The Abandon Harris movement that sprouted late last year out of the widespread outrage over the Biden-Harris administration’s support for the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza has officially endorsed the Green Party’s Jill Stein for US president.
The endorsement is the first of its kind for Stein and the Green Party, with the Abandon Harris campaign being the first major Muslim-led political group to endorse her campaign this election cycle. Last month, a smaller group, the Muslim American Public Affairs Council NC, also endorsed Stein.
“We are not choosing between a greater evil and a lesser evil. We are confronting two destructive forces: one currently overseeing a genocide and another equally committed to continuing it. Both are determined to see it through,” the Abandon Harris campaign said in a statement released on Monday.
How would you propose to do that while also offering said party an unconditional vote? I’m not American, but if you have an answer it would be useful here too. Parliamentary systems end up pretty much the same.
Protesting, public pressure in other ways, pressure through other representatives in Congress. Also the same to try and get the voting system changed so minority parties can have more effect, bending the major ones to have to talk about issues that for now are easy to avoid (the both sides, even if that’s not entirely true). Another factor is lobbying, that needs to be restricted so large entities like corporations can’t basically buy loyalty.
I would point out that any vote, even for Stein, is unconditional, so there’s no way to avoid that. To make politicians keep their policy the public has to be engaged past the election.
Even if all of that is debatable, my main point is that a vote for Stein won’t get any change. One of the two choices that can win the election has some chance, even if small. Whether that be from citizen pressure or them getting the power of office and doing things themselves.