Circuit) and New Mexico (8th Circuit), and more are expected to be brought this year by the New Party and Ross Perot's Reform Party. The Supreme Court will likely be asked to rule on the issue this year, as there is now a "split" in lower federal courts, with the 7th Circuit ruling against fusion in a 1992 Wisconsin case. "This is a great victory not only for the people of Minnesota but those around the country," said New Party member Lisa Disch. This will allow us to build coalitions with other parties and bring in the thousands of voters who have been alienated by the status quo." Although many observers believe the short term impact will be to allow Ross Perot's Reform Party or Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to cross- endorse a Presidential or Congressional candidates in 1996, the real impact will be felt over time, according to New Party National Organizer Dan Cantor. "People are sick of the two major parties bickering, and they're even more tired of both parties being owned by the same big- money contributors. But until now there hasn't been a way for minor parties to get noticed by the media in national or state-level electoral politics. Now we can." The New Party has backed 123 candidates in the last two years, winning 83 elections, nearly all of them at the municipal, county and school board level. Fashioned after the "Christian Coalition," the New Party's main concerns are campaign finance reform, economic reconstruction of urban America, and public education.
[PEN-L:695] New Party Intern Positions
New Party Intern Job Description The New Party is a rapidly growing progressive grassroots political party which is running candidates for local elections around the country. Focusing on issues of economic justice, democratic political reform, and investment in education and children, the New Party has won 80 of its 120 races for school board, city council, county board, and state legislature seats. New Party members and supporters include Cornel West, Barbara Ehrenreich, Noam Chomsky, Manning Marable, and Frances Fox Piven. The New Party is hiring full-time interns for its National Office in New York, and for field offices in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee, Madison, Little Rock, Missoula (MT), Chicago, and Los Angeles. New Party interns will work closely with the lead organizer and the leadership of the chapter. Possible tasks include the following: Reseach on issues of economic justice, democratic reform, and education Organizing meetings and demonstrations. Working on electoral campaigns, including strategic planning, fundraising, media, and Get Out The Vote efforts. Writing, designing, and producing New Party materials, including flyers, brochures, and chapter newsletters. All interns will, of course, be expected to share in the administrative responsibilities of the office, including data entry, filing, copying, etc. Qualifications include: A dedication to social and economic justice, excellent writing and communications skills, and a willingness to work real hard. Computer skills are a plus, and desktop publishing skills are a double plus. To Apply: Send a cover letter, resume, and brief writing sample (under 3 pages) to: Adam Glickman, Intern Director, New Party, 227 W. 40th St., Suite 1303, NY, NY 10018 The Bottom Line: Housing will be provided, along with a $100/wk stipend
[PEN-L:4663] New Party WWW Page
Dear Friends, The New Party is on the World-Wide Web! Check out the following location (URL, "uniform resource locator"), which is our home page: http://garnet.berkeley.edu:/EDINlist/.election/np/np.html These web pages contain a great deal of stuff; quite a few articles, a photo of the NP's Leadership Conf in Milwaukee, the ability to join online, to order stuff (like bumper stickers and articles), etc. Thanks to Nick Street for putting this together, and Nathan Newman for hosting our pages. The World-Wide Web (WWW) may be accessed using a Web browser such as Netscape or Mosaic or a text-only browser like Lynx. It is available via many Internet services such as IGC, netcom, PSI, the World, etc. Also, the "big three" service providers; Compuserve, Prodigy, and America Online, will be providing Web access soon-- Prodigy already has it. Also, New Party documents are available by anonymous ftp at ftp.netcom.com, directory /pub/ze/zeiden/np/ascii and on the Berkeley Progressive Gopher (EDIN), which can be accessed from my system with the command gopher garnet.berkeley.edu 1250 The NP documents are under "Political Organizations and Theory", then "US Political Parties", then "New Party". Thanks to Nathan Newman for maintaining this. For questions on NP cyberspace, email me ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) To join the NP, join online on the Web page, or call the 800 number below; or to save us money, send a SASE to the address listed below. 1-800-200-1294 [EMAIL PROTECTED] New Party 227 West 40th Street, 1303 New York, NY 10018 Thanks, Matt Zeidenberg
[PEN-L:3833] Starbucks and Guatemala
I'm posting this for Erich Hahn, U.S./GLEP Wake Up, Starbucks! As part of its national campaign to persuade Starbucks Coffee Company to adopt a code of conduct, the U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project (U.S./GLEP) is trying to locate college and university campuses where Starbucks coffee is sold in dining halls and cafeterias. If you know of any such campuses, please notify U.S./GLEP at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Leaders of Washington state religious, environmental and labor organizations requested a meeting with Starbucks in June, 1994 to discuss the possibility of a proposed code of conduct for Guatemalan plantations. Starbucks replied that they would not adopt a code of conduct. U.S./GLEP has therefore initiated a campaign to persuade Starbucks to adopt a code of conduct requiring that plantation owners from which it buys pay a living wage, abide by minimum health and safety standards, and respect the basic rights of workers. The national grassroots kickoff took place on Saturday, Dec. 3, with leafletting at 23 Starbucks stores across the country. In response, Starbucks called U.S./GLEP requesting a meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, senior executives from Starbucks said they would talk more about the idea of a code of conduct and provide a formal reply in January. It is unclear whether Starbucks will decide to seriously pursue the idea of a code of conduct or continue opposing the idea. While we are pleased that our work has met with such a prompt response from Starbucks, we don't yet have any concrete commitments from them. Until we do, the grassroots campaign will continue. Nationally, we are coordinating another action day just before Starbucks' annual meeting in February. We are organizing actions for Saturday, February 11, and hope to have a strong presence at Starbucks stores around the country. Starbucks is one of the largest U.S. importers of Guatemalan coffee. Starbucks recently bought The Coffee Connection and is now the fastest growing U.S. gourmet coffee company, operating over 400 coffee cafes around the country. Besides their basic cafes, Starbucks continues to open up stores at airports and at Barnes and Noble bookstores as well as moving onto college campuses. Guatemalan agricultural workers' organizations report that between 60% and 80% of coffee plantations do not pay the legal minimum wage of Q14.50 per day, about $2.50 a day. For a family of five in rural Guatemala to meet their minimum requirements, the Guatemalan National Institute of Statistics estimates that they would need about Q42 per day. The principle that U.S. companies can and should take responsibility for working conditions at worksites that produce the goods these companies sell to U.S. consumers has been recognized by some U.S. retailers who have issued "sourcing codes." No such code has been adopted by U.S. importers of agricultural commodities from developing countries. The letter from the Washington leaders proposes that Starbucks take the lead in adopting such a code for coffee workers, using Guatemala as a pilot project which would eventually be expanded to other countries and companies. Please contact Starbucks and urge Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz to adopt a path-breaking code of conduct to establish standards setting minimal working conditions and pay at plantations from which it buys, with Guatemala serving as a pilot project. Starbucks Coffee Company, PO Box 34110, Seattle, WA 98124-1110; 206-447-1575, 1-800-447-1575. For more information contact the U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project, c/o ACTWU, 333 S. Ashland, Chicago, IL, 60607, 312-262-6502, fax 312-262-6602, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:3753] piece from the Progressive
NEW PARTY TIME BY DANIEL CANTOR ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Over the last three years, I've had thousands of conversations with people about the idea of building a new political party in the United States. Many of these conversations have been with the leadership of existing organizations: labor unions, environmental groups, low-income community organizations, pro-choice networks, school-reform coalitions, and more. And I've spoken and corresponded with countless individual activists, writers, farmers, donors, teachers, programmers, cab drivers, Perotistas, doctors, artists, social Christians, Quakers, the unemployed, the underemployed, workaholics, alcoholics, young feminists, old leftists, and nearly every member of both sides of my family. Not one has disputed the premise of the conversation. Not one has said, "No, you're wrong. America doesn't need a new party." What they have usually said is, "You're right, but it just can't be done. " The reasons why "it can't be done" are varied, but certain themes emerge: It's too time-consuming; it's too expensive; it's utopian; the racial divide is too immense; Americans are too stupid; it's too late. But November 8 shook up conventional thinking in lots of ways, including the views toward third-party efforts. Since Black Tuesday, the phones at various New Party offices have rung more frequently, and the general comment we're now hearing is: "If this is what we get with a center-right Democratic strategy, maybe it's time to take the idea of a third party more seriously. " Of course, there's nothing new about the idea of a new party. The question to ask is not whether it's needed, but can a class-based, multiracial party really be built? Is the crisis in our society so profound that a stable new political party could emerge? And does the New Party (or anyone else, since we're not the only ones trying) have a strategy to get past the usual obstacles to third parties? A massive Times-Mirror poll just before the election found 53 percent of the people in favor of a new, major third party. Some of that is right-wing, some of it is left, and most of it is probably just confused. Regardless, on the numbers alone, a new independent political formation has a potentially huge base. This is quite different from the past, and should not be underestimated. Both major parties have lost credibility, and nowhere is it preordained that populist anger must go in a sour, right-wing direction. It could just as easily bend toward Jim Hightower as Rush Limbaugh, if Hightower's message were heard. I say this knowing full well that the Right has a big head start in terms of grass-roots organization and financial resources. But giving up is not acceptable, so we are forced to ask ourselves if the Democratic Party can recapture the voters or the credibility it has lost. This is where the rubber meets the road. The Democrats have become a party that moves to the left in the campaign season but to the right once in office. They get their votes from one set of people but their money and ideas from a second. This causes a deep and unresolvable tension. The Democrats fool no one but themselves when they rhetorically claim an allegiance to manual laborers but then move heaven and earth for NAFTA and GATT. The claim of "investing in people" pales when the budget puts deficit reduction before jobs. And a health-care proposal that guarantees the position of the insurance industry over the real health needs of most Americans clouds more than it clarifies, and thus dies a long, slow death. Democrats are preferable to Republicans, but let's not kid ourselves: They lost their way a long time ago. And perhaps this should not surprise. The median income of delegates to the Democratic Convention in 1992 was $92,000 (which was higher than at the Republican love-fest in Houston). No matter how culturally hip the Democrats are, or how much the cabinet "looks like America," they have slowly but surely lost any ability to speak to people of ordinary means. Were they to do so, the money that funds the party would be withdrawn. But even if the moment is right, and people are open as never before, and the two major parties are wings of one corporate establishment, aren't the obstacles to a third party still insurmountable? Surely we can't ask citizens to waste their votes on candidates who are doomed to lose, can we? The answer here is to begin at the beginning. In the two-plus years that we've been running candidates, New Party chapters have backed ninety-three people in nine states and won sixty-two elections in six. It's all modest-level stuffQcity council, county commission, school board, zoning board, and an occasional state representativeQbut it's the right place to start. Roughly half of the candidates have been white, and roughly half have been
[PEN-L:3541] clinton
The New York Times December 5, 1994, Monday, Late Edition - Final Correction Appended SECTION: Section A; Page 19; Column 2; Editorial Desk LENGTH: 870 words HEADLINE: DIALOGUE: Democrats, Arise! (Which Way Is Up?); A Populist Manifesto BYLINE: By Daniel Cantor and Juliet Schor; Daniel Cantor is executive director of the New Party, formed in 1992 as an alternative to the two major parties and now active in 10 states. Juliet Schor, professor of economics at Harvard, is author of "The Overworked American." BODY: The notion that President Clinton took a drubbing in last month's elections because he went "too far to the left" has become a mantra among self-styled Democratic centrists. "Get with the program or you'll have to pay consequences," in the words of Al From, executive director of the Democratic Leadership Council. And the program -- surprise! -- is to move to the right. Chutzpah counts for something, but this is getting out of hand. Like the old-time Stalinists who saw everything, no matter how contradictory, as further proof of the inevitability of socialism, Mr. From and his crowd interpret all political events as proof of their own wisdom. So far, at least, the D.L.C.'s views are carrying the day. But progressives should not simply give away the right to define what happened on Nov. 8. If we do, then the Clinton Presidency is doomed and our own prospects for renewal are severely diminished. Forced to choose between a return to Reaganism, as in the Republicans' "Contract With America," and the Reaganism with a human face advocated by the centrists, voters will always choose the real thing. In fact, Mr. Clinton is a charter "New Democrat" and has governed as one since the opening bell. His Administration moved to the right on nearly every core economic issue since taking power. Think of it as "putting corporations first." He preferred the financial markets over working people in his first budget package, the insurance companies over consumers in the health care debate, and multinational corporations over everyone in the trade agreements. By catering to corporate America in this way, Mr. Clinton hoped to gain running room for an activist agenda on health care, the environment, national service and the like. But it didn't work, and it never could have. The economy can't be fixed without at least some willingness to actually challenge corporate power and privilege. Kevin Phillips, bane (and tribune) of both left and right, has pointed out repeatedly that a good chunk of America's wealth has been shifted away from working- and middle-class people to the wealthy, but this dirty little secret is one that Democrats don't mention and Republicans don't admit. Clinton Democrats got blown away not because they were too liberal but because they never developed a populist message or program. (Perhaps this should not surprise us, since by 1992 the median income of delegates to the Democratic National Convention was $92,000, higher than the Republicans'.) In the absence of a convincing populist program, the economic anxieties of the day -- downsizing, the shift to part-time workers, stagnating wages, college graduates' having to live with their parents, job insecurity, the whole numbing litany -- leave people wide open for sucker shows on immigration, race and crime. If President Clinton continues to govern as the extreme centrist that Mr. From and others prefer, the last half of his term will be truly disastrous. The only way to outflank Newt Gingrich Company is to unmask the Republican program for its anti-democratic, pro-corporate bias. He will have to fight hard and creatively, using labor law reform and training programs, to raise the share of national income that goes to working people. He will need to raise high the banner of genuine campaign finance reform, perhaps the one issue that can win him support from independent voters. He must ignore the clamor for mindless "bipartisanship," because it's pointless to cooperate with people who want you to fail. Instead, the President should use his vaunted political instincts to discern why the people are so edgy and sour, and to propose remedies that, though they won't appeal to the Renaissance Weekend crowd, would change the material conditions of life for ordinary Americans. Of course the die seems cast already, and more "accommodationism" appears to have won the day. But before the Administration throws in the towel, its heavy thinkers might recall how President Ronald Reagan responded when the Democrats recaptured the Senate in 1982. He stuck with his agenda, and made no turn to the left. The best strategy is to go for broke. If there's a Supreme Court vacancy, Mr. Clinton should nominate a progressive -- preferably a young one, who
[PEN-L:3538] New Party
** Topic: New Party Electoral Successes *** "New and improving" by Steve Watrous In These Times, Nov28/Dec11 1994 issue Drowned out by news of the Democrats' electoral collapse was a small sign of hope for U.S. progressives. The left-leaning New Party, though only two years old, registered a surprising number of electoral gains across the country. New Party candidates won 22 out of the 33 races that they entered, capturing local offices in Arkansas, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C. In Maryland, NP member Paul Pinsky, running as a Democrat, won a state senate seat--the highest yet secured by the party. And in Wisconsin, the New Progressive Party (NPP), an affiliate of the New Party, achieved statewide ballot status--the first time the party has done so. Unlike other third-party efforts, which often begin--and end--with fatally flawed presidential campaigns, the New Party is building its base from the bottom-up. Some of the New Party's most promising grass-roots work has been done in Wisconsin, where organizers in both Milwaukee and Madison have built substantial party organizations. In May, the party's Milwaukee and Madison chapters combined with the state's Labor and Farm Party to the form the NPP. Given the growth of the NPP in Wisconsin, party organizers are anything but disheartened by the Democrats' November 8th debacle. "I think it's a grand opportunity for us," says Tammy Johnson, Wisconsin coordinator for the New Party and the NPP. "As I've been talking to people, I've heard a lot of questions about what the NPP is going to do. From now on, we're going to stick to local elections." Johnson says the NPP's Milwaukee chapter is planning a slate of school board candidates and a county supervisor in the spring elections. The Madison-area New Party affiliate already has 14 members who have been elected to the city council, the school board and other local offices. Both the Madison and Milwaukee chapters have pursued the New Party's strategy of connecting with the left wing of the Democratic Party. Johnnie Morris-Tatum, a Democrat who sits on the steering committee of Milwaukee's New Party chapter, was returned to the state assembly in this year's election. She was first elected in 1992, and faced no opposition this time around. To gain statewide ballot access, the NPP departed from the usual New Party practice of running only in races where it stands a solid chance of winning. Since Wisconsin grants ballot status to any party fielding a candidate for state office who receives 1 percent of the total votes cast in the governor's race, the NPP ran Kathleen Chung for state treasurer. Chung received nearly 3 percent of the ballots cast in the gubernatorial election--a showing that makes the New Progressive Party the third strongest in Wisconsin, displacing the Libertarian Party. The party's ballot status will last for four years. Daniel Grossberg, executive secretary of the NPP, expects that the party will use its ballot line to run candidates for state legislature from the Madison area. Although Madison voters this year helped elect a Republican to Congress and both houses of the state legislature are now under Republican control, Grossberg is not discouraged. "It wasn't liberal ideas that were rejected on November 8," says Grossberg. "That was a contest of who could carry out Republican ideas, and the Republicans won. The election was not a defeat for progressive ideas. We need to get out the word that there are progressive solutions for the problems people feel."
new party spin
--- Forwarded Message From: Daniel Cantor [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FRIENDS OF THE NEW PARTY RE: Draft Op-Ed The End of Liberalism? The Democrats, the Elections and the Rise of Independent Politics. The pundits have their rap down: Clinton went too far to the left, and the voters "sent a message" against liberal, activist government. The Republicans are "in touch" with a tax-weary, crime-weary citizenry, and now are poised to implement their two-step of punishment for the less well-off and rewards for the wealthy. That makes for a neat storyline, and allows television correspondents to avoid the task of real thinking, but it's a shallow analysis. Why? Because on the core economic issues of the day, President Clinton listened too attentively to the center-right of his own party (prominently, the Democratic Leadership Council) and moved to the right from the opening bell of his Administration. In so doing, he set the stage for the Republican landslide. Think back to the budget, in which the Administration tried to accommodate "the Perot voter" (and the bond market) with a budget package/tax hike that stressed deficit reduction over economic policies to improve living standards for ordinary people. The Clinton crowd, frustrated, complains that they get no credit for the economic progress the nation has made, but that's because the progress is not visible to most people. Think back to the NAFTA battle, which turned off the best activists in the labor and family farm wings of the Democratic Party's grassroots base. Think back to the crime bill, racist in impact if not intent, and widely understood as a silly symptom of election- year politics. Its main effect will probably be to further alienate the Democratic Party's core black voters and activists. And think back, finally, to the health care debacle. On an issue that could have been the crowning and definitive achievement of the Administration, the center-right of the Democratic Party had neither the intelligence nor the discipline to deliver on a reform that would have been both good policy and good politics. In offering an absurdly complicated proposal that desperately sought to offend nobody (especially big insurance companies), the Administration played into the Republican message about how "the government can't do anything right," which in turn helped them win this stunning victory. In hindsight, the fatal flaw in Clinton's overall strategy should now be apparent even to, say, Lloyd Bentsen or Al From. The Administration had hoped to "fix" the economy with the approval and support of the business community. In return, corporate America would provide some running room for an activist agenda on health care, the environment, national service, and the like. But it didn't work, and it really couldn't have. You can't "fix" the economy without at least some willingness to actually challenge corporate power and privilege. Kevin Phillips is right -- a good chunk of our GNP has been shifted away from working and middle class people to the wealthy, but this dirty little secret is one that Democrats are afraid to mention (and Republicans would never admit). Clinton and the Democrats got blown away not because they were too liberal, but because they never developed a populist message or program. Absent such a program, the economic anxieties of the day -- downsizing, part-time work, stagnating wages, college graduates who have to live at home, and on and on -- leave people wide open for the demagogues of the Republican Right and their sideshow appeals on immigration, taxes and crime. If President Clinton continues to govern as the "extreme centrist" that some advisers prefer, then he is headed for a disastrous last two years. The only way to outflank Gingrich and Company would be to reveal the Republican program for its anti-democratic, pro-corporate bias. Fight hard and creatively for labor law reform and the share of national income that goes to working people. Raise high the banner of genuine campaign finance reform, a key concern for independent voters. Ignore the clamor for mindless "bipartisanship," and just keep saying that it really does take two to tango. This election marks the end of liberalism, but not in the simplistic way that Newt Gingrich believes. The "state" has failed, but the unbridled "free market" cannot succeed. Some new (and old) structures, rooted in workplaces and communities, will need to be constructed or built anew. Whether or not we need government off our backs, we certainly need it on our side. And any party or candidate who can figure how to do that will have a bright future. It may be that such a party is already in formation. (A massive Times-Mirror poll registered 53% of the public in favor of a "major third party," so there's no doubt that the soil is fertile). Among the hopeful contenders is the "New Party," one of a handful of newly forming
New Party
To: Friends From: New Party 9/30/94 Re: Request for information One of our members in Wisconsin has forwarded various requests for information about the New Party posted in different discussion groups. We don't have the capacity to answer all the specific queries, but we are excited to learn that people on the internet are paying attention to our work and may want to get involved. Attached you'll find a Progress Report from last Spring (another one will be out later this fall). It gives a pretty good picture of where we're at. If you become a member of the party, you will of course receive the regular newsletter, builder's list, New Party "Papers" and other materials. One noteworthy development was last week's conference in Milwaukee, which brought together more than 150 New Party leaders from about ten states. It was a good event, highlighted by a support action for the Justice for Janitors Campaign. The NP Interim Executive Council also approved a coordinated campaign on school board elections across the country over the next two years. NP chapters are now 39 for 59 in local elections. Let me encourage people who find the Progress Report interesting to do the obvious thing: Join. We can't build a new progressive political party without a lot of different people doing their bit, so I hope you'll do yours too. If there's not a chapter in your area, become an at-large member. Or help organize one. Thank you very much. Our mailing address is 227 West 40th, #1303, NY, NY 10018. If you want more information, that's where you should write. Sustaining membership dues are $10 per month. Enjoy your reading. Alicia Gonzales staff intern April 1994 Progress Report #5 -- On The Move with the New Party This Progress Report is #5 in a series of updates for New Party supporters and organizers. The Report describes the current status and prospects of the organization. It also covers some ground that will be of special interest to new members. And needless to say, anyone whose dues are expiring should renew immediately, if not sooner, as a "sustainer!" Introduction: Think Globally, Act Democratically Form a new political party in America? Make democracy something more than a television spectacle? Before jumping into a detailed account of New Party growth and chapter organizing, a few comments on how the NP fits into politics today are in order. For starters, the New Party should not be seen in isolation from what's happening around the world. It's part of an upsurge in pro-democracy and "new party" activity that is truly global. Sometimes we miss the connections between what happens here and what happens overseas, because America is so rich and powerful. Of course, there are differences across countries, but it's still true that a little international perspective goes a long way. It really is, after all, one planet. In the last few months alone: "Democratic reform" is on the agenda in Mexico, due to the Zapatista peasant uprising. In Japan, the once-invincible ruling party has fallen and been replaced by the well named "Japan New Party," who are fighting hard for campaign finance reform. In Italy, corruption scandals have destroyed much of the old political establishment, with the right emerging triumphant in recent elections. In Brazil, the Worker's Party has made democratic control of the economy a central issue in the upcoming election. In South Africa, Mandela will be elected President. In England, there is a serious debate underway on whether and how to democratize their electoral system. In El Salvador, twelve years of civil war has ended and been replaced, one hopes for good, with a political democracy that offers some hope for the economically disenfranchised. Here in the United States, of course, politics is always a bit more bizarre. Ross Perot's run for President in 1992 was a typically American version of what's going on elsewhere -- individualistic instead of collective, fueled by money and ego instead of program and policy. But still, Perot tapped into a disgruntlement with politics-as-usual that is shaping political events all over the world. The most important development in the U.S., however, is not at the Presidential or even Congressional level. It's the effort, from both the Right and the Left, to build new political forces that can contend for power at the local level. The best known effort by far is from the Right -- the Christian Coalition (Pat Robertson Co.), which is muscling in on school board and county elections across the country. And the most promising effort from the progressive side of the spectrum is the subject of this report. Less well known and less well funded than the far-Right, the New Party's strategy and track record has attracted the increasing attention of many activists, both young and old, during the last
