Jill Stein on America's democracy crisis, movement building and ending Israel's war on Palestinians - eviltoast
  • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.worldOP
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    3 months ago

    The Green Party has fielded candidates for both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives in various elections over the years, but none have won a seat in Congress.

    Green Party candidates have occasionally garnered significant attention and votes, but they have not been successful in winning federal office due to the challenges third parties face in the U.S. political system, including limited visibility, funding, and the dominance of the two major parties.

    They have had some local successes in other parts of the country, such as winning seats in local government or state legislatures. Californians have elected 55 of the 226 office-holding Greens nationwide. Other states with high numbers of Green elected officials include Pennsylvania (31), Wisconsin (23), Massachusetts (18) and Maine (17). Maine has the highest per capita number of Green elected officials in the country and the largest Green registration percentage with more than 29,273 Greens comprising 2.95% of the electorate as of November 2006.[68] Madison, Wisconsin is the city with the most Green elected officials (8), followed by Portland, Maine (7).

    Now having said that, I 100 percent respect and support you voting for whoever you want in the elections.

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      226 people out of how many total? How many national seats do they have? How many states do they have electors for?

      Your handful of members is meaningless for a national party. You couldn’t even get an average of 5 people per state. Again, focus on being a real party worthy of actual support instead of being the butt of the joke every presidential cycle.

      • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.worldOP
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        3 months ago

        Again, focus on being a real party worthy of actual support instead of being the butt of the joke every presidential cycle.

        I’ll vote for whoever I want, as I support you doing as well.

        And since they are such a joke, you have no reason to worry about them or be mad about me voting for them, right?

        • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Even bad jokes can hurt people, but jokers tend to not care about that.

          But funny you chose not to respond to any of the questions about the party’s chances, because it’s not actually about winning for them lol.

          Almost like they’re a joke spoiler party…

          • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.worldOP
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            3 months ago

            But funny you chose not to respond to any of the questions about the party’s chances, because it’s not actually about winning for them lol.

            What kind of response were you looking for? Should I ONLY vote for party that will win? That doesn’t seem very democratic.

            Before Biden stepped down, odds were that Trump was gonna win. Most people knew that, even democrats.

            And you were still gonna vote Democrat, right? Even tho you know they wouldn’t win. Right?

            Luckily for your party, he DID step down and Harris is a much stronger candidate.

            But I’m still not gonna vote for Harris.

            • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              What kind of response were you looking for? Should I ONLY vote for party that will win? That doesn’t seem very democratic.

              I’m not asking you to vote for the Dems as much as I would like you to, but don’t pretend the greens are a real party with a shot at anything more than a joke or spoiler effect when they can’t even get one national office or even have the infrastructure available to do more than pretend.

              If you want people to think your party isn’t a joke spoiler party, you should be able to tell people why they aren’t. Your responses amount to nothing more than “stop making fun of their problems” without explaining why, and I’m not going to do so without actual arguments.

              I’d love to see more than just the Democrats and Republicans available as options (and I put my money where my mouth is locally). I just don’t see many 3rd parties do more than a token effort every few years to be part of the national conversation. And any party that sits on its ass for 3.5 years and can’t even get a single national office shouldn’t be under consideration for the highest national office.

              And you were still gonna vote Democrat, right? Even tho you know they wouldn’t win. Right?

              Lol, even with Biden’s shitty odds, there is no comparison to the green party. The Democrats statistically COULD WIN even with all the issues Biden has. Hell, even Johnson and the libertarians have a better shot than the greens, and they’re a joke with no chance too.

              The greens objectively, have 0 chances due to not having a real base, 0 infrastructure, and 0 national offices to show that they have the knowledge to even be under consideration as anything more than a laugh or protest vote. This is why the green party is a joke, and will be until they do more than pop up on the national radar every 4 years.

              • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.worldOP
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                3 months ago

                Dismissing the Green Party as a “joke” or “spoiler” ignores the historical importance of third parties in American politics.

                Many of the progressive policies we take for granted today—like the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, and labor rights—were championed by third parties long before they were adopted by the major parties.

                The Green Party, despite its challenges, offers a platform that aligns with values many Americans hold, including environmental sustainability, social justice, and peace.

                While it’s true that the Greens haven’t secured a national office, it’s also important to recognize the structural barriers that third parties face in our political system. These barriers include ballot access laws, exclusion from debates, and the massive financial advantage that the two major parties hold. These challenges make it difficult for any third party to break through, but that doesn’t mean their efforts are worthless or that their ideas aren’t valuable. In fact, their presence can influence the national conversation and push the major parties to address issues they might otherwise ignore.

                You mention that the Democrats statistically could win, but that’s precisely the problem. We’re stuck in a cycle where voting is more about choosing the lesser of two evils rather than voting for policies and candidates that truly represent our values. The fact that the Green Party and other third parties have an uphill battle doesn’t make them a “joke”; it makes them the underdogs in a deeply flawed system. By supporting them, I’m voting for what I believe in, rather than settling for a party that continually fails to represent my interests.

                So while I understand your point, I see the value in supporting third parties, even if they face significant obstacles. It’s about building a movement and showing that there is a demand for alternatives to the two-party system. The only way to give them a shot is for more people to support them, and that starts with voters like me choosing to vote for what we believe in, rather than what the system tells us is the only viable option.

                Plus, I’m now leaning towards the Socialist Workers Party as well, because I believe in the need for a broader political discourse that goes beyond the status quo. The Socialist Workers Party, like the Greens, challenges the dominance of corporate interests in our politics and advocates for the working class—something neither of the major parties genuinely prioritize.

                So joke to you or not, I’m not voting democrat. Accept it.

                • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  So joke to you or not, I’m not voting democrat. Accept it.

                  What part of my last post made you think I’m upset about you not voting Democrat? I could give a shit if you vote for them, as much as I would like it, I care about people pretending that the green party is more than just a spoiler party when they don’t put forth the effort required to do what other third parties do.

                  This isn’t “the system vs the greens” this is the greens being too lazy to perform basic party actions and blaming the systems for failures other parties don’t have.

                  The greens are my problem here, not third parties. But you don’t want to hear that part, so I’m done arguing with you about it.

                  • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.worldOP
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                    3 months ago

                    so I’m done arguing with you about it.

                    Awesome! I support you voting for whoever you want. As I am going to vote for who I want to. As is my right.

              • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.worldOP
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                3 months ago

                This is why the green party is a joke, and will be until they do more than pop up on the national radar every 4 years.

                They show up every year in local elections.

                • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  Yeah, and have elected <250 people nationally and only on local offices, so you’re not helping your argument.

                  • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.worldOP
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                    3 months ago

                    I’m not arguing anything. I am giving facts. Do think I don’t know how many people the Green Party has voted to office? Public knowledge. No one is trying to hide that from you. lol