South Carolina Green Party thanks Eugene Platt

The Steering Committee of the South Carolina Green Party thanks Eugene Platt for his good work and strong effort in running as the Green nominee in the 1st Congressional District special election.

The media and a large part of the public have been distracted by the celebrity and notoriety of the two major party candidates.  Eugene Platt stood as a public servant, a native Charlestonian, and a responsible, thoughtful progressive.

Eugene discussed national health care, a non-interventionist foreign policy, the sanctity of labor rights, and the importance of spending on social services rather than expensive and wasteful military programs.  If it was not for Eugene’s contributions, this campaign would have been entirely content-free and personality driven.

The public is better served by a diversity of voices and viewpoints representing all parts of the political spectrum.   The Charleston Patch did a disservice to the people of South Carolina, when they reduce political debate to an empty, content-free show.   The Working Families Party misled thousands of pro-union voters into supporting an anti-union candidate. This blind commitment to horserace politics does not serve the public interest.

We commend the League of Women Voters and the NAACP for holding nonpartisan, inclusive events that encouraged discussion and promoted democracy.

Eugene Platt was able to give progressives a reason to vote, to organize and to join the Green Party.  After Colbert-Busch’s outrageous statement that she was “proud” of South Carolina’s deplorable anti-union reputation, we were proud to offer a humane alternative in Eugene that workers and progressives could endorse.  The campaign has been a success in these terms.

Campaign Links

Eugene Platt for Congress: http://www.voteplatt.com

Eugene Platt for Congress on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugene-Platt-for-Congress/14190535917

Green Party

Green Party of the United States: http://gp.org

South Carolina Green Party: http://scgreenparty.org

South Carolina Green Party on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthCarolinaGreenParty

South Carolina Green Party: Include Platt in Debate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To: South Carolina Media
South Carolina Green Party:  Include Platt in Debate
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Charleston, SC; Columbia, SC

CONTACT
Eugene Platt, Nominee for 1st Congressional District
Scott West, Co-Chair, SC Green Party, 347-581-0230

South Carolina Green Party:  Include Platt in Debate
Eugene Platt should be included in the Monday April 29, 2013 debate for the May 7 special congressional election.

Eugene Platt is a public servant of long standing, having been reelected to the James Island Public Service District every four years since 1994.

Eugene Platt ran as the Democratic Party nominee in the 1st Congressional District during the 1992 election.

The public is better served by a diversity of voices and viewpoints representing all parts of the political spectrum.

Many polls do not include candidates who are not members of the two major parties. Public Policy Polling mentioned Eugene Platt in the April 24 poll, after previous polling data suggested a tie in the race between Sanford and Colbert-Busch.  Now that apolitical drama has created an advantage for Colbert-Busch, The Citadel has acted to exclude Eugene Platt from the scheduled Monday debate.

This commitment to horse race politics does not serve the public interest. The local media and local institutions like the Patch and the AARP do a terrible disservice to the people of South Carolina, when they reduce political debate to an empty, content-free show.

Without Eugene Platt, the most that will come from the Citadel debate is a series of “gotcha” moments.

With Platt, the debate will be compelled to widen the scope of debate and seriously discuss such issues as

* Health Care:  Eugene Platt is a long-time supporter of universal health care.  If the goal is to sustainably provide health care for all Americans, only a single-payer national insurance plan will work.  Both the unfettered-market approach favored by the Republican and the mandated insurance favored by the Democrat will leave millions uninsured and fail to control costs.

* War:  Eugene Platt is in favor of a non-interventionist foreign policy.  The United States made a serious mistake in invading Iraq in 2003 in a manipulated search for non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction. Opposition to the 2003 Iraq war is a litmus test for future action against military adventures.

* Illegal Immigration and the Economy:  South Carolina, America, and nearby countries need local economic control and development.  This meant increased power to labor unions in the workplace to control conditions, profits and benefits, and the decentralization of development.  Strengthening local labor markets abroad through decentralized development will lessen the dislocation of economic migrants across borders.

* Political Openness: Eugene Platt is the embodiment of effective local politicians who do not fit inside the mainstream. If we cannot incorporate common-sense progressive proposals into the political debate, our society is the poorer for it, mistakes will be made, and opportunities missed.

About the Green Party
The Green Party of the United States has participated in local and congressional elections since the 1980s, notably in the Presidential election to 2000, when nominee Ralph Nader received 2.3% of the national vote.  For more information visit: http://gp.org.

The South Carolina Green Party nominee Tom Clements of Columbia received 121,472 votes or 9.25% of the total in the 2010 U.S. Senate election running against a Democrat and a Republican.  For more information, visit http://scgreenparty.org.

Campaign Links
Eugene Platt for Congress:  http://www.voteplatt.com
Eugene Platt for Congress on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugene-Platt-for-Congress/14190535917

Green Party Links
Green Party of the United States:  http://gp.org
South Carolina Green Party:  http://scgreenparty.org
South Carolina Green Party on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SouthCarolinaGreenParty

News Analysis: Green in SC Congressional race vs Colbert sister, disgraced ex-Governor

The libertarian news site Whiteout Press runs a very favorable article on the Eugene Platt campaign for Congress.

Get ready for the most television-driven Congressional race of 2013. In one month, voters will go to the polls in the South Carolina Special Election featuring a disgraced former Governor against an unknown, inexperienced sister of a popular Comedy Central host. But there is a third option – the Green Party’s Eugene Platt. And he’s serious, experienced and credible.

A native of Charleston, Eugene Platt is a retired Federal Civil Service employee. He’s also the son of a South Carolina Naval shipyard worker and a veteran US Army paratrooper. He’s nobody’s push-over. And unlike his two opponents in next month’s Special Election to replace newly-appointed US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Platt has spent the last 20 years serving his local community as an elected member of the James Island Public Service District Commission. In fact, he’s the Green Party’s only elected official in the state.

It’s safe to say that public service is a life-long passion of Eugene Platt. His sincerity and honesty comes shining through with little doubt. Strangely, that’s yet another characteristic that his two opponents seem to be lacking. Through their powerful friends in the corporate media, the Democrats’ Elizabeth Colbert Busch and the Republicans’ Mark Sanford have already taken their fight to New York – to a playing field of celebrities and lifestyles that Platt and the rest of the 1st district are rarely welcomed or invited.

Read more: http://www.whiteoutpress.com/articles/q22013/green-in-sc-congressional-race-vs-colbert-sister-disgraced-ex-go/

Eugene Platt Nominated In Special Congressional Election

Eugene Platt Acceptance Speech

Meeting in convention in Mt. Pleasant yesterday, the South Carolina Green Party chose James Island Public Service District Commissioner Eugene Platt as its nominee for the South Carolina First Congressional District seat. Platt will face off against the winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries in the general election. This was the first contest with more than one candidate seeking the SCGP nomination for any office, and Platt is the only candidate of any third party who will be running in this general election. Platt is also the only Green currently holding an elective office in South Carolina.

Here is the link to his campaign website.

http://voteplatt.com/

Spotlight on Sue Edward, Green Party Candidate for SC Senate District 41

The Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics spotlights Green Party candidate Sue Edward’s campaign in the July 17th Special Election!

Candidate Spotlight – Special Election: July 17, 2012
Sue Edward (G) for State Senate, District 41

Here’s the link to the original posting:
http://www.scelectswomen.com/candidates/sue_edward/

* Special Election: July 17, 2012 **

For State Senate, District 41 (G)

Candidate Spotlight – Special Election: July 17, 2012
Sue Edward (G) for State Senate, District 41

Sue Edward grew up in Syracuse, NY and attended the State University of New York at Buffalo, earning a BS in Industrial Engineering and an MBA. Following school, She lived in Buffalo an additional 3 years and then lived in Madison, WI for 12 years.

Edward moved to the Charleston area in 2003 and has lived in West Ashley since 2004. She lives with her partner, Larry Carter Center, and 3 cats: Max, Graeme, and Hypatia. Edward holds a full time job with a local software company in downtown Charleston. She also serves as Chair of the Charleston County Green Party and as Co-Chair of the South Carolina Green Party. She volunteers with many community and advocacy groups working to improve the lives of all South Carolinians.

Edwards says, “I am not a career politician, just an average person who believes that our government should represent all of us – after all, it’s supposed to be government for the people, by the people!

I strongly believe in equality, fairness, and social justice. I proudly volunteer with non-profit and advocacy groups including the Carolina Alliance for Fair Employment, South Carolina Women’s Choice Fund, Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Charleston Peace, and the South Carolina Progressive Network (plus many more), and hold office in several of these groups.”

Here are Ms. Edward’s answers to some questions posed by the Institute. 

What is your leadership style? 

I believe more is accomplished when things are done as a team effort and I work to educate myself on all of the facts before making decisions.

With so few women in elected office here in SC what do you foresee to be your greatest challenge once elected to public office?

Women’s rights are under attack everywhere – in the Statehouse as well as in Congress. The challenge is to fight to maintain our remaining rights as well as to regain those that have been lost.

Has there been a woman who you’ve admired in the political world and what is it about her that gives you courage to run the race? 

Matilda Joslyn Gage – suffragist, activist, abolitionist, freethinker, and “hater of oppression”. She was a brilliant, independent woman whose tombstone reads “THERE IS A WORD SWEETER THAN MOTHER, HOME OR HEAVEN. THAT WORD IS LIBERTY.”

Has political office been a life long goal/dream of yours? 

My first taste of politics was running for School of Management class president while in grad school. I became more interested in politics about 10 years ago and became much more politically active 4 years ago. This is my first run for public office.

South Carolina would be a better place if only…

We placed a higher priority on public education. With an educated workforce we will attract more jobs and grow our economy, making this a better place for all South Carolinians.

Learn more about Ms. Edward at her website:  www.electsueedward.com