South End News columnist Shirley Kressel recently wrote a ringing endorsement of Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein:
Fortunately for us, such a candidate, Jill Stein, has entered the race.
Stein is a person of accomplishment; she is a physician and public health researcher, co-authoring “Environmental threats to Healthy Aging” and “Toxic Threats to Child Development.” A leader of the Mass Coalition for Healthy Communities, she keeps her eyes on the long-term, big-picture issues, working with experts in green jobs, local economies, public health, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and industry. I have known her for many years; her focus has always been on creating a just and sustainable society. She is a fount of knowledge, real knowledge, not just politically expedient factoids, about her web of interests. And it is a web, because more than most political figures, she understands acutely the interrelationships of all these issues, and the reason why they cannot be treated in isolated bits. Jill Stein is an inspiring figure who persists against all odds, because she knows the stakes.
I hope the media will not renege on their critical mission of broadening the public forum, as they often do, misusing their powerful tools to skew the race, or to predict it in a self-fulfilling prophecy. In her Feb. 10 appearance on the WGBH Emily Rooney Show, Stein questioned the right of journalists to exclude candidates from coverage and from debates, and thus to decide which political messages the public is entitled to hear; Rooney responded, “Well, yeah, we’re the editors.” Rooney, as well as The Boston Globe in its coverage of Stein’s Feb. 10 declaration speech, cited Stein’s low 3.4 percent vote total in her 2002 gubernatorial run but didn’t point out that she beat out the Republican with 20 percent of the vote in her 2004 run for state representative, and got over 350,000 votes for her 2006 run for Secretary of State-despite the incumbent’s refusal to debate and the press’s refusal to give her fair coverage. Why ascribe credibility only to candidates who are well-known-even if they’ve been part of the problem? Let the public judge all available candidates, based on their ideas and accomplishments.
Jill Stein will not be the beneficiary of millions of dollars from corporations and lobbyists, that’s for sure. Grassroots fundraising is difficult, time-consuming, and ultimately cannot match the big bucks of the business world. This should improve, not detract from, her credibility. Why settle for only the best candidates corporations will buy for us?
Her platform, on www.jillstein.org, explains her priorities: revival of local economies with secure, livable-pay jobs rooted in an environmentally sustainable green economy; preventive health care and Medicare-for-all insurance; fair taxation both by progressive burden distribution and by eliminating the “corruption tax”-and the honest, open government required to make public officials our servants, as they should be. And she, unlike the others who spout the same words, means it.
12 responses so far ↓
1 Don Lake ......... thank you notes welcomed ???? // Feb 17, 2010 at 10:17 pm
We’ve spent decades narrowing our choices in order to be “realistic,” holding our noses when we enter the polling booth, voting against the lesser of evils. Where has it gotten us?
At this point, the only realistic strategy is to vote FOR someone you really want.
And really, hasn’t it always been?
Shirley Kressel is a landscape architect and urban designer, and one of the founders of the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods. She can be reached at Shirley.Kressel@verizon.net.
2 Don Lake ......... thank you notes welcomed ???? // Feb 17, 2010 at 10:23 pm
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3 Robert Milnes // Feb 17, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Hijack! OK, I have brief use of a computer. I may be able to get my old pentium 3 working. Tom K., there is a motorhome for sale in St. Louis. see rvt.com. 7,000. 1983 Ford chassis, 25′. I’m not sure if the one in GA is still available. 30′, 4000. Can you try to get it for me? Beg, borrow, steal 7000. I can get there to drive it to NJ. I also still need a laptop. At least one solar panel w/charge controler. Can anybody help?
4 Don Lake ......... yahoo: ymail.ymail // Feb 17, 2010 at 11:39 pm
…… one issue does unite Americans across the political spectrum.
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that the vast majority of Americans are vehemently opposed to a recent Supreme Court ruling that opens the door for corporations, labor unions, and other organizations to spend money directly from their general funds to influence campaigns.
As noted by the Post’s Dan Eggen, the poll’s findings show “remarkably strong agreement” across the board, with roughly 80% of Americans saying that they’re against the Court’s 5-4 decision. Even more remarkable may be that opposition by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents were all near the same 80% opposition range.
5 Robert Milnes // Feb 18, 2010 at 4:34 am
Ok, I got my old pentium 3 working. Very slow. Many glitches. Still can’t email. As soon as I am convinced completely that the TinyBook is not very usable for me AND I get a decent laptop, I will send it to paulie. So anybody who would like to help out paulie with a mini laptop wifi, get me a decent laptop. I assume I can be contacted via Tom K./IPR.
If you are located near Atlanta, GA, could you check to see if the 4000 Ford chassis motorhome is still available? I think the place was called Speedway RV.
6 Robert Milnes // Feb 18, 2010 at 4:40 am
The place in St. Louis is called M.B.Thomas RV. 1800-798-5655.
7 Robert Milnes // Feb 18, 2010 at 4:48 am
I wonder whether IPR readers appreciate the seriousness and irony of my situation. I’m living on vanishing credit day to day in between an undrivable old Econoline (no reg & inspection) and an old dilapidated trailer. In contrast to reactionary GOP counterrevolutionary dinosaur fossil fake libertarian Ron Paul who many of you contributed to his 35 million campaign to nowhere in 2008.
I intend to win in 2012.
8 Robert Milnes // Feb 18, 2010 at 4:54 am
I will try to get my Vonage Vphone to work with this old pent. 3. It was barely working with the pent.4.
I trashpicked a pent. 4 Compac Presario. Somebody mashed it with something like a ball peen hammer on the harddrive & ripped out the on/off switch taking pieces of the motherboard with it. It is useless as a computer. Many salvagable parts though including a memory chip.
9 Third Party Revolution // Feb 18, 2010 at 11:43 am
Probably most IPR readers won’t care as much.
10 Green Party fan // Feb 18, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Thanks for this story on Green Party Jill Stein.
Now if the rest of the media would cover real Green Party candidates on the ballot like Jill Stein…there will be real opportunity for the change we need.
Much appreciated.
11 Don Lake ........... double 'harruph!' // Feb 22, 2010 at 7:13 pm
[a] Green Party Fan is not a member of the green movement and his group [Independent Greens of Virginia] are about as green as I am. And not nearly as green as Kermit the Frog!
[b] is this an appropriate choice for an establishment challenger:
“please join me in welcoming our campaign manager, Daryl Sprague. Daryl is the former Deputy Western Political Director for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and we’re really excited with the energy and expertise he brings to our team. Daryl has already been out on the campaign trail, and he’s been inspired by the response we’re getting both from our supporters and the media (see below). You should expect to be hearing from him soon about the start of the signature drive and other volunteer opportunities, including the kickoff of our voter outreach campaign (see below for more details).”
[c] Obama, my Yokohama Momma, has a long history of looking for change: namely the coins in the sofa cushions!
12 Nora // Feb 23, 2010 at 2:01 pm
I think it is the perfect choice for a campaign manager. Someone who was just like a lot of us, believed in the change but didn’t see it. Congrats Jill and welcome Mr. Sprague!!
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