An Open Letter to the Green Party

Dear Friends and Idiots,

Like a teenager trying to somehow cure acne by beating his face on a maple tree, you keep choosing dramatic action over good judgment: the way to help influence American politics toward more progressive policies is to run in areas where you can A) offer an alternative candidate people will be genuinely interested in considering and B) have a non-zero likelyhood of winning. NOT IN MAJOR NATIONAL RACES WHERE YOU WASTE RESOURCES AND CAN ONLY DAMAGE PROGRESSIVE POLICIES.

To wit: City councils, mayors, state house races, school boards. Local, local, local. Run against conservative democrats. Influence local politics and build your party - I've been a Democrat my whole life and I would welcome a Green candidate in my extremely blue Legislative District. My legislators are too conservative and too comfy and if they aren't challenged they won't get better. You can win some of these races. Win two or three State House races and you might force a left-leaning caucus in a state legislature. Great!

Stop obsessing about the nation as a whole and work on streets and fair labor and sewer treatment bonds. The San Francisco mayor's office nearly went Green last time - and that city government could have used a good progressive airing out. This is how you build legitimacy, how you earn respect, how you attract votes.

Quixotic is not, I reiterate, good. Knock it off!