Wednesday, September 21, 2016

At The Nation, the case for and against a vote for Jill Stein and the Greens.


At The Nation, read about the pros and cons of Jill Stein's presidential candidacy.

First, the case in favor ...

Don’t Waste Your Vote on the Corporate Agenda — Vote for Jill Stein and the Greens, by Kshama Sawant

Most progressives will vote for Clinton to keep Trump out of the White House. That’s understandable, but even more important is building an alternative to pro-capitalist parties.

Make no mistake: I want Trump to lose this election. But progressives should not support Clinton. Her close ties to corporate America and its brutal neoliberal agenda will serve to increase the appeal of right-wing populism even if she wins.

... and the case against.

Your Vote for Jill Stein Is a Wasted Vote, by Joshua Holland

If you want to join a party that has no chance of effecting progressive change, the Greens are for you!

Many Greens think that their vote isn’t wasted because it sends a powerful “message” to Washington. But why would anyone in power pay attention to the 0.36 percent of the popular vote that Jill Stein won in 2012, when 42 percent of eligible voters just stayed home? Political parties are merely vessels. The Green Party provides a forum to demonstrate ideological purity and contempt for “the system.” But the Democratic Party is a center of real power in this country. For all its flaws, and for all the work still to be done, it offers a viable means of advancing progressive goals. One can’t say the same of the perpetually dysfunctional and often self-marginalizing Greens.

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