While Ms. Stein condemns both “zombie political parties” as tools of Wall Street and war profiteers, her campaign has focused largely on hammering Ms. Harris, blaming the White House she serves for relentless violence in Gaza and Lebanon.

And Democrats, as never before, are focused on Ms. Stein.

The party has prepared a negative ad blitz for the election’s final weeks, its first-such effort ever directed at a third-party candidate. Fearful that Ms. Stein might divert critical votes in places like Michigan, Democrats are also pressing their case on billboards plastered recently across swing states:

“Jill Stein Helped Trump Once. Don’t Let Her Do It Again.”

She dismisses the “spoiler mythology” that has come to define her mainstream identity, noting — accurately enough — that some of her supporters would never back Ms. Harris anyway.

She says that Democrats would do well to look inward, disputing that she bears any responsibility for Mr. Trump’s fortunes, then or now.

“Those conversations never go anywhere,” Ms. Stein, 74, said in a wide-ranging interview.

  • bad_news@lemmy.billiam.net
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    3 hours ago

    Don’t you understand? You have to vote against Trump because he’s a threat to democracy. This is proven by Dick Cheney and W becoming democrats. Now you may say “didn’t I have to vote against W and Cheney because they were a threat to democracy for a decade?” To which I say, why do you hate our freedoms?

  • bigbrowncommie69 [any]@hexbear.net
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    7 hours ago

    Why should she? Her party represents different interests to the Democratic party. In a fair and just democracy she should be allowed to run for office to represent that platform. If the Democrats have an issue with that, then they should adopt some of those policies. For instance, one of her policies is an anti-genocide policy. This might seem a bit radical and extreme but it’s apparently very popular. If the Democratic party stopped being pro-genocide then there would be less threat from Stein.

    People really need to stop acting like the Green Party just came about in the last decade to spite the Democrats. If the Democrats had a decent platform they’d stop losing votes to them.

    • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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      4 hours ago

      For instance, one of her policies is an anti-genocide policy. This might seem a bit radical and extreme but it’s apparently very popular.

      it saddens me greatly that the question of genocide in this overton window is not whether or not genocide should exist; but instead the question is how much genocide is acceptable and the only incorrect answer is “zero”.

      it makes me sadder still that social media is dominated by manufactured consent so thoroughly that pointing something like “genocide is bad” only brands you a radical; a malcontent; too idealistically optimistic; or simply ignored.

      • bigbrowncommie69 [any]@hexbear.net
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        5 hours ago

        It’s because “the overton window” is liberal nonsense. Genocide has always been acceptable to the liberal ideological hegemony. It only ceases to be acceptable when it’s an enemy that does it.

    • orbitz@lemmy.ca
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      1 hour ago

      Maybe not start but I’m sure there’re groups that have encouraged her to keep running over the years. Eyes picture of her at dinner with Putin, other Russians and Flynn who Trump pardoned. Though I’m sure there’re good reasons for her to be in that picture that aren’t shady…I expect a lottery win about the time they make sense.

      • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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        10 hours ago

        Stein has already been cleared of colluding with Russia. Your image is ten years old.

        The reason you might not be aware of this is the /Politics mods banning people who debunk it.

        • FancyManacles@lemmy.world
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          4 hours ago

          You’re right, it was 2015, but as a simple layman I was aware of Russian meddling by the time this dinner happened. So if Jill and the Green party weren’t aware of how bad this would look, and how worthless an olive branch to Putin would be, then at the very least they’re too incompetent to be worth a vote. Unfortunately I did not know about this gaffe by the time of the election and even voted for Stein in that election, which I still regret.

          • geneva_convenience@lemmy.mlOP
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            9 hours ago

            It would be helpful to not leak a ten year old image in a seven year old article if there was evidence. Do present it.

            If Stein was truly colluding with Russia the Democrats would have had a legal foot to bar her from running. And they would not need to make up crazy conspiracy theories which rely on censorship.

            • Grapho@lemmy.ml
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              6 hours ago

              Everyone I don’t like is a Russian asset, the Democrat’s guide to political discussion

    • Xaphanos@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      My take:

      To demonstrate that there is a more leftist population in the US public than is regularly recognized and shift the entire discussion in that direction.

      To create a strong alternative to the major pro-corporate parties that is more in line with the rest of the liberal parties around the world.

      To oppose the highly organized far right.


      No, I won’t vote for her this year. But I can appreciate the above goals.