Comments on: Peace & Freedom Nomination is Difficult to Predict

By: Norma Harrison

Norma Harrison — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:55:08 +0000

It’s too bad such a valuable site has so many expressions that are wrong, useless, impossible ‘deductions’, off point, made up…etc.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:57:56 +0000

At age 18, Kevin Douglas Akin was married to Anne Patrice Brown, also 18, on June 28, 1969 in Riverside County, California. That makes it a 39th wedding anniversary this June. Congratulations!

By: Phil Sawyer

Phil Sawyer — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:01:30 +0000

Matt Says:
June 20th, 2008 at 9:28 pm

… [snip] … The Socialist Party is the emerging apparatus for independent socialist electoral action in the United States. The PFP is the same apparatus in California. Itâ€™s time for two to unite. … [snip] …

Phil Sawyer responds:

That is precisely what I had been suggesting for many, many years (until I finally gave up). The Old Guard Leadership of both Parties always came up with many reasons why that that could not be done. Such negativity! Hopefully a new dawn of politics is now emerging and more people will start to see the promise of positive thinking!

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 05:28:49 +0000

Can you substantiate how the Socialist Party is a right-centrist party? By almost any measure, the Socialist Party is is to the *left* of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. For one, it isn’t afraid to keep the socialist message when its actually engaging in activism. For another, it doesn’t equate socialism with the policies of any demogogic leader who happens to be critical of imperialism. As to the claim that the campaign is likely to be uninspiring and unnoticed, then compare the level of support it currently has (beyond the West Coast) to the level of support of the La Riva campaign. Compare the amount of press coverage and number of interviews outside of the socialist press between the two as well. The Socialist Party is the emerging apparatus for independent socialist electoral action in the United States. The PFP is the same apparatus in California. It’s time for two to unite.

SP Platform: http://socialistparty-usa.org/platform/
SP Presidential Campaign: http://www.votesocialist2008.org

By: Phil Sawyer

Phil Sawyer — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:21:00 +0000

Thank you, Laine!

Kevin Akin Says:
June 20th, 2008 at 6:53 am

… [ snip] … Nader declined to enter our [2004] primary, Peltier got a large majority, and most delegates (including me, as it happens) ratified that choice at the convention. (Yes, it was really that simple, and all the speculation about motives is so much hot air.) … [snip] …

Phil Sawyer responds:

It was not quite that simple, actually. Walter Brown (the nominee of the Socialist Party USA) came in second place in the primary election. There is no reason why the State Nominating Convention could not have chosen him instead of Leonard Peltier. Otherwise, why not just make the primary election binding? In the same manner, the SNC could have chosen Ralph Nader.

These things are tricky. It is very understandable that the delegates (in 2004) who voted for Leonard Peltier might have felt compelled to do so. It still was a very unfortunate selection, in my opinion.

While we do not have pledged delegates, many of us have made our preferences known. During my campaign for County Central Committee (and even before) I said and wrote that my choices in 2008 for the PFP nomination are: (1) Ralph Nader; (2) Cynthia McKinney; (3) Brian Moore; and (4) Gloria La Riva – in that order. That is how I intend to vote at the Convention.

By: Laine

Laine — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:03:39 +0000

Thank you Mr.Akin I do appreciate your postings.

By: Kevin Akin

Kevin Akin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:53:37 +0000

Friends,
This is the real Kevin Akin, currently the South State Chair of the Peace and Freedom Party. I never EVER put up anonymous or pseudonymous posts, unlike the cowardly “Rouge.” No, I did not write the “Anon” posts here. “Rouge” got everything else wrong too, of course. I did not sabotage Nader’s candidacy four years ago. Nader declined to enter our primary, Peltier got a large majority, and most delegates (including me, as it happens) ratified that choice at the convention. (Yes, it was really that simple, and all the speculation about motives is so much hot air.) I am strongly committed, and always have been, to building a strong Left “third party,” and everyone in P&F knows it. I have repeatedly said and written that any of the four choices going into the August convention is acceptable to me, though I have decided for whom I will vote on the first ballot. And my wife and I recently celebrated our 35th anniversary, which does not occur on the 28th of June.
To return to the actual subject, let me add a few notes. I am the convenor of the Credentials Committee for the convention, and know as much as anyone about the count. About 20 of the (roughly) 96 delegates have given no indication of having yet chosen a candidate. Very similar numbers appear to favor La Riva and Nader, with Moore in third place, and somewhat fewer for McKinney. But we do not have any such thing as pledged delegates, everyone is free to choose for themselves for whom to vote, and the situation after the first ballot is sometimes markedly different from the situation just before it. The one thing of which you can be certain is that there are no “apparatchiks” in charge of the process.
The campaign for the support of uncommitted SCC members has only just begun, so things will change. Also, as someone will certainly be eliminated in early balloting, second choices are important. -Kevin Akin

By: Laine

Laine — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:22:47 +0000

Good the hear Phil, I am glad you and the other candidates in your county were elected.

Sorry if people feel as though my posts are off topic. Being geographically isolated from politics I am interested in, the internet is one of the few ways I can find out any information on third party politics.

By: Phil Sawyer

Phil Sawyer — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:08:21 +0000

Laine Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
So basically the candidates who are backing Nader didnâ€™t decide to run until after Nader announced he would not be seeking the Green nomination? Unfortunate, I would have hoped Nader would be a bit more prepared to make it on the ballot in California. I hope for all the best during the P&F nomination process. Does anyone have any idea when we may have some general results from the Committee race?

Phil Sawyer responds:

Actually, Ralph Nader has had a great deal of support within the Peace and Freedom Party for a long time. The reason that I had to run as a write-in candidate for County Central Committee this year was because I was a member of another party (the Green Party of California) during the twelve months before the filing deadline. I have been in and out of PFP since the time that I first became a member (12-1-75).

It is my opinion that PFP has been controlled for a long time by a faction (of one sort or another) that does not truly represent the Party registrants as a whole. That is why I have referred to the people of those factions for so long as the “Old Guard Leaders.” That situation is about to change – hopefully!

By the way, Laine, it appears that all six of us who were running as pro-Nader/Gonzalez CCC candidates in Sacramento County were elected.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed all of the above information!

PS: Whether it is true or not, it really appeared that PFP, by not nominating the Nader-Camejo ticket in 2004, was afraid of the Democratic Party.

By: Bob Richard

Bob Richard — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:06:26 +0000

Let’s not lose sight of where this started, namely with gross errors on the part of election administrators in at least three counties, that cumulatively could well affect the presidential nomination of a political party. I’d like to remind Laine, Rouge, bobbi, Jim Smith, and others that this website is about ballot access and related issues that affect small parties and independent candidates. It is not a forum for the internal debates of P&F or any other organization (although Richard is extremely tolerant in this regard).

Does anybody have any further news on what — if anything — is happening to measure and/or repair the damage that was done on June 3? Or is everybody too wrapped up in promoting their own factional agendas for P&F to care about that?

I appreciate the on-topic contributions of Anon. and Dave Kadlecek.