After being arrested back in 2012 for trying to enter Hofstra University to participate in the national debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, third party candidate Jill Stein is still increasing her efforts to be included in this year’s national debates.
As this year’s Green Party candidate, Stein has been notorious in attempting to break the two-party system, and encourage voters to consider alternative options besides the Democrats and Republicans.
FIU Student Media contacted Linda Featheringill, a spokesperson for Stein’s campaign, to find out what students should know about Stein and third-party options.
“First, third party candidates have to reach 15 percent in opinion polls to be included in the official presidential debates,” said Featheringill. “This is true of both Stein and [Gary] Johnson. And we’re working on it.”
Johnson and Stein, who wanted to be represented in the national debates, submitted a lawsuit that was recently dismissed by a judge who upheld the regulation that candidates must average 15 percent support in the polls by September in order to be a part of the national debates.
Stein, who is falling behind both Clinton and Trump, is also trailing behind Johnson, alternative third-party candidate from the Libertarian Party. But as she is favoring highly among younger supporters, Stein is committed to reaching the debates.
Featheringill explains that there are many reason why students should consider Stein as a presidential candidate.
In terms of issues directly related to students, Featheringill explains that if Stein were to be elected, the government would buy student debt from various agencies, and then write off the debt by cancelling it. This would allow debt-burdened students to have a fresh start.
The Green Party also takes many positions on education, given that they believe that education should not be a privilege, but rather a right for all individuals seeking an education in the U.S.
“[She wants to] abolish student debt to free a generation of Americans from debt servitude,” said Featheringill. “Guarantee tuition-free, world-class public education from preschool through university, [and] end high stakes testing and public school privatization.”
Featheringill believes that students and millennials alike may find Stein to be a candidate they will agree with.
One of the main focuses of the Green Party, and from which they derived their name, is increasing job creation while at the same time implementing ways to reduce harmful environmental impact.
Featheringill describes the Green New Deal as an initiative to “create millions of jobs by transitioning to a hundred percent clean renewable energy by 2030, and investing in public transit, sustainable agriculture and conservation.”
She explains that the stance taken by the Green Party is understanding that having a job in the U.S. is a right and should be fostered. Creating jobs with living wages for every American who needs work is a right. The party wants to replace unemployment offices with employment offices, and, by advancing workers’ rights to form unions, achieve workplace democracy, and keep a fair share of the wealth.
Being environmentally conscious is also guaranteed in the party’s platform. Featheringill explains that Stein and the Green Party “lead on a global treaty to halt climate change.”
“End destructive energy extraction: fracking, tar sands, offshore drilling, oil trains, mountaintop removal, and uranium mines. Protect our public lands, water supplies, biological diversity, parks, and pollinators. Label GMOs, and put a moratorium on GMOs and pesticides until they are proven safe,” said Featheringill on Stein’s platform. “Protect the rights of future generations.”
Stein also takes a hard stand on immigration; a topic that has been receiving a lot of attraction in this election season. Stein believes citizenship should be accessible to individuals and families immigrating to the U.S.
“[Stein would] provide a legal path to citizenship for immigrants, and immediately stop deportations that she says are tearing families apart,” said Featheringill. “ … Donald Trump’s plan to ban immigrants based on their religion is unconstitutional. Stein would offer subsidized health care and education to undocumented immigrants.”
In addition, Stein wants to end poverty by establishing an improved “Medicare For All” single-payer public health insurance program, end police brutality and mass incarceration, focus on women’s rights, LGBTQA rights, indigenous people’s rights and land, and increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“Break up ‘too-big-to-fail’ banks and democratize the Federal Reserve. Reject gentrification as a model of economic development. Support development of worker and community cooperatives and small businesses. Make Wall Street, big corporations, and the rich pay their fair share of taxes,” said Featheringill when explaining Stein’s platform. “Create democratically run public banks and utilities. Replace corporate trade agreements with fair trade agreements.”
Lastly, Stein believes in empowering the people of the nation by abolishing corporate personhood. She wants to protect voters’ rights by establishing a constitutional right to vote, to enact electoral reform that would take out big money in elections and allow open debates that would allow the dismantling of the two-party system.
I was a big supporter of Bernie Sanders in his campaign to win the Democratic nomination. It’s great to see that Jill Stein has picked up his indomitable spirit that ended with his endorsement of Secretary Clinton. I’m going to look up her Green New Deal because I want to learn more about her and the Green Party. Stein’s issues are my issues.
She’s such a joke. She can’t even land herself on all the ballots this year and she polls behind a dead gorilla.