Green News and Opinion has listed media coverage at Reading here.

from the local paper the Reading Eagle:

2008 Green Party nomination hopefuls
Reading, PA - Candidates seeking the 2008 Green Party nomination for president were introduced Friday night during the party’s national convention in The Abraham Lincoln hotel.

About 125 people attended.

Election law requirements for third-party candidates vary from state to state.

In some states candidates registered as independents or other parties can be nominated by a different third party, such as the Green.

In Pennsylvania, third-party candidates for national office must obtain 26,000 valid signatures in order to be listed on the ballot, versus the 2,000 required for a Democrat or Republican.

The top three issues on the Green Party national agenda are opposition to the war in Iraq, global warming and a national health-care plan.

Candidate: Jared Ball, 35, Washington, D.C.

Party: Green.

Quote: “We need energy directed toward the most disaffected in our society, the black, the Latino and the poor populations. We need to bring the non-voting population into our party.”

Candidate: Sheila Bilyeu, 63, Alexandria, Va.

Party: Independent.

Quote: “I’m very passionate about wanting justice. I’ve filed 16 lawsuits that were dismissed by corrupt judges. I’m passionate about running this country the way it’s supposed to be.”

Candidate: Daniel J. Imperato, 49, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Party: Independent.

Quote: “I’m on a mission to be a servant for the people. I’ve been watching our country deteriorate and our reputation go down around the world. I can’t take it any more.”

Candidate: Michael P. Jingozian, 46, Portland, Ore.

Party: Green and Libertarian.

Quote: “The political system is about fundraising and running for re-election. Nothing is happening in Washington. Things are getting worse. We have got to elect people who are not for sale.”

Candidate: Jesse Johnson, 48, Charleston, W.Va.

Party: Mountain Party of West Virginia. {JamBoi Note: ie. Green Party since the Mountain Party just affiliated with us at this convention}

Quote: “I come from a long line of police officers. I look for evidence before I make decisions. I think that’s something we could use in the White House.”

Candidate: Jerry Kann, 46, New York City.

Party: Green.

Quote: “We’ve got to abandon the cynicism. If we stand up to the super rich and the big corporations we will attract a lot more than 5 percent of the vote.”

Candidate: Kent Mesplay, 44, San Diego.

Party: Green.

Quote: I’ve been with the Green Party since 1995. I’m the only candidate with native American ancestry. I’m a strong renewable energy advocate. I’m a peace advocate.”

Candidate: Gail Parker, 60, Alexandria, Va.

Party: Green. {JamBoi Note: Actually she's with a breakaway group, the "Independent Green Party of Virginia, which is not affiliated with the GP-US}

Quote: “We see building a nationwide rail system as a positive focus that allows us to get out of Iraq and cuts our dependency on foreign oil products.”

Candidate: Joe Schriner, 52, Cleveland.

Party: Independent.

Quote: “In eight years we’ve traveled 80,000 miles campaigning. We’re planting seeds for environmental change, peace and economic justice. Our family lives green.”

Candidate: Kat Swift, 34, San Antonio.

Party: Green.

Quote: “I’m not your stereotypical suit. You give them something different, and you’re going to reach people who are not normally going to vote. You tap into that pool and get a small percentage, you’ve won an election.”

Other candidates: Seeking the nomination but not attending the forum are Alan Augustson, Chicago; Elaine Brown, Atlanta; and Paul Kangas, San Francisco. All are Green Party members.

More candidates are expected to join the field before the Green Party chooses its final nominee next summer at a time and location to be announced.

— From our news staff

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Green Party vows to get 51 ballot lines in 2008

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

Monday, July 16, 2007
Originally Released Sunday, July 15, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

* Media coverage
* Q & A with Nader & Romanelli (Video)

Greens at national party meeting pledge to seek 51 ballot lines for 2008

* West Virginia's Mountain Party joins the Green Party
* More updates from the Green Party's 2007 meeting in Reading, Pa., July 12-15

READING, PA. -- The 2007 national meeting of the Green Party of the United States is underway in Reading, Pennsylvania, with over 300 state delegates, party leaders, and other Greens from nearly every state convening for party business, workshops, and preparations for the 2008 national election.

The meeting was hosted by Reading Greens, Berks County Greens , and the Green Party of Pennsylvania . Jennaro Pullano, Green candidate for Mayor of Reading , was on hand to welcome Greens from all over the US.

Former Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney will screen the movie 'American Blackout' and take questions from Greens on Sunday afternoon at the Green Party's meeting site, the Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Historic Hotel, in the Presidential Ballroom at 2:00 pm today (Sunday, July 15). The address of the hotel is 100 North Fifth Street in downtown Reading, 877-999-3223 .

Highlights of the 2007 Green Party National Meeting:

The Green Party of the United States announced its goal of 51 ballot lines in every state and the District of Columbia in preparation for the 2008 election, with a pledge to commit party resources for this purpose. 19 states (including DC) currently have ballot access. More information:

The West Virginia Mountain Party was admitted to the Green Party as a state affiliate. There are now 46 state parties (including the District of Columbia) affiliated with the Green Party of the United States.

On Saturday, July 14, consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader and former Green candidate Carl Romanelli, who ran for the US Senate in 2006, spoke at a press conference and party rally about Pennsylvania's grossly unfair and antidemocratic election laws, and about how state Democratic politicians and lawyers have abused the court system to block them from running and even penalized them for submitting ballots. The Green Party will post links to video clips of speeches by Mr. Nader and Mr. Romanelli, as well as other party events, at the party's web site .

Dr. Janet Eaton of the Green Party of Canada spoke to US Greens at length on the "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" (SPP), calling it a secretive deal between Presidents George W. Bush (US), Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Canada), and President Vicente Fox (Mexico) to create an international trade alliance with no congressional oversight or public scrutiny. Dr. Eaton warned that SPP, which is built on the foundation established by NAFTA, is a dire threat to environmental, labor, and economic protections and that it would expand global corporate power at the expense of democracy. Dr. Eaton recommended transnational Green political opposition to SPP, with a special effort to inform the public about the deal, since it has received minimal mainstream media coverage, especially in the US.
http://www.greenparty.ca/en/policy/documents/deeper_look_spp
http://www.greenparty.ca/en/policy/spp_FAQ
Green Party International Committee: http://www.gp.org/committees/intl/

The Green National Committee (GNC) elected new members of the party's steering committee: Phil Huckelberry (Illinois), Jason Nabewaniec (New York), and Kristen Olsen (Minnesota). Jim Coplen (Indiana) and Budd Dickinson (California) were reelected, as was secretary Holly Hart (Iowa). Steering committee members who will keep their seats until the 2008 national meeting are Liz Arnone (New Jersey), Sarah 'echo' Steiner (Florida), and treasurer Jody Grage (Washington).

On Friday evening, July 13, the Green Party hosted a forum for candidates for the Green Party's 2008 presidential nomination. The following candidates spoke:
Jared Ball http://www.voxunion.com
Sheila Bilyeu (web site TBA)
Dan Imperato (web site TBA)
Michael "Jingo" Jingozian http://www.resetamerica.com
Jesse Johnson (web site TBA)
Jerry Kann http://kannforpresident.net
Kent Mesplay http://www.mesplay.org
Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyawaisifza-Curry (for Vice President) (web site TBA)
Gail Parker http://www.gailparker.us
Joe Schriner http://www.voteforjoe.com
Kat Swift http://www.prezkat.info

The following candidates did not attend the event, but are still seeking the nomination:
Elaine Brown http://www.elainebrown.org
Paul Kangas (web site TBA)
Anita Rios (web site TBA)

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers

'Green for a Change': 2007 Green Party National Meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania, July 12-15
http://www.gp.org/meeting2007
http://www.gpanc.org

'Open Letter to Michael Moore' from the Green Party on 'Sicko,' health care reform
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_07_09.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0710-03.htm

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Greens Hear Nader, McKinney and Ponder
the Politics of 2008

John Nichols
The Nation
Blog, July 15, 2007
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/?pid=214386

The Green Party's national meeting in Reading, Pa., highlighted the fact that there are a good many Americans who want an alternative to the often disappointing choices offered them by the Republican and Democratic parties. Featuring major addresses by consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, as well as former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., the annual "Green for a Change" gathering held July 12-15 attracted hundreds of activists from across the country.

Neither Nader or McKinney is running for the presidency now. But their appearances at a meeting that was seen as an opportunity for announced and potential candidates to meet and greet Green activists from around the country was significant.

Many Greens believe that disenchantment with the failure of congressional Democrats to draw down the war in Iraq and hold President Bush and Vice President Cheney to account will provide an opening for a third party of the left in 2008. There are also Greens who believe that a possible independent candidacy by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg might free up thinking with regard to the presidential race -- get voters thinking outside the two-party box -- and in so doing create opportunities for a Green presidential candidate to get more attention. (A similar scenario played out in 1980, when the independent candidacy of maverick Republican John Anderson drew attention to Libertarian and Citizen party campaigns.)

To make any kind of breakthrough, however, Greens will need a national ticket that can earn notice from a media that does not treat parties that go by names other than "Democrat" and "Republican seriously.

It is no secret that there are Greens who would like to see a "name" candidate like Nader or McKinney as the party's presidential nominee in 2008, and some who would like to see the two maverick political figures team up as a Nader-McKinney or McKinney-Nader ticket. Even a few of the party's lesser-known contenders are
indicating that they would step aside to make way for Nader, McKinney or the both of them. One announced candidate for the Green nomination, veteran New York activist Jerry Kann, released a statement declaring that he was running in hopes that his campaign would lay the groundwork for "individuals of real stature to be the Green Party standard-bearers in 2008."

Said Kann, "The Green Party has a tremendous opportunity this year to step up to the plate and be the independent third party that so many Americans want. And I believe there are two individuals who are far and away the best choices to lead the Green Party in 2008--Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney."

Whether Nader or McKinney run, the Greens will be a presence in 2008. The party, which is now active in 46 states -- thanks to the recent affiliation of the West Virginia Mountain Party, a previously independent third party that always had a green tint – has committed resources to a campaign to obtain ballot status in all 50 states and the District of Columbia by next fall.

That's a tall order. The deck is stacked against small parties that are seeking places on ballots that Democrats and Republicans prefer to keep to themselves. In particular, Democrats who believe that Nader's 2000 candidacy cost them the states of New Hampshire and Florida – and, with those losses, the presidency – have been aggressive about trying to keep the Greens off state ballots.

Nader has made opening up the political process a major focus of his work in recent years. On Saturday, he headlined a "Ballot Access Rally" in Reading.

Nader was brimming with ideas about establishing federal standards for ballot access in order to prevent states from erecting unreasonable barriers. Denouncing what he described as a "two-party dictatorship," Nader sounded like a candidate – or, at the least, like someone who wanted to make sure that American voters would
have more than two choices in 2008.

Asked specifically if he plans to run, Nader replied, "It's too early to say. I'll make up my mind before the end of the year." But he did say he has been encouraged to consider another run.

McKinney was similarly circumspect. The former congresswoman's not a candidate yet, she said, but she is talking seriously to a number of Green activists. And, McKinney added, she too is getting plenty of encouragement to make the race.

That was evident in Reading on Sunday, when McKinney's speech was greeted with chants of "Run, Cynthia, run!"

John Nichols' new book is THE GENIUS OF
IMPEACHMENT: The Founders' Cure for Royalism.
Rolling Stone's Tim Dickinson hails it as a
"nervy, acerbic, passionately argued
history-cum-polemic [that] combines a rich
examination of the parliamentary roots and past
use of the 'heroic medicine' that is impeachment
with a call for Democratic leaders to 'reclaim
and reuse the most vital tool handed to us by the
founders for the defense of our most basic
liberties.'"

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