Why I Would Support Stein over Sanders

Jill Stein MD announced Friday she has formed a committee to explore the option of pursuing the Green presidential nomination after winning it in 2012 and subsequently receiving the highest percentage of the popular vote of any female contender for president of the United States ever -- a percentage triple the one garnered by the previous standard-bearer of her party.  Those who accepted that nomination in 2000, 2004 and 2008 declined to go for it again.  Now, all who share Stein's basic vision should stand by to take advantage of her consistent and respectable leadership.

Stein (Stein '12 campaign), Sanders
(US Senate Historical Office)

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has values similar to those of Stein and also might seek the highest office in this land but has not used his stature as an independent official to help build a third party, which the public needs and wants*.  The ex-mayor of Burlington apparently remains unwilling to do so.

Additionally, the longest-serving independent member of Congress in history says if he were to wage a campaign outside the major parties, he would suspend it if in fear of being "a spoiler."  Assuming the Democratic nominee in that case would be a corporatist such as former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, though, I assert the adage, "One cannot spoil what is already rotten."

Nonetheless, Sanders seems inclined to run as a Democrat if at all even though the Democratic Party has -- despite continual polls showing most in that party and in this country at large are liberal on most issues -- followed the Republicans rightward for decades and would therefore be unlikely to welcome him, a socialist.  Furthermore, I thought the highlight of a Democratic bid by Sanders could be his performance in the primary debates, yet we read Clinton is thinking of simply ducking such confrontations.

As this nation endures an unemployment rate of 23.2%, the largest gap in wealth since before the Great Depression, and other urgent problems, we should not want the entry of a presidential candidate who might, in effect, pull a bait-and-switch by setting forth a leftist platform that will draw people into the political process and then, upon losing the primary race, encouraging them to vote for the status-quo in the general election.

If Sanders were to somehow clinch the nomination, his coattails would -- barring a deep revolution in the party -- be rolled out for, mainly, the same type of Democratic politicians who have resisted the overwhelming majority of his ideas thus far.  The Green standard-bearer, however, surely will head a slate that is devoted to populism and lead a party that will keep fighting for it beyond the next administration.

UPDATE: Great thanks to Mayor David Doonan (G - Greenwich, NY) for publishing this entry at Green Papers and sharing it on the website, Facebook page and Twitter page of the Green Party.

*Gallup's description of the Democratic Party as center-left is false.  Both major parties are center-right.