Jill Stein: A Strong Third Party At The Presidential Debates
By Aristocratic Anarchist.
(Author’s Note): This article is not an endorsement of Jill Stein or the Green Party and is a opinion column on Stein’s position in the current election as a candidate.
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is in the news again. A candidate, who the media forgot in 2012 is now a possible participant in the fall Presidential debates.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/debates-clinton-trump-johnson-stein-226806
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), an insider group that controls the debate outlines, has usually frowned upon third party types. Thanks to a series of cryptic and loosely developed rules, such candidates are excluded. These rules were largely put in place following independent candidate Ross Perot’s participation in the 1992 Presidential debates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg9qB_BIjWY
With the possibility of third party candidate participation, many are praising such a decision. Yet among them who would come out on top?
Jill Stein of the Green Party.
In a previous column, “Libertarianism is Dead for the time being,” this author critiqued Gary Johnson and his failures as the current Libertarian Party candidate.
http://aristocraticanarchist.tumblr.com/post/147064464361/libertarianism-is-dead-for-the-time-being
For those libertarians applauding the possibility of Johnson in the debates, they should be more worried.
Their candidate lacks any legit libertarian positions, with his personal comparisons to Bernie Sanders and his support for the cronyist TPP.
Stein, in contrast, is a credible left-wing threat at future debates. Even after her appearances at Democratic National Convention protests, media outlets began launching critical attacks against her.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/08/05/85477/
Such attacks have failed to cover up her legitimate strengths.
In the same vein as Donald Trump, Stein has been critical of an interventionist foreign policy. Even at the height of his popularity, Sanders has always been a “soft war-hawk.” Both Trump and Stein have criticized “Free Trade” Deals and the Wall Street and academic types who favor them. Where as Trump has discussed rebuilding America’s infrastructure, Stein advocated a “Green New Dead” with infrastructure being a primary part of it. There are many areas of differences between the right-wing Trump and the left-wing Stein, yet both have an “America First” attitude in their policies.
http://www.jill2016.com/platform
http://www.jill2016.com/plan
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/08/27/foreign-policy-sanders-style-backing-saudi-intervention/
While Sanders was booed by his former supporters at the DNC, Stein openly talked with protesters outside, appearing as someone genuinely interested in reaching out to voters.
Johnson has failed to take advantage of the interest many modern voters have in libertarianism and libertarian politics. Many libertarians have changed to supporting Trump. One of the most prominent being Paleolibertarian columnist Ilana Mercer who penned a book, “The Trump Revolution” to discuss Trump’s success. While there are many sincere people who support him, to long-time libertarians, Johnson appears weak-wiled and more damaging to libertarianism in the long run.
https://www.amazon.com/Trump-Revolution-Creative-Destruction-Deconstructed/dp/0974103918/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472076031&sr=1-1&keywords=the+trump+revolution
Stein has an immediate target demographic that Johnson has barely been able to tap into. Disenfranchised Sanders supporters, progressives and dissident left-wingers. Rational individuals who actually saw something in Sanders, not the blind “Sanderinistas” who thought he was God on Earth or the Second Coming of Jesus.
In a potential debate between all four, this writer has a straight forward view of what would transpire. Trump will clash with Clinton from the right, while Stein will clash from the political left. Johnson will probably stand there meekly, trying to defend Clinton and once again failing to bring libertarian ideals to a wider audience. He might have one acceptable line, before falling over himself like an infant trying to learn to walk.
In contrast, Stein will emerge as committed leftist candidate who will actually appeal to large segments of the voting populace who feel lost in the present election.
Her presence alone will put the final nail in the Clinton “Electoral Coffin,” one that has already been torn down by the populist rise of Donald Trump in the last year.
Even as Clinton TV ads try to portray Trump as a “dangerous man” who might make the “wrong move” in foreign policy and Stein is smeared alongside him, realty is slowly crashing down and when it does, it will quite the political spectacle.
