“‘The people who got into the decision-making positions were not that interested in building a political party to power,’ argues Pentel. ‘They didn’t want to develop candidates, recruit candidate and get on the ballot line.’”

You had the party’s complete and total support from top to bottom in 2002 as far as I could see, and we got 2% of the vote. I spent much of my free time that fall stomping around St. Paul dropping literature for the statewide slate. Since 2002 the party has been willing to run almost anyone for state office. In 2006 the coordinated campaign committee focused its time, energy and resources on statewide campaigns. If anything the core party volunteers/decisionmakers made it possible for you and other candidates to get on the ballot in 2006 when there otherwise was little enthusiasm from rank and file progressives for those campaigns.

If you want to claim that Green volunteers were not effective in developing candidates for state office, well, fine. We don’t have that many candidates at that level to show for it. But what evidence do you have to claim that we did not “want” to recruit candidates or that we didn’t try to do so?

The reality, as other third parties around the country will attest, is that it is very difficult to recruit people to run with a third party. The two-party system is really difficult to fight in partisan elections. Election after election has shown that we do better with down-ballot races. I think that demonstrates a pattern in the electorate, not a lack of will among very dedicated party volunteers who have given immensely of their free time to support candidates like you and me when we ran.

You should really try to get in touch with Ramstad.. That’s a big statement to put out there that the IP is trying to recruit a BIG name Republican.. How does the Rammer feel about this??