32-33, for a full discussion of Third Parties '96. While many of us tried to correct for those deficiencies, on our own and by prodding Nader, we have to admit our failures. People of color must play a central leadership role in building progressive independent politics. The Nader electoral quilt was less monochromatic than most gatherings of Greens, but not by much. Constructing a political quilt requires not only multi-cultural leadership, it requires an open intellectual climate and a willingness to experiment with radical colors and fabrics.
Some Greens believe the best way to make a quilt is with lots of bleach.
Red-baiting and other demonizing has often been a problem within the Greens. Red-baiting and other demonizing has often been a problem within the Greens, and an organized response is clearly demanded. One answer is provided by Mary Cal Hollis, the Socialist Party candidate for President and a member of the Green Party and the Labor Party, who reminds us that Martin Luther King Jr. said that we should consider some form of socialism for the United States. In this informal caucus, the Watermelon Patch kids should promote discussion of a Red-Green synthesis in a range of organizations and parties, and should not pursue any sectarian goal. Joint membership should be encouraged among members of the Greens, New Party, Labor Party, Socialist Party, Democratic Socialists of America, Solidarity, Committees of Correspondence, the Alliance for Democracy, We the People, the Campaign for a New Tomorrow, the Independent Progressive Politics Network, the Independent Progressive Party being organized by Ron Daniels, and other forces on the left.