As a supporter of Jill Stein, I constantly get told that my vote is getting wasted. That if I opt out to vote for a democrat, I will let evil take over. I, a 19-year-old from Long Island who is still just in college, will be the reason if Hillary gets the vote or if a Republican wins. I wish I had that power, but unfortunately it isn’t that easy.
While many people argue every vote counts, and I’m not saying otherwise, does your vote only count if you vote for a candidate that perpetuates the current awful system we currently have? I read an article that condemned Sanders’ voters who will opt out to vote if Hillary wins the nomination. Michael Arceneaux writes, “people who refuse to vote for a less-favored Democrat on principle are just punishing a second constituency unlikely to vote: those who know very little about the power they yield because they are so marginalized they feel their say doesn’t matter.” Arceneaux isn’t in the wrong, but why is our only option a “less-favored Democrat?” Why is that we must continue to try and salvage what remains of our politics by only contributing to situations like this? It is no secret, but this election has come down to voting for the lesser of two evils: a choice that many people really don’t mind making.
I am all for voting for a candidate that suits your personal needs and views despite any oppositions that we may have, but to justify your vote as a petty attempt at being a hero to work within the system doesn’t settle nicely with me. So when I make a choice to vote for the person I believe can bring significant change to our country, I enjoy not being reprimanding because the decision I’m making is ill guided and uneducated. I am amused by people who tear down my attempts at trying to be consistent with my progressive ideals by telling me that it’s a lost cause; I can’t have my cake and eat it too.
I have been open about my views on Bernie Sanders as I have with every candidate running on the main platforms. Yet, I am almost always under constant scrutiny from Sander’s supporters who continue to tell me that there is no better choice given the current circumstances. It is clear that the Sanders’ campaign and his followers believe that in this campaign. He has suffered the most from media neglect and is impacted by the great disadvantage of super delegates. He has willing made the choice to become a Democrat, but nevertheless, has made some pressing moves to gain momentum and recognition to get where he is today.
Jill Stein is a not a well-known candidate, but she stands strongly against the system and the petty politics involved in becoming president. In 2008, she attempted to get into a presidential debate at Hofstra University but was not allowed because of her “lack of credentials.” Jill Stein protested her rejection and said “if you are on the ballot and could actually win the Electoral College by being on the ballot in enough states, that you deserve to be in the election and you deserve to be heard; and that the American people actually deserve to hear choices which are not bought and paid for by multinational corporations and Wall Street.”
Jill Stein speaking at Occupy Wall Street, September 27, 2011
I am voting for Jill Stein because of her platform and her constant repudiation of the system we are dealing with at hand. Her interests aren’t supporting the oligarchy or crony capitalism or giving American’s false hope with social democracy. Chris Hedge’s endorsement for Jill Stein hits the nail on the head, “ I support Stein because she understands that this is primarily about building a global movement, not about participating in an election. She, unlike Bernie Sanders, knows that this movement will never be realized within the Democratic Party or by paying deference to the power elites, the Israel lobby or the arms industry and the military establishment. She grasps that until we name and destroy the evil of militarism and imperialism, genuine social and political reform, indeed democracy, is impossible. She does not want to work within the corporate establishment. She wants to dismantle it.”
If her ideas are seemingly radical to democratic voters, then so be it. However, if you look for drastic change in our current democratic candidates, you are looking in the wrong places. Bernie Sanders’ is no more than a puppet to the establishment and a means of making voters feel as if they are contributing to a new future and face of politics. Hillary Clinton is the political candidate for big business and continuing the crony capitalism America knows and loves.
I realize that as a White American woman, I hold privileges that go beyond my fellow voters. But both Clinton and Sanders’ past of supporting attacks overseas are too much for the sake of my own history. They both supported the bombing of Yugoslavia and the war in Kosovo – places fairly near and dear to my heart and family. I need no justification as to why I opt out to vote for either of these candidates, but their history as warmongers most definitely seals the deal for me.
I do understand why voters are going out to support Bernie, and if he aligns with your ideals I totally understand. But if he doesn’t win the primaries, then your second option need not be Hillary Clinton. The system is designed to make your options seem limited even when they aren’t. The doubts you might have had when Bernie Sanders first started his campaign might seem identical to the ones you current have on Jill Stein, but as people realize there are options that aren’t the lesser of two evils but rather the greater good.
For more information on Jill Stein’s specific platform visit: http://www.jill2016.com/plan