Party building and the 2004 elections.

• Author: Webb, Philip
• Position: Politics and Election

The waning days of 2003 mark the opening of the sprint to next November's presidential elections. Within the first few months of the new year, millions of dollars will be spent in Democratic primaries to narrow the candidate field to a surviving few by early spring. President Bush will continue to amass unprecedented levels of cash to run unchallenged primary campaigns to position him for the general election. The shell remnants of the Reform Party will rummage the political dregs to see whom they might put forward. The Green Party will face a dual decision--whether to run a presidential candidate, and if so, then who should that person be.

Leaving the second question for others, I will address the issue of to run or not to run. Unequivocally, the party must put forth a candidate. The Green Party won nearly 3% of the popular vote in the 2000 elections. Retreating from the national stage might falsely signal waning strength or a dearth of strong progressive candidates. Yet, merely making the decision to field someone for a presidential bid is not enough. Party strategy must clearly articulate what it seeks to accomplish through this candidacy. Being so grossly outspent by major parties and having no federal office holders to provide a legitimating platform, the Green Party candidate cannot expect to win the election. What then is the goal of running?

A vague sense of broadening the political discourse, while noble, does not build a political party. The election must be a party-building exercise. If neither winning nor developing the party, the Greens will waste money in campaign expenditures. When looking at the success of Green parties elsewhere, the German party stands out.

By joining a coalition government with the center left Social Democrats, the German Green Party obtained the leadership of the Foreign Ministry for the head of its party--Joschka Fischer. As Foreign Minister, Fischer has national and international stature. Additionally, as part of the ruling coalition, German Greens have held positions of Environment Minister and Minister for Consumer Protection. Having party leaders in national office, provides greater name recognition of both the party and its leaders, access to national media, a demonstration of the party's ability to function at the highest levels. In short, it establishes a broader sense of legitimacy for the party.

Alas, the absence of a parliamentary system in the united States makes the German example, at first...