Green Christmas - Due to

Green Christmas - Due to a recent technicality in Minnesota election laws, the Green Party of Minnesota will maintain 'major party' status.

Ralph Nader put the Greens in the major-party league when he attracted 5 percent of the 2000 presidential vote in Minnesota and at least one vote in every county. Aside from sure spots on the ballot, it qualified Ken Pentel for $240,000 toward his gubernatorial campaign and brought lesser amounts to other Green candidates.

In the days after the 2002 election, many thought the Greens forfeited their special status because they failed to get at least 5 percent in any statewide race.

They were saved by a 2001 law change that left statute books with ambiguous language. It effectively gave them a pass for one election cycle.

Unless a Green Party presidential candidate meets the 5 percent threshold in 2004, however, it's back to square one. The race for the White House is the only contest that will appear on all Minnesota ballots in two years. Gordon said he's not sure who - if anyone from his party - would run for president.

Although I predicted that the GP would lose major-party status - and, by the "5% rule", I was right - I'm still frankly amazed by the disintegration of the Minnesota Green Party. The Independence Party I rightly flagged as a Ventura-driven phenomenon - but I figured the Greens had enough oomph among the Volvo-driving, terminally-sensitive PC caste to get 5% somewhere in the state.

Glad to see I was wrong.

Speaking of Volvo-driving, Terminally-Sensitive PC Caste - I was driving down Hamline Avenue in St. Paul yesterday, behind a woman in a late model Volvo sedan. Guess what kind of woman?

If you guessed fiftysomething, pudgy, earth-motherish, wearing a Peruvian alpaca knit cap and a VERY posh-looking coat, you may proceed to the next section of this posting. If you didn't, do - and then proceed.

Her bumperstickers included

• "Regime Change Begins At Home"
• "Re-Elect Gore in 2004"
• "You Can Not Simultaneously Prepare for Peace and War

I need to print some of my own, I think:

• Regime Change Begins Where the Government Kills Its Opponents
• Get Over It - 2000 was The Law of the Land, Stupid
• Preparing for Peace Without Being Able to Defend It is Worthless

Hm. That can be on next Chrismas's list...

Posted by Mitch at January 1, 2003 04:18 PM