Cobb keeps issues at the forefront
By Eric Prindle
Green Party of New York State

With the time until November's presidential election now being counted down in weeks, the presidential and vice presidential campaign of David Cobb and Pat LaMarche is getting Greens motivated to keep the party' s message prominent in the din of the campaign.
Cobb and LaMarche have campaigned in most states, and media coordinator Blair Bobier said "I think it's safe to say that by the end of the campaign, it will be only be a handful of states that they won' t have gotten to."

In 28 of those states, Cobb and LaMarche will be on the ballot, with the status of Utah yet to be determined as of press time. In many other states, write-in votes for the Green candidates will be counted and tallied on a statewide basis.

Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb speaks to a crowd of  thousands at the Fighting Bob Fest, a celebration of Wisconsin progressive political leader Robert M. LaFollette, Sep. 18. Photo: Ben Manski / Wisconsin Green Party

Although the debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a corporation founded by the Republican and Democratic parties, will only include those parties' candidates, Cobb will have several chances to debate the other contenders for voters who don't feel represented by the two major parties.

On Sep. 30, Cobb will debate Libertarian Michael Badnarik and independent Ralph Nader in Miami. On Oct. 6, he will debate Badnarik, Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka and Socialist Walt Brown in Ithaca, N.Y. The next day, he will debate Badnarik in Austin, Tx.
Cobb and LaMarche are also using their campaign to focus on two specific issues. Cobb will launch a "Green Tour" focused on positive solutions to environmental dangers, visiting a solar array, a wind farm and an organic farming conference. LaMarche is, at press time, on a "Left Out Tour" of homeless shelters and events addressing poverty.

According to Bobier, there have been positive developments such as increased media attention for the Green Party and the recruitment and energizing of state and local Green candidates. "There are a number of local successes where people are very directly attributing their success and motivation to David and his campaign," he said.

"We've received outstanding media coverage and the vast majority of it has been very positive," he added. "We've been able to get across the essence of our message and what we're doing: building the party. Over and over we've been able to interject into the corporate media--CNN, CSPAN, ABC News, The New York Times and hundreds of other outlets around the world--our positions on ending the war in Iraq, supporting universal health care and a living wage, repealing the Patriot Act and using instant-runoff voting."

Bobier said among ongoing projects for the campaign are an effort to recruit Greens on college campuses and a national Green voter registration drive. "Voter registration is one of the key components of building the party for the future," he said.

With a campaign staff scattered across the country, the campaign has had to add geography to the assortment of other challenges of a presidential campaign.

But a team of eleven activists from nine different states has focused putting each of those challenges down and ensuring that the campaign grows the Green Party by supporting local and state candidates, registering new Green voters and articulating a progressive agenda that calls for an end to the war in Iraq, a living wage, and universal healthcare.

"The challenges are many but the rewards are great," campaign manager Lynne Serpe said. "It's difficult to work as part of such a far-flung campaign team spread across three time zones. I also miss getting to interact more in person with Greens from around the country, but it is very gratifying to…make things happen from Maine to California."

Staff say the distances between them haven't impacted their ability to coalesce to achieve the goals of the campaign.

"The campaign is achieving the main thing we had hoped for—and that we are capable of—this election year: poising ourselves for continued future growth," said Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, campaign bookkeeper and scheduler. "The Cobb/LaMarche campaign has been key to making this possible. I think that our positive attitude has helped make it possible for Greens to continue to stay in the party and remain excited about our prospects as a viable alternative political party."

While Sopoci-Belknap works out of a Eureka, Ca. office, Serpe and assistant Colby Hamilton work out of the main office in Manhattan. Hamilton joined the team after coordinating ballot access efforts for the Green Party of New York State and helping to organize the "A Green World is Possible" festival.

The team relies on e-mails, phones and teleconferencing to stay coordinated and focused, although periodically throughout the campaign there have been opportunities to work together in person.

Dozens of volunteer coordinators across the country are also an essential component of the campaign. There are state coordinators in all but a handful of states; in California, there are almost two dozen county coordinators. All state and county coordinators are volunteers and have proved to be a reliable and committed component of the campaign.

"I really am honored to be part of this dedicated, hardworking team of Greens who are committed to grassroots campaigning and building this party from the ground up," field director Jason Neville of Louisiana said. "What we are accomplishing, with such minimal resources, is nothing short of amazing. There's just no way we could've accomplished these successes if it weren't for the dedication and passion our volunteers in the field channeling their excitement for Green politics into concrete results for this campaign and ultimately our party."

Bobier added, "I think one of the things to emphasize is that this is a long-haul campaign and we're putting building blocks in place for the future."

Jason Neville contributed to this report.

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