Politics needed a Green force. A lot of other people were coming to the same conclusion. We wound up putting consumer activist Nader and Native American activist LaDuke on the ballot in 22 states. Six months later we drew together again in Portland, Ore. to begin putting some shape to our association. Being a leader of the Greens, whose key values include decentralism and grassroots democracy, is a bit of a paradox.
Greens are fierce and passionate people who do what they do because of commitment to values.
The task is more about creating communication systems and making sure information flows to everyone. Greens are a new paradigm party in process, trying to shape a politics that really honors democracy. Another way we're new paradigm, working out a truly postmodern politics, is that there is, strictly speaking, no Green Party. There are Green Parties. No one group has the entire picture.