Nina, Don't Go Green

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

01 August 16

have been saying it for years: The progressive movement needs to take over the Democratic Party and use it to transform the political system. Our system is rigged in favor of the two major parties. The Greens, Libertarians, and other efforts to form new political parties will not succeed under the current rules.

Nina, the political revolution needs you. We need to continue to build for 2020 and beyond. I see you as a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination in 2020 even if it is challenging an incumbent Hillary Clinton. We do not have to surrender to the Clinton machine for eight years. We have to build on the progress we have made over the last 18 months.

I know you you must be motivated by the response you get when you enter a room of progressives. You are an inspirational figure for all of us, and it may be true that your moment is now. The problem is the system is rigged against the Green Party, and until we reform the system the Green Party is not viable.

Without a doubt my views line up better with the Green Party than the current Democratic Party. I am all for changing the system. I just think we need a viable vehicle to do that, and it is not the Green Party at this time. I’m all for scrapping the two-party system when we have the power to do so.

If someone has an idea on how to get the playing field leveled between now and November, I am listening. We took a strong shot at winning this election and lost. We did, however, make huge progress. It is not time to walk away from that progress and let the establishment off the hook.

I believe that one day we can build new political parties that represent us. The Democratic Party and the Republicans are not representative of the people, but they do control the mechanisms of our political system. Until we take power and change the rules of the game, new political parties are a waste of energy and resources.

Bernie is leading us in the right direction. We need you to help in that leadership.

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

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