At this time there is near-100% denial from leftwing extremists that many of them in 2016 said they’d rather Trump and not Clinton become president.
It’s critical for our future that we don’t allow them to revise history.
Why do we need to name names? For our planet’s future. We must discourage this nihilistic, irrational, scorched-earth agenda, an agenda which helped give us Trump, helped stop Al Gore from becoming president, may very well get Trump reelected, and may continue to darken the world for future generations.
I’ve been conversing on social media for months with hundreds of ostensibly progressive 2016 protest voters and nonvoters. When I ask that in the future they stop lending the GOP tacit support, the response so far has been universal: they deny they ever have and call me a liar. When I post the quotes, some admit they hadn’t realized, though most deflect to personal attack. Still I have hope. Why? A state Green Party rep messaged me saying she was horrified to read my list of Green leaders’ quotes. She told me she’s going to start challenging Green leadership from within to end their tacit GOP support.
So please share these, not as a hammer to blame, but as a plea to beg their grassroots to demand new leadership.
To any protest voters/nonvoters here: don’t even think about whining that this is “bitterness”, “not letting go”, and “shaming.” Because irreversibly wounding the planet must be shamed. We can not let go until we start to see some dawning realization in their followers. I say “followers,” because I hold no hope their leaders will abandon their narcissism.
So here’s my not-remotely-comprehensive list. Please add your own here as you find them, and I’ll add them to the main document.
Original and fully credible source links are all provided here. While I’d rather have them below with each quote, I removed them to turn this into a cleaner-looking image, only afterward deciding to also make this a full text post. So to see each quote’s source and full context, just go to this page, which has a longer version of each quote with the link to its original source.
At the bottom is the image of these quotes, which you can easily share in social media, when you encounter inevitable denial.
Regressive Leftists Who Openly Tried to Help Trump Win
Ralph Nader, 2000 Green Party presidential candidate:
Trump is… a breath of fresh air… (8/10/2015)
[Trump] funded himself and therefore attacked special interest money, which is very important… [Clinton] is a corporatist, militarist Democrat… She’s going to win by dictatorship. (5/13/2016)
Jill Stein, 2016 Green Party presidential candidate
It’s outrageous that she’s not being prosecuted and indicted. (7/10/2016)
Clinton… is an existential threat to human survival. (7/28/2016)
Donald Trump, I think, will have a lot of trouble moving things through Congress… Hillary has the potential to do a whole lot more damage… (9/19/2016)
If Trump’s campaign is flailing, does a “spoiler” vote even exist anymore? (10/12/2016)
Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy is much scarier than Donald Trump’s… (10/14/2016)
Trump say[s] that he’s looking for collaboration with Putin… he’s got business interests all over the place; on that basis, hey wow, maybe he’d be the peace president because he needs peace all over the place… Yeah, climate change is horrific, but it’s not happening tomorrow. (10/19/2016)
it’s actually Hillary’s policies which are much scarier than Donald Trump’s… [Trump] wants to seek modes of working together, which is the route we need to follow… (10/11/2016)
What’s scarier than Donald Trump? Hillary Clinton’s plans to gut Social Security. (10/21/2016)
Ajamu Baraka, Green Party VP candidate
Why Hillary Clinton Is More Dangerous Than Donald Trump (10/15/2016)
Expecting people of color to fear Donald Trump after all we’ve been through the last 200 years, is absurd. (10/16/2016)
The #SteinBaraka camp does not waste time focusing on Trump’s misogyny or scapegoating Russia. (10/19/2016)
I’m more concerned about another 8 years of neoliberal policies than I am with Trump. (10/29/2016)
Even Trump knows that the #TPP will undermine the US economy & empower the elite’s control over governments. (11/2/2016)
Jillian Thomas, Green Party's Stein/Baraka Campaign Social Media Director
A Clinton presidency is DANGEROUS… So yes: If a Trump presidency would mean that we have to fight ignorants in the streets—I’m ready for that. (10/31/2016)
Cornel West, Progressive Author, Professor
What Donald Trump talks about in the abstract has actually been concretely enacted under neoliberal regimes of the Democratic Party… [Trump may be a] neofascist catastrophe… but I can look the catastrophe in the face and still tell the truth and still go down swinging with a smile… (7/18/2016 Green Party national convention keynote speech)
Chris Hedges, Progressive Writer
Trump is… like the used car salesman who rolls back the speedometer. But Hillary Clinton is like, you know, the managers of Goldman Sachs. (8/4/2016)
Jimmy Dore, Progressive Commentator
If Donald Trump became president he would actually be a positive for the progressives. (10/29/2016)
John Rachel, Progressive Author, Manager of “I’ll Vote for Jill If You Will” Campaign
Why Donald Trump is not as horrible as Hillary Clinton… Donald Trump as president will do ‘less damage’… Trump will fall flat on his face… He has no support — his own party has all but disowned him — no connections, at least not the political ones necessary for promoting his agenda… she is completely insane. (10/28/2016)
Eric Draitser, Host of Progressive "CounterPunch Radio," with guest John Pilger, Progressive Author
Pilger: In my opinion, Hillary Clinton, if I’m to guess at it, is by far the more dangerous candidate of the two. Draitser: Yeah… the dangers of a Trump presidency… are open questions, and in many ways, sort of a wildcard, whereas I feel like Hillary Clinton is sort of a known quantity. (7/5/2016)
Eric Zeusse, Progressive Columnist
I’m a Bernie Sanders Voter, And Here’s Why I’ll Vote Trump… Donald Trump is, perhaps, as much of a closeted progressive, as Hillary Clinton is a closeted fascist… Though Clinton verbally endorses the view that global warming is the world’s biggest problem, she doesn’t care about it…Trump is no conservative when the issue is global warming… Trump’s stated positions are basically like Sanders’s… (8/16/2016)
Progressive People's Coalition
Why do we need to vote for Hillary Clinton? We could vote for Donald Trump. That will even more frustrate and invigorate the progressive movement… It doesn’t make a difference whether you believe in climate change or not… at least with Donald Trump you know exactly what you’re getting. (11/6/2016)
Greens for Trump Moderator
While Donald’s mainstream media reputation is an “anti-green” stance… HCGW is constantly pushed down our throats while the science is shoddy and often faked… There are issues that are, here, right now, and much more serious. For example the Indian Point Nuclear power plant, fukishima, poisoned drinking water, gmo’s… I’m still registered with the Green party, but this year I’m voting for Trump… (5/2016)
Jill Stein Dank Shirt Stash 2016: Unofficial Fundraising Page for Green Party
Anon has given the blessing, vote Trump to stop Hillary! (11/6/2016)
Here’s an image of these quotes, displaying the link to original sources, that’s easily shared via social media when you meet with inevitable denial:
Sunday, Mar 19, 2017 · 5:06:51 PM +00:00 · BoGardiner
The hit dogs are hollering, so let me be perfectly clear:
Every election there are regressive leftist voices trying to persuade voters that the GOP is preferable to Dems They will do it again in 2018 and 2020, in some cases successfully.
Challenging this is a crucial part of Resisting Trump.
Monday, Mar 20, 2017 · 5:52:16 PM +00:00 · BoGardiner
I sincerely apologize for not being able to remain with this piece into the evening, but had other plans I could not cancel. I realize this is rather after-the-fact, but please take note this diary is not about the 2016 primary. It's not even about the 2016 Democratic nominee.
It's about an identical strategy every election that is insufficiently documented, for some leftists to pronounce the Republican candidate preferable to the Democratic, whether because they genuinely prefer their policies, or wish to “hasten the revolution.” Please confine discussion to this point, and do not use this diary any further to relitigate any single election’s primary.
Also note that the piece refers not only to voices urging a literal vote for Trump, but also arguing that a 3rd-party or protest vote that helps Trump is a good thing because Trump is preferable to Clinton.
Monday, Mar 20, 2017 · 7:50:20 PM +00:00 · BoGardiner
The following is the kind of activism I’m asking to see more of in the future--in addition to our top priority of challenging the GOP itself.
Since 2000, as a former Green Party activist, I've been urging Green Party grassroots for years to reject their strategy of GOP preference, and find new leadership who rejects it. I’ve pointed out it's not in keeping with Green Party strategy elsewhere in the world.
To this end, I sent these same statements to the European Green Party (with the same links as here providing their full context so there can be no question of misrepresentation), and received the following response this morning.
It is a rebuke by the European Green Party of U.S. Green Party leadership for its strategy of urging a preference for the Republican Party over the Democratic Party.
If you think I’m interpreting it incorrectly, please explain in the comments.
Here's the entire exchange:
From: Eliana Capretti < xxx@xxx>
Date: Mon, Mar 20, 2017 at 9:24 AM
Subject: Re: What is European Green Party's view of U.S. Greens' preference for Republican over Democratic US presidents?
To: Bo Gardiner <xxx@xxx>
Dear Mr. Bo Gardiner,
we have received your list of quotations.
None of those quotes have every been associated with the European Green Party, nor have we ever lent support to any of them, nor will we endorse them now, nor in the future.
Best regards,
E.C.
Eliana Capretti
Head of Communications and Press
EUROPEAN GREEN PARTY aisbl
Rue Wiertz 31
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
On 19 Mar 2017, at 05:17, Bo Gardiner < xxx@xxx> wrote:
To: Eliana Capretti, Head of Communications and Press Relations, European Green Party
Hello Eliana,
I'm an American writer for Patheos, and have written a series of articles on the U.S. Green Party's role in the U.S. 2016 presidential election.
I've wanted to write about how European Greens view U.S. Greens, but can find almost no commentary by you. Most specifically, I would like to know how they view the U.S. Green Party strategy of openly preferring Republican (conservative) candidates for President over Democratic (liberal) candidates, and playing a probably role in helping them win.
My impression is that European Greens disapprove, but I'd like confirmation if true. ( I do know Russian Greens criticized the U.S. Green 2016 presidential candidate Jill Stein for attending a Russia Today gala in Moscow & dining with Putin without criticizing human rights and environmental abuses.)
I've compiled a list of some of their many statements demonstrating this preference in the 2000 Al Gore vs. George Bush election, and the 2016 Donald Trump vs HIllary Clinton election.
You can find them on my blog here, with links to original sources: https://bogardiner.wordpress.com/green-party-preference-for-gop-over-dems/
I would very much appreciate knowing whether or not the European Green Party shares these views. I'm a former U.S. Green Party activist, but left because of their open efforts to stop Al Gore and help elect George Bush. Personally I want them to change this longstanding strategy for future elections, because they can and do affect election outcomes. There is tremendous anger now toward U.S. Greens because of their deliberate role in electing Donald Trump, but they're unapologetic and will apparently follow the same strategy when it's time for his reelection in four years.
Many thanks for your assistance,
Bo Gardiner
Virginia, USA