Historic convention motivates activists
Cobb wins close-fought victory in second round
By Susan Cava
Special to Green Pages

While the Democrats took to the historical site of Boston for their convention and the Republicans went for the media jugular in New York, it was the Green Party that went to the heart of America for its "Forward 2004" national convention in Milwaukee. Not only did the city provide a representation of blue-collar America; it was also the birthplace of the country's most notable third party successes, and the state of Wisconsin is currently home to 20 elected Green officials.

Unlike the scripted-for-television conventions of the two major parties, the Green Party convention was four days of impassioned, engaging political discussion and nail-biting debate about the strategic direction of the party.

"This year I've heard many pundits bemoan the death of the political convention in the American political tradition. They're not paying attention. The political convention is not dead; the establishment political parties are.… Their $60-80 million conventions were reality television compared to the Green national convention, which maxed out on transparency, access, debate and democracy -- not glitz," said Ben Manski, Wisconsin Green and former co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

While the nation's media watched, the Greens engaged in a heated democratic process -- grassroots style -- to decide whether to endorse Ralph Nader, the Greens' last presidential nominee and most high-profile candidate, or nominate Green grassroots activist and attorney David Cobb.

"The outcome of the convention remained in doubt until halfway through the balloting in the second round. The suspense was sensory: You could feel it, smell it, see it," noted Manski.

"The convention was electrifying with people stumping hard for their candidates," said Green Party of New York State co-chair Gloria Mattera. "I hope participants can leave with a feeling of camaraderie and keep positive despite individual nominee [preferences]. "

Suspense built as delegates voted on who would represent the Greens in the national presidential election. On Saturday, June 26, it was announced that Cobb won the nomination. The decision made national news, thrusting the Greens' "real solutions for real people" stance into the spotlight.

"Forward 2004! was festive, exciting and full of lots of debate," said Wisconsin Green Amy Mondloch. "The Nader/Cobb issue was a tough debate but I think it was a good debate."

Forward 2004! wasn't just the forum for the Greens to decide their presidential candidate; it was also a meeting place for those seeking progressive change. Workshops and committees were held each day covering a broad range of topics including Iraq, Haitian politics, energy policies, health care and corporate power abuse. The meetings also served as a forum for state delegates to hammer out annual goals.
Additionally, Greens were offered further education on a number of topics with guests like John Nichols, co-founder of Free Press, and Dr. Agha Saeed, national chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, speaking.

A Forward 2004! highlight took place Sunday, June 27, when hundreds of Greens rallied and marched for jobs and peace demanding "Domestic Needs Not Global War." Sunday also allowed time for Greens from around the world to socialize.

For Sarah Steiner, a Green from Florida, the highlight was a casual day getting to know her fellow Greens: "The after celebration on Sunday with members of the international committee, Florida folks and a few other delegates playing Frisbee in the park, exploring the city of Milwaukee together and sharing visions with Greens from around the world was the best part," she said.

Stacy Malkan contributed to this report.

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