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2008 Green National Convention#Presidential nomination

{{short description|July 2008 Green Party convention in Chicago}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox National Political Convention

| year = 2008

| party = Green

| logo= Green Party of the United States New Logo.png

| logo_size=150px

| image = Cynthia McKinney.jpg

| image_size = 100px

| image2 = NLN_Rosa_Clemente.jpg

| image_size2 = 90px

| caption = Nominees
McKinney and Clemente

| date = July 10–14, 2008

| venue = Palmer House Hilton (July 10, 11 and 13)
Symphony Center (July 12)

| city = Chicago, Illinois

| presidential_nominee = Cynthia McKinney of Georgia

| vice_presidential_nominee = Rosa Clemente of New York

| othercandidates = Chm. Kat Swift (TX)

| previous_year = 2004

| next_year = 2012

}}

{{US 2008 presidential elections series}}

{{Location map+|USA|width=400|float=right|caption=Sites of the 2008 national presidential nominating conventions|places=

{{Location map~|USA|mark=blue-gold pog.svg|marksize=14|lat_deg=39.739167|lon_deg=-104.984722|position=bottom|background=#FFFFFF|label=Denver}}

{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=44.9441|lon_deg=-93.0852|position=top|background=#FFFFFF|label=Saint Paul}}

{{Location map~|USA|mark=purple pog.svg|lat_deg=39.1|lon_deg=-94.58|position=bottom|background=#FFFFFF|label=Kansas City}}

{{Location map~|USA|mark=green pog.svg|marksize=14|lat_deg=41.836944|lon_deg=-87.684444|position=bottom|background=#FFFFFF|label=Chicago}}

}}

The 2008 Green National Convention took place on July 10–14, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois at the Palmer House Hilton and Symphony Center.[http://www.greenconvention2008.com/venues.shtml Venue Options - Green Party National Convention 2008 - Chicago, Illinois] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109010927/http://www.greenconvention2008.com/venues.shtml |date=November 9, 2013 }} This served as both the venue for the National Convention and the Annual Meeting of the Green Party of the United States.

Venues

The convention was headquartered at the historic Palmer House Hilton, while the nomination event itself took place at the nearby Symphony Center on July 12.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805002702/https://gpus.org/other/press/pr-national.php?ID=60 |archive-date=August 5, 2019 |url-status=dead|url=http://gpus.org/other/press/pr-national.php?ID=60 |title=Information for media covering the Green Party's 2008 National Nominating Convention in Chicago, July 10–13 |author= |date=May 14, 2008 |website=gpus.org |publisher=Green Party of the United States |access-date=February 25, 2017}}

Theme

The theme of the convention was, "Live Green, Vote Green".

Events

=July 10=

;Main Events

  • Introductory news conference and a reception for international Greens.
  • Welcome Reception with International Greens{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029072350/http://www.gwu.edu/%7Eaction/2008/chrnconv08/greenconv071008.html |archive-date=October 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |url=https://www.gwu.edu/%7Eaction/2008/chrnconv08/greenconv071008.html |title=Green Party 2008 National Convention |author= |year=2008 |website=www.gwu.edu |publisher=George Washington University |access-date=April 8, 2017}}

;Additional Events

  • Credentialing Committee meeting
  • Accreditation Committee meeting
  • Diversity Caucus meeting
  • Platform Committee meeting
  • Lavender Caucus meeting
  • International Committee Meeting
  • Ballot Access Committee Meeting
  • National Women's Caucus
  • New York State Caucus
  • Bylaws, Rules, Policies & Procedures (BRPP) Committee Meeting
  • California State Caucus
  • Workshops:{{cite web| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013212250/https://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/chrnconv08/greenworkshops.html |archive-date=October 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |url=https://www.gwu.edu/%7Eaction/2008/chrnconv08/greenworkshops.html |title=Green Party 2008 National Convention |author= |year=2008 |website=www.gwu.edu |publisher=George Washington University |access-date=April 8, 2017}}
  • GPUS Budget & Finances in General: Input, Q&A, and more (presented by Jody Grage and Jim Coplen)
  • Selling Yourself Without Selling Out (hosted by Scott McLarty)
  • A Clear Path Towards Dismantling and Ending All "ism" (Racism, sexism, classism and white privilege) within the Green Party by 2012 (facilitated by Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry)
  • Viral Campaign Marketing (presented by Jim Carr)
  • What Every Candidate Should Know (presented Brent McMillan)
  • What is Local Democracy? Building from the Bottom Up for Political Power (led by Juscha E. M. Robinson, Brenda Konkel, Pete Karas)

=July 11=

;Main events

  • National Committee Meeting
  • News conferences for elected Greens, Green presidential candidates, and candidates for other offices
  • Presidential Candidates Forum. moderated by Rich Whitney{{cite web |url=http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2008/07/11/gp-convention-candidate-forum/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803152844/http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2008/07/11/gp-convention-candidate-forum/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 3, 2008 |title=GP Convention – candidate forum |last=Hardy |first=Ronald |date=July 11, 2008 |website=www.greenpartywatch.com |publisher=Green Party Watch |access-date=February 28, 2017}}{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
  • Evening reception with John Nichols

;Other Events

  • Morning Yoga
  • Eco-Action Committee meeting
  • Presidential Candidate Support Committee meeting
  • Outreach Committee meeting
  • Black Caucus meeting
  • Dispute Resolution Committee meeting
  • Disability Caucus meeting
  • Youth Caucus meeting
  • Maine State Caucus meeting
  • Latino Caucus meeting
  • Workshops
  • Fundraising 101 (featuring panelists LaVerne Butler, Angel Torres, George Martin, David Cobb, Jody Grange, Emily Citkowski, Tamar Yager)
  • The Role of Peace Movement in an Election Year (presented by Bruce Gagnon, Steve Shafarman and moderated by Ann Wilcox)
  • What is Central to the Green Message: Ecology? Democracy? Social Justice? (presented Gloria Mattera, Ben Manski and John Rensenbrink, moderated by Mary Beth Sullivan)
  • Sustainable Activism (presented by Alison Duncan)
  • The 60th Anniversaries of the Palestinian Catastrophe (Nakba) and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Green Party's Response
  • The Constitutional MAP for Voter Disenfranchisement
  • Update on NAFTA and the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)
  • The Law of Diminishing Returns as a Principle for Deciding How to Deal with the Need to Reduce Consumption to Restore the Environment
  • Organizing Online for Everyone
  • Campaign Fundraising
  • Candidate Messaging
  • Making Green Food Choices – How our diet affects animals and the environment
  • Democratizing the Electoral College
  • Endless War and the Military-Industrial- Governmental Complex
  • Red, Black, Brown and 'Green': Positive Solutions to the Issues of Poverty, Immigration and Environment Destruction
  • A Democracy Movement for the U.S.A.
  • The Basic Income Guarantee - and the Power of Green Economics

=July 12=

;Main events

  • Platform vote
  • Keynote speeches by Cliff Thornton, Kathy Kelly, Malik Rahim, Jill Stein, Omar López
  • Speeches by Green Party presidential candidates
  • Presidential nomination vote
  • Vice presidential nomination and speech
  • Presidential speech
  • Press conference
  • Post-convention reception at Palmer House

=July 13=

;Main events

  • National Committee meeting with the new presidential nominee

;Other events

  • Morning meditation led by Lewie Pell of the Network for Spiritual Progressives
  • Green Alliance Meeting
  • Workshops:
  • Agrarian Revival at the End of Cheap Oil
  • What to say when you're called a spoiler: instant runoff voting & proportional representation
  • LGBT Activism: Recent Victories and Future Goals
  • History of US-Iranian Relations and Its Impact on Current Tensions Regarding Iranian Nuclear Power
  • Strategic Thinking for Campaigns
  • Elections for Radicals

File:MalikRahimSkylineEditorB (cropped).jpg

File:Lasallian Youth 2008.jpg

Speakers

Notable speakers included:{{cite web |title=Green Party Presidential Convention {{!}} C-SPAN.org |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?206375-1/green-party-presidential-convention |access-date=22 May 2021 |website=www.c-span.org |publisher=C-SPAN |language=en-us}}{{cite web |author= |year=2008 |title=2008 Green National Convention: Live Green, Vote Green |url=http://www.usmlo.org/arch2008/2008-07/VR080717.htm |access-date=February 25, 2017 |website=www.usmlo.org |publisher=U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organizarion}}

class="wikitable"

!Name

!Position/Notability

David Cobb

|Activist

2004 Green Party presidential nominee

Pat LaMarche

|Activist

2004 Green Party vice presidential nominee

Rich Whitney

|Green party nominee for the 2006 Illinois gubernatorial election

John Nichols

|Journalism

Malik Rahim

|Activist

Former Black Panther

Green party nominee for LA-02 in 2008

Kathy Kelly

|

Cliff Thornton Jr

|Activist

Green party nominee for the 2006 Connecticut gubernatorial election

Omar López

|Green party nominee for IL-04 in 2008

Jill Stein

|Physician

Green party nominee in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

Brent McMillan

|GPUS Political Director (2004–2009)

Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry

|{{Data missing|?|date=February 2025}}

Jim Carr

|{{Data missing|?|date=February 2025}}

Ben Manski

|

John Rensenbrink

|Political sciencist

Conservationist

Co-founder of the Green Party

Presidential nomination

The presidential nomination took place July 12 at Chicago's Symphony Center.

=Candidates=

File:Green-2008-chicago.jpg

File:Illinois delegation to Green Party Nat'l Convention 2008 (2674556872).jpg

{{main|United States third party and independent presidential candidates, 2008#Green Party}}

File:Blank.png|Withdrew
Jared Ball of Maryland, college professor and journalist

File:Blank.png|Withdrew
Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party chairwoman

Image:Hawkins 2010.jpg |Howie Hawkins of New York, activist

File:Blank.png|Jesse Johnson of West Virginia, former Mountain Party candidate for US Senate and Governor of West Virginia

Image:CynthiaAnnMcKinney.jpg|Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, former Congresswoman from Georgia's 4th district{{Cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/cynthia-mckinney-back-and-running-for-her-old-congressional-seat/Py0gVrY0fdGKn0EaLIEXBM/|title=Cynthia McKinney back and running for her old congressional seat|last=Scott|first=Jeffry|date=April 23, 2012|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|access-date=August 4, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?P80004930 |title=Statement of candidacy - McKinney, Cynthia |publisher=Federal Election Commission |access-date=2008-10-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023074801/http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?P80004930 |archive-date=2008-10-23 }}
(Campaign • [https://web.archive.org/web/20160315140259/http://www.votetruth08.com/ Website])

Image:Kent Mesplay by Gage Skidmore.jpg|Kent Mesplay of California, California Delegate to the Green National Committee

Image:Katswift.jpg|Kat Swift of Texas, co-chair of Texas Green Party

=Balloting=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! Candidate

! Green National Convention
Presidential roll call vote

! style="width: 7em" |Percentage

{{party shading/Green}}

| Cynthia McKinney

32459.89%
Ralph Nader385½15.80%
Kat Swift38½7.12%
Kent Mesplay356.47%
Jesse Johnson32½6.01%
Elaine Brown91.66%
Jared Ball481.48%
style="background-color:#FFFFFF;"

| No candidate

6½1.20%
style="background-color:#FFFFFF;"

| Uncommitted

20.37%
style="background-color:#EEEEEE;"

| Total

541100%
style="background-color:#FFFFFF;"

| colspan="5" style="text-align:left;" |Notes:
1 {{cite news | title= 2008 Green Party Presidential Nomination Delegate Count | date= July 3, 2008 | url= http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/Delegate-Vote-Count.php | work= GPUS }}
2 {{cite news | title= 2008 Presidential Convention Ballot Results | date= July 2008 | url= http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/2008-Presidential-Ballots_1.htm | work= GPUS }}
3 Nader did not seek the Green Party nomination. His total includes 8 delegates from
Illinois where Howie Hawkins stood on the ballot in his place.
4 Endorsed Cynthia McKinney.

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Green presidential nomination ballot{{cite web|url=https://www.thegreenpapers.com/PCom/?20160727-0 |title=Dem Convention Day 2 redacted tweets ... DAY 2 of the 2016 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION met in the Wells Fargo Center: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |website=Thegreenpapers.com |access-date=July 27, 2016}}{{cite web|title=2008 Green Convention|url=https://www.thegreenpapers.com/T08/Gr-Nom.phtml}}

!Delegation

!data-sort-type="number"|File:CynthiaAnnMcKinney.jpg Cynthia McKinney

!data-sort-type="number"|File:Naderspeak.JPG Ralph Nader

!data-sort-type="number"|File:Katswift.jpg Kat Swift

!data-sort-type="number"|File:Kent Mesplay by Gage Skidmore.jpg Kent Mesplay

!data-sort-type="number"|File:Blank.png Jesse Johnson

!data-sort-type="number"|File:Blank.png Elaine Brown

!data-sort-type="number"|File:Blank.png Jared Ball

!data-sort-type="number"|File:NOTA Option Logo.svgOther

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Arizona}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|6

|0

|0

|1

|1

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Arkansas}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|4

|0

|1

|1

|0

|0

|1

|1

style="text-align:left;"|Black Caucus

|{{party shading/Green}}|2

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|California}}

|23

|{{party shading/Green}}|52

|3

|2

|1

|4

|1

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Colorado}}

|3

|0

|2

|2

|0

|{{party shading/Green}}|5

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Connecticut}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|10

|1

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Delaware}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|6

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Washington, D.C.}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|13

|1

|1

|0

|0

|0

|1

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Florida}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|11

|2

|2

|1

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flagcountry|Georgia (U.S. state)}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|7

|0

|1

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Hawaii}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|5

|3

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Illinois}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|25

|8

|0

|6

|0

|0

|5

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Indiana}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|6.5

|0

|0

|1.5

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Iowa}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|3

|0

|2

|1

|1

|0

|0

|1

style="text-align:left;"|Lavender Caucus

|{{party shading/Green}}|4

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Louisiana|2006}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|5

|1

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Maine}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|15

|0

|1

|0.5

|1.5

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Maryland}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|6

|0

|3

|3

|4

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Massachusetts}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|13

|3

|1

|3

|1

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Michigan}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|17

|4

|1

|1

|1

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Minnesota}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|11

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|1

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Mississippi|2001}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|4

|0

|2

|2

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Missouri}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|5

|0

|1

|0

|2

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Montana}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|1

|0

|0

|{{party shading/Green}}|1

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Nebraska}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|8

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|New Jersey}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|6

|1

|0

|1

|1

|0

|0

|1

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|New York}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|28.5

|2.5

|0

|2

|3

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|North Carolina}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|5

|0

|0

|1

|2

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Ohio}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|3

|1

|0

|0

|1

|0

|0

|1

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Oregon}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|9

|0

|0

|0

|1

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Pennsylvania}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|10

|2

|0.5

|1

|2

|0

|0

|2.5

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Rhode Island}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|5

|0

|0

|0

|1

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|South Carolina}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|1

|0

|{{party shading/Green}}|1

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Tennessee}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|5

|0

|1

|1

|1

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Texas}}

|1

|0

|{{party shading/Green}}|10

|0

|1

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Utah}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|2

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Virginia}}

|2

|{{party shading/Green}}|3

|1

|0

|1

|0

|0

|1

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Washington}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|10

|0

|1

|1

|0

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|West Virginia}}

|2

|0

|0

|0

|{{party shading/Green}}|6

|0

|0

|0

style="text-align:left;"|{{flag|Wisconsin}}

|{{party shading/Green}}|19

|1

|1

|2

|0

|0

|0

|1

style="text-align:left;"|Women's Caucus

|{{party shading/Green}}|2

|0

|{{party shading/Green}}|2

|0

|0

|0

|0

|0

Total delegates

!{{party shading/Green}}|324

!85.5

!38.5

!35

!32.5

!9

!8

!8.5

=Running mate=

After McKinney's nomination, the convention delegates selected her stated choice of running mate, Rosa Clemente, for the vice-presidential nomination through a voice vote of delegates.{{cite video|url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5286262959619823729&ei=&hl=en |title=Daily Greens: Green Party VP Rosa Clemente - Vote and Acceptance |publisher=Video.google.com |date=July 12, 2008 |access-date=2008-10-25}}

References

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080319185951/http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=2 Official Press Release]

{{Reflist}}

Video of Convention

  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt83740Q8HE State Delegate voting part 1]
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jircfmFCOb0 State Delegate voting part 2]
  • [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1998114839320003702&ei=&hl=en Cynthia McKinney Acceptance Speech]
  • [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5286262959619823729&ei=&hl=en Vote and Rosa Clemente Acceptance Speech]
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKGVQJGBsVA David Cobb Convention Speech]
  • [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7226475852159421918&ei=&hl=en Malik Rahim Keynote Speech]
  • [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1862601476644709943&ei=&hl=en Omar López Keynote Speech]
  • [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6406354776635518373&ei=&hl=en Malik Rahim congressional candidate Louisiana]
  • [http://www.vimeo.com/1412555 Jesse Johnson addresses Convention Delegates]

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080518013641/http://www.greenparty2008.org/wiki/index.php/Home Official Convention Website]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080514184714/http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/index.shtml Green Party 2008 Campaign Web Page]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080611181920/http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/Delegate-Vote-Count.php Presidential Nomination Delegate Count]

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