PERSON OF INTEREST: RICH WHITNEY - Greens out to show true colors
PERSON OF INTEREST: RICH WHITNEY - Greens out to show true colors
By Crystal Yednak
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published October 22, 2006
The faces of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Republican state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka may be familiar by this point in the campaign for governor, but what about Green Party candidate Rich Whitney?
While Blagojevich and Topinka have battled in debates and have flooded the airwaves with commercials, Whitney has fought to raise his profile as a third-party candidate. Following is an edited transcript of a conversation with him.
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Q. Who is Rich Whitney?
A. I'm a political activist. I've been interested in government and what we need to do to get government to solve the problems facing the people since I was in elementary school.... I was a journalist for a while. I became a lawyer, trying to help people that way. But I've always been involved in political activism.
Q. What does the Green Party stand for?
A. Ecological wisdom, grass-roots democracy, social justice and non-violence.
Q. Do you think a third party can break into the American political system and be taken seriously?
A. I think it can and it must, which is really part of what this project is about. If it doesn't happen this year, we're going to keep trying. We are not giving up. I'm certainly not giving up. It has to happen because the way things are going now, we have a political system dominated by two corporate-sponsored parties, and they're not serving the public interest.
Q. What have you learned from being a third-party candidate?
A. The really gratifying thing about this campaign is that we're seeing there are many people pulling for us to succeed. People, even though they may not necessarily agree with the Green Party, just like that idea of somebody breaking through this two-party monopoly, this two-party stranglehold on our government.
Q. How have the other candidates for governor reacted to your campaign?
A. Blagojevich and Topinka and their official campaigns have been trying to ignore us. ... If our poll numbers continue to rise, if we get into double digits--which I think we will very soon--I suspect they won't be able to do that.
Q. What's your feeling about being excluded from all the gubernatorial debates, including one before the Tribune editorial board?
A. The one before the Tribune editorial board, I felt like we were kind of had. ... When we contacted the board, we were told it's not really a debate, we didn't have any questions for you because you filled out your questionnaire completely and the other two candidates did not, so we had some questions for them. Then to find out later ... it was really a debate format--we weren't really happy about that. More generally, what has happened on the well-planned debates, ... as soon as it was clear that I was going to be invited, then suddenly Rod Blagojevich decides without any real explanation that he cannot attend those debates. I think it was clear he did not want to debate me. ... Frankly this is doing a disservice to the voters. ... They deserve to hear all points of view.
Q. How would you increase funding for education?
A. I am the only candidate in this race running on what is commonly referred to as the income tax for property tax swap. ... Poll after poll has shown that Illinoisans have wanted this. We want property tax relief. The majority of Illinoisans will actually favor an income tax increase if they know--if they can be assured--that some of the money will go to schools and some of the money will go toward property tax relief. This plan does that.
Q. What would your energy plan entail?
A. We need a major commitment and investment in solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy as well as in true clean coal. ... Let's use less energy. Let's be a little smarter with how we use energy. ... We need to promote sustainable transportation so people have more transportation alternatives: high-speed rail between cities, more light rail and a better network of light rail within cities and within regions.
Q. How would you clean up state government?
A. We can do it by adopting a clear wall of separation between businesses that do business with the State of Illinois and campaign contributors. If you are a business that has given a campaign contribution to an incumbent or someone who gets elected, not just governor but any state office, thou shall not get a state contract. If you have a state contract, thou shall not give a campaign contribution.
Q. What experience in your background makes you qualified to be governor?
A. I'm constantly looking at what different groups have come up with to make government work better--better for working people, better for the underprivileged, better to reduce crime, better to create living-wage jobs, better for the environment, better for equal rights and equal opportunities. ... It's the ideas that I'm running on that make me the best candidate.
Q. What is your position on gun ownership?
A. I do support the right to carry under certain limited circumstances, basically, because I do believe in the 2nd Amendment. But as with all the other amendments, there are common-sense limits.
Q. What is the biggest misconception people seem to have about the Green Party?
A. We're not a party of ex-hippies and tree-huggers and that sort of thing. ... There are people who match that stereotype, but we have grown so far beyond that. ... We are serious about governing in the public interest. You may not agree with all of our ideas. But we have the ideas.
----------
cyednak@tribune.com
By Crystal Yednak
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published October 22, 2006
The faces of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Republican state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka may be familiar by this point in the campaign for governor, but what about Green Party candidate Rich Whitney?
While Blagojevich and Topinka have battled in debates and have flooded the airwaves with commercials, Whitney has fought to raise his profile as a third-party candidate. Following is an edited transcript of a conversation with him.
----------
Q. Who is Rich Whitney?
A. I'm a political activist. I've been interested in government and what we need to do to get government to solve the problems facing the people since I was in elementary school.... I was a journalist for a while. I became a lawyer, trying to help people that way. But I've always been involved in political activism.
Q. What does the Green Party stand for?
A. Ecological wisdom, grass-roots democracy, social justice and non-violence.
Q. Do you think a third party can break into the American political system and be taken seriously?
A. I think it can and it must, which is really part of what this project is about. If it doesn't happen this year, we're going to keep trying. We are not giving up. I'm certainly not giving up. It has to happen because the way things are going now, we have a political system dominated by two corporate-sponsored parties, and they're not serving the public interest.
Q. What have you learned from being a third-party candidate?
A. The really gratifying thing about this campaign is that we're seeing there are many people pulling for us to succeed. People, even though they may not necessarily agree with the Green Party, just like that idea of somebody breaking through this two-party monopoly, this two-party stranglehold on our government.
Q. How have the other candidates for governor reacted to your campaign?
A. Blagojevich and Topinka and their official campaigns have been trying to ignore us. ... If our poll numbers continue to rise, if we get into double digits--which I think we will very soon--I suspect they won't be able to do that.
Q. What's your feeling about being excluded from all the gubernatorial debates, including one before the Tribune editorial board?
A. The one before the Tribune editorial board, I felt like we were kind of had. ... When we contacted the board, we were told it's not really a debate, we didn't have any questions for you because you filled out your questionnaire completely and the other two candidates did not, so we had some questions for them. Then to find out later ... it was really a debate format--we weren't really happy about that. More generally, what has happened on the well-planned debates, ... as soon as it was clear that I was going to be invited, then suddenly Rod Blagojevich decides without any real explanation that he cannot attend those debates. I think it was clear he did not want to debate me. ... Frankly this is doing a disservice to the voters. ... They deserve to hear all points of view.
Q. How would you increase funding for education?
A. I am the only candidate in this race running on what is commonly referred to as the income tax for property tax swap. ... Poll after poll has shown that Illinoisans have wanted this. We want property tax relief. The majority of Illinoisans will actually favor an income tax increase if they know--if they can be assured--that some of the money will go to schools and some of the money will go toward property tax relief. This plan does that.
Q. What would your energy plan entail?
A. We need a major commitment and investment in solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy as well as in true clean coal. ... Let's use less energy. Let's be a little smarter with how we use energy. ... We need to promote sustainable transportation so people have more transportation alternatives: high-speed rail between cities, more light rail and a better network of light rail within cities and within regions.
Q. How would you clean up state government?
A. We can do it by adopting a clear wall of separation between businesses that do business with the State of Illinois and campaign contributors. If you are a business that has given a campaign contribution to an incumbent or someone who gets elected, not just governor but any state office, thou shall not get a state contract. If you have a state contract, thou shall not give a campaign contribution.
Q. What experience in your background makes you qualified to be governor?
A. I'm constantly looking at what different groups have come up with to make government work better--better for working people, better for the underprivileged, better to reduce crime, better to create living-wage jobs, better for the environment, better for equal rights and equal opportunities. ... It's the ideas that I'm running on that make me the best candidate.
Q. What is your position on gun ownership?
A. I do support the right to carry under certain limited circumstances, basically, because I do believe in the 2nd Amendment. But as with all the other amendments, there are common-sense limits.
Q. What is the biggest misconception people seem to have about the Green Party?
A. We're not a party of ex-hippies and tree-huggers and that sort of thing. ... There are people who match that stereotype, but we have grown so far beyond that. ... We are serious about governing in the public interest. You may not agree with all of our ideas. But we have the ideas.
----------
cyednak@tribune.com
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 8:42 AM
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