ABCnews
Couple of points: I like Cornel West. I used to listen to him regularly on the Tavis Smiley Show, and while I disagree with his religion, I generally approve of his politics.
The amount he owes is concerning, because it makes him vulnerable to undue influence, in the same way that Trump was. I don’t really care that he owes back taxes, the child support is a problem IMO. People should take care of their kids, period. He’s got the money to do it.
That said, I don’t want him running as a Green; I want him running as a Democrat. Greens are largely fringe candidates, and the votes they win are votes that would likely otherwise go to Democratic candidates. Unfortunately, in our current system, that makes it probable that, unless there’s a similarly popular Libertarian candidate taking votes from the Republican candidate, that the Republican is more likely to win. I am not a fan of Democrats; I find that they are unwilling to go nearly far enough on most things, and I strongly oppose their stance on 2A rights. But I oppose Republican far, far more. Given that I have a practical choice between Dems and Republicans at a national level, I’ll vote Dem 95% of the time (I think I’ve voted Republican once or twice, but I honestly don’t remember who, or under what circumstances). If Greens can demonstrate, through local and state level wins, that they have the power to win national elections, then I’ll be happy to vote Green. And I do vote Green at a local level. But so far, they just aren’t winning locally or at state levels in sufficient numbers to indicate that they have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning a national election, much less a presidential election. West shoudl step aside once he’s made a strong showing and convinced Biden to adopt some of his platform.
the votes they win are votes that would likely otherwise go to Democratic candidates
citation needed.
Here’s a source for you. Note that People’s World is a socialist new organization.
From the article, “The GOP has a long history of using the Green Party as a tool to siphon votes that might go to Democrats and of playing a spoiler role in our two-party, winner-take-all electoral system. And the Green Party leadership has opportunistically embraced the support, playing the role of what some describe as ‘useful idiots.’ […] In 2016, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein garnered 30,000 votes in Wisconsin; Trump won the state by 23,000 votes.”
There’s an entirely other way of reading that data, which is to say that Hillary could have picked up 30,000 more votes in Wisconsin if she had been a better candidate and run a better campaign.
this does not prove that i would have voted for hilary clinton in 2016. because i wouldn’t have.
I’ve noticed an increase in “bOtH sIdEs!11!!!” bullshit on Lemmy lately, along with your usual cadre of dumbfucks who will be manipulated into tacitly supporting the republican traitor filth. And I’m betting it’ll steadily tick upward.
I think Cornel West not paying his child support is one of very few things I dislike about Cornel West as a person.
One of the others, of course, being that he’s running as a spoiler candidate.
He’s a spolier candidate that is openly backed by interest groups on the right. He isn’t personally a Republican, or ideologically conservative, but he sure has some strange friendships.
Splitting the vote is liberal myth, we wouldn’t vote for your shitty candidates if they were the only ones running
Spoiler candidate when not voting for one of thr two preferred oligarchs is kind of a degrading term. Perot didn’t spoil the Bush campaign- and the Libertarian party, that gets more votes than the Green, draws mostly from “would-be Republicans”
Amd that debt is going to magically disappear the day after the election. Just you watch.
He’s just the latest version of Jill Stein that the right is rolling out to take votes away from the Dem ticket. Same ole story.
Well this time the Right has both the Greens and JFK Jr to take votes away. It’s infuriating that it is so obvious and yet people will still fall for it.
Honestly RFK Jr aint nearly as much of a spoiler as West, after all West isnt talking to Jordan “Steak and benzos” Peterson.
Some Republican will gladly buy him off with that debt. The whole Green Party is a Republican front to steal votes
It worked 6 years ago and there are clearly enough suckers out there that it could work again next year.
All they have to do is create enough apathy, mistrust and hate toward the DNC to convince a small slice of people into voting for them. Siphon off a few votes to the Greens. Siphon off a few more votes to JFK Jr. Siphon off a few more votes to those who will simply stay home on elections day.
I was wondering when Democrats were going to get around to their smear campaigns against progressives. Looks like they’re starting early this campaign season
You mean smearing the spoiler candidates the GOP put up to split the ticket juat about every election the past 20+ years? That’s who you’re worried about the left smearing?
As bad as that debt is, it would be worse if it just up and mysteriously disappeared one day.
I hope folks are watching it like hawks.
I like Doctor West as a person, he’s a fascinating guy, and a great speaker, but nobody in that much debt should be anywhere near elected office.
If the debt up and mysteriously disappeared it would mean persons unknown paid it.
I work in the finance/baking sector. I literally couldn’t get a job like this. Every bank or financial institutions HR departments would disqualify you on a background check.
Ya, but the entire reason I wouldn’t be able to get a job is they view you as too vulnurable to manipulation and bribery. Sounds like things you want to avoid in a president or any political office holder…
