OntheWilderSide

Information for media covering the Green Party’s 2008 National Nominating Convention in Chicago, July 10-13

Media credentialing, tentative schedule of news conferences and other media events, list of guest speakers, and other essential details

Organizers of the Green Party’s 2008 National Nominating Convention are encouraging journalists who intend to cover the event to register at the Media Credentialing web page: http://www.gp.org/forms/media

The convention, titled “Live Green, Vote Green,” will take place July 10-13 in Chicago (http://www.greenparty2008.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page).
A tentative schedule of news conferences and other media events and a list of guest speakers are appended below.

Local contact for the convention: Patrick Kelly, Illinois Green Party Media Coordinator, 773-203-9631, media@ilgp.org More convention information, including details on lodging at the Palmer House Hilton:
http://www.greenparty2008.org

The Green Party encourages live blogging from the convention. Both convention sites, the Palmer House Hilton and the Chicago Symphony Center, will provide Internet access.

Jesse Johnson, Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, and Kat Swift are the four contenders for the Green presidential nomination. Information on the apportionment of the party’s 836 state delegates is being compiled at “2008 Green Party Presidential Nomination Delegate Count” (http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/Delegate-Vote-Count.php). Video clips of Green presidential candidates: http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/presidential-videos.php Links to Green Presidential Candidates’ web sites: http://www.gp.org/committees/pcsc/index.shtml

44 Green candidates are competing for US House seats. Greens are also running for seven US Senate seats, with two contested nominations. In elections taking place from January through mid May 2008, Green candidates have won 18 out of 30 local races, with a 60% win rate. The Green Party looks forward to running a record number of candidates for local, state, and national offices in the 2008 general election in November. More information on 2008 Green candidates: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
http://www.gp.org/elections/candidates/index.php

MEDIA EVENTS
Schedule for the Chicago Convention, July 10-13
(tentative and subject to change)

THURSDAY, JULY 10
Location: Palmer House Hiilton

• 4 pm: Introductory news conference
• 7 pm: Reception for international Greens

FRIDAY, JULY 11
Location: Palmer House Hilton

• 9 am: News conference featuring elected Greens
• 11 am: News conference featuring Green presidential candidates
• 1 pm: News conference featuring candidates for other offices
• 6 pm: Presidential Candidates’ Forum
• 8 pm: Presidential campaign events

SATURDAY, JULY 12
Location: Chicago Symphony Center

• 9-5 pm: Nomination, media invited
• Time to be announced: Panel featuring International Greens
• 4 pm (or whenever the nomination process ends): News conference featuring the Green Party’s
  presidential and vice presidential nominees
• 7 pm: Concert featuring the Green presidential ticket, guest speakers, video, and music

FEATURED SPEAKERS

• Malik Rahim, former Black Panther and Green Party candidate, co-founder of Common Ground
  Collective/Relief, an organization that provides short-term relief to victims of hurricane
  disasters in the gulf region. Visit http://www.commongroundrelief.org
• Kathy Kelly, co-founder of Voices in the Wilderness, an organization that worked to end
  sanctions in Iraq beginning in 1996. Visit http://www.vcnv.org
• Cliff Thornton, Jr., a long-time social justice and drug policy reform activist. Visit
  http://www.efficacy-online.org

Candidates from Illinois and across the US will also be on hand for interviews. Updated information will be published regularly as the convention approaches.

Filed under: election, elections, Green Party Websites, media, Political Websites, presidential race, US Politics