The past week has been an emotional roller coaster for Bernie voters and longtime Green voters alike. After his Democratic competitor was crowned the Democratic Party’s nominee a full 24 hours before the largest Super Tuesday of the primary, Sanders underperformed in the last few contests he needed to win and, again, Hillary Clinton was anointed as having “solidified” the Democratic nomination. As the media was crowning Hillary, the Green Party’s frontrunner gave Bernie Sanders a more substantial endorsement than the soft support she’s offered over the past few months, telling California Democrats and independents to vote for him.
As President Obama gave his endorsement to the woman he called “the most qualified candidate to seek” the presidency, Sanders supporters were disappointed but not surprised. Then came the bombshell: Elizabeth Warren, after decades of criticizing Hillary Clinton, after a full primary of failing to give her nod to the candidate who most closely shares her views, while the wounds were still fresh with progressives, said she’s ready to fight for Hillary. (Not to mention her ongoing fight to confirm to the Supreme Court a judge who expanded Citizens United.) To kick us, again, while we’re down, she even said she’s up for being Hillary’s vice president. It’s a wicked betrayal for many progressive voters.
Over on the Green side during this time, their virtually-presumptive nominee (she has 195.5 delegates, the 2nd place contender has 16.5; 202 are needed to be nominated and only 56 are still available; there are no Green superdelegates) effectively offered Bernie Sanders the top slot on the Green Party’s ticket, saying she would fight for a rules change at the convention to make such a placement possible, if need be. She has always been supportive of Bernie’s candidacy and constantly praises his success, but 1) endorsing a candidate in another party, 2) offering for him to swoop in and take her delegates at the convention after Greens voted under the impression that they were nominating Jill Stein, and 3) of all candidates, Bernie Sanders, who has been cold to third parties, unresponsive to Stein and the Green party, in particular, and who has voted to fund wars Greens would never support? Longtime Green voters also feel betrayed by their leaders.
As Bernie Sanders’s voters make their imminent shift to the Green Party, largely thankful for Dr. Stein’s show of solidarity, both groups still understandably on edge, disruptive conflicts have emerged where a natural marriage was expected and ought to flourish. Die-hard Greens (Plan A Greens) are quick to point out all the ways in which Jill Stein is better than Bernie Sanders, inviting a defensive response from Plan B Greens. Plenty of vocal Plan B Greens have been less than modest, asking about putting Bernie at the top of the ticket, even suggesting Jill join the Democratic Party (ha!), which of course makes the Plan A Greens defensive. It then evolves from there and nobody convinces anybody of anything.
Jill Stein predicted that the Democratic Party would thwart Bernie from the beginning and expected this merger all along. She has been trying to meet with Bernie for years and has attempted it many times during this primary, though she never specified what might come out of their joining forces. Plan A and Plan B Greens need to stop speculating and recognize that this conversation has not happened. It is not even scheduled to happen.
The ball is obviously in Bernie’s court. But we all have a responsibility to make it crystal clear to him (and the Democrats) that we need him to talk to Jill Stein. Whether it works or not, whether he will follow through endorsing Hillary or not, even whether Dr. Stein is serious about offering him the presidential slot, are all hypothetical predictions that won’t matter if he doesn’t at least address the issue.
Bernie: if you’re with Hill, we’re with Jill
My intention here is not to persuade anybody one way or the other.* If you still don’t like Bernie Sanders and want him kept off the Green ticket and away from the Green Party, that’s perfectly understandable. Then get to work building the Green Party and finding enough voters to win an election. That includes Bernie supporters, Hillary supporters, and anyone else who hates the corporate candidates. (And there will be no “let’s just set a goal for 5% this year” — that’s defeatist-Hillary Clinton talk and I’ll have none of it. Weirder things have happened this election.) Accept that it would still be beneficial for Bernie and Jill to talk — like it or not, he has knowledge and proven efficacy in our political system that Dr. Stein hasn’t had the chance to demonstrate. However the tickets end up, either one needs a prominent position in the other’s cabinet. Stop condescendingly pointing out Bernie’s allegiance to the Democratic Party. The party has been cruel to him and, like I said, weird things have happened this election.
If you do want Bernie and Jill to join for a unity ticket, fantastic! Then stop pondering and start working like Hell to get the two to talk. If we don’t do everything we can to show him we’re with Jill, not Hill, we will be unsatisfied and disappointed not just with Bernie, but with ourselves, if and when he says he’s with Her. And like it or not, you need to respect that you are new to the well-established (unfortunate pun) Green Party whose candidates and members have gone through the same long process that Bernie and you have; proceed with humility if you make suggestions.
I’ll leave off with a couple of important observations:
- The political revolution would be much more successful in the Green Party than the Democratic Party, but it’s much more likely for Bernie to win on the Democratic ticket than for the Green one to win.
- Bernie Sanders has recognition and support that would be invaluable in growing the Green Party, short-term and long-term.
So stop fighting about how the ticket may or may not look, who should concede where, why one is better than the other, and all the other ‘what-ifs’ that are irrelevant until Bernie and Jill meet! Expend your energy getting Bernie’s attention and forcing him to meet with Jill Stein!
Full disclosure of my biases: I favor a Stein-Sanders Green ticket. I prefer Jill Stein’s platform, but recognize that Bernie Sanders has had a greater chance of winning. I think he would be fantastic in either position, but placing a woman at the top of the ticket would be more strategic against Hillary Clinton (as much as it pains me to belittle Dr. Stein down to her gender). Regardless of what happens, I really want them to talk. If Bernie is president as a Democrat, then I want to see him appoint Dr. Stein as Labor Secretary. And I think it’s realistic to point out that Dr. Stein’s best chance at winning as a Green is with Bernie. #JillTheBern
