2008 Green National Convention

Venues

The convention was headquartered at the historic Palmer House Hilton, while the nomination event itself took place at the nearby Symphony Center on July 12.

Theme

The theme of the convention was, "Live Green, Vote Green".

Events

July 10

;Main Events

• Introductory news conference and a reception for international Greens.
• Welcome Reception with International Greens

;Additional Events

• Credentialing Committee meeting
• Accreditation Committee meeting
• Diversity Caucus meeting
• Platform Committee meeting
• Lavender Caucus meeting
• International Committee Meeting
• Ballot Access Committee Meeting
• National Women's Caucus
• New York State Caucus
• Bylaws, Rules, Policies & Procedures (BRPP) Committee Meeting
• California State Caucus
• Workshops:
  • GPUS Budget & Finances in General: Input, Q&A, and more (presented by Jody Grage and Jim Coplen)
  • Selling Yourself Without Selling Out (hosted by Scott McLarty)
  • A Clear Path Towards Dismantling and Ending All "ism" (Racism, sexism, classism and white privilege) within the Green Party by 2012 (facilitated by Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry)
  • Viral Campaign Marketing (presented by Jim Carr)
  • What Every Candidate Should Know (presented Brent McMillan)
  • What is Local Democracy? Building from the Bottom Up for Political Power (led by Juscha E. M. Robinson, Brenda Konkel, Pete Karas)

July 11

;Main events

• National Committee Meeting
• News conferences for elected Greens, Green presidential candidates, and candidates for other offices
• Presidential Candidates Forum.
• Evening reception with John Nichols

;Other Events

• Morning Yoga
• Eco-Action Committee meeting
• Presidential Candidate Support Committee meeting
• Outreach Committee meeting
• Black Caucus meeting
• Dispute Resolution Committee meeting
• Disability Caucus meeting
• Youth Caucus meeting
• Maine State Caucus meeting
• Latino Caucus meeting
• Workshops
  • Fundraising 101 (featuring panelists LaVerne Butler, Angel Torres, George Martin, David Cobb, Jody Grange, Emily Citkowski, Tamar Yager)
  • The Role of Peace Movement in an Election Year (presented by Bruce Gagnon, Steve Shafarman and moderated by Ann Wilcox)
  • What is Central to the Green Message: Ecology? Democracy? Social Justice? (presented Gloria Mattera, Ben Manski and John Rensenbrink, moderated by Mary Beth Sullivan)
  • Sustainable Activism (presented by Alison Duncan)
  • The 60th Anniversaries of the Palestinian Catastrophe (Nakba) and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Green Party's Response
  • The Constitutional MAP for Voter Disenfranchisement
  • Update on NAFTA and the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)
  • The Law of Diminishing Returns as a Principle for Deciding How to Deal with the Need to Reduce Consumption to Restore the Environment
  • Organizing Online for Everyone
  • Campaign Fundraising
  • Candidate Messaging
  • Making Green Food Choices – How our diet affects animals and the environment
  • Democratizing the Electoral College
  • Endless War and the Military-Industrial- Governmental Complex
  • Red, Black, Brown and 'Green': Positive Solutions to the Issues of Poverty, Immigration and Environment Destruction
  • A Democracy Movement for the U.S.A.
  • The Basic Income Guarantee - and the Power of Green Economics

July 12

;Main events

• Platform vote
• Keynote speeches by Cliff Thornton, Kathy Kelly, Malik Rahim, Jill Stein, Omar López
• Speeches by Green Party presidential candidates
• Presidential nomination vote
• Vice presidential nomination and speech
• Presidential speech
• Press conference
• Post-convention reception at Palmer House

July 13

;Main events

• National Committee meeting with the new presidential nominee

;Other events

• Morning meditation led by Lewie Pell of the Network for Spiritual Progressives
• Green Alliance Meeting
• Workshops:
  • Agrarian Revival at the End of Cheap Oil
  • What to say when you're called a spoiler: instant runoff voting & proportional representation
  • LGBT Activism: Recent Victories and Future Goals
  • History of US-Iranian Relations and Its Impact on Current Tensions Regarding Iranian Nuclear Power
  • Strategic Thinking for Campaigns
  • Elections for Radicals

Speakers

Notable speakers included:

Presidential nomination

The presidential nomination took place July 12 at Chicago's Symphony Center.

Candidates

Main article: United States third party and independent presidential candidates, 2008#Green Party

File:Blank.png|Withdrew Jared Ball of Maryland, college professor and journalist

File:Blank.png|Withdrew Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party chairwoman

Image:Hawkins 2010.jpg |Howie Hawkins of New York, activist

File:Blank.png|Jesse Johnson of West Virginia, former Mountain Party candidate for US Senate and Governor of West Virginia

Image:CynthiaAnnMcKinney.jpg|Cynthia McKinney (Campaign • )

Image:Kent Mesplay by Gage Skidmore.jpg|Kent Mesplay of California, California Delegate to the Green National Committee

Image:Katswift.jpg|Kat Swift of Texas, co-chair of Texas Green Party

Balloting

Running mate

After McKinney's nomination, the convention delegates selected her stated choice of running mate, Rosa Clemente, for the vice-presidential nomination through a voice vote of delegates.

References

• Official Press Release

Video of Convention

• State Delegate voting part 1
• State Delegate voting part 2
• Cynthia McKinney Acceptance Speech
• Vote and Rosa Clemente Acceptance Speech
• David Cobb Convention Speech
• Malik Rahim Keynote Speech
• Omar López Keynote Speech
• Malik Rahim congressional candidate Louisiana
• Jesse Johnson addresses Convention Delegates

References

1. [http://www.greenconvention2008.com/venues.shtml Venue Options - Green Party National Convention 2008 - Chicago, Illinois] {{webarchive. link. (November 9, 2013)
2. . (May 14, 2008). ["Information for media covering the Green Party's 2008 National Nominating Convention in Chicago, July 10–13"](http://gpus.org/other/press/pr-national.php?ID=60). *Green Party of the United States*.
3. . (2008). ["Green Party 2008 National Convention"](https://www.gwu.edu/%7Eaction/2008/chrnconv08/greenconv071008.html). *George Washington University*.
4. . (2008). ["Green Party 2008 National Convention"](https://www.gwu.edu/%7Eaction/2008/chrnconv08/greenworkshops.html). *George Washington University*.
5. Hardy, Ronald. (July 11, 2008). "GP Convention – candidate forum". Green Party Watch.
6. "Green Party Presidential Convention {{!}} C-SPAN.org". C-SPAN.
7. . (2008). ["2008 Green National Convention: Live Green, Vote Green"](http://www.usmlo.org/arch2008/2008-07/VR080717.htm). *U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organizarion*.
8. "Statement of candidacy - McKinney, Cynthia". Federal Election Commission.
9. "Dem Convention Day 2 redacted tweets ... DAY 2 of the 2016 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION met in the Wells Fargo Center: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania".
10. "2008 Green Convention".
11. (July 12, 2008). "Daily Greens: Green Party VP Rosa Clemente - Vote and Acceptance". Video.google.com.