Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, October 16, 2012
2012 Watch Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein Get Arrested
Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 3:23 PM
Apparently, now it's illegal for a third party presidential candidate to be outside a hall where a presidential debate is going to take place:
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Love the hypocrisy of arresting them for "blocking pedestrian traffic" when those goons where doing nothing but standing there blocking them.
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Typical Green Party grandstanding. Sorry, all you Greeners. I respect your vote and I actually like Jill Stein, but until the Green Party decides to take itself seriously and not just run vanity candidates for President every four years, they will most certainly not have my vote.
And it's a pity. We had at least two green-ish council members here in Seattle back in the day, and the green candidate against McDermott actually won something like 20% of the vote - including mine - in the primary. Instead of building on that rather remarkable success, they seem to have utterly disappeared as a party around here - except for their Presidential candidate, of course.
But more to the point: Suppose Dr. Stein won. What would she do? She'd have no party members in Congress to count on. She'd get most of the Progressive caucus, I suppose, but she'd be a de facto Democratic President with no official support from the Democratic Party. It just wouldn't work.
And it's a pity. We had at least two green-ish council members here in Seattle back in the day, and the green candidate against McDermott actually won something like 20% of the vote - including mine - in the primary. Instead of building on that rather remarkable success, they seem to have utterly disappeared as a party around here - except for their Presidential candidate, of course.
But more to the point: Suppose Dr. Stein won. What would she do? She'd have no party members in Congress to count on. She'd get most of the Progressive caucus, I suppose, but she'd be a de facto Democratic President with no official support from the Democratic Party. It just wouldn't work.
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Catalina, if Dr. Stein were to win, I believe we would see the 2 major parties suddenly find a way to work together against a common "enemy". The biggest challenge we face in this country is a lack of compromise. Boner and his GOP cronies pledged on Day One of the Obama presidency to do whatever they had to do to ensure that he was a one-term president. I'm quite sure that if Rmoney wins on 11/6 (shudder), then the Dems will do exactly the same thing. That is no way to run a government.
She just earned my vote (because I do not live in a swing state...).
She just earned my vote (because I do not live in a swing state...).
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@5, A left wing candidate winning election won't occur without a popular movement but a popular movement won't go very far without political leadership. One has to start somewhere.
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American "freedom" does not exist. It is wholly illusory. American "democracy" is a lie. America is a dictatorship, as surely as the former USSR was.
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Things will have to get a lot worse than they are now for a lot more people before the far left is taken seriously.
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anon1256, I could not agree with you more. And I hate to say it, but if you want a role model for successful grassroots, look to the religious right. They put their heads down and over the course of a few decades, worked at getting their people elected to local and state offices, which helped them get into Congress and take over the GOP.
At the very least, the Greens could serve as a way to pressure Democratic candidates to the left, but they don't even do that. They're ineffective, just like the occupy movement.
At the very least, the Greens could serve as a way to pressure Democratic candidates to the left, but they don't even do that. They're ineffective, just like the occupy movement.
13
Wow! Is this what democracy looks like?
What better illustration of the hegemonic grip that the Democratic-Republican duopoly holds on American politics than to arrest an alternative party presidential candidate as she simply walks toward the venue of a presidential debate?
This is unreal. No, wait, this is literally the reality we are living in today.
Obstructing traffic? That is obviously a lie. Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala were effectively penned in by a veritable mob of cops.
What a perfect demonstration that these private debates (organized by a joint Democratic-Republican entity called the Commission on Presidential Debates) are nothing but a farce, serving only to reinforce the hegemony of the political establishment (and by extension that of the plutocrats who write their campaign checks), rather than to promote any semblance of real democracy.
(There is more info on the arrest at Stein's website.)
You can believe that Jill Stein will not be silenced by this arrest. She is scheduled to appear on Democracy Now!'s Expanding the Debate series tomorrow morning with Rocky Anderson and Virgil Goode, to provide their own answers to questions from tonight's private debate. Let's hope she can make it there after this.
And on October 23rd Stein will participate with three other candidates in a live streamed debate (cross posted):
Here are some of the alternative party debates that have already taken place:
More...
What better illustration of the hegemonic grip that the Democratic-Republican duopoly holds on American politics than to arrest an alternative party presidential candidate as she simply walks toward the venue of a presidential debate?
This is unreal. No, wait, this is literally the reality we are living in today.
Obstructing traffic? That is obviously a lie. Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala were effectively penned in by a veritable mob of cops.
What a perfect demonstration that these private debates (organized by a joint Democratic-Republican entity called the Commission on Presidential Debates) are nothing but a farce, serving only to reinforce the hegemony of the political establishment (and by extension that of the plutocrats who write their campaign checks), rather than to promote any semblance of real democracy.
(There is more info on the arrest at Stein's website.)
You can believe that Jill Stein will not be silenced by this arrest. She is scheduled to appear on Democracy Now!'s Expanding the Debate series tomorrow morning with Rocky Anderson and Virgil Goode, to provide their own answers to questions from tonight's private debate. Let's hope she can make it there after this.
And on October 23rd Stein will participate with three other candidates in a live streamed debate (cross posted):
Everyone should also know about the upcoming alternative party presidential debate on October 23rd featuring four alternative party presidential candidates: Rocky Anderson (Justice Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), and Virgil Goode (Constitution Party). This debate is being organized by the Free and Equal Elections Foundation.
Here are some of the alternative party debates that have already taken place:
Rocky Anderson and Jill Stein previously debated in Democracy Now!'s Expand the Debate event which coincided with the first private Democrat/Republican debate.
Jill Stein and Gary Johnson participated in a mini-debate on NPR a few days ago.
Rocky Anderson, Gary Jonshon, and Andre Barnett of the Reform Party debated in a HuffPost Live event on October 4th.
And Democracy Now! expanded the VP debate with Luis Rodriguez of the Justice Party and Cheri Honkala of the Green Party
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@ Catalina,
We have third party candidates running for local office, county commissioners, et cetera. We have third party endorsements for both state and federal legislature, some who are up for re-election this year.
Does Washington?
I'm of the opinion that for a third party to gain strength it has to start gaining ground at the local level.
We have third party candidates running for local office, county commissioners, et cetera. We have third party endorsements for both state and federal legislature, some who are up for re-election this year.
Does Washington?
I'm of the opinion that for a third party to gain strength it has to start gaining ground at the local level.
15
Jill Stein will be appearing, along with Kshama Sawant, at Town Hall Seattle on October 21st (this Sunday)!
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@12 heck, in virtually every country they are any significant size, they almost always work to minimize the total left-of-center results.
Severe lack of Strategery, wrapped up with a plutocrat-supporting bow.
Severe lack of Strategery, wrapped up with a plutocrat-supporting bow.
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@13, I'm happy you were never a key witness in one of my cases. Your powers of observation leave much to be desired. Watch the video again — she was arrested for sitting down in the middle of the street after refusing to obey a lawful order to move to the sidewalk.
It doesn't matter who she is; you and I would get arrested for doing that also.
It doesn't matter who she is; you and I would get arrested for doing that also.
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@5, I see that Minneapolis, St. Paul, Corvallis, OR, and Oklahoma City(!) all have Greens on their city councils, and the mayor of Richmond, CA is a Green.
That's the only possible upside I can think of to having partisan city elections here -- possible increased exposure for the Green Party. Then again, Minneapolis's city council was composed of 11 DFLers and 2 Greens, until one of the Green council members got busted by the FBI for corruption.
That's the only possible upside I can think of to having partisan city elections here -- possible increased exposure for the Green Party. Then again, Minneapolis's city council was composed of 11 DFLers and 2 Greens, until one of the Green council members got busted by the FBI for corruption.
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@12 (Catalina Vel-DuRay) "At the very least, the Greens could serve as a way to pressure Democratic candidates to the left, but they don't even do that. They're ineffective, just like the occupy movement."
I think you're forgetting about a fundamental piece of this puzzle: you. And me. That is, the voting (and direct acting) public.
By what mechanism will Democratic candidates be pressured to the left? What can influence politicians to the left, other than the public turning their support away from them and toward more progressive alternative party candidates, platforms, and movements?
Do Obama's Wall Street-protecting, civil liberties-eroding, neoliberal-drifting policies represent you? No? Then why are you still supporting him, or any centrist Democrats?
If you continue to vote for these policies, you can expect to get more of the same.
I think you're forgetting about a fundamental piece of this puzzle: you. And me. That is, the voting (and direct acting) public.
By what mechanism will Democratic candidates be pressured to the left? What can influence politicians to the left, other than the public turning their support away from them and toward more progressive alternative party candidates, platforms, and movements?
Do Obama's Wall Street-protecting, civil liberties-eroding, neoliberal-drifting policies represent you? No? Then why are you still supporting him, or any centrist Democrats?
If you continue to vote for these policies, you can expect to get more of the same.
21
So after sixteen years of prominence on the national scene, the Greens only have one Mayor, and that is in a suburb? I'm sure that has nothing to do with their you-don't-deserve-my-love approach they take to the electorate.
As for voting, I've voted for non-Presidential Green candidates every time I've been given the chance. But there hasn't been many chances, even out here in the supposed leftist paradise.
Finally, the Tea Party (which I admit is a corporate invention, but captured the imagination of a lot of dull-minded folks ) and the religious right have pulled the GOP to the right, and took a lot of Democrats with them. When is a serious counter-force going to emerge on the left? I'm afraid it may never happen, because of our tendency towards boutique politics on our side of the aisle.
As for voting, I've voted for non-Presidential Green candidates every time I've been given the chance. But there hasn't been many chances, even out here in the supposed leftist paradise.
Finally, the Tea Party (which I admit is a corporate invention, but captured the imagination of a lot of dull-minded folks ) and the religious right have pulled the GOP to the right, and took a lot of Democrats with them. When is a serious counter-force going to emerge on the left? I'm afraid it may never happen, because of our tendency towards boutique politics on our side of the aisle.
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Catalina .... Defending two party dictatorship on Slog for several months.
I'm sure the founding fathers would be proud of you dear.
I'm sure the founding fathers would be proud of you dear.
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Oh Cato, spare me your sanctimonious drivel. If you want to vote Green, go ahead and do it. You certainly don't need my imprimatur. But by the same token, I don't have to be impressed with your Sophomore year outlook on politics.
As I have said, I support a lot of the Green's ideas - and I especially like Dr. Stein. But I think that they are a frivolous political party that enjoys being the perpetual underdog. Sue me.
As I have said, I support a lot of the Green's ideas - and I especially like Dr. Stein. But I think that they are a frivolous political party that enjoys being the perpetual underdog. Sue me.
24
You know why some countries have multiple parties? It's because their electoral system is proportional representation rather than winner take all.
With proportional representation, if 5% of the populace supports the Greens, the Greens get roughly 5% of the seats. In winner take all, like we have in the US, that 5% gets nothing.
It doesn't matter how many protests you stage, or how much you complain about a two-party system, the fact is that in a winner take all system, voting for a party that has no chance of a majority means you will always be voting for a losing candidate. The fact is, the Greens stand as much chance of getting a majority of votes in a national election as the Nazis.
Don't like two-party systems? Lobby for a proportional parliamentary system such as they have in Israel, Germany, etc. Otherwise, you're just spinning your wheels.
With proportional representation, if 5% of the populace supports the Greens, the Greens get roughly 5% of the seats. In winner take all, like we have in the US, that 5% gets nothing.
It doesn't matter how many protests you stage, or how much you complain about a two-party system, the fact is that in a winner take all system, voting for a party that has no chance of a majority means you will always be voting for a losing candidate. The fact is, the Greens stand as much chance of getting a majority of votes in a national election as the Nazis.
Don't like two-party systems? Lobby for a proportional parliamentary system such as they have in Israel, Germany, etc. Otherwise, you're just spinning your wheels.
26
YES IT SURE IS ROUGH IN THIS HERE COMMUNIST AUTOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP MY LIFE IS A LIVING HELL IN A DYSTOPIAN NIGHTMARE. WOE!
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