Green Party presidential candidate Jesse Johnson of West Virginia stopped by today for a chat about his efforts to win his party’s nomination for president.

Johnson, 48, a self-described actor, filmmaker and artist, toured the state with Pat LaMarche, who ran on the Green Party ticket as vice president four years ago and has twice run for governor of Maine.

Johnson (jesse08.org) is one of four Greens seeking their party’s nomination. For information on all of them, go to gp.org.

Maine Greens are in the middle of their caucusing process, with some cities and towns already having met and others yet to come. Locally, West Gardiner Greens are scheduled to meet Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at the town office.

Other dates and times are available on the state party Web site, mainegreens.org.

Maine is important to Green candidates because the state sends the second most delegates to the national convention (behind California), LaMarche said.

After a slippery start in southern Maine during the snowstorm, the pair made their way to the Statehouse. Here’s part of our conversation, Q&A style:

On Maine Politics: What brings you to Maine in weather like this?

Johnson: The caucusing is taking place for the Green Party and I just wanted to come up and touch base with folks.

OMP: So tell me a little about yourself.

Johnson: I’ve been an actor, filmmaker, artist. Until last Saturday, I was the state chair of the Mountain Party of West Virginia. In 2004, I ran arguably the most successful campaign for governor in the country of a third party.
In 2006, I ran more of a principled campaign against Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, the longest-serving senator in the history of the United States.
I held the first tripartisan event at the state Capitol in West Virginia in support of public workers. The guy who beat me out for governor had promised them a raise and hadn’t kept that promise so we held that event.
By the end of that day, he gave them their raise.

OMP: Why run for president?

Johnson: I believe this country is at a very dangerous crux in the road and we’re embroiled in an illegal war, we’re breaking treaties, which is unconstitutional.
We are facing the greatest crisis as far as climate, but it’s also our greatest economic opportunity.
The county is in an economic downturn, which I would term a free fall. We simply have got to change direction. There are too many things we’re not facing.

OMP: One of the issues Pat (LaMarche) campaigned on was poverty, and John Edwards emphasized that in his campaign, as well. Where does that fall on your list of things to do?

Johnson: I mentioned the economic downfall, free fall, that we’re in and one big factor to that, including a health care issue, is going to be the returning vets.
These veterans are coming back more physically damaged than ever before in any war. Also, they are coming back with greater and greater cases of post traumatic stress disorder.
Already we treat our veterans atrociously.
What I perceive the great danger is a new Hooverville popping up. The government themselves will tell you there are 300,000 homeless veterans presently. They need help. They need attention.

OMP: Some people still say Ralph Nader helped Bush get elected in 2000, and paint third party candidates as those who might tilt the election in a way that was unintended.
Do you buy that argument? How do you see yourself? Can you win?

Johnson: Well, one citizen equals one vote and in that sense of course I could win. But the problem is the system has gone so far astray, being dominated by a so-called two-party system.
I would argue that we have a one-party system and that it’s dominated by multinational corporations, and that bird is kept afloat by a right wing and a left wing that’s used to divide people.
A third party has the ability to allow people to actually vote their values, their conscience. Those values are what define us. If you vote your values, then whomever takes the mantle of office will have to recognize the power of the idea and the value.
With regard to the spoiler concept, in a broken system I would see us as a definer, not a spoiler.