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Dirty Tricks, Cynical Times
Thomas Meadows, Tarot card reader and Green Party candidate
Just when we thought Arizona's political scene couldn't get any weirder - repeat after us: John McCain, Jan Brewer, immigration - along comes GOP political operative Steve May, who is recruiting drifters, street people and Tarot card readers to run as Green Party candidates in local races to siphon off votes from Democrats. Some of them have worked up some pithy sound bites – “This is not the land of the free – it’s the land of what’s for sale” – but May is clearly using them for his own slimy purposes. Is this the ultimate cynicism or what?
"What's happening here just doesn't wash. It doesn't pass the smell test." - Jackie Thrasher, former Democratic legislator.
55 Comments so far
Show AllIt just goes to show how easy it is to run for office!! Get out there people, and get on a ticket!
Now Democrats can blame Greens AND Ralph Nader when they lose instead of blaming themsleves for chastising their base and pandering to the right wing.
Well said!
Abby,
Serious and highly competent Green candidates would siphon even more votes from the Democrats, and are the far greater threat. Right?
Forget US president or Senator, now, we can't dare let Greens run for even dog catcher.
"...and Tarot card readers to run as Green Party candidates in local races..."
Siouxrose for Tampa city council!
;)
GREAT glad someone is doing the legwork!
Sounds like a much better crew than usually is annointed by the Duopoly!
Maybe he can help in my state where the Dimo beaucracy has blocked Greens from major party status.
No generic drifters, only "hapless" difters qualify?
I will take a drifter over the grifters who are in office now.
Zimet smells of classism.
Oh I forgot, the Dims are the good guys and the Boogeyman Repugs will get you if they win.
A defunct hopeless ex democracy must be eliminated not tolerated.
good poing glenn. the real thing we should be asking is why the author of the story in the venerable ny times did not go to the green party people in arizona and ask them what is happening. you know do some real reporting and ask questions and research instead of running to the dick dims or repugs to get the story. the dick dim party does everything it can to keep the green party off the ballot in many states and the repugs are happy to help them. the repugs are also happy to manipulate the electoral system using the green party because the repugs don't believe in fair elections or democracy.
the repugs using street people in this way also is pretty screwed up also.
i support the green party here in texas and i hope everyone does around the country.
i hope the greens continue to do well and grow all over the US.
unfortunately shit like this is going to continue to happen as long as we have two corrupt and corporate owned parties(dims and repgus) running the show.
it is also time to amend the constitution to end corporate money bs destroying elections in the US.
matt
galveston tx
harris county green party
Yes, the smell is the classism of the liberal bourgeoisie Democratic activist. I had a lot of experience with this in NH in 2004. The Dems were a pile of arrogant professionals. In conversation, the first thing they wanted to know was "Waht do you do for a living." "Where do you live?" as in are you a part of our middle class property owning circle. They could really care less about working classs issues.
I have had it with the Dems. Street people have sa much a right as anyone to run for office. If people want to lodge a protest vote against the two party system then they can quite legitimately cast a vote for these candidates.
Thomas Meadows at least knows what's what (from the original article):
"Reading tarot cards has taught Mr. Meadows, who is known for his purple and green jester hat, to talk a good game. “This is not the land of the free,” he told the loungers on the sidewalk, pitching himself for treasurer. “It’s the land of what’s for sale.” "
He would make a fine president. We could use an actual human being in that position for a change
It would appear as if Arizona Democrats have forgotten the prime lesson of the 2000 Florida debacle: the Karl Rove-driven GOP operate under one of Machiavelli's prime directives, 'The ends justify the means.'
In fact, I would suggest that a large ossified swath of the Democratic Party, as well as the hapless Arizona Greens, are still under the quaint illusion that American politics is a 'gentleman's game,' when instead, it is a bloodsport where the only thing that matters is who wins.
That's the only mindset the ruling elite have, bloodsport.
The poor, poor Democrats! Now they are quaking in their boots over drifters and tarot card readers.Boo Hoo. What a pathetic bunch.
Hey Dems! If you want people to vote for you give them a reason to vote for you. Then you won't have to worry about street people taking away votes that are "rightfully yours". OMG!
STOP your incessant whining ABBY. NOBODY owns a person's vote except that person. Anybody who is qualified can run for office. It does not matter if there are two people or two hundred people on the ballot.
I think the point is that the Right is trying to make it look like only kooks are in the Green Party.
The Republican Party has been recruiting traitors and terrorists since Reagan.
katrine,
you are not completely correct about what happened to the green party in tx. the greens did not get any money directly from anyone. any contributions went to a company that the greens worked with to get legal ballot petition signatures so the green party could get on the ballot this fall. the signatures were from registered voters all over the state that wanted us on the ballot.
it is very possible right wing aholes pulled some crap and tried to game the system by contributing to the third party the greens were working with. the greens had no say in or control over where the money came from.
i hope the greens do well this fall in tx. the dim party down here is full of crap. both repug and dims take corporate money up the wazoo and there is nothing said about that.
this does show that there needs to be campaign finance reform and publicly funded elections. no more corporate or soft money.
the other thing this shows is the crap that tx does in having third parties constantly have to petition to get on the ballot. the greens had been trying since 2002.
matt
galveston tx
harris county green party
several members of the harris county green party have been sued also which also costs money. the case was dismissed by a judge in texas and the greens are going to be on the ballot this fall.
all of this shows the fundamental problems with our so called election system in Texas and the US.
i am glad to hear you are a green supporter. i hope you know many people who will support the greens. There are a number of good green candidates running locally and statewide on the ballot this fall.
matt
Katrine
Excellent post.
Though I'd remind you that most in Austin itself are on our side.
"Now they're suing the Green Party, though I can't fathom what the Democrats' legal justification would be"
No one can figure this one out. Our dem's are dimmer than most I guess.
The Gov's race is surprisingly tight until you remember what Gov. Good Hair was advocating just a year or so ago. The republicans Trans Texas Highway was his baby, toll roads everywhere his mantra, etc. And the fact that tea partiers, third partiers, independnts, etc are working against incumbents. White couuld actually win!
The Texas gov. really doesn't run the state as you know, but it sure would shake up the "good ole boy's"!!
I'm glad you noted how hard it is for anyone but republicans or democrats to get on our ballots in Texas. THAT is something that needs to be changed.
I'm not a Third Party believer, but any group should be allowed to put themselves and their ideas before the public.
Dirty tricks? Hell the Republicans middle name is dirty tricks! Remember tricky Dick? Greens in Arizona are not the problem Abby.
When two rival gangs are running the town either one will get upset if an 'independent' sets up a numbers stand on a street corner and starts taking away their business. With a little luck both gangs will 'dirty trick' the other one out of business and the people will take over the streets again. The sooner the better.
As it is now, the choice is whether to sit on the port or the starboard side of the Titanic as it goes down. You might drown a little later or a little sooner on one or the other side, but in the end it doesn't matter; only the rich get lifeboats.
I bleleve the Titanic went down in a bow-first dive with almost no list to either side.
Nearer my god to thee...nearer my god to thee! Vote Green! It won't help, but at least you will feel better facing the final plunge.
I hope Frederick Johnson, Aquifer and others who support giving any third party candidates a 'chance' notices this story. If you're going to vote 3rd party, at least do the homework to know and understand what you are doing and who you are voting for. Republican politics has traditionally, and continues to be, the sleaziest bunch of self-interested operatives out there. If you're truly in to scum, vote republican.
The GOP will stop at nothing to continue to disenfranchise voters as well as manipulating the system.
I don't see this Republican recruiting the homeless people to run as Republicans. Now that would be utter hypocrisy, running under the party who put you there and doesn't care if you stay homeless.
But at least the tarot reader has their own business, right? Oh wait, Republicans don't support small businesses...
GOP>don't know how to win fairly and continue to use blasphemy as their campaign platforms. Fraud at its finest folks!
I highly recommend Theresa Amato's book, "Grand Illusion," the tale of Ralph Nader's 2004 Presidential campaign and a great outsider's analysis of our undemocratic, unrepresentative "two party system."
To those Dem party loyalists who are sincere and not playing the Claude Rains, "Shocked, Shocked!" card, Ms. Amato's book may come as a real eye-opener on just how mean Democrat dirty tricks can get.
As for the hacks, dry your crocodile tears, resume an air of worldly-wiseness and say, "But of course. Everybody does it. Politics is hardball, you know."
Thanks that was good.
They can pull this off only since we do not have many popular local leaders and groups fielding candidates. Known quantities. That's what we need.
Joe
no its just indicate the corruption of the left
edweg
This story is supposed to scare me back to the D's? Hmmm...Which party is this guy really working for? The answer is it doesn't matter; they're both the same party of the oligarchs; the party of wallstreet/boston vault/city-of-london/ad nauseum.
I know a really intelligent Tarot card reader. Reading requires a rare sensitivity toward the client's hopes and feelings.
Given that standardized tests for psychic ability and standardized tests for intelligence are both typically multiple choice tests, there may not be that much difference between intelligence and psychic ability.
Nancy Reagan had a favorite psychic. Ronald Reagan moved up the time of his California governor's inauguration on the advice of his astrologer.
This can be the year of a Green Party insurgence if only word can get out.
Rich Whitney- Governor (IL)
LeAlan Jones-U.S. Senate (IL)
Tom Clemets- US Senate (SC)
John Gray-U.S. Senate (AR)
I believe that Illinois candidates have a realistic shot at winning in November. If Alvin Greene can win the Democratic nomination, whose to say that Clements can't unseat DeMint? Gray may not be a winner but a strong showing can send Corporatist Democrats and Wally World a message.
Granted, there are some Dems I am excited about. Virg Bernero for Michigan governor is a great candidate. Jonathan Tasini is running against Rangel in the Dem Primary. Democrat, Green, Reform, of No Affiliation. It doesn't matter to me what banner a True Progressive runs as. Let's just start trying to win.
OFF OF THE WEB AND INTO THE STREETS!
the "or what?" here is that the green party is so weak in its organization and structure that it is easily co-opted by fools like steve may
"The words of the prophets are written on the bathroom walls."
Apparently the Dems do not realize that this is politics. Isn't there someone there bright enough to have some fun with this?
I would vote for the pregnant one-armed homeless handjob queen...that shows initiative!
Actually, I would vote for any street person rather than a Rethuglican.