Talking to the Rochester City Newspaper, the Green Party's presidential candidate, Jill Stein, addressed progressive voters, whom she characterized as "people of conscience." The candidate warned that voting for the majority party rather than casting a third-party vote is actually a root cause of the problems currently facing the nation.
Why do progressives hesitate to cast a third-party vote?
Stein asserts that this hesitation is due to "politics of fear." She charges that progressives fed up with the politics of the majority party are marginalized with the threat that a vote for anyone but the backed candidate would result in an election of "a president expanding the war, bailing out Wall Street, attacking immigrant rights, violating our civil liberties." Stein notes that even after not casting a ballot in favor of a third party the last time, the country is grappling with these very issues. "All of that we've gotten by the droves because we've been quiet," she says.
How is Stein getting out her message to voters?
Stein and running mate Cheri Honkala attempted to attend the second presidential debate. As noted on the candidate's campaign website, both politicians were arrested and spent "eight hours handcuffed to a metal chair in a remote police warehouse on Long Island." Stein alleges that the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) bears the blame for harming democracy in America through the exclusion of third-party candidates from the debates.
Is it difficult to overcome the stigma associated with third-party politics?
Stein and others face an uphill battle for mainstream acceptance. Although the Associated Press reports that talk show host Larry King will moderate a third-party presidential debate for those excluded by the CPD, the moderator himself referred to the candidates as politicians who will clearly not win in the election.
Is it true that votes for third party politicians are wasted or cost the majority party the election?
The Cap Times concedes that Al Gore may have lost the 2000 election because liberal voters favored Ralph Nader and did not vote for the Democratic Party. In 2012, voters afraid of handing the election victory to the Republican Party are likely to cast their ballots for President Obama even though they disagree with his politics. "If there was a strong socialist or Green Party I would probably vote for one of those," a voter told the publication.
Jill Stein disagrees. As noted by the Rochester City Newspaper, she does not interpret the 2000 election results to implicate Nader in stealing votes from Gore. Instead, she points out that Nader's support came equally from Republican and Democratic voters, as well as from the independent voting bloc.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/don-t-lesser-evil-greens-jill-stein-warns-222700452.html
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