While Congressional Democrats clamor for Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) to endorse Hillary Clinton, some progressives are hoping Sanders' former supporters rally for Green Party contender Jill Stein.
The presumptive candidate could be on the ballot in 47 states and her polling numbers are double those enjoyed by former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000. The explanation for her popularity could be attributed to the high unpopularity of Clinton and the Republicans’ presumptive nominee Donald Trump.
As Stein phrased it in an Independence Day letter to supporters:
The 2016 Presidential election provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to win independence from the rule of the 1%. The two 1% nominees – Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton – are the two most disliked politicians in US history. And those who plan to vote for them don’t support their agenda – they just want to vote against the other candidate.
The last time a Green Party candidate had an impact on the presidential race was 2000 when Ralph Nader, according to most analysts, siphoned enough votes from Democratic contender Al Gore in Florida to help spur victory for George W. Bush.
Could Stein have a "Nader effect" on this campaign? What are your thoughts on Stein, the Green Party, and so-called third-party politics?
Guests:
Christopher J. Galdieri, Assistant Professor of Politics, Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire
Micah Sifry, Executive Director of Civic Hall, a community center for civic innovators in New York City, and author of “Spoiling for a Fight: Third-Party Politics in America” (Routledge, 2003); a former editor at “The Nation”
