Peter Miguel Camejo (born December 31, 1939) is an American financier, businessman, politican, and author. In 2004, he was selected by independent candidate Ralph Nader as his vice-presidential running mate on a ticket which had the endorsement of the Reform Party [1] [2]. Camejo was a candidate in the 2006 California gubernatorial election on the Green Party ticket. Camejo also ran in the 2003 California recall election where he placed fourth in a field of 135 candidates with 2.4 percent of the vote. In January 2007, Camejo announced that he has been diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma, a cancer that is usually treatable.[3] is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics, sometimes this may include political scientists. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist in the areas of consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. ... The Vice President of the United States (sometimes referred to as VPOTUS[1] or Veep) is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the president. ... The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics – as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues – and... The 2006 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 7, 2006. ... The Green Party of California (GPCA) was established as a ballot qualifed political party in California in 1991 using the petition method of gaining state recognition. ... Arnold Schwarzenegger, winner of the 2003 California recall The 2003 California recall was a special election permitted under California law. ... The following are the results of the 2003 California recall election held on October 7, 2003 which unseated Gray Davis and propelled actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the governorship. ... This article is about lymphoma in humans. ...

Early life

Camejo is a first-generation American of Venezuelan descent. Although he spent his earliest years in Venezuela, he was born in the Queens borough of New York City where his mother lived when she moved to America, giving him American birthright. His parents, Elvia Guanche and Dr. Daniel Camejo Octavio,^[1] divorced when he was seven, and he came with his mother to reside in the United States — although on summer holidays he would return to Venezuela to visit relatives. He competed for Venezuela in yachting in the 1960 Summer Olympics. For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Yachting is a physical activity involving boats. ... The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, were held in 1960 in Rome, Italy. ...

He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he played soccer and began his involvement in left-wing politics, and the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied history. In 1967, after winning a student council election at Berkeley, he was suspended for "using an unauthorized microphone" in a protest against the Vietnam War; as a result of these activities, he was deemed to be one of California's ten most dangerous citizens by then-governor Ronald Reagan.^{[citation needed]} “MIT” redirects here. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Reagan redirects here. ...

Political evolution

Initially, Camejo was a member of the Socialist Workers Party, a Trotskyist party. As a branch organizer, he sought to reorient the SWP towards the student movement[4]. He was the SWP's nominee for President in 1976 and won 90,986 votes, or 0.1 percent. The Socialist Workers Party is a communist political party in the United States. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The SWP's policy was to turn its members into "proletarians" by having them take jobs in factories and advocate for a worker-based class struggle. By 1980, Camejo came to disagree with this policy in favor of democratic socialism, and the SWP expelled him. Democratic socialism advocates socialism as a basis for the economy and democracy as a governing principle. ...

Camejo joined the Green Party after it gained ballot status in 1992, and at a number of state conventions encouraged the party to run more candidates for statewide office, including its first gubernatorial candidate in 1998, former Congressman Dan Hamburg. The Green Party of California (GPCA) was established as a ballot qualifed political party in California in 1991 using the petition method of gaining state recognition. ... Dan Hamburg was elected to the 1st Congressional District of California in 1992, beating incumbent Frank Riggs. ...

Early Gubernatorial campaigns

Camejo at UC Berkeley giving a lecture during the 2003 Gubernatorial Recall Election in California

In 2002, Camejo ran uncontested in the California Green Party gubernatorial primary. In the general election, he ran as part of the first full slate of Green candidates for all seven of California's partisan constitutional offices. Camejo lost the election to Governor Gray Davis, but he polled 393,036 votes, for 5.3 percent of the vote[5], the largest vote total for a third party in the California governor's race in more than fifty years..^{[citation needed]} Camejo earned more votes in San Francisco than Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon, a rarity in third-party politics. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x667, 241 KB) Photo by Tim Bergeron I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x667, 241 KB) Photo by Tim Bergeron I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Joseph Graham Davis Jr. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Bill Simon, in mid-2005 William E. Simon, Jr. ...

In 2003, he was the endorsed Green Party candidate for governor (although several other Greens appeared on the ballot) in an unprecedented California recall election, in which he polled 242,247 votes, or 2.8 percent, coming in fourth in a field of 135 certified candidates. In a strange preview of the divisions about to erupt on the left in the following year, Camejo first cooperated with, and then competed with, fellow recall candidate Arianna Huffington. (During a press conference in support of Peter Camejo for California Governor, pranksters hit Nader in the face with a pie as Camejo looked on.)^[2] Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Green Party of California (GPCA) was established as a ballot qualifed political party in California in 1991 using the petition method of gaining state recognition. ... The 2003 California recall was a special election permitted under California law. ... The following are the results of the 2003 California recall election held on October 7, 2003 which unseated Gray Davis and propelled actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the governorship. ... Arianna Huffington (born Arianna Stassinopoulos (Greek: Αριάννα Στασινόπουλου) on July 15, 1950 in Athens, Greece) is an author and nationally syndicated columnist in the United States. ... Pieing is the act of throwing a pie at someone. ...

2004 Vice-Presidential campaign

In January 2004, Camejo initiated the Avocado Education Project, which issued a statement known as the Avocado Declaration. The Avocado Declaration described how the Democratic Party and the Republican Party allegedly hinder social progress by working together to the benefit of a small, wealthy constituency. It further advocated for a fiercely independent Green Party that would be capable of attracting nonvoters and disillusioned mainstream party supporters. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See: Peter Camejo and the Avocado Declaration. ... The Avocado Declaration was initiated in January 2004 by Californian politician Peter Camejo (b. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Wealth usually refers to money and property. ...

"The Green Party is at a crossroads," the Declaration began. Indeed, the central debate within the national Green Party prior to its 2004 presidential nomination was whether to follow Camejo's advice of pursuing the kind of confrontational campaign strategy promulgated in The Avocado Declaration, or to abandon an independent voice on the national scene for fear of playing a spoiler role similar to that played in the 2000 presidential election. Camejo supporters perceived the "safe-states" strategy of avoiding campaign activity in swing states as playing favorites within the two-party system by avoiding competition detrimental to the Democratic Party nominee, while many supporters of David Cobb preferred to cast their efforts in terms of conserving party resources for local and state races. While Camejo and his allies advocated attracting new party members by sharply defining campaign issues, others -- remembering the party's experiences in the 2000 presidential election -- feared a backlash against the Green Party if it was accused of helping to return George W. Bush to the White House. This article specifically discusses the national committee of the Green Party in the United States. ... The spoiler effect is a term to describe the effect a candidate can have on a close election, in which their candidacy results in the election being won by a candidate dissimilar to them, rather than a candidate similar to them. ... In the United States presidential election of 2000 Republican George W. Bush gained the US Presidency over Democrat Al Gore after the United States Supreme Court in Bush v. ... In United States presidential politics, a swing state (also, battleground state) is a state in which no candidate has overwhelming support, meaning that any of the major candidates have a reasonable chance of winning the states electoral college votes. ... David Cobb appealing for votes at the annual Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo, Wisconsin, September 2004 David Keith Cobb (born December 24, 1962 in San Leon, Texas) is an American ex-lawyer and activist, and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ...

Camejo was submitted as a candidate in the Green Party of California's March 2, 2004 Presidential Preference Primary. Before the primary, he made it known (though not in the state's official voter guide) that he was not planning to run for president and that any delegates pledged to him would not be committed to vote for him after the first round. The popular former gubernatorial candidate received 33,753 votes, or 75.9 percent, of the Green Party membership's support in California[6], and 72.7 percent of the votes in all Green Party primary elections[7]. is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In June 2004, Camejo accepted the vice-presidential spot in the Reform Party ticket beside two-time Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader. With votes for Nader added in, the Nader/Camejo ticket had what appeared to be an insurmountable 83 percent of Green voters behind their candidacies going into the Green Party National Convention[8]. The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics – as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues – and...

However, at the Green Party convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 26, 2004, many delegates declined to represent the votes cast by Greens in their home states, "flipping" their votes in the first and/or second rounds of voting in favor of Texas native and ex-attorney David Cobb amid allegations of delegate-stacking[9]. Cobb had received only 12.2 percent support from Green Party primary voters, including a humiliating fourth-place finish of 10.1 percent in his recently adopted home of Humboldt County, trailing not only Camejo, but write-in votes for Nader and votes cast for New York environmental activist Lorna Salzman (even though she had never visited that county)[10]. The controversy surrounding the 2004 convention has since been significant to supporters of both Camejo and Cobb, and to those involved in Green Party politics in general. It has been documented in the book Green Party Tempest by long-time Rhode Island Green Party activist and candidate Greg Gerritt. Camejo supporters feel that the convention was completely unfair, by giving votes to states out of proportion to their Green Party membership and due to coercion by those in the Cobb camp as well as those who did not want a candidacy that could be seen as threatening to the Democratic Party. For other places with the same name, see Milwaukee (disambiguation). ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... David Cobb appealing for votes at the annual Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo, Wisconsin, September 2004 David Keith Cobb (born December 24, 1962 in San Leon, Texas) is an American ex-lawyer and activist, and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). ... Humboldt County is a county located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific Ocean. ... Lorna Salzman has been an environmental activist, writer, lecturer and organizer since the mid-1960s and was a candidate for the 2004 presidential nomination of the Green Party (GPUS). ...

Nader and Camejo continued their campaign as Reform Party candidates. The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics – as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues – and...

Both Nader and Camejo said the main reason they ran in the 2004 election was because there were no other national candidates demanding an immediate withdrawal of American troops from what they believe is an immoral and unconstitutionally pursued War in Iraq (though Cobb, Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik, Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka, Socialist Party USA candidate Walt Brown and Socialist Workers Party candidate Róger Calero also opposed the war to varying degrees). However, unlike all of these candidates, because Ralph Nader was regularly invited to appear on mainstream news, the Nader and Camejo team were the only candidates which had a regular voice in the mainstream media arguing to bring the troops home. There have been three conflicts in the late 20th century and early 21st century called Gulf War, all of which refer to conflicts in the Persian Gulf region: Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) (aka First Gulf War). ... David Cobb appealing for votes at the annual Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo, Wisconsin, September 2004 David Keith Cobb (born December 24, 1962 in San Leon, Texas) is an American ex-lawyer and activist, and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). ... Badnarik campaigning in July 2004. ... The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. ... Michael Peroutka Michael Anthony Peroutka (born 1952) is a Maryland lawyer, the founder of the Institute on the Constitution, cohost of The American View, and once held a position in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. ... The Socialist Party USA (SP USA) is one of the heirs to the Socialist Party of America of Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas. ... Walter Frederick Brown (born July 28, 1926) was the presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA in 2004. ... The Socialist Workers Party is a communist political party in the United States. ... Róger Calero (born 1969 in Nicaragua) is one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers Party. ...

The Nader/Camejo ticket came in third in the election, polling approximately 460,000 votes, or 0.4 percent of the vote. Camejo's supporters claimed vindication of their assertion that Nader/Camejo had four-to-one support within the party, as Cobb and running mate Pat LaMarche received scarcely a fifth of their support at 119,859 votes or 0.1 percent, a drop of 95 percent compared to the Green Party's 2000 national ticket. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

2006 governor campaign

In San Francisco, Peter Camejo demonstrates for peace and against war March 3, 2006.

Camejo made his third bid for Governor of California against incumbent Arnold Schwarznegger and Democratic Party nominee Phil Angelides. Camejo received 193,553 votes, or 2.3 percent, part of a general trend of declining support for Green candidates across the state. Image File history File linksMetadata Peter_Camejo_anti-war_demonstration_march_2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Peter_Camejo_anti-war_demonstration_march_2006. ... California State Treasurer Phil Angelides Philip Nicholas Phil Angelides (IPA: æn. ...

Future political campaign(s)

Just over a month after the 2004 election, Camejo was elected as one of California's delegates to the National Committee of the Green Party. At the 2005 Green Party National Convention, Camejo stated that he would not be a candidate for President in 2008. In American politics, the Green Party is a third party which has been active in some areas since the 1980s, but first gained widespread public attention for Ralph Naders presidential runs in 1996 and 2000. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Camejo has written a number of articles concerning the divisions evident in the Green Party in the aftermath of the turbulent 2004 national convention, continuing the themes of the Avocado Declaration in opposing attempts to "cozy up" to the newly-formed Progressive Democrats of America. The Avocado Declaration was initiated in January 2004 by Californian politician Peter Camejo (b. ... www. ...

Family life

Camejo is married and has two children. He lives in Folsom, California. He is currently Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Asset Management, a financial investment firm that encourages socially responsible projects. He is the author of "The SRI Advantage- Why Socially Responsible Investing Has Outperformed Financially", and other books. His newest book is "California: Under Corporate Rule," written with Green Party members Todd Chretien, Sarah Knopp, Rachel Odes, Don Bechler, Mehul Thakker, Forrest Hill, and Donna Warren, and is available at Vote Camejo. Historic Sutter Street‎ Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park along the American River. ... Todd Chretien (born 1969), an American activist, was the Green Party candidate for United States Senate in California in 2006. ... Mehul M. Thakker is the 2006 Green Party candidate for State Treasurer in California. ... Forrest Hill is a 2006 Green Party candidate for the California Secretary of States office, currently occupied by Bruce McPherson. ...

Conflict with the Green Party

Camejo has been criticized by some Greens for his 2004 Presidential election to run as an Reform Party candidate with Ralph Nader. During that campaign, Camejo described Greens who supported David Cobb as more Democratic than Green, labelling them "Demogreens." In 2004, Camejo established the group Greens for Democracy and Independence (GDI), ostensibly as a declaration of independence from the Democratic Party. Some Greens preferred None of the Above (NOTA) and chose David Cobb as a compromise to avoid association with Ralph Nader. The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics – as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues – and... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... None of the Above (NOTA) is a ballot choice in some jurisdictions or organizations, placed so as to allow the voter to indicate his disapproval with all of the candidates in any voting system. ... David Cobb appealing for votes at the annual Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo, Wisconsin, September 2004 David Keith Cobb (born December 24, 1962 in San Leon, Texas) is an American ex-lawyer and activist, and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). ... Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist in the areas of consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. ...

In the run-up to the June 6, 2006 primary elections in his home state, Camejo created a California political action committee, Green IDEA (Independence, Democracy, Empowerment, Accountability), to run candidates for California Green County Councils, the local leadership bodies of the California Green Party[11]. Some Greens consider outside intervention in local elections to be a contravention of the Green Ten Key Values of Decentralization and Grassroots Democracy, although these same principle-motivated Greens were silent when former presidential rival David Cobb formed his own Go Green campaign committee to engineer the capture of a majority of seats on the County Council of the Green Party of Humboldt County -- in opposition was a slate of three incumbent candidates supportive of GDI and critical of Cobb's leadership within the party.]].^{[citation needed]} In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the groups special interests. ... ...

Some have criticized Camejo for entering the recall effort to depose Gray Davis. According to critic Peter Daniels, Camejo "moved quickly to lend his support to the right-wing effort to depose Davis." However, other Greens dispute this assessment, noting that Camejo's objections to Davis were entirely consistent with his previous attempt to unseat him the year before[12]. In the end, the Green Party state convention easily voted to endorse Camejo as a recall replacement candidate, while the delegates could not find consensus on whether to support or oppose the recall question itself. Joseph Graham Davis Jr. ... The Green Party of California (GPCA) was established as a ballot qualifed political party in California in 1991 using the petition method of gaining state recognition. ...

Critics from Camejo's former socialist circles are disdainful of Camejo's abandonment of the socialism of his youth, accusing him of abandoning a substantive critique of capitalism and its connection to war, inequality, and attacks on democracy.]].^{[citation needed]} For his part, Camejo unequivocally stated that the Green Party was not and never would be socialist, repeating his commitment to providing solutions to practical issues above and beyond the need for ideological purity.

Publications

While a member of the Socialist Workers Party, Camejo wrote the book Racism, Revolution, Reaction, 1861-1877. The Rise and Fall of Radical Reconstruction, published by Pathfinder Press. [13] The Socialist Workers Party is a small communist political party in the United States. ... Logo of the Pathfinder grouping The Pathfinder tendency is the unofficial name of a group of historically Trotskyist organizations that have now adopted positions of political convergence with the Cuban Communist Party. ...

As a candidate for California Governor, Camejo, along with other Green Party candidates and activists, wrote California Under Corporate Rule, which he self-published. [14]

Footnotes

See also

• Avocado Declaration

The Avocado Declaration was initiated in January 2004 by Californian politician Peter Camejo (b. ...

External links

• Camejo 2006 campaign website
• Green IDEA
• Official VoteCircle Profile
• Rigged Convention, Divided Party by Carol Miller and Forest Hill
• 'Is green the color of protest?' SFGate.com, August 2006
• Radio Interview with Jo Chamberlain, Indybay, June 2006
• CNN Factsheet On Peter Camejo, 2004
• San Francisco Chronicle campaign profile, 2002
• California election results
• The Avocado Declaration
• To Nader or Not to Nader? democracynow.org debate between Peter Camejo and David Cobb
• sf-frontlines.com article about the 2004 Green Party candidate selection (pro-Nader/Camejo)
• sf-frontlines.com article about the Nader/Camejo campaign rally in July 2004
• Peter Camejo speech at the Nader/Camejo 2004 campaign rally in San Francisco
• Progressive Asset Management website
• Mentions of Camejo during Berkeley Free Speech events