An ongoing issue within the Green Party is the attempt to characterize differences of opinion as “factionalism.” This phenomenon is a posture some “old guard Greens” take when confronting change.
You may not realize that one of our core organizers, Dr. Margaret Flowers, is running for a seat on the Green Party of the United States’ national steering committee. In her campaign, she has had to face opposition that accuses her of “factionalism,” and in response, she wrote the following commentary to the GP National Committee. We’ve posted it here with her permission.
Dear Delegates,
Margaret Flowers protesting the Dominion Energy Cove Point Terminal in Maryland.
First, I want to thank all of you who are supporting my run for steering committee. I appreciate your positive comments on and off this list. I hope that I am elected and have the opportunity to serve in this time of great potential for transformative change.
I am writing to acknowledge the struggles that are going on within our party, and that have existed throughout the party’s history. Yes, while we are united as Greens in our support for our platform, there are differences in opinion about how we achieve our goals. This is to be expected in any organization and it ought to be welcomed as an opportunity for deliberation and debate and to grow stronger in our positions and resolve.
We are all Greens. We who support the Green Party platform are all Greens. Nobody, even if you were a Green from the beginning of the party, gets to claim that only they are Greens and that people who disagree with them are “the other.” That type of thinking will stifle and probably is stifling the party.
While some would degenerate into accusations of factionalism and calling some Greens “the opposition,” these differences in opinion are normal. We can disagree with each other, even publicly. However, what is not healthy is name calling, finger pointing and other immature behaviors. I hope we can strive for principled and constructive discussions rather than tearing each other down. Let’s model the world we are striving to create.
Margaret relaxes with family and friends. Her medical practice was as a pediatrician.
One of my areas of expertise is social movements (others are pediatrics, single payer health care and gardening). Like biological organisms, social movements (and parties) thrive when they are diverse.
The Green Party will also thrive if it is diverse, but only if we are ready to accept that diversity. We have work to do if we want to be a strong and diverse party because there are issues within the party of racism, white supremacy and patriarchy. Our societal structure is racist, white supremacist and patriarchal, so it is no surprise that it exists in the party. The good news is that our values are anti-racist, anti-white supremacist and anti-patriarchal. With some work, we can learn to recognize how these play out in society and in the party and change our behaviors, and if we do that, we will grow because we will stop losing people who come to the party and leave because they were offended.
As there have been questions on various Green Party lists about my positions and motivations, I would like to clarify them here on the national list where all can read and discuss them. I encourage other steering committee candidates to do the same.
Independence – I believe that in order to effect transformational change we need to be a party that challenges the duopoly parties. I work with people from the duopoly parties on specific issues, but a third party that effects change must challenge those parties because they work to maintain the status quo.
Broad social movement – I believe that we need to be a party that lives its full platform and connects to a broad range of social movements, rather than seeing ourselves as being restricted to being environmentalists. These issues are all deeply interconnected and we can’t actually solve any of them without solving all of them. Our base is the people who are directly impacted by injustice and oppression and we need to make stronger alliances with impacted communities, build trust with people, welcome new people and nurture new leaders.
Economic Democracy – As far as economic systems go, a capitalist economy is incompatible with the GP platform. But I’m not a purist. One of my mentors is Gar Alperovitz and he says that the new economy is still emerging. It will likely have features of both capitalism and socialism. I prefer the term Economic Democracy. We cover this in more depth on our project, It’s Our Economy. Read our core issues here. Kevin Zeese and I wrote a number of articles about this in 2013 for TruthOut.
I sincerely believe that the next decade is full of potential for real transformative changes as outlined in the GP platform and that achieving those transformative changes will require a movement of movements that understands how power works and how to be effective and a political party that represents the values and principles of that movement of movements.
To that end, we created Popular Resistance – to raise awareness of the social movements in the US and around the world, to provide tools, to run issue campaigns that connect movements and to educate people about strategy and social movement theory. That’s why we just completed our first online free school on “How Social Transformation Occurs.”
And I am involved in the Green Party because I believe we can be the major party of the rising social movements. I was a strong supporter during Jill Stein’s past two campaigns. I was asked to be her vice president both times, but I declined because I did not think I was the right person for the ticket. I helped to create the Green Shadow Cabinet in 2013. I am active in my local and state parties and we are having a lot of success in growing, running strong candidates and challenging the duopoly parties. I want to share what we are doing and what we have learned with others.
So, my basic points are:
- Differences in position will always exist in the party.
- We are all Greens.
- Disagreements and debate are healthy when they are done in a principled way.
- Let’s try to stop the infighting and work together.
- We have a lot of work to do.
I hope we can focus on the work ahead and that I have the opportunity to share my experience, talents and wisdom on the GPUS steering committee.
Margaret Flowers
She/her
MD delegate
Candidate GPUS steering committee
ALOHA MARGARET:….. mahalo for all that you have done for the Green Party, for the children you have assisted and for what you continue to do. Good Luck on your quest for being on the GPUS-SC.
ALOHA from the north shore of Maui……
NIKHILANANDA
GPH Delegate – GPUS-NC
Candidate
Hawai’i State House of Representatives
District 13
nikhilananda@hawaiiantel.net
808-572-USUS(8787)
808-269-2218(cell)
http://www.friendsofnikhilananda.com/
ALOHA. Thank you.
Margaret, you have always been a model of what is now called transparency. The humble truth. You are the leader we must have. I think that Greens everywhere will rally to support your work for the future of our nation. Health is an encompasing experience and you are in the right place and time for us to move forward.
I believe that, as part of all of this, the GP must stop fetishizing “decentralization” to the degree it undercuts organizing the national party. This has been somewhat a problem since the GPUS/GPUSA split.
Good luck, Margaret. Since working with you at Occupy Freedom Plaza, I can think of no one better suited for this position. We were proud to meet and work with some of the most awesome activists, you and Kevin being at the top of the list! Aloha from Kauai Judie and Rich Hoeppner
Thank you! For the first time in a long time, I feel excited. Yay, Margaret! I’m an old hippie, active in all the ways I know to be, but have been waiting for someone to say something to pull me in. I am Green, just like I am a Vegan (but might eat cheese once in a while). Name-calling and the 8-year-old boy playground behaviors I’m seeing have put me off from involvement in politics. I respect Bernie and Dennis Kucinich. They need to move over to the Green Party — we’re all Green who perceive peace and justice and understand the economic mind-set as seriously problematic. We’re Green when we understand that our “health care” kills more people, or as many people, as cancer and heart attacks. When you choose conventional medicine, you’re risk is very high that you will end up worse than you were, and you paid for it! I am very much concerned about vaccines and autism and wrote a book about it. It’s a book that Margaret might find agreeable to her own views on children. Anyway, I’m excited. Thank you, Margaret!
Margaret, your work in Popular Resistance and in the Green Party is inspiring. You demonstrate through praxis that we can indeed help to build a movement of movements if we overcome division and unite around the core principles. I intend to become more active in GP Maryland and support your bid for participation on the GPUS steering committee.
Agree, thanks. There are green Libertarians and libertarian Greens and every shade of challenger to the destruction of nature and liberty. We seem to agree about certain basics: community and nature need to be revived and protected. Destructive greed by any name needs to be challenged. There are beautiful paths before us. The best proof of an idea is to create a practical model. There’s room for wonderful exploration.
I’m an occupational therapist who worked in home health and pediatrics, so I’m well aware of the need for getting rid of ‘insurance’ companies who take value away, rather than add value.
And a physical therapist assistant who worked in a hospital for twelve years while getting my OTR. I totally favor a ‘pick and choose’ health system where we take the best ideas from other systems and put them together to create our own. I’ve been a staunch Green for over 30 years and I’ve seen local parties torn apart because of something as simple as a difference in priorities. I totally agree that infighting and lack of organization are keeping us from being the party we could be.
I would like to see GP National de-emphasize the “decentralization” key plank. It’s become a shibboleth for many and I think contributes to the national party being “the 51st state party.”
I am in the Green Party of California. I would like to see us start breeding a culture of communication across the country so that we are all aware of each other’s work and we know who each other are. There are many candidates running that I have personally worked with so I am torn. Please reach out to us in CA so we can become more familiar with each other.
An excellent idea. The question is: how do the state parties and all the people within those state parties (CD s, etc.) get to know one another better? Sure, attending various state and city conventions and the national convention – are naturally, the answer. BUT most folks cannot afford the time or expense to attend these gatherings?
How do we open up those channels of communication and what are they? Are we missing something?
We need leaders like Margaret Flowers and ALL Greens nationwide should know about and be familiar with her years of work.
Couldn’t agree more, thanks for this comment.
I support you, Margaret!! You’ve always been an inspiration to me and you helped me to decide to run against Steny Hoyer in Maryland’s 5th.
Margaret,
I support you and wish you the very best. I was in SLC this past weekend with one goal: To help us understand that the poor behavior that we too often experience inside the GP is often caused by the systemic structure of our organization.
We understand how the systemic structure of first past the post election systems essentially leads to a 2-party dominated elections – Every time.
We understand that when you play Monopoly, the rules of the game eventually lead to everyone being bankrupt besides the winner who as everything. – Every time.
We don’t appreciate or understand how the systemic structure we’ve created for the Green Party eventually leads to conflict. – Far, far, far too often.
The reason is that everywhere inside the Green Party, we create systemic structures to NARROW options and ideas. The collective mental model is that this process will help us focus yet it only helps us focus on paper. The winners feel better while the proponents of ideas and options that were eliminated though the narrowing process often leave the party feeling abused and unheard.
Connect with me if you are interested in addressing this problem.