A very dear friend of many years emailed me last month with some thoughtful and provocative questions. Here is the exchange —
He said:
I would say that I hope you are doing well, but I know you are. I know you have worked hard on your new digs, and it looks really impressive. I hope to have the time to see your new home one day. OK, here is what is on my mind. Now that Bernie has been brought into the big tent, I was wondering about your opinion on a few matters:
Assuming they had an equal chance to win, would you be more closely aligned with Jill Stein or Hillary on policy? Why?
That said, why did you prefer Bernie over Jill?
What are your thoughts regarding the Green Party?
I’d love to see your comments, but if you do not have the time or the inclination, have you previously written on any of these subjects in your blog that you can refer me to? If not, do you think any of these topics are worthy of your blog's attention?
Thanks for listening.
Your pal,
I said:
I didn’t answer your thoughtful questions right away because I felt you deserved a thoughtful answer.
I needn’t belabor the extremity of hypothecation you are soliciting. That said, I must say that, because of Trump and the possible deconstruction of the Republican Party, this is not an election cycle that calls very much for hypotheticals. The realities of the choice before us override all hypotheticals and dictate that any vote not for Hillary Clinton is, effectively, a vote for Donald Trump.
More directly, policy preference, to me, means programs for administering the government and conducting the nation’s business, domestically and abroad. I don’t view Jill Stein's campaign, or the Green Party’s platform, to actually involve very much policy, as I view the the important part of a President’s policy. Ms. Stein has something more like aspirational goals. The Green Party’s aspirational goals are certainly far more appealing to many leftist Democrats than the far more modest aspirations of our own party or the positively destructive aspirations of the Republicans. But the Greens have no political infrastructure or practical pathway to their goals. So, I absolutely favor Hilary on policy over Jill Stein on policy in this election.
My more general thoughts on the Green Party are that it isn’t yet a real political party at all in my own narrow view. It has ever been the vice of third party movements to form up around a strong leader and reach for the White House. This amounts to looking at the problem through the wrong end of the telescope. It is why such movements have yet to succeed in modern political memory.
The Greens will be more than a political debating society as soon as they refocus national efforts on the election of aldermen, city councillors, mayors, members of State Legislatures etc. They must do this in varied and different regions of the country. In an America like that, the prospect of a Green Party candidate for President could make sense and form the basis of a grounded, non-hypothetical discussion. Given the foregoing, Jill Stein did not and does not qualify for my consideration in this election. That was true during the primaries, as well, hence my support for Bernie, who offered to govern on a perfectly explicable basis.
As for my blog, I will publish this conversation. Daily Kos is explicitly aligned with the Democratic Party, as am I. I do not support and have not supported down-ballot Green candidates, either, though, frankly I haven’t seen any such credible campaigns.
In recent years I have intentionally focused on local young Democratic candidates with promising futures, if elected. I had a promising U.S. House candidate a few years ago, only 25. This year I have given a lot of support to a candidate in a neighboring Missouri House of Representative District. You visit his district whenever you are at Busch Stadium.
He came though the maelstrom of Ferguson, emerging as an activist leader and peacemaker with a special relationship with the police as well as the support of the community. He is a remarkable individual and has attracted passionate supporters. He just won an election contest due to hanky panky at the Board of Elections that the Governor, Secretary of State, a Grand Jury and the FBI are looking into. He obtained a special election on September 16 to revote the primary against the incumbent, Penny Hubbard, matriarch in a powerful family with deep connections to the Democratic Party establishment in the City of St Louis.
With candidates like Bruce Franks down ballot that I can help out, I am content to do without the Greens who have little presence here.
Warmest regards. Come visit soon. No cats. All is completely new and cat free.
He replied:
I always prefer thoughtful answers!
The breadth of my inquiries were simply meant to spur your thoughts. Where you focus in answering informs me about the way you look at things.
What you helped me realize is that the Green Party really is a vehicle for advancing a few core policies, and in the broader sense of governing really hasn’t invested in the political infrastructure required, or even developed coherent ideological positions on the other important issues facing us.
So, I take the Daily Kos won’t be publishing any scathing criticisms of the Green Party? Why nuke a fly?
I happen to agree, a vote for a third party is a vote miscast. Ralph Nader. Fortunately, the Green Party will be taking far fewer votes away from Hillary than Johnson will Trump. I think.
I just hope Bernie’s supporters come back before November. It is unclear to me how many Sanders supporters were Democrats supporting an Independent, and how many were just Independents.
Thanks for your answers and your time. Thanks also for your invitation. Maybe someday.
P.S. No cats? WTF?
I don’t share my independent-minded friend’s concern that Stein’s call for Bernie supporters to join her will lead to significant defections or depress Democratic turn out. And, as Kos always says, when Democrats turn out, we win.