don’t dogpile them. i just wanted to vent.
I’m not familiar with this particular case, but in general it’s completely reasonable to not be a single-issue voter dedicated to one party. Politics is complicated and parties have broad (sometimes conflicting) platforms. Even when one party clearly fits your ideals, occasionally they have a particular candidate that you just can’t get behind.
it just seems to me that they could stay the fuck out of it instead of actively trashing the green party voters.
Not voting for the green party doesn’t mean you don’t want or fight for better climate policy. That sort of thinking is what’s gotten us into this “voting against them” mess.
You can be anywhere on the political spectrum and still be an environmentalist. E.g., historically, hunters have been at the forefront of conservationism, if only so that they can continue to hunt wild animals. Many capitalists are “green” if only to carve a niche for their products, e.g., The Muskrat.
What does running as a spoiler actually accomplish? They are doing nothing but taking away votes from the democrat candidate* with no chance of being elected to national office. If you want better environmental policy, and actually want to accomplish it then the democrats are your only realistic option.
*I understand and respect that a good portion of Greens would not vote for the Democrat, but anyone who is likely on the fence is vastly more likely to vote D than R. I am also very happy to acknowledge that our voting system sucks and we should implement ranked choice nationally. I would like to the Green party as a viable option in the future, but it is not in 2024, all this candidacy is accomplishing is helping the republican nominee. I am still bitter that my first time voting was for Nader because I was dumb. I would honestly love to see examples of the Green party working to actually build up their base in local elections as that is the only way they are going to ever be viable and not just a spoiler.
He’s not running as a spoiler. He’s running as a leftist.
To what end? Him running ultimately only helps the GOP. If the green party wants to advance progressive policy, they should focus on creating infrastructure to become an actual block that democrats need to work with. Siphoning votes away only helps republicans, Ralph Nader got George W. Bush elected as much as Gore’s shitty campaign did.
Ralph Nader got George W. Bush elected as much as Gore’s shitty campaign did.
gore won that election.
I agree with you, but it would not have been within the margin of fuckery that allowed Florida to happen had Nader not be on the ballot. Gore did run a shit campaign though, all he really had to do was ask people if they were better off than they were in 92 and promise a continuation of the core of the Clinton policies and he would have won. Instead, he focused on distancing himself from a still very popular president and not being charismatic and largely allowed himself to be put in the position he ended up in.
It was my first election as an adult, Nader came to my college and gave his “both parties are the same” speech and I bought it because I was a dumb ass at the time and in fairness it was a lot closer to the truth then than it has been since.
this is pure speculation. there is no way to know what would have happened in a world where Nader wasn’t on the ballot. in such a world Donald Trump might have been the Republican nominee that year. you simply don’t know.
If the green party wants to advance progressive policy, they should focus on creating infrastructure to become an actual block that democrats need to work with
if their voting block didn’t matter why are they still so salty about 2016?
To what end?
to lead the empire to dismantle the empire
