Caitlin Johnstone

Ten Things That Are More Selfish, Stupid And Privileged Than Voting Green Party

“Green Party” is trending on Twitter right now, which always means that Democrats are having a meltdown over something that is entirely their own fault. Apparently a few people voted Green in a close congressional election in Ohio with low turnout due to uninteresting and uninspiring candidates, which according to Hollywood celebrities like Alyssa Milano…

Caitlin Johnstone
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“Green Party” is trending on Twitter right now, which always means that Democrats are having a meltdown over something that is entirely their own fault. Apparently a few people voted Green in a close congressional election in Ohio with low turnout due to uninteresting and uninspiring candidates, which according to Hollywood celebrities like Alyssa Milano and Kathy Griffin is proof of the Green party’s selfishness, stupidity, hypocrisy, privilege, and, of course, proof of a secret Russian conspiracy.

Never mind the fact that a small number of people have always voted Green when there’s an opportunity to. Never mind the fact that the Green votes didn’t even affect the outcome of the election. Never mind how everyone knows on some level that the Democrats are a novelty joke party which doesn’t even have real primaries and only serves to corral progressives into supporting plutocratic agendas instead of moving America to the left in any meaningful way. The important thing is herpa derpa Jill Stein Susan Sarandon, derp duh.

Well I can think of a few things off the top of my head that are a lot more selfish, stupid, hypocritical and privileged than voting for a Green Party candidate when that seems like the right thing to do. Here are ten of them:

1. Continuing to support an ecocidal, omnicidal two-headed one-party system which has used narrative control and good cop/bad cop schtick to march our species to the brink of extinction via climate chaos or nuclear armageddon. Just so you can feel good about yourself for doing what the TV told you to do.

2. Continuing to support the Democratic Party, which destroyed Libya in a fake “humanitarian” intervention based on lies, indifferently leaving behind a smoldering crater of humanitarian catastrophe where terrorist factions run rampant, rape is everywhere, and humans are sold as property.

3. Continuing to support a political system which is wholly owned and operated by the wealthy, leaving zero effective influence over US policy in the hands of ordinary Americans and immense influence in the hands of the very rich.

4. Continuing to support the Democratic Party, which does everything it can under the pretense of slow, incremental change to hamstring meaningful environmental reform anywhere remotely near the scale necessary to avert a climate catastrophe that would impact the world’s most disadvantaged and impoverished people first and worst.

5. Continuing to support the Democratic Party, which does everything it can to prevent progressive reform and the implementation of the same social safety nets accorded to every citizen of every other major country on earth, first and foremost to the detriment of America’s most disadvantaged groups.

6. Continuing to support a mass media network which consistently deceives the American people into consenting to oppressive neoliberal exploitation at home and bloodthirsty neoconservative warmongering abroad, both of which impact the most impoverished and disadvantaged groups far more than anyone else.

7. Continuing to support the Democratic Party, which has worked in conjunction with the Republican Party to advance dangerous new cold war escalations which have been planned by neoconservatives and secretive government agencies for many years.

8. Continuing to support the Democratic establishment, which, while condemning Trump’s criticisms of the “free press”, actively cheerleads Trump’s agenda to imprison Julian Assange, a move which would set a precedent allowing Trump and his successors to imprison journalists for publishing government leaks.

9. Supporting the party which could very, very easily attack Trump on the basis of his reckless warmongering, suicidal escalations against Russia, and greatly increased civilian casualties in bombing campaigns, but instead attacks him for not being hawkish enough.

10. Supporting the party which, in order to attack Trump, has been rallying to support J Edgar Hoover’s fascist, minority-oppressing FBI and the lying, torturing, propagandizing, drug trafficking, coup-staging, warmongering CIA.

It’s easy to advocate incrementalism when you’re not living hand to mouth. It’s selfish to think that acting on climate change can be rolled out over many decades so as not to upset the corporate donors of your favorite politicians. It’s the height of entitlement to close the door to progressives inside the Democratic Party, and then throw a hissy fit when they vote for another party. It’s hypocritical to hyperventilate about election-rigging Russians while secretly, and then openly, rigging primaries against progressives.

Supporting the continued existence of a fake two-party system which advances exploitative agendas hurts the most vulnerable populations in America and in the entire world. Acting self-righteous because you actively support that system while spitting on the people who are trying to change it is selfish, is stupid, is hypocritical, and is a mark of extreme privilege.

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40 responses to “Ten Things That Are More Selfish, Stupid And Privileged Than Voting Green Party”

  1. Tristan Avatar
    Tristan

    Magnificent!

  2. Maxim Gorki Avatar
    Maxim Gorki

    If you vote Dem or Rep, or enlist, you are an accessory to murder.
    https://www.stpete4peace.org/obama-fact-sheet

  3. Jared Avatar
    Jared

    The proplem with the green party is that they have proven themselve ineffective. Same with libertarians. Though I can understand why many would disagree with the choice, the great think about voting for Trump was it was so humiliating to the statists and he actually won. Ocasio would be worthy alternative for same reason but shes just not up to it – but maybe that would make it all the better.

    1. Julie Tabler Avatar
      Julie Tabler

      Getting on the ballot is a real challenge. The mega-parties have erected so many obstacles. See my earlier post about the lawsuit in Montana, for instance. The Democrats would not bother with this if the Greens were “ineffective”.
      These two parties are also barred from debates by “rules” designed to keep them out, because if they ever got national exposure like that, there would be a massive Demexit to the Greens, simply because the platform make sense. Even some Libertarians would go green, because the two parties both want decentralization.
      The Green Party is evolving, and keep in mind that what looks like “ineffective” to you may simply be the consensus process, which must be used to create democracy from the grassroots up. There is no other way.

    2. Katy Meigs Avatar
      Katy Meigs

      Is there really anything great about the Trump presidency?

  4. JdL Avatar
    JdL

    I’m sorry to see you including “climate change” on the list of things you think important. The article you link to is a good example of the phoniness of that movement: the scare picture at the top actually depicts cooling towers, which emit zero hated carbon dioxide.

    Speaking of carbon dioxide, are you aware that the concentration of it in the atmosphere was three times higher than now in the time of the dinosaurs? And life was thriving, as long as one of the reptilian monsters didn’t get ahold of you. Plants have adapted amazingly well as the concentration has fallen to less than one part in a thousand, but from everything I can gather it would benefit the earth to boost it back up to more like it was 60 million years ago.

    To be sure, there are serious issues, such as the ocean of floating plastic, to be dealt with. Luckily, as countries rise out of poverty, they find the resources to stop polluting so freely, and efforts are underway to begin scooping up what’s there.

    1. bh2 Avatar
      bh2

      The greater danger today is the far more rapacious, reptilian monsters occupying Washington DC. Of both parties.

    2. Katy Meigs Avatar
      Katy Meigs

      Should be intuitively obvious that climate change is the number one most dire problem facing the world. Or do you have some reason to think you know better than the top hundreds of climate scientists in the world?

      1. Rude bald guy Avatar
        Rude bald guy

        There is every reason to question the climate scientists. For whom do they work? Who pays them? They may be right. But how would you know? You have the freedom to believe what you choose and whom you choose. But unless you are a competent scientist yourself, you have no basis for belief or disbelief. And even then you might not be lying, but you could be mistaken or deceived.

        By this time it must be obvious, ones belief or lack of belief in AGW is totally irrelevant to those whose living is made on each side or both sides of the question.

        1. Katy Meigs Avatar
          Katy Meigs

          The IPCC is an open network organization in which renowned scientists (mostly from universties) from 194 countries collaborate versus you.

          Hard to make a decision as to who is to be trusted?

        2. Steve Magruder Avatar
          Steve Magruder

          If you don’t trust the myriad scientists, maybe look out the window? If you merely gardened (esp. long term), you would know changes are afoot.

          1. Julie Tabler Avatar
            Julie Tabler

            I’ve been growing more and more zone 5 plants — in Montana.

          2. Rude bald guy Avatar
            Rude bald guy

            If you will notice, I used the acronym AGW. The A stands for anthropogenic. It is patently obvious that the climate of the Earth has changed in long term cycles throughout its ages. Clearly the Earth is in one of these cycles right now.
            What is not obvious is the systemic cause of these cycles. Both Al Gore and Michael Mann lied about the causal relationship between global temperature and atmospheric carbon. They reversed cause and effect. Their motive was financial and Gore especially became very wealthy through carbon credit trading.

            Is your section of the world warming up? I’ll take your word for it. Is this trend going to continue? Your guess is as good as mine. Is there a financial payoff for promotion of AGW. Yes. Are large corporations in on this? Yes.

            Have you paid any attention to what Caitlin has been trying to teach us about the manufacturing of consent? Apparently not.

            Scientists have employed their talents in the development of refining petroleum, nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons, poisonous herbicides, etc etc etc. Did they suddenly see the light and get all moral and righteous? Are there good ones and evil ones? Do you know which is which?

            If you find it comforting to believe in the AGW conjecture, go for it. I’m sure the corporations and politicians will be very pleased with you.

          3. Julie Tabler Avatar
            Julie Tabler

            Hi, Rudebald, I’m one of those people who looked at the studies all through the 80s when the press was slamming these scientists.
            The media obviously changed its collective mind, and like a lot of people, I thought, huh? Are they finally getting it? But then I came to the same conclusion as you, by following the money.
            But unless Earth has a mighty feedback system and the next ice age kicks in soon, we may find the answer to this question — TOO LATE.
            The argument over whose science you believe is a distraction. It’s meant to keep us from implementing new technologies that would decentralize the control of energy production.
            There. I followed the money again.

            1. Rude bald guy Avatar
              Rude bald guy

              Thank you.

              Things could get rough. Or not.
              I lived in Ireland which had been denuded of trees for centuries. They survived and prospered.

  5. glitch Avatar
    glitch

    Well done take down of the Replicrats. Again, thank you for paying attention to them so that we don’t have to!

  6. chuck Nasmith Avatar
    chuck Nasmith

    Hope you Caitlin will meet with Chelsea in Sept.! I spent many days in the room at Ft Mead with her. Truth is good. War is bad. Wage Peace for all the people and planet, and TY!

  7. Wally Wombat Avatar
    Wally Wombat

    The Democrats and Republicans are just two turds shat out of the same arse.

  8. Howard G. Skillington Avatar
    Howard G. Skillington

    This is excellent. We are now told that George Will and Tom Friedman say we should vote a straight Democratic ticket for the midterm elections. If that were to work the Dems would claim this vindicated the rightness of the “centrist” positions and swing even further onto the same page as the Republicans on the existential issues. First the “Liberals” decide they now love and trust the FBI; now they want to be advised by the likes of Will and Friedman. To this I have three answers: No way, No way in hell, and No fucking way. Our only hope is the complete dissolution of the Democratic party and its replacement by an anti corporatist, labor party, i.e., a party that is on our side.

  9. elkojohn Avatar
    elkojohn

    Amen Caitlin.
    .
    The Dems & Repubs have run the U.S. government for more
    than 150-years. FDR passed the New Deal to regulate
    U.S. capitalism and give some benefits to workers.
    After FDR, the Dems and Repubs formed a 2-party political
    coalition to dismantle the New Deal.
    .
    ==== AND NOW, WHAT DO WE HAVE–?? ====
    .
    Things the 2-party coalition CAN AFFORD***
    1. Unnecessary foreign wars in Iraq & Afghanistan = $4-6 trillion
    (does not include CIA covert operations in Central & South America,
    Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, Africa, Phillipines, etc.)
    2. Wall Street bailouts = $12.8 trillion,
    3. Big Oil subsidies = $37.5 billion per year,
    4. F-35 fighter jet program = $1.5 trillion,
    5. Trillion dollar tax cuts for the rich and powerful,
    6. Bankruptcy court for the rich and powerful.
    .
    Things the 2-party coalition CAN NOT AFFORD***
    1. Universal healthcare, 2. Repairs to roads and bridges,
    3. Water treatment to remove lead from drinking water,
    4. Generating electric power from renewable energy,
    5. Recycling waste, 6. Removing plastics from the oceans,
    7. High speed trains, 8. Affordable education and job training,
    9. Employment with a living wage for everyone who wants to work,
    10. Affordable housing – including for the homeless people,
    11. Publicly financed elections, 12. Bankruptcy court for student loans.
    .
    ==== AND WHAT CAN DO WE DO ABOUT IT–?? ====
    .
    If every voter woke up on election day, and decided to only vote
    for 3rd party candidates of their choice, and refused to vote for
    Dems or Repubs every again, – then the non-violent revolution could
    take place. And if 101-voters did this,
    perhaps the hundredth monkey syndrome would kick in . . .

  10. chucknobomb Avatar
    chucknobomb

    Would Obomba have droned Beyonce if she voted Green?

  11. chucknobomb Avatar
    chucknobomb

    Twitter deleted over 7 years fs Peter Van Buren. Common Dreams deleted over 12 years of my comments and they want me to vote D for lesser evil? Otay, I will write in none of the above, or Green like the past (Have written in MICkey Mouse also). Enjoy, Be Happy, Help the People and animals etc.!

  12. chucknobomb Avatar
    chucknobomb

    After 6 years of being banned by Common Dreams, I think for going after the DroneKing and D’s I have been able for the past week to comment on Commonn Dreams. I used my 1st A rights and freedom of speech to educate. They want any lesser evil D, which is sick. Keep on…C Hillary had dinner with Harvey W. two days after loss. I’m with her?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Phuck the D’s and Co! Have a nice daY OR NIGHT. wAKE UP aMERIKAN fOOLS!

    1. chucknobomb Avatar
      chucknobomb

      I mentioned why was Peter Van Buren not supported after Abbey Z praised a site being shut down. He wrote articles that were published on Common Dreams. They will go down with the D Party. Profits before People? Get the F out of our Way!

  13. Katy Meigs Avatar
    Katy Meigs

    Thank you, Caitlin!

    From a much maligned and ostracized Green Party member and voter.

    1. George Gluck Avatar
      George Gluck

      Democrats who believe in democracy should fight for Ranked Choice Voting; those who don’t will continue to complain when folks refuse to vote for the greater of two evils.

      1. Katy Meigs Avatar
        Katy Meigs

        Agree. Not only Dems but all voters should demand this.

  14. Laurey Behrmann Avatar
    Laurey Behrmann

    I continue to have profound gratitude to you, Caitlin Johnstone, for all you have done for me to ‘wake me up’ in 2015 and 2016! Unfortunately, now it’s time for me to move on because I cannot focus on one more word concerning politics. We’re literally burning up here in California — (UNDER ATTACK by world wide powers) And it’s happening all over the Earth. Understanding the lies of politicians and puppet leaders (and their corporate handlers) was a springboard for me to understanding the larger picture — and you have contributed in a big way to my understanding. That picture is VERY GRIM, indeed. I bless you for continuing on because so many people are simply NOT connecting the BIG DOTS and, by grace (and perhaps through continued suffering) they can also learn from you! The fact that I am planning to unsubscribe to you has nothing to do with disagreement or offense on my part. Quite the opposite! I have learned a great deal from you, and now I must focus my attention on life and death issues that are being delivered to our doorsteps, right here in the USofA and everywhere else. Much love and fondest wishes to you and all whom you love, dear Warrior Woman.

  15. Julie Tabler Avatar
    Julie Tabler

    Caity, about your tweet ending in “NO NOT LIKE THAT”.

    The Montana Undemocratic Party filed a suit (with out-of-state funding) to boot all the Green Party candidates off the ballot this year. The judge refused to rule on it before the primaries this year, so I got to vote a Green ballot for the first time ever!!

    Now the judge has ruled to take all these candidates off the November ballot. Slimeball.

    At stake (or so they fear) is Jon Tester’s senate seat, with a well known Montana Green in the running. Jon is admittedly one of the more “reasonable” Dems in the Senate. He has an organic farm, defends small business and veterans. But votes like everybody else on war.

    But mainly they fear that people will notice what the Greens are saying, and conclude, “well, that sounds reasonable”. War is a black hole in our economy. You can’t bomb terrorism out of existence. You have to starve it. Things that nobody else is saying.

  16. Harry S Nydick Avatar
    Harry S Nydick

    First, I am a registered Democrat for more than 50 years. second, I do not support the Democratic Party, or the Republican Party. Third, while I do think that the green Party has some merit, I also think that it is far from perfect.
    As I’ve said in numerous conversations on Facebook, after Obama revealed himself, in January 2009, to be another of the corporatist liars, I vowed never again to vote for the lesser of two evils for president. Evil is evil, despite the degree , and it simply doesn’t belong in the White House, not even when the two major parties present us with the evil choice of 2016.
    So, I really had no choice but to vote for Stein because, even if not perfect, she was the only candidate that possessed the most critical attribute – integrity>

    So, why do I remain a registered democrat? simple. The area in which I live is overwhelmingly Democrat and we do not have open primaries. So, being thus registered gives me the opportunity to cast my vote against the Party–supported candidates. Even if that person loses, I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, if enough of us do that, it will put the Democratic Party on notice.

  17. Jim Boydston Avatar
    Jim Boydston

    Caity, you are still the most accurate truth-bomber on the planet! thank you so much for doing everything you do!

  18. Greenie Avatar
    Greenie

    As a lifelong socialist, and Green for my entire adult life (hence my name here), I view CJ’s article as a fantastic take down of the mindless, selfish, ignorant, entitled spewings and voting of far too many Democrats.

    Milano’s “too much at stake” argument is one I find particularly revolting and dishonest, but it’s trotted out at EVERY election cycle to justify and bully voting for the utterly repulsive Donkey head of the two headed mono-party monster.

    Another of the favorite Donkey arguments is “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” as if Green Party voters are too stupid/naive to know their own brains and conscience, or so ignorant as to think the imperfect Green Party is anything but just that.

    I now ONLY vote in accordance with the Rational Best Will of the People, and that is generally most in accord with Green platforms and candidates, though at times the local Greens are a bit too marginal even for me, so I don’t vote at all in those races.

    And I respect non-voters 10 times more than nearly anyone who votes Democrat, especially in smug, knee jerk fashion.

    Green is THE party of the future – if we have one – and when you attack Green, you attack the most sane and thoughtful party in the United States. (Not that this is saying too much these days…)

    THANK YOU for going on the offensive against these Donkeys, CJ – you da best! :+)

    1. Carolyn Zaremba Avatar
      Carolyn Zaremba

      Socialism is the future of hujanity or it has no future. Thank you for not supporting the Democraps.

      1. Carolyn Zaremba Avatar
        Carolyn Zaremba

        I meant humanity. Wish one could edit these things.

  19. Jack Nachamkin Avatar
    Jack Nachamkin

    By Einstein’s definition I am already insane, if not also brain damaged. I have been voting the straight Democratic ticket for more than 50 years as well as marching in protests and signing petitions, expecting different results. That is Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity. I did not vote for either Hillary or Trump. As many like me are waking up we are saying, “Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.”

    1. Tom C Avatar
      Tom C

      I’ve come to a place of peace regarding voting. Obviously my one vote is never significant. It merely confirms my preferences and only to myself. In fact, I feel that I do not vote as much as voting is done to me. If I choose to vote this way or that I manifest the drift of the zeitgeist as I perceive it. That’s how many campaigns end in a close almost tie. The zeitgeist has drifted a little this way or that. For some candidates a 51% result is a staggering lurch of the zeitgeist, dragging him or her across the finish line. For another a 60% “landslide” is a slap in the face for his crappy performance. He should have merited 70%.

      Even non-voting is a form of participation in the zeitgeist. In fact, non-voting is often the majority and represents the communal disgust with the offered candidates.

      For all of this I feel free to please myself with my vote or my non vote. In, fact I never vote. But it is fun to try to predict how the zeitgeist will zig or zag. You can dive into the river or lazily watch it from the banks. Regardless, one thing is true, you are not the river. You are not responsible for it. It cares nothing for your blame or praise. If you must morally engage with the world look inward and fix the wrongs you find there. Perhaps then you will learn how to swim upstream.

  20. Jim KABLE Avatar
    Jim KABLE

    Dear Team Caitlin

    Just because I don’t comment after every post does not mean I disagree with anything you write. Everything is so clear – it seems such a pity that at least every five posts re the US you should be writing one about Australia – no less bizarre than the nonsense passing for politics in the US! But whatever – thanks!

  21. chucknobomb Avatar
    chucknobomb

    Nail on the head again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dems put Chelsea in Prison, Snowden to Russia, and want Assange Droned etc. It’s a killer Party with the R’$! Shut them down.

  22. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Brava! Seriously.

    The one good thing about the juvenile utterances of these Hollywood types is that they provide an occasion for messages like yours to be exposed to their even more juvenescent followers.

    1. H-Bomb Alpha Bravo Avatar
      H-Bomb Alpha Bravo

      What a genius statement. So utterly profound. Honestly, Einstein level thinking. Have you considered leaving your brain for science?

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