Not vicious? Intentionally and repeatedly mangling a person’s name as a means of mocking them?

Not vicious? Attributing ideas to them that they have unequivocally stated they do not hold?

Not vicious? Repeatedly asserting they suffer from mental illness? Still waiting for your qualifications to make such assessments. Do you hold any degree in any field?

Not vicious? Accusing them of pandering?

Let’s be clear, are you suggesting that nothing says “pandering” like unequivocally staking out the exact opposite position of that to whom you are allegedly pandering to?

Not vicious? Stridently claiming that a medical doctor is anti-science? Why don’t you try asking her how she feels about science instead of linking to hit pieces penned by establishment hacks?

Let’s take, arguendo, your and Mr. Ateş’ contentions at face value: Dr. Stein is “anti-science”, opposes modern medicine and vaccinations, is a WiFi conspiracist, and all the other vile smears you’ve proffered.

So what? Are these burning issues in comparison to war and peace, climate change (the one science issue you and Mr. Ateş have carefully avoided), immigration, imperialism, Palestine, privatization, neoliberalism, etc.?

Do you think individuals who are left of the Democrats (that doesn’t take much) are going to say “Gee, I hate that my government orchestrates coups and bombs children, but Dr. Stein might be waffling on vaccines, so I’ll go with the bloodletters again.” Absurd, no?

The reality is that Dr. Stein is completely in favor of childhood vaccinations, but please feel free to continue spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt on that front. You could always ask her, she’s actually quite accessible, but then again, getting the facts straight would harm your narrative.

If I was politically naive enough to turn the Liberal misappropriation of Identity Politics back on a Liberal, I’d say your smears of Dr. Stein reek of sexism and misogyny. Confronted with an intelligent woman with an advanced degree, you resort calling her names and “questioning her grasp on reality.” Since I’m actually immersed in the academic understanding of Identity Politics, so I won’t do what Liberals do.

“Siphoning off” voters? Most Senator Sanders supporters I know followed him into the Democratic Party because of his ideas and policy positions, which, for the most part, are diametrically opposed to those of mainstream Democrats. We saw when the distinguished Dr. West tried to get language recognizing the humanity of Palestinian peoples inserted into that party’s platform just how unwelcome left ideas are in that party. While I respect Sanders and his supporters, their experiment to try and join the Democrats and pull them left, like all such attempts prior (e.g. Dr. Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition) failed.

I share your disdain for Trump, and I don’t want to see him elected. However, I recognize Clinton poses an equivalent (albeit different) material threat to the world and the working class.

I voted for the Honorable Dr. Cynthia McKinney in 2008, Dr. Jill Stein in 2012, and will vote for Dr. Stein again in this upcoming election. I support feminism, not imperialism and neoliberalism.