Jill Stein Extends "Plan B" Offer to Bernie
During her Facebook Live interview Tuesday evening with Truthdig staff, the presumptive Green Party presidential nominee held out an invitation to Sanders to join her party’s presidential ticket in “either of the slots.” From where she sits, Stein sees the Democratic Party establishment as an insurmountable impediment that can’t help but thwart the progress of Sanders’ popular movement. The solution, she believes, is to provide voters with a winning third-party option.
“Continuing the wonderful work that’s been done by the Sanders campaign, I think nobody wants to see that go to the graveyard inside the Democratic Party,” Stein said as Tuesday’s primary results rolled in. “We want to keep that alive and keep building it, because this is what people are clamoring for.”
She's written him an open letter & discusses her offer in this video:
She says she's not holding her breath...
Link to more TruthDig discussion with Jill Stein
Comments
I have a pretty good idea
she'll be hearing from him after the convention.
Jill Stein shouldn't hold her breath for anything coming before that time. He has to Play The Game to that point. I would like to think she is smart enough to understand that.
I'm agnostic at this point on this move - but agree about Philly
The DNC convention must play out before anything.
There are a good number of work days between now and then, however, and a lot can happen in 5 weeks. For instance, they can finish counting the California election... As far as I know, the FBI does not take a summer break. Who can say what things will look like in just a bit?
'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member
A month
is a really long time in these politics. So yeah, definitely agreed....
The Greens just missed a key deadline for AZ
The Green Party's positions are appealing on many issues, but this is basic and they blew it in Arizona. Many entrepreneurs are idea people but fail when they don't hire managers with the skills to handle the tedious details of daily business. Important details, like getting invoices out. And meeting critical deadlines.
Good ideas; not ready for prime time. Perhaps could be with a chunk of Sanders' supporters--but not this year in Arizona.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
Stranger things have happened already this year
Who's to say they couldn't get the court order?
'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member
True. But a lot of influence was exerted to create the FUBAR
situation that handed AZ to Clinton during the primary season. The Clintons or their BFFs probably own a judge or two.
The issue is more the Green Party's failure to meet the deadline than whether they could manage to fix it later. Of course, if Sanders chooses to ally himself with Stein and the Greens, finding a friendly judge in AZ would matter a whole lot more.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
Thought experiment...
Either RNC or DNC misses a deadline due to a clerical error.
Time until judge rules in favor of fixing the problem... measurable in minutes.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Two things
1) Jill Stein was interviewed today on DemocracyNow. The interview is worth a look.
2) The Green party is not ready for prime time, but if Bernie supporters in non-swing states vote for the Greens, that would give the Green party, and progressive politics in general, a big boost. If the Green nominee, presumably Jill Stein were to win 10% of the popular vote, that would be Yuge! If people begin to take the Green party seriously, they (we?) can become a lot more professional. Maybe start with local elections, then state elections in progressive states then .....
The Green party is not ready for prime time
No it isn't. Right now, it seems to be a federation of local groups, rather than a national party. If Bernie's army rushed over to the Greens, some of them would probably feel like it was a hostile takeover, and they might be justified in thinking that.
HOWEVER, the Greens and Bernie's people might happily agree to a single-election coalition. Think of it as more of an affair than a marriage. And the number of votes would do the Greens a world of good.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
I find Jill impressive; the Greens, as a party, have a long
way to go.
Must say that I don't buy the distinction between swing states and others. A vote for Clinton is a vote for Clinton and the Democratic Party long shaped by the Clintons. Personally, I find the prospect of Pres. Hillary Clinton not a whit less alarming than Pres. Donald Trump. Couldn't vote for either. I'm in a safely blue state but would reject both no matter where I lived. But that's me. None of us owes anyone an explanation or defense of our vote.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
I could be wrong, but I don't
I could be wrong, but I don't think the Greens have tons of money to hire consultants. I have a feeling that may change.
I am not a candidate, only a voter. However, I find these "gotcha" primary laws (for voters) and ballot laws (for candidates) very distasteful. They depress voting and protect a failed two party system from a new party.
I would
vote for a Bernie/Jill ticket.
I would have...
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
I would too
Especially if Jill is the President option, as that would take the wind out of the faux-feminist clinton supporters who declare everyone who isn't voting for clinton is a sexist. I'm sure their fragile minds would blow some cogs if a majority to all of Sanders supporters rallied behind Jill instead of clinton, trying to think of ways to still believe that we're just a bunch of sexist white males.
I would not worry what they
I would not worry what they say. No matter what you do, people like that will always find something awful to say about it..
I would be surprised
If he took her up on it. He has never reached out to Nader. Throughout his career an Indie, he kept strong working ties with the Dems. We, on the other hand, are free to choose. If Bernie is not on the ticket, I will go Green until we get a Progressive or People's Party established.
Personally, if we are going to be a party of the 99%, I feel that ultimately a new party is in order. There are a lot of people disenchanted with the Republicans and Democratic Parties that would not rally behind the Greens----and haven't. It is my opinion they would be open to a Progressive Party, which got its start from Republicans and has been adopted, in part, by Dems. Only problem is that the term progressive has also been corrupted by Dems, which is why, in my thinking, we may have to insert the term People's party or Progressive Workers Party. Food for thought.
"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." Stephen Hawking
NEW: http://www.twitter.com/trueblueinwdc
I like Progressive Party of America now. :)
I think that is a name that may be worth considering.
I am concerned about any name containing "People's" simply because it would make the red baiting attacks that we are already going to receive to have much more traction via association with other "People's" Parties.
"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me
Green has been the strongest 3rd party
consistently since 1992 when Ross Perot won 19% of popular votes in GE for the Reform Party. Reform Party dwindled after that. Green has been stable thru the years.
Hillary may be the nominee, but she will be the neo-con and warmonger.
A vote for Jill will spoil either Hillary or Trump, hopefully the former.
"Trump was created by the politics of the Clintons. Putting the Clintons in power will only fan the flames. Hillary is not a solution to Trump; the Clintons are the cause of Trump.” Jill Stein
If you are in a swing state vote your conscience
but if you are in a non-swing state think hard about voting Green. If the election is close in my state HRC will win nationally by a landslide. A vote for Jill will not change the outcome in my state, so I don't have to worry about helping Trump or HRC. However, it would be great to get the Greens up to 10% of the vote nationally and progressives in non-swing states could make this happen.
I want them to be FORCED to arrest Bernie.
Would be a nice, full circle to see him outside the debates protesting that all of the American people deserve a chance to make their case.
Of course, that's assuming either of the two wanna-bee royals even deign to hold a debate this year. Which is honestly fairly doubtful.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Does he still get to keep his
Secret Service detail until voting takes place at the convention?
He probably has some SS people with him.
It seems logical to me, anyway.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
Schutzstaffel? Secret Service? Sanitation slave?
If the Green Party isn't on the ballot in all of the states,
running as a Green or an Indie makes no sense unless it is a power play to leverage some meaningful and LASTING concessions out of the corrupt and hopefully dying DP.
Instead a movement under his leadership with the goal of destroying the neoliberal wing of the party and/or building a new third party would be a better deal. Cant trust those bastards one bit.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
True - I'm agnostic about it at present, but it IS interesting
Such a wild year. Popcorn stocks must be soaring.
'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member
ahem.
Yes it is interesting
particularly because Sawant is working with Stein on this and encouraging Bernie to do so too. The other day, someone posted an essay from the Socialist Party about a strategy with Bernie to move the revolt forward. I wish I could remember its name. I would like to it. It had a lot of good points that made me sit back and decide to wait a bit before I resolved to do anything.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Kshama Sawant on movement4Bernie
Her segment starts at 4:20.