RFK Jr. out, Jill Stein staying in: Double boost for Trump
www.newsweek.com
Exclusive: Green Party candidate says she will not end her 2024 bid and is prepared for accusations she took votes away from Kamala Harris.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18991756

In a double boost for Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday afternoon threw his backing behind the former president in the 2024 presidential election while Jill Stein unequivocally stated she will not drop out of the race.

    • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.world
      3·
      3 months ago

      Or, just people that don’t wanna vote for Harris or Trump, so they choose a party they believe in. Ya know, some people do that without being Russian operatives. :)

      • michaelmrose@lemmy.worldEnglish
        13·
        3 months ago

        But that vote goes right in the trash. Third parties can’t win in our system for practical purposes so the only effect is to take away votes from the side most like your own and risk empowering the party least like yours. Stein is basically supporting Trump.

        • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.world
          5·
          3 months ago

          A vote isn’t “trash” just because it doesn’t align with the two-party system; it’s a statement of principle and a push for broader representation.

          Third parties may face challenges, but dismissing them only reinforces a broken system that limits real choice. Voting for the candidate who best represents my values is about advocating for change, not settling for the lesser of two evils.

          The idea that Stein is supporting Trump is unfounded—she represents an alternative vision, not an endorsement of another party. Empowering third parties is a step toward a more diverse and representative democracy.

          I’m not voting for Harris. Accept it.

          • michaelmrose@lemmy.worldEnglish
            5·
            3 months ago

            It goes in the trash insofar as the net effect is the same as if you had stayed home. There will never be enough to make the third party president but enough people whose voting preference is Green -> Democrat - Trump may be tricked into voting green to Green resulting in a Trump victory. Essentially you are trading a tangible chance chance of electing Harris for a zero percent chance of electing Jill. A bad trade.

            • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.world
              1·
              3 months ago

              A third-party vote isn’t wasted; it’s a deliberate choice to support policies and candidates that align with my values, which is the essence of a functioning democracy.

              The assumption that third-party voters would otherwise support a major party candidate oversimplifies the diverse reasons people vote the way they do.

              Voting out of fear rather than conviction only perpetuates a system that fails to represent all voices; real change starts when people vote for what they truly believe in, not just what seems strategically safe.

              • michaelmrose@lemmy.worldEnglish
                4·
                3 months ago

                It’s a deliberate misunderstanding of how our present system works. We are facing a party who may end democracy in America depriving your preferred party of relevance ever. If you take enough votes from Harris we get Trump. If you really want you party to have relevance you should vote Harris and promote 2 ideas.

                Ranked choice voting at the state level so you can vote green without throwing your vote away.

                National popular vote compact. It’s the idea of having the states pass state laws that give their electors to the person who gets the most votes. It’s already passed in the majority of states and it goes into effect when it has passed in enough states to represent a majority of electors. Achieving a majority would be very hard but it would be at least technically possible unlike getting the majority in the majority of states. As it stands a third party could get 58% of the individual voters and still lose.

                Both these ideas are virtuous individually and support your ends.

                • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.world
                  1·
                  3 months ago

                  It’s a deliberate misunderstanding of how our present system works. We are facing a party who may end democracy in America depriving your preferred party of relevance ever. If you take enough votes from Harris we get Trump. If you really want you party to have relevance you should vote Harris and promote 2 ideas.

                  Voting out of fear only perpetuates a broken system, while voting for a candidate who truly represents your values is a way to push for meaningful change. The real threat to democracy is a system that discourages diverse voices and forces voters into a false choice between the lesser of two evils.

                  I’m not voting for your candidate. And neither are many of my friends. That’s democracy.

                  I won’t vote for the Democratic Party until they commit to ending the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote AND stop filing lawsuits to keep third parties off the ballot. Until they make these changes, they won’t have my support.

  • SGGeorwell@lemmy.world
    55·
    3 months ago

    Jill Stein is either the dumbest person in America, or she’s being paid by Russia. God I wonder which it is.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
    19·
    3 months ago

    The real question is “Will the Greens break 1% of the vote this time?”

    2020 - 0.26% (Hawkins)
    2016 - 1.07% (Stein)
    2012 - 0.36% (Stein)
    2008 - 0.12% (McKinney)
    2004 - 0.10% (Cobb)
    2000 - 2.74% (Nader)
    1996 - 0.71% (Nader)

      • K1nsey6@lemmy.ml
        5·
        3 months ago

        Since we won’t support your right wing candidates and you can’t win without our support maybe its time to give up the failed duopoly experiment and vote your conscience instead of your fears.

        • AbidanYre@lemmy.worldEnglish
          17·
          3 months ago

          Or maybe it’s time for you to grow up and realize that all you’re doing is helping fascism win.

        • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
          5·
          3 months ago

          Or the people supporting candidates who can’t win should back someone who can in order to block fascism?

          • K1nsey6@lemmy.ml
            4·
            3 months ago

            Democrats have been trying that method for a few decades and it doesn’t work. Constantly repeating the same errors, expecting different results as ignorant. Like Democrats are fond of saying we live in a FPTP system, and if enough people supported a single third-party candidate that candidate would be first past the post. But they are terrified of potentially losing the few crumbs that get thrown at them every election year

    • SGGeorwell@lemmy.world
      39·
      3 months ago

      She doesn’t lose. We lose. She’s so bad at politics that America itself loses whenever she plays the game. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so consequential.

      • solsangraal@lemmy.zipEnglish
        31·
        3 months ago

        this is why i take every opportunity to shit on people bleating about “vote third party”

            • Socialist Mormon Satanist@lemmy.world
              1·
              3 months ago

              But do you think, with your attitude, anyone is gonna read that and go, “OMG, he’s soooo right. I’ve been totally wrong”?

              OR do you think people have already pretty much made up their minds, resent you trying to make them feel stupid, and then it reinforces that they are doing the right thing because some people are such dicks to people who vote third party?

              The hate and vitriol (and bullying) that I have received for voting third party, 100 percent reinforced that I want no part of the Democratic Party. Some people on here can be just as ugly and hateful in their comments as the Republicans are.

              I’ve been called a Russian asset and/or Russian troll farm worker almost daily. Let’s not even mention the Russianphobic comments and the hate in those now. Do you guys hear yourselves?! It’s getting very ugly about how hateful you are when talking about Russians. You wanna hate Putin, fine. But not all Russians are evil.

              Democrats are getting as bad as Republicans in their hate now. And yes, I mean that.

              I was a third party supporter before, but after being on Lemmy for these last two weeks, I’m even more convinced that I made the right choice!

              (And yes guys, I am fine with your screen shots of how many posts I have posted, and the exact count of days I have been on. That does nothing to stop me. And does nothing for your arguments.)

              • solsangraal@lemmy.zipEnglish
                5·
                3 months ago

                if you’re voting third party for no other reason than people are pointing out the fact that third party is one hundred percent going to lose, then that’s what you’re going to do. i’m not going to stop saying it’s an objectively dumb decision, and no, it doesn’t put you on some moral high ground. literally all you’re doing is increasing the chances of a trump win, especially since RFK dropped

                everyone’s top priority from now until november should be keeping trump out of the white house. you think you’re making some “statement” about principles or whatever, but what you’re really doing is throwing your vote away

                vote however you want, but don’t sit there and try to blame lemmy for your wasted vote

  • Suavevillain@lemmy.world
    4·
    3 months ago

    Green voters aren’t Dem voters. I’ll never understand the logic of being upset they exist. When people couldn’t influence an old mentally declining man for 4 years. If she wasn’t running they would most likely just not be voting at all lol.

    There more non-voters to make up for the voting block Liberals feel like they are entitled to. There is also the option of following the lead of Harris herself and wanting to earn support.

  • K1nsey6@lemmy.ml
    4·
    3 months ago

    There could be no 3rd party candidates running and we still wouldn’t vote for neoliberal fascists.