Despite the plethora of candidates vying for the White House, some likely voters, particularly those on the left-side of the spectrum, may find their views and ideas underrepresented. But before they become completely discouraged from participating in the elections, perhaps they should consider a candidate that most TV networks have never even heard of: Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party.
Stein is a self-described “organizer, physician, and pioneering environmental health advocate” from Massachusetts. Even though Dr. Stein unsuccessfully ran for President in 2012, and was arrested for disorderly conduct after demanding to be allowed in the Denver Obama-Romney debate, she is back for another round. She announced that she would be running for President in June on the independent news program, Democracy Now!, and since then has been working hard to earn recognition, which included a statement on the tragic San Bernardino shooting and a stop on PBS:
“Fifty percent of Americans now do not identify as either Democrat or Republican,” Stein said, “So by restricting the debates to this very narrow spectrum, largely of big candidates who are promoted by big money...you have eliminated the voices, the opinions, and the urgent concerns: health care, jobs, wages, housing, a debate about the military conquest of the world and the credible crisis, student debt, Black Lives Matter. All of these issues that are of burning concern to everyday Americans are out from the get-go.”
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, Stein has had a long track-record as a warrior for clean energy and campaign finance reform, and has a similarly leftist plan for America. Her campaign website states her intent to transition to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, set a $15 federal minimum wage, and end police brutality and institutional racism. Perhaps the most revolutionary and detailed aspect of her plan is her ambition to protect the planet, which includes the end of destructive energy extraction, like fracking, and a ban GMOs and pesticides until they are proven safe. No other candidate has specifically expressed ideas of this magnitude before. These environmental objectives do appear to be well-within Stein’s wheelhouse: she was featured as an environmental health expert on programs such as Today and 20/20, published two acclaimed reports about the environment’s effect on health (“In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development” and “Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging”), and testified as an expert before several government panels, including a panel debating a controversial Massachusetts prohibition of the construction of a toxic trash incinerator.
Though some may draw parallels between Stein and the socialist Democrat Bernie Sanders, Stein wants to establish one key difference between herself and the Vermont Senator: the fact that her promises are not empty.
“I wish that [Sanders] had run outside the Democratic Party,” Stein said during her Democracy Now! announcement. “There are many similarities, obviously, between his vision and my vision. The difference is that I’m running in a party that also supports that vision, so when our campaign comes to an end, that vision will not die. It will not be absorbed back into a party that is essentially hostile to that vision and which has basically disappeared similar very principled, wonderful reform efforts within the Democratic Party that have basically allowed the party to keep marching to the right.”
The Green Party does seem to be ecstatic about Stein’s candidacy. There are currently only six “Greens” that hold office, and most of them are low-level city councilmembers. The Green Party, founded in 1984, strongly believes in “Ten Key Values,” based on the “Four Pillars” of the Green Party in Germany. The values include ecological wisdom, feminism and gender equality, social justice and equal opportunity, and future focus and sustainability. As Stein’s plan exemplifies all ten tenants, it seems that she is one of few authentic candidates.
However, it is important to consider Stein’s political record, which is not as strong as her environmental legacy: in addition to her previous Presidential campaign, Stein has run for three offices (Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, State Representative in 2004, and Secretary of State in Massachusetts in 2006) and failed miserably each time. In the 2012 race, she was only on ballots in 37 states, and the number is not likely to skyrocket.
In spite of this, many Democrats may still be wary of this liberal third-partier: many have cited previous Green Party candidate Ralph Nader as the reason that Democratic nominee Al Gore lost the 2000 election. However, in the 2000 race, Nader appeared on ballots in 43 states, a considerable difference; as it is unlikely that Stein will reach that number, the ultimate Democratic nominee should not feel threatened.
Even though it is unlikely that she we will see a Green in the White House after this upcoming election, Stein is the most credible Green Party candidate this country has ever seen, and may be a realistic alternative for those that do not feel that candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are sincere in their policies.
Stein is a self-described “organizer, physician, and pioneering environmental health advocate” from Massachusetts. Even though Dr. Stein unsuccessfully ran for President in 2012, and was arrested for disorderly conduct after demanding to be allowed in the Denver Obama-Romney debate, she is back for another round. She announced that she would be running for President in June on the independent news program, Democracy Now!, and since then has been working hard to earn recognition, which included a statement on the tragic San Bernardino shooting and a stop on PBS:
“Fifty percent of Americans now do not identify as either Democrat or Republican,” Stein said, “So by restricting the debates to this very narrow spectrum, largely of big candidates who are promoted by big money...you have eliminated the voices, the opinions, and the urgent concerns: health care, jobs, wages, housing, a debate about the military conquest of the world and the credible crisis, student debt, Black Lives Matter. All of these issues that are of burning concern to everyday Americans are out from the get-go.”
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, Stein has had a long track-record as a warrior for clean energy and campaign finance reform, and has a similarly leftist plan for America. Her campaign website states her intent to transition to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, set a $15 federal minimum wage, and end police brutality and institutional racism. Perhaps the most revolutionary and detailed aspect of her plan is her ambition to protect the planet, which includes the end of destructive energy extraction, like fracking, and a ban GMOs and pesticides until they are proven safe. No other candidate has specifically expressed ideas of this magnitude before. These environmental objectives do appear to be well-within Stein’s wheelhouse: she was featured as an environmental health expert on programs such as Today and 20/20, published two acclaimed reports about the environment’s effect on health (“In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development” and “Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging”), and testified as an expert before several government panels, including a panel debating a controversial Massachusetts prohibition of the construction of a toxic trash incinerator.
Though some may draw parallels between Stein and the socialist Democrat Bernie Sanders, Stein wants to establish one key difference between herself and the Vermont Senator: the fact that her promises are not empty.
“I wish that [Sanders] had run outside the Democratic Party,” Stein said during her Democracy Now! announcement. “There are many similarities, obviously, between his vision and my vision. The difference is that I’m running in a party that also supports that vision, so when our campaign comes to an end, that vision will not die. It will not be absorbed back into a party that is essentially hostile to that vision and which has basically disappeared similar very principled, wonderful reform efforts within the Democratic Party that have basically allowed the party to keep marching to the right.”
The Green Party does seem to be ecstatic about Stein’s candidacy. There are currently only six “Greens” that hold office, and most of them are low-level city councilmembers. The Green Party, founded in 1984, strongly believes in “Ten Key Values,” based on the “Four Pillars” of the Green Party in Germany. The values include ecological wisdom, feminism and gender equality, social justice and equal opportunity, and future focus and sustainability. As Stein’s plan exemplifies all ten tenants, it seems that she is one of few authentic candidates.
However, it is important to consider Stein’s political record, which is not as strong as her environmental legacy: in addition to her previous Presidential campaign, Stein has run for three offices (Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, State Representative in 2004, and Secretary of State in Massachusetts in 2006) and failed miserably each time. In the 2012 race, she was only on ballots in 37 states, and the number is not likely to skyrocket.
In spite of this, many Democrats may still be wary of this liberal third-partier: many have cited previous Green Party candidate Ralph Nader as the reason that Democratic nominee Al Gore lost the 2000 election. However, in the 2000 race, Nader appeared on ballots in 43 states, a considerable difference; as it is unlikely that Stein will reach that number, the ultimate Democratic nominee should not feel threatened.
Even though it is unlikely that she we will see a Green in the White House after this upcoming election, Stein is the most credible Green Party candidate this country has ever seen, and may be a realistic alternative for those that do not feel that candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are sincere in their policies.
Written by: Jenna Welsh