With the election right around the corner, we are constantly exposed to a 24 hour news cycle telling us who to vote for and who not to vote for. Public distrust in both major party candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, has created an enclave for third parties to gain traction. For progressives, that alternative is Jill Stein of the Green Party. However, how much do we actually know about the Green Party? I decided I wanted to know more.
The Green Party was founded in 1984 by the Green Movement Committee. Their approach to politics was largely inspired by the West German Greens who preached policies of “ecology, social justice, grassroots democracy, and non-violence.” However, it wasn’t until 1996 that the party was placed on a national ticket. Ralph Nader was nominated as the party candidate both in 1996 and 2000. It was the 2000 election that caused legitimate controversy. Nader received 3% of the popular vote in an incredibly close race between Al Gore and George Bush. This caused significant backlash from progressives who believed that if Nader hadn’t been on the ticket, Al Gore would have been elected. The growing importance, and for major parties the impedance, of third parties was gaining visibility and acknowledgement.
Jill Stein is a mother, practicing physician, and author. She is also the current face of the Green Party, as their presidential candidate for the 2016 election. In 2012, she and Cheri Honkala received 470,000 votes in the presidential race, which is more than 2 times the number of votes for the Green Party in 2008. Stein is running on a platform of “power to the people” which highlights a progressive policy which includes transitioning to clean renewable energy by 2030, prioritizing economic human rights, abolishing student debt, ending police brutality and mass incarceration, and expanding women’s rights.
Jill Stein has not been without her controversies. Recently in an interview she explained that she would not have killed Osama Bin Laden, a hallmark achievement of President Obama’s presidency. Furthermore, her conservatism towards vaccines due to their perceived corporate influence and pharmaceutical interest, a commonly cited point of anti-vaccination supporters, has come under fire from both sides of the aisle.
Regardless of who you’re voting for in November, be educated about and informed on the policies of those running. If you aren’t voting, register and make your voice matter. Here are a few resources to expand your knowledge of presidential candidates!
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/
Written by Emma Briggs, Class of 2018
Image Source wikimedia.org