Green Party Vice President Candidate Won't Vote For Herself

[Jonathan Resop]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/ne...lamarche.shtml

LaMarche says she'll vote for whoever can beat Bush

By JOSHUA L. WEINSTEIN, Portland Press Herald Writer

Green Party candidate Pat LaMarche, center, introduces her daughter, Becky, 18, and her son, John, 17, during a press conference Tuesday at the State House in Augusta.

AUGUSTA — Pat LaMarche, the Green Party's newly nominated candidate for vice president, said Tuesday that her top priority is not winning the White House for her party, but ensuring that President Bush is defeated. She is, in fact, so determined to see Bush lose that she would not commit to voting for herself and her running mate, Texas lawyer David Cobb.

LaMarche, who won 7 percent of the vote when she was the Green Independent candidate for governor of Maine in 1998, said she'll vote for whoever has the best chance of beating Bush.

But "if Bush has got 11 percent of the vote in Maine come November 2, I can vote for whoever I want," she said in an interview with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.

And if the state is, as it is now, a toss-up between Bush and presumptive Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry?

She could well vote for the Democrat.

"I love my country," she said. "Maybe we should ask them that, because if (Vice President) **** Cheney loved his country, he wouldn't be voting for himself."

A spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign said the vice president is certain to vote for his and Bush's re-election.

Larry Sabato, a political scientist who directs the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said, "It's a rare thing, even for a splinter party, to have a nominee for vice president indicate she is not sure for whom she is going to vote."

LaMarche was nominated last weekend at the party's convention in Milwaukee.

She returned Monday night to Maine, and on Tuesday held her first press conference as her party's nominee in the State House Hall of Flags.

"There are huge issues," she said, listing the war, the environment, health care, the economy and jobs.

Health care was one of her central issues when she ran for governor, and LaMarche acknowledged Tuesday that she does not have health insurance.

But most important of all, she said, is "making sure that George Bush is no longer president of the United States."

LaMarche initially did not think the party should field a candidate for president at all. Her feeling was that many people believe the party's candidate in 2000, Ralph Nader, drew votes away from the Democrat, Al Gore, ultimately leading to Bush's win.

Now LaMarche rejects what she calls an incorrect perception that Nader cost Gore the presidency. She said 6 million Democrats voted for Bush, and there were many irregularities in the 2000 vote.

"There are a million things that are rotten about that last election cycle," she said.

When her party chose to run a candidate this year, she felt compelled to support the decision.

"What we need right now is to make sure that the Green Party grows," she said.

LaMarche plans to use the Maine party's expertise in getting candidates on the ballot to help other state parties across the country do the same.

Although LaMarche does not believe she and Cobb will win the White House, they plan to campaign hard, she said. The two have decided against seriously competing in states that are undecided because of their belief that Bush needs to be defeated.

She said she expects to travel twice a week, but that it's important that she continue to spend time at home with her 18-year-old daughter, Becky, and 17-year-old son, John.

LaMarche is 43 years old and a single mother who lives in Yarmouth. She said she asked her children for permission before agreeing to run for vice president.

The two appeared with their mother at her press conference Tuesday, and had lunch in the State House cafeteria afterward.

While LaMarche, known professionally as radio personality Genny Judge on WEBB (FM 98.5), a country music station, is excited about the campaign, she has new concerns about her personal finances.

She said she'll get no stipend for being a candidate, and that her candidacy has complicated her employment situation.

She said she was "disinvited" from appearing on her usual morning program, but didn't know if the arrangement is permanent.

Staff Writer Joshua L. Weinstein can be contacted at 791-6368 or at:

jweinstein@pressherald.com

Oh my God. This is just sad. If I was a member of the Green Party, I would be completely pissed off right now. Sure, this goofy lady has the right to vote for whoever she wanted. But she's RUNNING as the VICE PRESIDENT for the GREEN PARTY??? What the HELL is she doing? If she doesn't want to win...WHY THE HELL IS SHE RUNNING???!?!?!?!?!?!?! I'm just baffled. What message does this tell people who are members of the Green Party. "I don't care about the Green Party", that's what. SHEESH. How the hell can we break away from the stupid two-party system, when idiots like this run for the other parties. Well, there's no way I can see myself voting for the Green Party this election... That lady is just retarded.

Oh, and look at the picture of her son in the article. He looks like a punk, heh.


................^ This Year's Idiot #1
...................................^"Duh...My mommys running for president?"

Oh, and this line is hilarious...

"While LaMarche, known professionally as radio personality Genny Judge on WEBB (FM 98.5), a country music station, is excited about the campaign, she has new concerns about her personal finances.

She said she'll get no stipend for being a candidate, and that her candidacy has complicated her employment situation."

YOU'RE RUNNING FOR VICE PRESIDENT, IDIOT! WHAT DID YOU EXPECT???!!!???!!!

-jay

[ June 30, 2004, 04:48 PM: Message edited by: Perrin Aybara ]

[Bowser314]

If I was a member of the Green Party, I wouldnt be pissed. I mean, they KNOW they have no shot at winning.

[Jonathan Resop]

I know they can't win. They know they can't win. By why would you RUN under the ticket as the FRIGGEN VICE PRESIDENT and say you'll vote for someone else and you have no chance to win. WHY EVEN BOTHER RUNNING???-jay

[ocarinagirl]

[img]graemlins/lol.gif[/img]

Her son...he has some tits there. I mean, damn...o_O

This doesn't really anger me at all, really. It's just...hilarious!! [img]graemlins/lol.gif[/img]

[UserGoogol]

She's making a decision which will hurt her campaign (Cobb-La Marche has already been attacked by other Greens for being too pro-Democratic Party), but since Maine is apparently a close election right now, I see her reasoning. Even the Green Party has grown to accept that Bush is signifigantly worse than Kerry. She does state in that article that if things turn around, she will vote for herself.

Cobb lives in Texas, at any rate, so he's certainly going to vote for himself because it's fairly obvious what way that state's gonna go.

The Cobb-La Marche FAQ says the following on related matters.

You don't really expect to win, do you?

Yes and no. We don't have enough people, money, or media access to take the White House. But there are other measures of success. In 2000, the Green Party grew enormously and became a household name. In that respect, it was a winning campaign. We can and will build on that success this year, by helping state and local parties to organize, helping Green candidates get elected to office, providing a campaign to disseminate our message, and more.

Didn't the Green Party cost Gore the election in 2000? Aren't you afraid of doing that to Kerry?

Greens do not accept the "spoiler" argument. Al Gore was the legitimate winner of the election, but the outdated and undemocratic Electoral College, along with corruption in the Florida electoral system, allowed the Supreme Court to decide that George W. Bush should occupy the White House.

This time around, David is running more heavily in states where the outcome of the vote is predictable, based on history. Green voters in those states can choose David without worrying that they are contributing to returning Bush to the White House. Of course, we are still seeking votes in other states as well, just not as intensely (unless they are required to gain or maintain ballot access, in which case we will be highly assertive).

Greens are also proponents of Instant Runoff Voting, which would conclusively eliminate the "spoiler" issue. Democrats who feel threatened by us would do well to take up the banner of IRV, because Greens are not going away, and we will not be convinced by "Not this year" arguments.

Is David Cobb running a limited campaign or is he running all out?

David Cobb has been running for the Green Party nomination as hard as he can (he's already visited more than 40 states) and will campaign for the presidency as hard as he can. A campaign, however, is about more than just a candidate - it's about Greens all over the country, working together.

Does David want to help John Kerry get elected President?

No, but he also doesn't want to help reelect George Bush. We plan to direct our campaign resources in ways that build the Green Party the most without helping George Bush.

[ July 01, 2004, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: UserGoogol ]

[Juliet]

"**** Cheney?"

[Super Shy Guy]

Cheney's first name is censored on these forums because it's a synonym for "penis."

[Yoshinator]

^Yeah, but he really IS a **** !