1. AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY
I had not planned to run for Congress at all, certainly not against Barbara Lee, arguably one of the most progressive longterm members of Congress. However, when we realized she would be unopposed on the primary ballot, we saw an opportunity we needed to seize: we could have a one-on-one contest between a no-corporate-money Green and an incumbent Democrat who does take corporate money.
California has a “Top Two” system, and if only one person appears on the primary ballot, the candidate receiving the most write-in votes gets a spot on the November ballot. In three previous elections, zero Green candidates appeared on November ballots for state or federal offices, other than president which is not a Top Two race. With election roadblocks like this, it is important to find opportunities and make the most of them.
The Green Party combines two crucial commitments: refusing corporate campaign contributions and advancing the values of social justice, real democracy, peace and nonviolence, and ecological wisdom. I believe people benefit by strengthening a political party committed to being corporate-free, in order to actually abide by these interlocking values.
We filed our paperwork but did not have to pay the $1,740 filing fee or collect 2000 signatures-in-lieu of the filing fee. We were among five official write-in candidates in District 13: Green, Republican, Libertarian, No Party Preference (“independent”), and American Independent Party (the party of segregationist George Wallace in 1967, often mistaken for “independent voter”). Voter registration in Alameda County was 57% Democratic and 12% Republican. Who knew how much effort the other candidates’ organizations would exert? I definitely did not want to lose by a couple of votes we could have won with just a little more effort.
2. WE WON THE WRITE-IN!
Getting out the vote (GOTV) was crucial, and we were greatly helped by the Green Party of Alameda County’s highly respected Green Voter Guide, which put our campaign on the front page. We passed out GOTV cards at lectures hosted by public radio station KPFA, and received strong support from the Peace and Freedom Party.
Of the five qualified write-in candidates, I received 832 votes, followed by the Republican with 178 votes, Libertarian 39, No Party Preference 26, and American Independent 3. We received almost three times as many votes as the other four candidates combined.
3. RUNNING AGAINST AN ICON
Barbara Lee is more than an incumbent, she’s an icon. She was the lone vote against giving George W. Bush unlimited war powers after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks in 2001. That one “no” vote made it a challenge to run against Barbara Lee on all the issues. In fact, seventeen years later, many thought Barbara Lee was the only Congressperson who voted against the Patriot Act (66 no votes, in October 2001) or the Iraq invasion bill (133 no votes, in October 2002).
After her 9/11 vote, I voted for Barbara Lee for years, until I realized she took money from corporations such as Lockheed, PG&E, and Pfizer, and awarded her local endorsements to those aligned with the Democratic Party corporate establishment, rather than the most progressive candidates and initiatives.
When people first heard I was a Green candidate for Congress, many were receptive since Congress has a very low approval rating. When they realized whose district it was, some asked incredulously, “You’re running against Barbara Lee???”
We had to hit a tricky balance. One of the early scripts for a short video included saying Barbara Lee was a “team player for the Democratic Party.” One colleague said it was excessive praise, and another called it “going negative.” What I meant by “team player” was that no matter how good a politician’s intentions are when they start out, if their political party’s money comes from corporations and billionaires who keep a close watch on their investments, they learn to “play the game” and “toe the line.” Exceptions are allowed when team players need to retain the support of voters by saying certain things, and even voting certain ways, especially when their votes won’t make a difference.
4. WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Let’s talk about this in terms of problems, propaganda, and solutions.
The worst problem is already happening: our current system of democracy does not allow us to elect decision-makers who make our lives better, more equitable, healthier, safer, and happier.
The propaganda that’s been put forth for decades is the idea that we’re stuck with it. There’s been a concerted effort to lower our expectations — by the billionaires, their media, and their politicians.
TINA — There Is No Alternative — was put forth in the 1980s by former president Ronald Reagan’s friend, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Because of our bad electoral system, ordinary people are perpetuating the TINA propaganda by believing in the controversial “spoiler” and “wasting your vote” arguments, and by “holding their noses” and voting for the “lesser evil.” People are persuaded to vote for what they don’t really want, or they do not vote at all. Low voter turnout gets blamed on “voter apathy” — the people themselves, not the system. I am sure we all know non-voters who are interested in a better world, or at least better lives for themselves and their families; however, they lack enthusiasm for voting as a means of getting there.
Another argument is that one of the alternatives, the Green Party, “takes away votes” from Democrats, which always strikes me as upside down. It’s clear that major parties take votes away from smaller parties. Many voters would choose a Green (or Libertarian) candidate if they thought the candidate could win, but out of fear of getting the candidate they dislike the most, they vote for the Democrat (or Republican) as a “safer” vote.
Meanwhile, Congress has a very low approval rating, and it’s pretty logical. A recent Princeton study showed that whether there is 100% public support for a given idea — or zero support — there is about a 30% chance of Congress passing a law that reflects the idea. If the support or non-support comes from the ten percent “elites,” however, public policy lines up with their wishes. A majority of Americans want a new party in Congress that aligns with us, not with the billionaires and their corporations. Because of our electoral system that works against accountability, however, voters across the country may hate Congress but they like their individual Congressperson, and continually re-elect them. About 80% of all Congressional races can be predicted two years in advance, at the very beginning of their new two-year terms, before they do anything.
There are solutions. A major solution is Proportional Representation. PR is used by people in more than 90 countries to elect their legislative bodies. Imagine having 5-person legislative districts, for example, rather than single-seat districts. Then, when a Green or Libertarian or other candidate receives 20% of the vote, they get a seat in the legislature. Voter influence increases because people can vote for their values and candidates without fear, not just for “anybody but.” Legislators can lose their seats if people aren’t happy with their results.
The following is a “Recipe for a Real Democracy.” With these solutions, “spoiling elections” and “wasting your vote” will be laughable phrases from the old days. — Proportional Representation (e.g. Single Transferable Votes) — using PR automatically improves many of the other ingredients of a real democracy — Open debates — run by the League of Women Voters, not a consortium of the two big political parties — Ranked Choice Voting / Instant Runoff Voting — Electronic/Paper Ballot — voting systems that are a combination of electronic voting with verifiable paper ballots, standardized so that they can be audited at all levels: local, state, and national — Abolish the Electoral College, and if the constitution is too hard to change, check out National Popular Vote — stop a based-on-slavery system that allowed electoral losers like Donald Trump and George W. Bush to take the presidency without winning the popular vote — Public Financing of Campaigns (“Clean Money”) — note that the institution of Proportional Representation and other reforms automatically reduces the influence of money in politics — Free airtime for all candidates — Net neutrality — Same day voter registration — Weekend elections — Shorter campaign season — Citizen education — Citizen assemblies
With electoral reforms like Proportional Representation and others, an idea like Term Limits can be discarded. Term Limits prevent people from retaining good public officials that have gained experience and earned their re-election.
5. VOLUNTEERS WERE A SOURCE OF STRENGTH
Once we finally found out we won the write-in, we needed everything rapidly: website, campaign platform, videos, photos, literature.
Luckily we benefited from the caliber of skills of organizers who had done the #DemExit and #GreenEnter following Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2016, after they saw the Democratic National Committee throw obstacles in his way. With these brand new Greens plus long-timers, we gathered volunteer videographers and photographers, web designers, writers, editors, a treasurer, and alternative media reporters.
6. “GENDERALIZATIONS”
In July 2018 the Green Party held its annual national meeting. Organizers invited the other two California congressional candidates as plenary speakers and press conference participants, but not me, apparently because Barbara Lee was so unbeatable. After decades of experience, it is amazing I am still conditioned to not put myself forward when I should. I pushed back against that conditioning, spoke to the organizers, and to their credit they added my congressional campaign to the agendas.
It’s important to talk about gender dynamics. The U.S. is surprisingly more backward and has fewer women in office than many other countries around the globe. To summarize in just two words, I would say females are conditioned to support, and males are conditioned to impress. Our vastly different conditioning diminishes everyone. Even after improvements in the past several decades, we still have an unbalanced culture where men speak out in public impressively, and women draw back supportively. Yes, these are broad “genderalizations” but they are important considering how few women are in office in 2019, a century after women’s suffrage, and 230 years after the constitution was written.
7. RAISE EXPECTATIONS AND VOTE TO PRESSURE
We were challenging a political system that refuses to provide the very basics, in the richest country on earth. Basics like healthcare, housing, environmental protection, living wages, debt-free education, and real justice — all of which could be paid for by taxing the rich and stopping the wars. There’s no excuse for it, but there is a reason: the billionaires and their corporations have bought out both parties and are running our country. They work with their politicians and media to diminish our expectations and accustom us to accepting far worse conditions than are expected in other wealthy industrialized countries.
Our campaign stressed that people can pressure Congress by voting for no-corporate-money Greens, even when running against the most progressive incumbents — the very ones who set the upper limit of what people can expect. Healthcare is a perfect example.
With Greens in Congress, a Democratic president like Barack Obama would have used his 60% majorities in both houses to push for a single payer “Medicare for All” plan rather than take it “off the table.” The Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which Barbara Lee was a chair leading up to 2009, would have honored their vow and rejected a bill without a “public option” that would have made private insurance corporations compete with a Medicare-style option. Congress and Obama delivered what is still the worst healthcare system of the 30 wealthy industrialized countries, in terms of expense, access, and results.
Our message was clear: we the people need to raise our expectations, use our power, apply pressure, and demand that Congress move toward what we want, and need. In the campaign we needed to push for a debate.
8. THE HIGH PRICE OF BALLOT STATEMENTS
In 2002 a ballot statement for statewide office was free, and then it increased to $25 a word, for a maximum cost of $6,250. I learned to pack as much as I could into as few words as possible. In 2014, a linguist friend liked the “telegraphic style” of my state Controller ballot statement, starting with the phrases “State Bank. Tax the super rich not the 99%.” It was only 64 words and it cost $1,600.
I was shocked that the price tag for a Congressional ballot statement in 2018 was a flat fee of $12,853! None of the three Green corporate-free candidates could justify allocating that exorbitant expense from our grassroots budgets. Statements should still be free, so we don’t have to be rich to run.
9. SIDE-BY-SIDE FORUM!
A welcome surprise in the campaign — and a major victory — was the forum that happened on October 5, 2018. When developing a strategy we decided to focus on calling for a debate. Although many people gave us zero chance of success, we wrote a letter to Barbara Lee asking for a debate. We pushed for a debate in our weekly email blasts, which we knew were going to friends and colleagues who were on Barbara Lee’s steering committee. We heard from Barbara Lee’s office that they were looking into it and would get back to us. Then we heard from the League of Women Voters that they were adding a 30-minute Congressional forum to their Oakland mayoral forum.
I asked grassroots experts for “briefing papers” on possible questions to be posed by young organizers and by the audience. The questions allowed us to talk about Palestine, trade agreements, public health, violence, voter suppression, and climate change. The best briefing paper was from a Palestine activist, and that question proved to be very significant for pointing out the difference between Democratic and Green values. It was Barbara Lee’s turn to respond first. After she spoke, implying support for the Palestinians, a fearless woman in the audience did something I would not have the nerve to do. In a very loud voice, she said, “You’re lying!” and with the fortitude of her commitment to peace for Palestinians, she continued for a few moments even after the League moderator called for silence. In my minute, I said that since the government and military of Israel have not lived up to their obligations under international law, the U.S. must stop supplying military and foreign aid to Israel, and our elected representatives should support the BDS movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions.
As to media, one outlet showed up, KPFA listener-sponsored radio. No corporate TV, radio, or newspaper covered the forum at all.
10. TV SPOTS
Although the three Congressional races with Greens running head-to-head with Democrats were certainly “news” — something that had not happened before — the media barely covered us. So we made our own mainstream media. We aired TV spots that were seen by voters who otherwise would not receive our message. A videographer shot two 15-second ads, the first ad in one take, and the second ad that same day. It was rewarding to hear people say, “I saw your ad on TV.”
The costs were incredibly low. Producing the two ads cost $500, and airing them roughly 1000 times locally on CNN, MSNBC and other stations cost $5,000.
11. APPENDECTOMY AND “FIERY” SPEECH
A big surprise during the campaign happened two weeks before the election: appendicitis! I had an emergency appendectomy and was sorry to miss a Los Angeles rally held two days later that gathered all three Green Congressional candidates, along with former Green presidential candidate Jill Stein.
The following day, however, I was recovered enough to speak at a local rally in Berkeley with Jill Stein and Bay Area Green candidates. I am usually somewhat understated in my critiques of the political scene, but a friend described this talk as “fiery!” Bernie Sanders had come to town the day before to support Barbara Lee. It was beyond ironic to me knowing that in the summer of 2016, Barbara Lee cast her super-delegate vote for Hillary Clinton, not Bernie, even though Bernie was favored by the majority of her constituents, and, according to credible polls, had a better chance of winning against Trump! I was outraged, and energized.
In my seven minute speech I talked about “what happened” to get Trump elected. Counties in swing states voted for Obama once if not twice in 2008 and 2012 and then switched to Trump not because they were racist or sexist, but because they had seen the prospects for their families and communities deteriorate for many decades. In frustration when Obama and his party did not deliver on even half of the hope inspired by his eloquent speeches, enough voters switched to Trump to swing the obsolete Electoral College to the “other party”. Or people didn’t vote at all. “Voter apathy” usually gets the blame for that, but people do care; they just don’t expect that voting in our current electoral system will make a difference.
12. WE BEAT THE PREDICTIONS
We received 34,237 votes for a total of 11.6%, beating the 9.7% prediction on ABC News online. In the Los Angeles Congressional races, Kenneth Mejia earned 27.4%, more than 50% higher than the prediction of 18.1%. Rodolfo Cortes Barragan also beat his prediction, achieving 22.6% of the votes.
In these times when there is a crucial need for unequivocal, eco-socialist opposition to the administration in Washington, it was encouraging to see our results and those of many other Green candidates around the country. The strongest opposition vote is Green.
The campaign was worth it, notwithstanding the times that I wished I had never agreed to run, and that others questioned the idea of running against Barbara Lee. In the campaign we demonstrated the power of taking advantage of opportunities such as running a write-in campaign against an unopposed incumbent. We called for a debate, and achieved a candidate forum. We highlighted the need to raise our expectations and vote to pressure, especially regarding politicians we think are progressive. In fact, we should pressure them the most since they effectively set the upper limits of our expectations.
13. WHAT’S NEXT? CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE!
Looking toward 2020, fortunately there is a positive project to focus on beyond presidential politics. A California initiative that reforms Proposition 13 to make corporations pay their fair share will be on the November 2020 ballot. Scores of young people who were not even born when Prop 13 passed have been lead organizers. Although this reform is carefully designed to protect regular people and small business, we can be sure corporations and billionaires will deliver an onslaught of misrepresentations, omissions, fake news, and downright lies to try to get people to vote against it so billionaires can continue to benefit from the “tax revolt” Prop 13 initiated in 1978.
Like running for Congress against Barbara Lee, the upcoming initiative campaign to reform Prop 13 will be well worth the challenge. I certainly hope that people will win against big money, and that such wins will soon stop being a surprise.