Reflection on the 2020 Election by PA Green Party Candidate Michael Bagdes-Canning

Bagdes-Canning: Thank you, Chris. It has been little more than a month since Election Day. I am still processing what happened. One thing is obvious, I did not get elected. In a highly charged election cycle, I received 20% of the vote.
However, because of the way the district is drawn, my part of Butler County is a small appendage of PA District 64, but it is a very Republican stronghold. Most of the district is in Venango County, well outside my wheelhouse. Even in Butler County, even in Cherry Valley, this election was different. Voters were focused on the Presidential race, and many people voted only for Republicans. In the past, for my two higher profile races, I won Cherry Valley and did relatively well in other Butler County precincts. This time, it was a dead heat in Cherry Valley. In Butler County, I got a lower percentage of the vote than I did in Venango County (but better than my last runs).
Bagdes-Canning: Well, Chris, we were able to raise a significant amount of money, seven times what the incumbent raised in the cycle and more than all of his previous challengers combined. We ran a spirited campaign, had a robust web presence, and a surprisingly good ground game and phone banking operation.
Second, we reached new people. We developed a productive relationship with a couple groups of young people, students from local high schools and twenty-somethings organized into the Oil Region DSA. The former were a huge part of our local ground game. The latter were part of a direct action we pulled off at my opponent’s local office.
Bagdes-Canning: No matter what, I would recommend starting right now. Start reaching out to the people you need to staff your campaign. Start raising awareness. Build your network. Build enthusiasm. Identify important people. Do not wait.
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/mike4pa64/;
Twitter, https://mobile.twitter.com/bagdescanning;
Facebook, https://m.facebook.com/mikebagdescanning; and his
website, https://www.mikeforpa64.com/.
Judge Diamond's Big Miscalculation

Lastly, the Federal courtroom is not the judge’s own living room, no matter how unscrutinized his work often is. Ultimately, the court belongs to the public seeking justice. We didn’t get it with Diamond. Instead, we got the rantings of a court pushed to understand something beyond their ability. Although Jill Stein and the Green Party are accustomed to excessive and largely undeserved criticism from all quarters, a legal opinion should require reason. Stein, trying to do what was right, didn’t deserve such piling-on in this thankless pursuit.
Emily Cook is a former chair of the Green Party of Montgomery County, PA, and a former delegate to the Green Party of Pennsylvania.
For more information:
“WI Court Again Rules for Stein Recount, As PA Court Ridicules Election Integrity,” statement from Jill Stein for President Recount Team, May 1, 2020, https://www.votingjustice.us/wi_court_again_rules_for_stein_recount_as_pa_court_ridicules_ election_integrity;
“How PA's election security lawsuit led to the challenge of the state's top-selling touchscreen voting machine” by Emily Previti, PA Post, December 10, 2019,
“Stein recount campaign files motion to enforce PA settlement agreement, decertify unverifiable voting machines,” news release, Jill Stein for President Recount Team, November 26, 2019, https://www.votingjustice.us/motion_to_enforce_pa_settlement_agreement.
Third Parties File Covid Suit Over Pennsylvania Ballot Rules
Bloomberg Law, Friday, May 15, 2020
Third Parties File Covid Suit Over Pennsylvania Ballot Rules
PA Green on Suffrage and the ERA
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Green Party Welcomes Voters Exploited by Scandals of the Democratic and Republican Establishment
Chris Robinson, GPPA Communication Team
215-843-4256 and chrisrecon@netzero.net
and
Ron Gavalik, GPOAC Media Coordinator
info@alleghenycountygreens.org
Green Party Welcomes Voters Exploited by Scandals of the Democratic and Republican Establishment
Green Party of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Greens welcome the new year of metal and the rat
GREEN PARTY OF PHILADELPHIA
News Release
For release: Thursday, January 23, 2020
For more information please contact
Charles Sherrouse, 267-972-5752, options@critpath.org
Greens welcome the new year of metal and the rat
On the second new moon after the winter solstice, Saturday January 25th the outgoing yin year of earth pig begets the yang year of metal rat. This transition is the beginning of the fourth 12 year zodiac cycle of the sexagenary lunar calendar. The last year of yang metal rat was in 1960.
The Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP) will mark the new year with a protest against saber rattling and provocations toward war with Iran. The noon rally at Dilworth Plaza on the West side of City Hall <https://www.facebook.com/events/568160367071707/> is among hundreds of local actions called for the 25th by CodePink <https://www.codepink.org/01252020>, United National Antiwar Coalition, the Green Party of Pennsylvania, and dozens of other peace organizations.
Yang metal years are associated with evening, dryness, white, contracting and age. These are in tension with the rat's association with offspring, birth, water, green and growth. "This tension can symbolize the waning of the old order of militarism, empire and exploitation, giving way to a new generation intent on peace, social justice and ecology." said Charles Sherrouse, GPOP membership secretary.
The Greens will continue celebrating the new year with their monthly general meeting at 7 PM Thursday, January 30th at Lee Cultural Center on Haverford Avenue, at 44th Street in West Philly <https://www.facebook.com/events/758554861321113/>. The meeting will open nominations for the GPOP City Committee to be elected next month. Other business includes adding members to the organizing, communications and electoral committees; as well as planning for their ballot access petition launch in February, a public forum in March, and the local Green Party Presidential Caucus in April.
Qualities traditionally associated with yang metal years include persistence, determination, patience, organization, and transformation. Characteristics associated with rat years include optimism, practicality, intelligence, sensitivity, and conservation. These themes might be observed throughout the year. "The association of gold and generosity with metal combined with the association of gold and thrift with the rat could indicate a good time to invest in ones values," suggests GPOP Chair Belinda Davis.
The Green Party will strive to incorporate the best of these traits into their activities to advance the four pillars of social justice, ecology, nonviolence and grassroots democracy. For more information, please contact 215-843-4256, <gpop@gpop.org>, <https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyOfPhiladelphia/> or <https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPHL/>.
“Blame It on My Bladder. I Didn’t Get Arrested”


Allegheny County PA Greens - Municipal Efforts Against Fracking Are Grassroots Democracy
Municipal Efforts Against Fracking Are Grassroots Democracy
This editorial appeared in Green Point #2, online newsletter of the Green Party of Allegheny County, https://www.alleghenycountygreens.org/news
By Garret Wassermann
On October 30, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto surprised many of us by finally opposing the petrochemical build-out in western Pennsylvania publicly -- although he was careful to oppose only “additional” development and not the Shell “cracker plant” currently being built in Beaver County. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s response was a very heated rant in favor of fracking and the petrochemical industry. Fitzgerald talked about natural-gas-powered cars, implied plastics are inevitable so should be made here, and demonized a general anti-fossil-fuel stance as “far left” and unreasonable.
The lack of leadership from elected officials against today’s fracking and pipeline projects is resulting in residents taking matters into their own hands. As reported in Green Star #1 (October 21), residents of Grant Township are currently opposing a PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) lawsuit that was initiated to protect oil and gas profits; the lawsuit stems from township residents establishing a “home rule charter" to protect their air and water. On November 4, residents of Elizabeth Township will next be going to court to protect their public parks and water by opposing a township decision to open up their park to private fracking.
Municipalities are beginning to stand up and demand a more direct democracy, via courts and “home rule”. Rather than top-down governance, residents are asking: why can’t we make important decisions about our own communities directly? Indeed, this idea is exactly grassroots democracy, one of the pillars of the Green Party. We Greens should not only be supportive of Grant, Elizabeth, and other townships exerting their rights to self-determination, but actively encourage municipalities throughout Allegheny County to do the same. Our 2020 Green legislative campaigns can help change the public debate by calling attention to these struggles and strongly emphasizing communities’ right to decide their own affairs to protect their own environment and health.
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) and state affiliate PA Community Rights Network are organizations promoting this approach; they even have draft state constitutional amendments that would affirm municipal rights to protect their environment free of state “preemption” laws as well as recognize statewide ballot referenda. It’s our values of democracy and decentralization at their finest; promoting these ideas also means promoting Green values.
I hope Green candidates in 2020 will consider these amendments as part of their legislative platforms; all Greens can investigate how to push their municipalities into claiming their own “home rule” rights to act when county and state leaders won’t.
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Garret Wasserman is vice-chair of the Green Party of Allegheny County and managing editor of their Green Point online newsletter.
The Real Green New Deal and Our National Well-Being
-- By Neal Gale.
- (H) overhauling transportation systems in the United States to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible, including through investment in—
- (F) spurring massive growth in clean manufacturing in the United States and removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and industry as much as is technologically feasible, including by expanding renewable energy manufacturing and investing in existing manufacturing and industry;
- (G) working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible, including—
- (i) by eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as much as technologically feasible;
- (iv) by ensuring that any infrastructure bill considered by Congress addresses climate change;
3 Ways to help the Green Party (and probably not even notice) …

I have accumulated and summarized a brief list of actions and activities that you can implement in your routine that will have little or no impact to your daily life or budget.
Undoubtedly, with little change to your time and pocketbook – you can make a big impact.
Always Share (at least) three times
It almost goes without saying, or does it? Green Party of the United States (GPUS) official graphics, branding and content have come a long way over the last few years. Their press releases, op-ed and graphic production is seriously topnotch, and people should see it, especially people who are not Green…
A suggested routine regarding GPUS official content for example; a simple share to 3 “non-Green” groups you frequent. It is good to share our content for discussion amongst your other groups’ membership. Good or bad responses - conversation aside, this action builds awareness, educates and carries our message to those that may have not seen it otherwise. We are the media. We are our voice.
“Be Seen Being Green” everyday …
No Green message is too small or simple to share. Passively sharing the “Green Party” by name is one of the easier actions we can actively engage in to garner awareness and help further educate.
Everyday you passively interact with dozens or thousands of people whether you realize it or not. Maybe a lot of people look at your backpack on the bus or subway, everyday. A trip to the grocery store in a town of 15,000 people on a Saturday for 45 minutes and you have just had forty or so people looking right at you. Your laptop could be out all day at school and every one of your classmates sees the back of your screen, everyday.
Have great road frontage with medium to heavy traffic? A one-time small investment into a banner or homemade sign with only the “Vote Green” and the Party website www.GP.org may engage the interest of a passersby, further building awareness and educating.
Every moment people are looking at the back of your car, backpack, laptop, coat or hat … is an opportunity for them to read “Green Party” proudly displayed on a button, pin or sticker. It is time for them to read and possibly to peak their curiosity.
Give Green to Greens
When you can, if you can … give several small donations to several Green Party caucuses, candidates and organizations during the year. This has a minimal impact on your budget and is literally helping a candidate or Party chapter plan for the growth and outreach that our party needs.
The GreenCents program and small sustaining monthly donations of $3 and $5 are the perfect sentiment of your commitment to grow the Green Party into the largest party in the United States.
Small donors are the lifeblood of our grassroots organizations and campaigns. Your $5 every month makes a huge difference and DOES make an impact to those organizers, candidate, state and local parties you are supporting.
Written by David Ochmanowicz Jr.
David is a previous Green Party of PA (GPPA) Steering Committee Member and GPPA Secretary.
He currently serves as a local delegate, member of the GPPA and GPUS Media Committees as well as co chair of the GPUS Merchandise Committee.
You can download a 1 page printable version here