Tough love for the Greens Part 2: Why doesn't Labor support the Greens?

Second part of answering Hugh's question, posted here on Facebook. This is a public event so I assume he doesn't mind a public response.

Hugh Giordano for State Rep in PA's 194th

Why have Democrats turned against labor? Why does labor still support Democrats? Discuss, with great food, at our next Green Night out on March 12

Green Night Out with Thomas Paine Cronin

Location: Singapore Vegetarian Restaurant

Time: ‎7:00PM Saturday, March 12th

I wrote this in response.

Labor doesn't support the greens because, well, you got me. I mean the Wisconsin 14 are fighting for labor. The President and Harry Reid not so much...I mean, they could easily fund house and senate campaigns at the amounts I just mentioned.... Why don't they? You got me. I mean, I hear they got rid of all the Marxists after the McCarthy scares and maybe that's why Labor doesn't have a brain. Labor should have its own press, its own party...doesn't have to contest every seat. Shoot for five senate seats, and 25 house seats. Support dems everywhere else where viable third party candidates can't be fielded. Everyone should thank Hugh for asking the question. Labor organizers are some of the most talented people I've ever met...

Update: Well, one reason is that the Green Party isn't very effective, see tough love one. 
Of course, labor could pretty much take over the Green Party, or run indirect yet competent campaigns through 527s like this one, modeled on America Coming Together. I seriously don't know why they don't do that...really, I don't.

The tough love I gave to Hugh Giordano about the Green Party on Facebook...

Hugh Giordano ran a pretty aggressive campaign for a state house seat last November. He got creamed and came in third behind a republican which is why some people, Ted Rall among them, think that the Green Party isn't going to work. I disagree with Ted. I think the Green Party can win but they need to get real about their tactics and their goals. (For example: Hugh probably shouldn't contest that house seat again. The winning dem got 61 percent in a three way race. She seems popular...he should probably go the Cheri Honkala route and go for a smaller seat but one that has influence like the Philly Sheriff. Does Philly have elected district attorneys or controllers?)

Anyway, I gave Hugh some tough love:

 

Your hearts are in the right place. But you're not professionals. You couldn't organize your way out of the front door. You're not adults. You don't even have the courage to ask the public to compete in an election. You need to raise a quarter of a million in order to contest a US house seat, 2 million to have a decent shot at any senate seat even before Citizens United. Apparently, you need to raise more than 30000 grand to even win a state rep's seat. You need to ask for those amounts on your site and make the point that very seldom does a candidate win by spending less than those amounts...

You need to put 70 percent of your money into the canvass (paid, so that they go out every day...) and only 30 percent into ads (try ads on liberal blogs (Atrios in Philly) and Facebook. Television and radio ads shouldn't go out until late in the race....

I should point out that one reason I created the Greater Good Coalition is that if we could find those 300000 donors who can give 10 bucks a month, or a thousand people from Hollywood who can give 300 bucks a month, then we can indirectly support Hugh Giordano's run for Attorney General.

"A CEO, a teabagger and a union guy are all at the table..."

From Dean Austin, one of my close and personal Facebook friends, sends along this joke that perfectly explains Wisconsin:

"A unionized public employee, a teabagger and a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across and takes 11 cookies, looks at the teabagger and says, 'watch out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie.'"